A Prior Engagement

by S. L. Scott

  This was the first time Evie ever invited William into her life, and he immediately accepted. “I’d like that.” He kissed her to show how he felt and as they stood there, they got lost in each other, momentarily forgetting where they were. They swayed out of weakness for each other, but he moved back, pulling her with him until his legs bumped into the bed. William sat down and she moved against him, their mouths meeting in the middle. She wanted to live in this kiss, this world, his world, and decided that when she was with him she would be wholly his and would selfishly take these few precious moments of happiness.

  He pulled her down onto the bed and rolled over next to her. William knew Evie wanted him. He could read it in her body language, but he would never risk losing her by doing something stupid in a fleeting moment of rampant hormones. He had to remember that his mind was stronger than his body. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled her soft perfume and her Evie-ness deep into his lungs. He closed his eyes and pressed his body against hers, struggling not to attack her, trying to remember to be polite.

  Evie had never felt so out of control before. Her body ruled her mind and she didn’t want this feeling to ever end. She knew right then that she could never let this man go. She couldn’t get enough of his kisses, enough of his body pressed against hers, or enough of him. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down on top of her as her mouth attacked his with a sexual desperation she had never known.

  Just as she felt his passion for her against her thigh, she heard, “Whoa! Dude, what are you fifteen?” His brother joked as he passed by the open door to the bedroom.

  Evie and William bolted up, alarmed from being caught. She tried to catch her breath and get back into her right mind as she straightened her shirt, skirt, and her hair.

  William stood up, hoping he wouldn’t have any obvious signs of how she made him feel. He glanced down at the front of his pants then toward the door, and yelled, “Get the hell out, you perv,” and kicked the door shut. Knowing he couldn’t hide his infatuation with her, he ignored his erection and willed it away. He turned back around, reaching his hand out for her to take, and pulled her to her feet. With eyes reflecting what he considered a missed opportunity, his voice was husky. “I can die a happy man now, Evie.” He straightened a section of her gone-crazy-from-the-bed-session-hair then caressed her lips against his for one last sweet kiss. They held hands and went back downstairs to the kitchen.

  William laughed when he saw his brother chowing down on a bag of chips. “This is my younger brother Dallas. He’s a pretty good guy when he’s not pestering me.” William brought her hand to his lips, kissed it then introduced her with pride. “Dallas, this is Evie Wright.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you.” Evie admired how handsome Dallas was and thought of her little sister. Audrey was totally boy crazy and would go nuts over this one.

  Dallas stuck his hand out with a smile on his face. “Nice to finally meet you.”

  Dallas using the word finally wasn’t lost on her, but with Audrey on her mind, she turned back to William letting Dallas finish his chips and asked, “Did you know I have a younger sister? She’s seventeen.” William liked that she seemed comfortable enough in his home to share more information about herself.

  They turned toward the back door when it opened. His Mom raced to William, hugging him in delight. “I didn’t know you were coming home tonight. I would’ve planned a proper meal. We’re just having what’s in the fridge.” She looked at Evie surprised to see this pretty girl standing in her kitchen. She was used to both her sons dating pretty girls, but she didn’t expect to see one today and certainly not one she had never met or heard of before. After a quick introduction, Evie became the center of Angie Ryder’s attention. “How did you and my son meet? Do you go to school together? What’s your major? Where are you from?”

  William cut in, stopping his mom’s barrage of questions, and answered for Evie, “School. Yes. English. The city. That’s enough of the interrogation for now.” He laughed and everyone else followed suit.

  “I’m sorry, Evie. I just got excited to meet someone who is obviously special to William. He doesn’t bring dates home.”

  “That’s because I don’t go on many dates.”

  His mother rolled her eyes and turned back to Evie. “Will you stay for dinner?”

  Evie smiled at the kind gesture. His family was open, and so opposite of her own that she wanted to say yes, but couldn’t. “Thank you for the invitation, but unfortunately, I have a prior engagement.”

  “Maybe another time then,” Angie responded, smiling. “I’m going to start dinner. You kids hanging out for a little while?”

  “Yes.” William pulled a barstool out for Evie then sat next to her.

  Dallas walked to the fridge, and Evie asked William’s mom, “Dallas is a unique name. Is there a story behind it?”

  “William was named after my father, but Dallas, well, my youngest was named after the city we once visited.”

  Evie looked at all the happy faces and could feel the love they shared for each other. “So he’s named him after the city?”

  “No, they named me after the city I was conceived in. How gross is that?” Dallas butted in, “The city where my parents got it on.” He laughed. “Anyway, lucky me with the weird name. I think I got my ass kicked every day of my sixth grade year. Staten Island guys don’t take to a runt with a name like Dallas . . . yeah, I would’ve kicked my ass, too.”

  “You’re so tall though,” she said.

  William chuckled. “Now he is, but back then . . . man, I got tired of fighting.”

  “You fought for him?”

  “Sure, he’s my brother.”

  Evie smiled at his response that seemed ordinary to him, but she knew loyalty like that is what made his family extraordinary.

