18+ | Eva French relocates from sunny Florida to the gritty streets of Detroit, seeking a fresh start. But her new beginning takes a dark turn when she experiences a traumatic assault on her very first night in the city. Haunted by the incident, Eva...
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Eva French
I sat upright on my bed, hugging my legs, staring out my blurry window wistfully. My face was dried from tears, my eyes puffy. I watched him walk by my house every day.
I know I was being a little bit melodramatic, but I could not control how I felt. Half of me was undeniably attracted to him, whether or not I wanted to admit it. That half was so eager to see him and curious to learn everything about him. That half had pushed me to finally make the trek to the grocery store to gather the ingredients I needed, determined to cook the best dishes I knew how.
The other half of me steeped in a murky pool of shame for wanting those things. This half of me contained a persistent voice that whispered of unworthiness and vulnerability at the mere thought of reaching out to him, telling me how stupid I'd been to invite him inside for dinner every day of last week.
I had heard him and his friends talking in Jay's backyard about girls. Although not in detail, I've heard enough to know that Vince didn't exactly consider respect towards women at any level of importance. I had listened to them hinting towards sex in vulgar ways, eagerly asking questions and poking fun at his supposedly wild experiences.
Despite my resolve, I couldn't ignore the subtle hints of gentleness I had sensed from him over the past few days. It was perplexing. Was this truly the same man Jay and Aidan often spoke about in the manner that they did? I had to constantly remind myself that I needed to keep my distance. After all, he embodied precisely the type of man that girls are incessantly warned about. Yet, despite my rationalizations, there was an undeniable pull drawing me closer, tempting me to explore the depths of his complexity.
I had mulled over the offer Jay had casually voiced a few days ago and I wondered if he was serious about having me work at his shop. The more I thought about it, the more it didn't seem like too bad of an idea. The shop was a close walk to my house and I was comfortable with Jay. I decided I would talk to him about it.
As soon as I stepped through Jay's gate, I realized I shouldn't have come. There were more people there than usual. There was music playing from an old stereo and a crowd of people around the fire drinking, smoking, and laughing. One of the guys got up to man the grill while the others sipped happily from their cups, entranced in lively conversation.
"Eva!" I heard Jay call out to me before I could turn around and sneak away, "Eva!!!"
He came up to me with a big grin on his face.
"Eva, hey!" he greeted me happily, "I'm glad you came. Food is nice and hot, have you eaten?"
"No, not yet," I mumbled softly, my mind scrambling for a polite excuse to depart. I had wanted to talk to him about the job opportunity but it was clear tonight was not the night to ask. "I'm okay, though, Jay. I just wanted to check if you guys were around, but..."
