"You never told me you're called The DICK," she said out of the blue.
He groaned. "It's just a stupid nickname."
"How did you get it?" Great curiosity appeared on her face, and he hated it because this was something he'd much rather erase in his pas...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"So let me get this straight," Ashton flicked his tongue, titling his head to the side. "You want me to be your boyfriend?"
"Pretend boyfriend," Eva quickly corrected, "I never had a boyfriend before, so..." Eva held tight on her warm cup of The Regular Ice Cream Shop's special milkshake, her hazel eyes averted not to meet Ashton's analyzing blue eyes. His gaze wasn't as intense as his brother, who she yet had to learn his name, but it was quite intimidating.
"Hmm, I see," Ashton nodded. "I never had a girlfriend either, by the way," he acknowledged thoughtfully. Ashton took a sip of his black coffee that was so sophisticated it made Eva feel so childish when she ordered the special milkshake. "And this is all a part of your revenge plan against Zarek?"
"Yes," Eva fiddled with her oversized sweatshirt as her eyes roamed the interior of the most popular coffee shop in the area, trying not to swirl the hair she no longer had. "You said you'll help me, right? I hope you still stand by your offer."
Ashton's arms were both on the table as he leaned his demeanor over, slightly intimidating Eva with his composure. His aura wasn't hostile and guarded like Trudy, or evil and dangerous like Zarek, but relaxed and comfortable. Eva's awkwardness had nothing to do with him as much as it had to do with what she said. It didn't sound so stupid when she plotted it with Trudy yesterday. Eva was about to take everything back until Ashton opened his mouth to speak.
"I'm glad you reached out to me, I'd love to help with whatever you need," he heaved a sigh, leaning back on the chair that could've been the same chair Zarek sat on less than a month ago. "Although, I personally think that this plan is not the best and - honestly, no offense - very immature." Eva didn't disagree with him the slightest. "But I also think we've already established that I can't change your mind," He smiled at her, a hint of accusation mixed with sadness swirled in his blue irises. "So yeah, count me in, you got my support on getting even with Zarek."
Evangeline smiled, weights lifting off of her relieved chest. "Thank you," she beamed.
Ashton shrugged, his fingers curling around the hot cup. "Yeah, I'm all about woman empowerment," Ashton cleared his throat and looked away, a ghost of a smile in his lips. "Well, that and the fact that I can't deny myself a relationship with a pretty girl, even if it was fake."
Eva must've blushed at least seven shades of pink.
"Although, I must say this," Ashton's amusement slipped away, his shoulders tensing as he leaned back on the table and a bad feeling stirred in the pit of Eva's stomach. "Don't you think it's a little late? You endured him for three years and only two months are left before graduation. You'll never have to see him again if you wait, so why now?"
"Exactly, I'll never see him again," Eva's fingers were wrapped around the paper cup so tight that she feared she'd spill the substance over. "I don't want to end things with Zarek the way they are now. I want him to know how it feels to be stepped on, because if I don't then I'm sure he'll do the same thing - if not worse - to the next innocent girl." Eva took a deep breath, cleansing her soul out of the negativity the thoughts of Zarek brought. "I don't want him hurt, I just want him to stop, take a step back, and realize what he did. Besides, it has nothing to do with time, it's about being fed up, Ashton."
