Chapter 21: Stay Awhile
Their last day collaborating felt a little quiet. Rylee was set to have her stitches removed, and Evan was going in to have his arm looked at. He was already free of the sling, which let him drive again. Once he had full use of his hand there would really be no use for Rylee. She wanted to think of reasons to come back though. Maybe Zane would have them hang out again and go raiding, or see a movie. It would be hard, but she could find a way to keep them in her schedule.
"I think that's about all I can do today," she said, facing Evan who was watching behind her.
"You know, you don't have to just work if you're here... we can play something on the N Swap?" He offered.
Rylee was taken by surprise. "Won't it be hard to play with one hand?" She asked.
He looked embarrassed. "Oh, yeah, I guess that's true..."
"Do you have any board games?" Rylee offered.
Evan's eyes lit up. "Yeah, I have a whole closet... not sure how many are 2 player though."
"How late does Zane work? Maybe we can try one tonight."
"Not until 6, that would mean coming back after your doctor's appointment."
"I don't mind." Rylee started to worry she was too forward, but his smile quickly stopped her.
"That could be fun. If Tara worries she could always come too," he suggested.
Rylee laughed, "She dropped me off at your house every day this week, knowing we would be alone. She isn't the type to chaperone."
He ran a hand through his hair, then looked at the clock on the computer. "Want to eat something?" He offered instead.
When Rylee agreed they moved to the kitchen. Evan pulled out a tabletop grill and started pulling out ingredients to make hamburgers. Rylee pushed herself to her feet, and took the lettuce from him to separate. "You're spoiling me with all of this cooking. Fast food won't be as appealing now."
Evan grinned, seasoning the patties and adding a splash of liquid smoke flavoring. "You're always welcome to come back and eat. I enjoy being able to cook."
"That would be fun."
They grew quiet as Evan put the burgers on the grill and shut the lid. He passed the tomato to Rylee to slice, eyes watching her as she worked. They stood close enough to brush shoulders, the contact giving her unexpected butterflies.
When everything was ready, they relocated to the living room where it was easier to eat. Evan was somewhat clumsy handling his food with one hand, and Rylee giggled slightly when the lettuce slipped back onto the plate.
"Here, I can fix it." She took the burger from him and put it back together. There was a little tint of pink to his ears when she did.
"We should go out sometime when I'm free of this brace. I can be a much more attractive date then," Evan remarked.
Rylee felt the words tangle in her brain, feeling like she heard him wrong. "Date?"
Evan's face froze and the pink from his ears turned bright red, traveling across his cheeks and face, "I, I mean, I wasn't. Well maybe I was..." She blinked at him until he coughed, swallowed, and restarted. "What I mean is, I've enjoyed spending time with you. Maybe we can try an actual date sometime?"
Rylee felt like her brain forgot to work. There was a hum in her chest, a flutter of nerves, until she felt a shy smile fill her features, "I think I would enjoy that."
Evan beamed, "You'll have to help me think of a good place to go. I, uh, haven't actually gone on a lot of dates."
Seeing the sheepish way he admitted it made her nervous energy disappear. "And I look like an expert? Tara has been hounding me for years, and the best she managed to do was convince me to try Sci-Fi speed dating!"
"Your kidding, Zane has been hinting about that for months! Maybe this will save me the $20. We can just speed date now."
"Now?"
To her surprise, he grabbed the plates and set them on the end table. Then he dragged the arm chair so he was directly across from her. With a serious expression, he pulled out his phone and opened a timer. Rylee watched him, amused.
"What are you—"
"Speed dating! No cheating. Ready?"
There was a reckless look in his eyes, a playful expression she couldn't resist. He held up the phone meaningfully and she sighed. With a grin, he pushed start.
"What is your favorite video game?"
"Z of Legend," she answered on reflex.
His lips curved but he kept going. "If you could go anywhere on the world, where would you choose?"
"Australia."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"A brother and a sister. My family lives out of state."
"If you could do anything for a living, what would you do?"
"Art."
Rylee blinked, surprised by her own answer. She thought she had given up that idea already, but here it worked itself back into her brain. Evan his stop on his phone, seeing her emotions, and moved to sit next to her, a reassuring expression on his features.
What an idiot, in one fell swoop she killed the mood.
Evan touched her face, and she looked at him unhappily. He seemed genuine though when he spoke, "Hey, you were great this week. I know you think Tara is just being a pain, but she's right. You have all the right stuff trapped inside you, waiting for your time to shine. There is nothing wrong with chasing a dream, Ry."
She sighed, deflating, and the mood dampening as she did. "That's easy for you to say. Your dream came true."
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