Evelyn

Sixteen days had come and gone. Well, more precisely, sixteen days, eight hours, and forty-five minutes- I'd always been weak with numbers, but now I was sharp- pretty sharp. Thanks to Jacob, who might have messed up most aspects of my life, but inadvertently helped me strengthen my weakest point- math.

Did I owe him a thank you? Hell, no.

He'd shattered the most resilient part of my being- trust. Now, I knew better than to dole it out like candy on Halloween. There was a hundred percent chance it would get fucking trampled, just like that Italian bastard had done. He fucking ruined me.

God! I might never be able to fucking trust anyone!

With a groan, I rolled out of bed, my feet sliding into cozy slippers. I silenced the godforsaken alarm and stood up, stealing a glance at the mirror. The reduction in my dark circles was a welcome sign- I was making progress, and moving on. So were my dark circles, apparently.

Could I finally consider I was getting over him? Maybe, yeah.

My phone chimed, breaking the silence of the morning. Grabbing it from the nightstand, I unlocked the screen to find the familiar ID glowing- Cameron. Cameron Blake.

My newfound distraction.

I tapped into our conversation, and his text lit up the screen

"Awake, beautiful?"

"Just stirring, Charmer," I replied.

"Just have to be enough of a charmer to charm you."

"Well, if you hadn't charmed me, we wouldn't be talking," I found myself smiling this time.

"I am flattered! Anyways, don't be late- I will be waiting for you at the cafe."

"I am never late."

"Funny! That's why you made me wait ten days."

"That was to test you."

"So did I pass the test?"

"Yup- That's why we are meeting today. Now bye- I gotta go and get ready."

I left my phone resting on the desk this time and strolled into the bathroom. The warm water cascaded down in a proper shower- I shaved, shampooed, and cleansed every inch of my body, ensuring that when I stepped out, I exuded the sweet scent of vanilla- perfect!

Today's plan? Uncertain. Certainly not planning to end up in bed with him, but they say first impressions matter, don't they? So, I put effort into presenting myself as anything but a woman trying to mend her shattered heart after loving a man who treated it like dirt, crushed it underfoot, and laughed in my face. There was no need to let Cameron glimpse into that past or let him know the scars it left.

Speaking of Cameron, we'd been conversing for a mere twelve days, all in my desperate attempt to evict Jacob from my mind- a futile effort, I must admit. Nevertheless, I persisted. I refused to become that stereotypical heartbroken woman who spends years weeping over a sick bastard. I wanted to move forward, and Cameron stumbling upon my social media after all these years, reaching out to me, felt like a sign. He remembered me from high school, where he saw me as the most beautiful girl in class- a perception I certainly didn't share, but perhaps in his eyes, I was. He was the nerdy, shy kid back then, often bullied for his acne-ridden face, yet now, here we were, connected by some twist of fate.

I pondered how he looked now- still a nerd?

His words didn't sound like he was one. He'd developed quite the flirting skills, which I admired. So, what about his face? It remained a mystery. His social media was sparse on photos, with only a few decent side profiles, but I'd stumbled upon some abs pictures...and they were, well, you know- enough to make a girl swoon, but still not enough to make me forget how Jacob Adriano looked in a plain shirt and slacks.

Damn it! Why was I even thinking about him?

Because you still love me- the bitch in my head spoke.

I groaned, spritzed on some body mist, and slipped into a red short dress, pairing it with beautiful red high heels. Grabbing a small beige bag, I quickly applied makeup, and styled my hair, striving to look my best. As I surveyed myself in the mirror, I felt satisfied- this was the best I'd looked in days. After the breakup, I'd been burying myself in food and sleep, a futile attempt to escape thoughts of him. It helped me forget during the day but did nothing to spare me from the dreams where I found myself tucked in his arms and honestly those were actually the best parts of these days I'd spent without him.

I missed his arms around me. His scent. His breath against mine. His lips on mine. I missed him- every part of him. As mine. When he was mine.

My gaze flickered to the phone- another missed call from him. He'd been calling and texting incessantly, and I'd been avoiding him like the plague. I didn't want to talk to him, no matter how much I missed him. I didn't even want to see his damn face after what he did- he didn't deserve me.

"Can we please talk?"- His text flashed on the screen, sent fifteen minutes ago. I'd made the right choice by muting him, but I still couldn't help but check his messages every few hours. It became a habit.

A knock on the door shattered my thoughts.

"Come in."

Clara entered, her eyes widening in surprise at my appearance. "Wow! You look stunning, Evie," she approached me, awestruck. "Everyone's going to be floored seeing you like this."

"Don't steal my spotlight now, only I can compliment that way," I chuckled, adjusting my dress.

"Oh, come on, you really do look stunning," she chuckled back, nudging my arm with a playful smile, "Tell me, who's the lucky guy?" she nudged my arm with a sheepish smile.

"It's just someone from school, same grade. Apparently, he's had a crush on me for a while. So, I thought, why not make his evening?" I chuckled, "After all, my days are mostly spent dwelling on a jerk who didn't give a fuck about me despite claiming to love me."

"Forget about him," Clara urged, trying to lift my spirits, "Today's about your date- just enjoy it and forget everything else."

"You're right," I said, distracted by the sound of my phone chiming. It was a text from Cameron.

"Well, looks like you're running late."

Fuck!

"Shit, he's already there," I grabbed my bag and dad's credit card from the drawer before giving Clara a quick hug. "I gotta go. Bye."

Before she could say anything else, I rushed downstairs and bolted out of the building.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Evelyn?" Dad's voice rang out from the garden as I slid into the car, starting the engine.

I rolled down the window and yelled back, "On a date."

And before he could protest or come any closer, I sped off, nearly running the red light, finally reaching the café using a shortcut.

I quickly fixed my hair in the rearview mirror before stepping out of the car and into the café. It was filled with unfamiliar faces engrossed in conversations. Suddenly, I felt someone standing behind me, and before I could turn around, he spoke up, his voice close to my ear.

"Hey, beautiful."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at the sound of his deep voice, and I clutched my bag tighter, slowly turning to face him.

And damn me...

It turned out I was wrong to think there could never be anyone as good-looking as Jacob Adriano, because as Cameron Blake stood before me, it became clear- Jacob wasn't the only man who could make me feel nervous.

"Oh, hi..."