My tone takes on a tone of disbelief, my eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. I can hear Luke let out a heavy sigh from the other end of the phone, and I know he is becoming quite annoyed that I keep having him fact-check himself.

"Yes, Eve. I'm serious." I can practically see his dark brown eyes, the same color as my own, rolling in his head.

I reach forward with the nail polish, the phone tucked between my ear and my shoulder as I slowly paint my big toe. "Mom . . . is dating?" Honestly, it's a bit surprising. Dad hasn't even been gone for a year yet and she's already hopping back on the dating scene. I did not think she would put herself back out there that quickly, I mean, she was with Dad for almost twenty-four years.

"I heard her on the phone with some dude named Axel," Luke elaborates. "She was giggling, Eve. Mom never giggles."

I exhale, making sure not to spill the polish all over my duvet as I rest it on my pillow. "Okay, so she's dating again. I'm happy for her." Luke scoffs and my eyes narrow. "What?"

"Dad hasn't been dead that long. Don't you think it's a little too soon?"

I do think it's too soon, but I also value my mother's happiness. I all but hope that I will never know what it feels like to lose my husband in the way that she'd lost hers. It isn't my place to try and dictate how she needs to move on.

"What do you want her to do? Stay single for the rest of her life?" Silence on the other end confirms his answer and I roll my eyes. "Listen, Luke. Mom is an adult and as much as you hate hearing this, she can do whatever she wants. I have no problem with her dating and frankly, I'm happy for her." Luke stays quiet, and I continue. "If I hear from her that you're being a dick about it, I will come over there and beat your ass."

He chuckles. "I'm not going to say anything, she doesn't even know that I suspect something. I just—I don't want anyone to replace Dad."

"You know that no one can replace him," I say softly. "He'll always be Mom's first love and our crazy old man." After his death, Luke reverted into a shell of his former self. He was utterly broken. We all were. It's only been a few months since things have started to return to some semblance of normal. The ache is still there though. I know it will always be there.

"Yeah, I guess." I hear some rustling on the other end for a moment before Luke's voice comes back. "I have to go to practice, but I'll call you later."

"Alright, bye squirt." He grumbles at the nickname and I laugh, ending the call just as my door swings open. I jump in fright, almost chucking my nail polish across the room. Talia stands against my doorframe, grinning at me like a Cheshire Cat.

I narrow my eyes at her. "What?"

"We're going out tonight!"

"Why?"

Talia pouts, walking further into my room. "Because we haven't been out since before Halloween, at least not all of us together." When I stay silent, giving her a you're not doing a good job of convincing me look, Talia's lip twitches into a smirk. "Miles will be there."

I frown, twisting the cap back on the nail polish. "So?" I try to feign indifference but the fact that Miles is going to be going out with us makes something stir in my stomach. I'm in too deep, and I know it. Especially when I know I'm not completely over Sebastian.

"Don't give me that," Talia scolds. "I know you like him."

"As a friend, yes."

She gives me a dubious look, clearly not buying the whole just friends mantra. "Anyone with eyes can see how much you both want to fuck each other, Eve." I open my mouth to object but Talia shoots me a stern look and I clamp my jaw shut. "So, you're going to get your pretty ass up and put something incredibly sexy on and come out with everyone tonight because I can see how hard you've been working on your internship application, and frankly, you need a night off."

"You're not letting me stay home?" I clarify. Talia shakes her head as she gives me a charming smirk. I huff, deciding a night out won't kill me. And besides, she's right. After all of the work, I'm putting into completing my portfolio, getting drunk seems like such a blessing.

Talia beams, taking my huff of annoyance as my version of agreeing, beginning to throw open my closet door and rifle through my clothes. I'm about to object, especially when she begins throwing pieces out and letting them land in a heap on my floor.

"This is so cute!" she gushes, pulling a simple black mini dress out. "How come you never wear this?"

I shrug. Truthfully, half of the clothes in my closet I have never even been touched before. I tend to stick to what I know best. Which is a pair of loose-fitting jeans and some sort of graphic tee. It's practically my uniform at this point.

