Entry #30: Fools in Love
Hello! Here's my entry for the second week of the BF Feb contest. It's continued from my first entry, but could do as a stand-alone. If you wish to read it, the link to the first entry is: http://pauljoy.livejournal.com/8023.html#cutid1. Apologies about the weird indentation. Prompt used was 'a fool and his money'. 1,418 words. Enjoy!
-joy
A/N: Also, thank you to those who help me chose the names! They work beautifully :)
Fools in Love - Evelyn Stewart
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Evelyn Stewart, the girl who has eluded me so cleverly these past years.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes, attempting not to smile. She deftly slipped a bookmark on the page she was reading, and looked up. “What do you want, Howard?”
“Howard? I’m shocked. When did we start using formalities with each other? It’s Thomas, as you very well know.”
A man with tanned skin and wavy, blond hair sat down on the grass beside her. He smiled at her, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.
She ignored his question and enquired, “Aren’t you worried about that suit of yours? It might get a speck of dirt on it, and surely, you don’t want that.”
“Aha! So you did notice!”
“Why wouldn’t I? How many times did you call me yesterday, freaking out about this job interview? I swear you even woke me up at 3 AM in the morning.”
“For good reason! Everything we’ve ever done, my dear, has led up to this moment: you always reading that book of yours, me somehow being able to find you at this exact spot everyday. It’s fate. We were meant to be.” He sighed contentedly, and stretched his arms for emphasis.
Her mouth twitched, but she did not smile. Yet. “So how did it go?”
“The interview? Do you even need to ask?”
“Not that well then.”
Howard laughed out loud. “Have you no faith in me? Of course I got the job!” He smiled at her.
A breeze passed by, playing with Howard’s hair. She reached out to flatten it back on his head in vain. Her hand had slipped down to his face, hugging one warm cheek. He leaned in unconsciously towards her, and she breathed in the faint smell of cologne on him. They stayed like that for a minute, until the whole world was still.
His voice was soft when it interrupted her thoughts, “What are you doing?”
Evelyn blinked in surprised. She hadn’t noticed.
“Nothing,” she said smoothly. She rubbed a spot on his face before releasing it. “There was a smudge on your skin.”
Howard looked at her curiously. He lifted a hand on the place where she held him, and tried to remove the nonexistent mark. He rubbed it a few times.
“Is it gone yet?”
“No.”
It was silent for a while. The wind had picked up again, and Howard’s locks began to fly. He was frowning now, still rubbing his face. As she watched him, her mouth cracked into a smile.
With Howard, Evelyn felt different. She was comfortable, relaxed; it was a pleasant break from life itself. They were friends, of course. They had been for a long time now. That was it though. Nothing more.
***
“What do you mean I can’t leave?”
Evelyn moved her eyes away from the screen of her laptop, and looked up. There was nobody in the room with her, but the door of her office was wide open. The voices came from the hallway.
“I never said that.”
“Yes, you did! You said Mr. Faust, the mysterious so-called boss of this company, wouldn’t allow it.”
“Did I? Hmm.”
There was a frustrated sigh. It was probably the new guy.
She turned back to the screen. Her desktop wallpaper was the picture that she had eagerly scanned in the day it was taken. It was a Polaroid photograph of her and Howard. She looked a lot younger. Happier.
Her younger self was smiling into the camera, one arm outstretched. She remembered that she was the one who had taken the photo. Howard had already started wearing those thick-rimmed glasses. His eyes were shut, the broad grin on his face infectious. Even though the photo didn’t show it, she knew that his arms were wrapped around her waist. She closed her eyes again, recalling the feeling.
Two tentative knocks on the door. “Am I interrupting?”
Her eyes flashed open, and she noticed Nathaniel stagger back slightly. The irritation that she had felt that morning came back to her.
“You are.”
He mumbled something incoherent, and backed out the doorway. He shut it behind him. She felt somewhat guilty, but she ignored it. Evelyn went back to her laptop, turning it off. She watched it power down, unaware that she was staring again.
“What are you doing out here, Nathan?” The voice was muffled, but she knew it was Lin asking. She sighed, and pushed herself away from her desk. She stood up, smoothing out the long skirt she wore.
There was a vague response from Nathaniel.
“Say that again?” asked Lin.
“I said,” hissed Nathaniel in a louder volume, “she’s busy.”
Evelyn twisted the doorknob handle and opened the door. Nathaniel and Lin were standing right outside; Nathaniel glanced at her once before doing a double take. Lin beamed at her, as if to wave off Nathaniel’s previous comment. She brandished a glossy file in her hand.
“New assignment?” Evelyn accepted the sleek folder, and flitted through the pages briefly.
“Faust had just faxed it in. It’s for you and Nathan.”
“The newbie huh? Has he even had training yet?”
“Nope.”
She stopped. “No training?”
“Yep.”
She stared at Lin’s happy face for a moment. Nathaniel hovered between the two, confusion edged on his face. Howard’s face flickered in her mind.
“He can’t come,” she finally said.
“But -”
“No.” Evelyn spoke the word so fiercely that even Lin’s expression faltered. “I’ll suffer the consequences when Boss returns, but I won’t be the one who puts this man’s life in danger.”
“Didn’t think you cared so much about him, Evelyn.”
Her eyes widened. Dropping the folder on the floor, she swivelled around and searched for the owner of the voice. It felt like a soft tickle in her ear, a whisper, but she heard it. A dozen thoughts ran through her mind frantically. That voice - could it be - is it him?
The hallway was bright with the fluorescent lights overhead. It turned a corner and disappeared behind it. There were no pictures on the walls. The few doors in it were under lock and key. Not one person could have passed through the narrow hallways without bumping into them, let alone being able to whisper something in her ear. There was no one else in sight.
“Evelyn? Are you alright?” Lin was asking her anxiously. Her voice sounded distant and far away.
She shut her eyes, trying to regain her composure. It was impossible. Yet, she couldn’t help ache to hear that voice again. Just once more.
“I’m fine.”
Nathaniel had picked up the folder and handed it to her. He had that same worried look in his eyes. She despised it.
***
The night sky was filled with a mixture of screams and peals of laughter. It was Evelyn’s birthday and Howard had taken the day off to celebrate it. It had been a while since they last spent time together. Howard’s new job had kept him busy. They were downtown, exploring the new Midway Amusement Park.
It was Howard’s idea, obviously.
“Whoa! Would you look at that?”
“Hmm?” Evelyn was lost in thought. They were walking along the sidewalk and passing by the mini-game shops. She wasn’t paying attention to any of it.
“That has got to be the biggest cow I’ve ever seen! Honey, can I get you him?”
“Don’t call me honey.”
“Come on, Eve. It’ll be fun. It’s only ten bucks to enter anyway.”
“It’s a stuffed toy, Howard.” The implication was clear: she didn’t need it. “Don’t be a fool. It’s a gimmick. A waste of money.”
Howard abruptly stopped in his tracks. He pulled on Evelyn’s arm, forcing her to pause. She protested a little, but stopped. Howard was looking at her suspiciously.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“Nothing,” she answered too quickly, surprised at hearing his tone. “There’s nothing wrong.”
“I know you, Evelyn. I can sense it. What’s on your mind?” His glasses slid down his nose, and he angrily pushed it back up. He was still holding on to her arm.
Suddenly, she felt riled up. She shook his hand off, and looked him straight in the eye. Her voice shook in her anger. “No, Howard. You don’t know me.”
With that, she turned her back on him and walked away. Her eyes were prickling, but she angrily just brushed the tears away. She didn’t hear Howard call her back. What was wrong with her?