"Let’s talk."
Evelyn smiled as she patted the seat next to her.
Naomi paused, still holding a half-filled garbage bag in one hand.
"Now?"
"Yes."
Naomi looked at her for a moment, then, her expression changed as she placed the bag near the table and sat down.
She wanted to talk as well.
"So, you and Lucian grew up together, huh?"
Evelyn began.
"Yes, I live nearby. Our parents were friends, so we knew each other pretty much from the beginning."
"What was he like?"
Evelyn asked curiously.
Naomi turned towards Lucian, he was still standing at the counter, returning students their phones, and a small smile appeared on Naomi’s face.
"He was hardworking, probably the most hardworking person I have ever met."
Evelyn’s eyes changed at those words.
That was not the answer she expected. Lucian had already told her about his past, about how ’strange’ his body was, how it couldn’t learn no matter how hard he worked.
So when Evelyn asked about Lucian’s past, she was prepared for answers like—
Weak.
Below average.
Heck, Lucian himself used the same words.
Evelyn expected Naomi to say the same things but—
"He never gave up."
Naomi only smiled.
"Even when nothing worked in his favour, he kept going, he studied longer than everyone else, he exercised even when his body needed days to recover, he kept trying again and again."
Then Naomi let out a weak laugh.
"When I was a child, I used to complain a lot, about studying, about how tired I was, about not having enough time, anything really.
I complained about everything, but then I would look at him, spending hours on something I would only need thirty minutes at most, I saw him almost always working harder than me and still getting worse results.
I constantly thought how demoralising that must be and he—
He still continued working.
For twenty straight years, without stopping."
Naomi looked back at Evelyn—
"He worked tirelessly for twenty straight years, without the slightest bit of reward—
It was..."
"Motivating."
Evelyn completed her words.
And Naomi nodded.
"Yes.
Annoyingly motivating.
Every time I tried to make an excuse, I would see him working and forget everything.
How was I supposed to say something was too hard when he was working ten times harder just to keep up?"
Naomi laughed sweetly.
"My grades improved because of him, a lot of things about me improved because of him. He probably never noticed, he usually doesn’t notice things like that."
Evelyn smiled at those words, then, she looked at Lucian and—
"He noticed."
She spoke as she turned towards Naomi.
"He talks about you."
"He does?"
Evelyn nodded.
"He told me how you helped him when no one else did."
"I didn’t do anything special."
Naomi shook her head.
"You have no idea how much you have done for him."
Evelyn chuckled softly.
Naomi didn’t know what to say.
The conversation continued for a while, Evelyn kept it simple, she asked about their school. Naomi told her about the teachers Lucian hated, about how he used to sleep during breaks because he was always exhausted.
She told Evelyn how Lucian once spent an entire week preparing for a presentation, only to forget the first line when he stood in front of the class.
"He never told me that."
Evelyn laughed.
"He wouldn’t."
Naomi smiled.
"He stood there for nearly a minute before saying he had forgotten why he was there."
Evelyn laughed even more.
Naomi smiled as well, becoming more comfortable around Evelyn and that was when Evelyn looked at Naomi quietly and—
"You like him, don’t you?"
Naomi froze.
Then, when her mind finally registered what had happened and she analysed everything in her head—
"I do not."
She snorted.
As if something like this was beneath her.
"I only see him as a friend."
Then she looked at Lucian and—
"And... he sees me the same way."
She spoke, even when her mind was recalling the time they bathed together and how he touched her.
She, however, pushed the memory deep inside her head and—
"Besides, he has you now..."
She lowered her eyes.
Evelyn, however, did not stop looking at her.
"I know the two of you have been together."
She dropped the bomb.
"You..."
Naomi’s eyes widened in surprise.
"He told you?"
Evelyn nodded.
Naomi did not know what to say.
She never imagined Lucian would tell anyone about that, especially his current girlfriend. Her face turned red in embarrassment, then—
"What... what did he say?"
She asked quietly.
Evelyn observed her in silence for a few seconds.
Then—
"He regrets it."
She answered and Naomi—
"Oh."
She let out a small, hurt voice as her fingers curled against her knees while she looked down.
For a moment, she could not hear anything else around her.
He... regretted it...?
She wondered inwardly and then—
Of course he did...
She curled her fingers even more.
It only happened when he was grieving, of course he would regret it. Who would want to give their first time to someone like her when he was with Evelyn Starling?
It must be the greatest mistake of his life...
Naomi swallowed, trying to control herself as a lump formed in her throat.
"I understand."
She spoke in a much, much weaker voice.
"I’ll..."
She struggled to speak normally.
"I’ll try to stay away from him."
Evelyn continued watching her in silence, as if she was waiting for her to back away on her own.
And Naomi did.
"I won’t talk to him more than necessary."
Naomi lowered her head, her fingers trembling despite all her efforts to control it. Evelyn kept her eyes on her, then—
"That would be good."
She nodded.
Naomi’s body trembled even more.
Then, not wanting to stay here any longer, she slowly stood up.
"If that is all—"
She spoke, ready to leave.
And just then—
"If you are willing to step back because of only this much, then you should stay away from him."