She throws the dress in my face. "Wear it tonight." I move it away from my eyes so I can give Talia an incredulous look.

"Why?"

She smirks knowingly at me. "Because then Miles won't be able to take his eyes off of you." Talia squeals as I reach over and chuck one of my pillows at her head, her laughter bouncing off of the walls as she scurries out of my room.

• • •

I tug at the hem of the dress, slightly wishing I'd thrown on tights underneath or maybe gone with a longer choice. Despite my adamant behavior toward Miles and me simply being friends, there is a small part of my brain that wonders what he'll say when he sees me in the dress.

There's also a part of me that wants to see his emerald eyes greedily scan the length of my body. To see them darken as he blatantly stares me down.

I shake the thoughts from my mind. I need to get my head out of the goddamn gutter, Jesus.

"Oh, look! Here they come!" Talia points to Nick, Wesley, and Miles coming into view as they walk down the slightly crowded sidewalk. We planned to just meet at Lucky Strike again, considering how much fun we'd had the last time. And we know the drinks aren't as expensive as every other bar in Manhattan.

"Are you okay?" I whisper to Veronica. She's been incessantly checking her phone since we've left the apartment, gnawing on her bottom lip which I know means she is anxious about something.

"Yeah, I just–" she sighs. "I haven't heard from Liv all day. I'm just worried."

"You're talking to Olivia again?"

We both look to see Talia frowning at Veronica, causing her cheeks to flame red at the question.

"Well . . . sort of. It's hard to explain, and I'm still trying to work things out—or I guess we're trying to work things out . . ." Veronica trails off when she sees the annoyed look on Talia's face, who has her arms crossed in a very no-nonsense way.

"Seriously, Ronnie. You were a wreck for months after Olivia dumped you," she says. "Did you know Evie?"

I nod reluctantly, not wanting to throw Veronica under the bus. "I agree, though. You need to be careful with Liv."

Talia nods in agreement, her gaze softening a little. "I just don't want her to hurt you again."

Veronica sighs, looking at her phone again before slipping it into her pocket. "I know." Before any of us can say anything else, the incoming men sidle up beside us. Talia gives Veronica's shoulder a tight squeeze in a we'll talk about this later kind of gesture, as Veronica smiles at me in return, nodding her head subtly.

"You look amazing." I looked away from the two of them to see Miles staring down at me, his green eyes tracing over my face before dipping down to my outfit.

"Thank you," I breathe out, my heart thumping loudly in my chest to the point that I'm slightly convinced he can hear it.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Talia giving me a triumphant smile and a look of I told you so. I flip her off, turning to look back at Miles who is engaging in conversation with Veronica and Wesley. He looks amazing himself. In a black button-down shirt and black jeans, he knows how to pull off an all-black look.

Walking into Lucky Strike, it's fairly busy with people squished into booths and taking up the entire dance floor. Miles holds his hand out from behind him, and I don't waste any time letting his fingers entangle with my own as we maneuver through bodies to find the booth that Talia has reserved for all of us.

We all sit down, though Wesley stays standing, looking between his phone and the door on the other side of the bar.

"Is Monica here yet?" Nick calls out to his friend, and Wesley shakes his head. I shoot Miles a confused look, wondering who Monica is.

"His fiancée, she's in town for work," he explains just as a grin breaks out on Wesley's face and he's stepping out of the booth to greet a gorgeous redhead that is making her way towards us. She has a similar grin on her face as she spots Wesley, and they immediately embrace once she's in reach. I can practically feel the love between them, and I have to physically stop myself from letting out an aw.

"This is Monica. Monica, this is Evie, Talia, and Veronica," Wesley introduces, keeping his hand firmly placed on the small of her back.

Monica smiles at us, holding out her hand as she takes the time to shake all of our hands. "It's nice to meet you." She stops when she gets to me, her blue eyes bouncing between Miles and me before a knowing look crosses her features. "Evie, I've heard so much about you. You're even more beautiful than Miles described you." My cheeks flush as I thank her while Veronica jabs her elbow into my side as Talia leans over the table.

"He's talking about you?!" Talia hisses, managing to keep her voice low so that no one else can hear us. I shake my head at her, leaning away and sneaking a glance at Miles. He doesn't look too perturbed by Monica's comment, an easy smile on his face as they converse.

"You're staring," Nick comments, and my cheeks burn an even uglier shade of red. He snickers as I throw a pointed look his way. "It's okay though, Miles does the same thing."

"What same thing do I do?" he questions, tuning back into the conversation. Nick opens his mouth to respond but I cut him off, shooting Miles a sweet smile. "Nothing. Do you mind coming with me to get a drink?" He looks confused, and I can feel Nick's eyes on my face, but I ignore him, not even waiting for a response as I grab Miles' hand and practically drag him out of the booth.

"Two tequila sunrises," I say to the bartender, sitting down on one of the stools. I'm already beginning to feel the heat from all of the bodies packed into the bar, and for the first time since leaving my apartment, I'm glad for the thin material of the dress I have on.

Miles rolls the sleeves of his shirt up, sitting halfway onto the stool next to me.

"How's your application going?" he asks.

I sigh. "So far it's going well, but I have to start the second part of it soon, and that's the one I'm dreading the most."

"What's the second part going to be?"

Before I can answer, a face by the door of the bar catches my attention. Sebastian is standing a few feet away from me, a scarf in his hands as his blue eyes survey the area. A lump forms in my throat at the sight of him. I haven't seen him since the breakup, not even on any social media accounts as I've chosen to simply block him. But here he is, standing ten feet away from me. Just as I am about to tear my gaze away, his eyes find mine. I used to think there was something poetic about the times we'd find each other in crowded areas. Now, I just think it was annoying.

Miles furrows his brows, clearly sensing my frazzled expression. "What's wrong?"

I hold Sebastian's gaze for a few more minutes before I look away. I force a convincing smile, rushing out my words quickly as I say, "I'm great. I just need to go to the bathroom." Miles doesn't look like he is buying my act, but I don't give him time to question me any further as I slip off of the stool and make a beeline to the bathroom.

Why is Sebastian here? He never goes to bars or clubs around this part of the city. He opts for places that are more situated on the Upper East Side, places that have long wait times and are only suitable to let people in of his status. Anytime Veronica, Talia, and I went out and I decided to extend an invitation to Sebastian, he'd turn me down. Making jokes that he isn't up for getting robbed while trying to have fun.

I walk straight into the empty bathroom, locking the door behind me. Staring at myself in the mirror, I open up my purse, applying more lipgloss and dabbing some powder on my face to clear up the sweat that has started to form. I don't want to go back out there and risk bumping into Sebastian. I don't want to have any sort of conversation with him, and for him to be at Lucky Strike, I know that is what he is searching for.

After giving myself a mini pep talk, I step away from the sink, my hand on the doorknob as I throw the door open, only to be met with the man I'm trying to avoid, who has his fist raised as if he was going to knock.

My eyes widen as does Sebastian's before his expression calms into a rather lackluster smile. It irks me, making my skin crawl. All I want to do is get back to Miles and my friends, enjoy my tequila sunrise and forget his slimy existence.

"Evie." He exhales my name in a rush and I feel my palms grow clammy. Practically pushing himself into the bathroom before I have time to object, he stands blocking the exit. I narrow my eyes at him.

"What the hell do you want?" I sneer. I'm trying to push away the rapid beating of my heart, the feeling of warmth cloaking my entire body, which is a feeling I only seem to get while in Sebastian's presence. I want to feel anger. I want to hate the man standing in front of me for everything he's done. For dismissing our relationship as if it hadn't meant a damn thing. But, I can't. I thought that finally seeing Sebastian might give me some form of closure, that I would sock him in the eye, or introduce my knee to his groin. Except, I don't feel any of that. Instead, I feel empty. I feel defeated. I feel weak.

I feel heartbroken.

"I came here to talk to you." I can see his nose turning up when he utters the word here and it takes everything in me not to stomp on his foot. "Helena said she saw you at this bar awhile ago and–"

"I thought you hated Helena?" I ask, raising my brows and crossing my arms over my chest. Sebastian looks taken aback by my cold tone, straightening out his jacket in an attempt to recover.

"I never hated her, Evelyn," he says formerly. My face scrunches up at the full use of my first name. Sebastian usually never calls me that and the only time he did was when I'd met his parents. "You hated her."

"For good reason."

He sighs, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Please, just listen to me."

"Why?" I demand. "You ended things, not me. Therefore, I owe you absolutely nothing."

"I know."

Those two words catch me off guard, and I falter for half a second.

Taking my momentary silence, Sebastian continues. "You shouldn't come to Helena's birthday party. I know she extended an invitation to you when you last saw her, and I came here to tell you that you should forget about it."

"And why the hell wouldn't I go?" I snap. Truth be told, I'm not planning on going at all. Her party hasn't crossed my mind since she'd said I could still come in that halfhearted way of hers, but hearing the desperation in Sebastian's voice of me not wanting to go is suddenly changing that decision.

"You just shouldn't be there," he says quickly.

"Because we're not together anymore?" I ask. "Because I'm not welcome anywhere that you are?"

"No," he says in exasperation. "I just—I can't tell you, okay? But can you promise not to come?"

I hold my chin up high, not wanting Sebastian to see just how much I'm struggling with this conversation. I'm torn between wanting to launch myself into his arms and smash my lips against his and wanting to just smash his face into the goddamn mirror behind me. "You know what, I'm doing to Helena's party, and I don't give a flying fuck what you have to say about it." I shove past him, swinging the bathroom door open and stepping out. But before I can take a few more steps, his hand is gripping my upper arm, halting me in my tracks.

"Evie, I'm serious," he hisses into my ear. "You can hate me. Hell, you can spit in my face, but please, do not step foot into Helena's house."

I jerk my arm away, swiveling around to face him. The tone of warning does not fly over my head, and I find myself glaring at him. "Are you threatening me, Sebastian?"

He opens his mouth to respond, but his eyes move to something over my shoulder and he clamps it shut again. His blue eyes narrow into slits as he shoots a deadly glare at whoever is behind me.

"Is everything okay over here?" Miles' deep voice sounds from behind me. I look over my shoulder to see his emerald eyes regarding Sebastian coldly, his hand coming to rest on my waist.

Sebastian's eyes zero in on the contact, and his jaw clenches. I hold back a triumphant smirk, instead, leaning more into Miles as I answer.

"Yeah, Sebastian here was just leaving."

He turns his glare to me. "Not until you promise."

I jab my finger into his face, matching his intense stare. "Go fuck yourself, Seb." His glare turns to astonishment. Before he can retort, Miles is pulling me away, his fingers digging softly into my skin as he gently nudges me in the direction of our booth.

"Evie! Where have you been?" Talia questions once we arrive back.

"Bathroom," I say simply, not wanting to divulge what had happened until we're back at home. "The line was incredibly long."

She nods, pushing a shot into my hands accompanied by a lime. "C'mon, you missed everyone else doing one." I look down at the vodka in the small glass before my gaze moves briefly to see Sebastian walking towards the exit, his shoulders hunched over as he disappears behind a throng of bodies. My expression hardens as I lift the shot glass to my lips and tip it back, sticking the lime in my mouth right after with a grimace. Everyone cheers as I shake my head a few times to try and rid my mouth of the putrid taste of vodka, already reaching for my tequila sunrise.

"How are you?" Miles says softly in my ear and I know he isn't talking about the shot that I'd almost spit back up. I turn to look at him, his green eyes swirling with concern. It feels weird. I've only known him for a month and yet, I'm feeling things with him that I have never really felt with Sebastian, and we'd been together for almost four years.

Shaking away my thoughts, I somehow manage to tug my lips into a genuine smile.

"Never been better."

hmm any ideas on what made sebastian warn evie about coming to helena's party. one word hint: drama!!