  Chapter 13

  Word traveled fast in the neighborhood William grew up in and before he could go undetected with Evie, Bobby was walking in the back door as if he lived there.

  Bobby had practically grown up at the Ryder home and was treated as such, volunteering to stay for dinner as soon as he walked in. But over the hour he sat there joking with the Ryder clan, he also observed . . . even stared, surprised to see how close his best friend and this new girl in his life had become.

  William was more serious than Bobby expected. And, as much as he wanted to be happy for his buddy, he sort of felt left out since William had stayed mum about her. She was very pretty and his friend was a goner.

  But it wasn’t one-sided. By watching Evie, Bobby could tell she was as far gone as William. He also noticed how different she was from the other girls William had dated. She was well-mannered and soft spoken, classy, and everything about her seemed to be put together with thought and care. She was different from the outspoken girls they grew up with, which made Bobby wonder just how serious they were.

  William looked at his watch, knowing she said she only had the day. He felt he was pushing his luck by staying any longer, although she seemed to be having a good time. He also knew she was too polite to interrupt the Ryder banter to leave, so he did the honors. “I need to get this girl back to the city,” he said, standing up and pulling her chair out for her. He gave a round of hugs and then Angie hugged Evie, inviting her back.

  As they rushed from the cab to the ferry, William said, “Sorry, it’s later than I thought.”

  “No, please, don’t be. I had such a good time. I enjoyed your family very much.” As they settled back onto the boat, he turned on the railing to face her, his expression turned serious as he traced her lifeline on the soft skin of her palm. “It meant a lot to me that you met my family. I know it’s a bit early in our relationship, but I’m glad you did. And, I’m glad you got to see my roots. You survived. I was worried that being the center of their attention might scare you off.”

  She shook her head. “No, not at all. They were lovely.”

  “Forewarning though, my mom may try to adopt you.”

  Evie
leaned her head onto William’s shoulder feeling accepted here. She wished she could always feel like this. “Forewarning, I might accept.” She looked up at him. “I liked getting to know you better.” She felt their knees brushing together and looked down. “I liked being in . . . I mean seeing your bedroom.” Evie wanted to slap herself for the slip up. She had enjoyed being in his bedroom very much, but that was too forward to say.

  He pulled her chin up to look at him, leaning in to where their lips almost met, and whispered, “I liked you in my bedroom, too.” He kissed her with passion.

  When they docked, Evie looked at her watch and realized she needed to get home. She hadn’t left messages for anyone and knew she would be missed. William watched her reaction to the time and after shoving his hands in his pockets, felt like he was still being kept out on a part of her life. “Why do you have to go? Why is it you’re always rushing away from me?”

  Evie found his wording the exact opposite of what she wanted to do and it upset her that he took it personally. “I don’t rush away from you. I, well, like I’ve told you, I have commitments, obligations that have to be dealt with. They’re not always fun, but I’ve committed myself to see them through.” She walked ahead of him so he couldn’t see her face or the shame she felt.

  William was confused and he wanted answers. He took her by the arm and made her face him. “Why do you speak in ways like I’m supposed to understand, but don’t?” He dropped his hand and with his eyebrows pulled together, pleaded. “Am I missing something deeper in your words or is it as simple as what you say?”

  She looked over his right shoulder, avoiding his eyes. Evie had always loved the way William looked at her. He saw her the way she wanted to be, but right now, he was seeing her reality and it was unsettling. “I need to go, William. I would like for you to ride with me in a taxi, I’ll pay.”

  Something changed in her and he saw the transformation happen before his eyes. She was not his Evie right now. He hit on something she didn’t want to talk about and he could tell it scared her. Heck, it scared him, too. Maybe today was all wrong. Maybe he’d been reading her all wrong. She looked at him with hope in her eyes, still waiting.

  “No, I’ll take the subway,” he said. He hated hurting her feelings, but right now he needed time to think and if she wasn’t going to give him any answers then he needed time to process that as well.

  Her face fell and the glimmer of hope she had disappeared. Her voice was low and the rejection stung. “I’m sorry. I have to go. I’m so sorry.”

  She felt the tears coming as she turned away from him and started walking, but he ran and blocked her path. “Wait, it can’t end like this. Classes are over. When will I see you next?”

  He saw the sadness deep into her eyes as she tried to cover it by putting on a happier expression. “I got into Lang’s summer program. I meant to tell you earlier.”

  “I knew you’d get in. Now I’ll get to see you in the program.”

  “Five days a week for five weeks. You think you can handle seeing that much of me?” She tried for a joke because she didn’t want this day to end on a bad note.

  “If I had my way, I’d wake up to you every day of the week.”

  Evie’s breath staggered at his proclamation—his way. She raised an eyebrow, stunned he could talk to her like they’d known each other for years and like he was in love. His sweet words always made her feel good, like anything was possible. Feeling confident from his statement and a bit sassy, she said, “How ‘bout we try out the five days first and work our way toward the seven and see how that goes?”

  He liked that she was admitting she wanted more, just at a slower pace. Although it was crazy to feel this strongly for her, William already knew in his heart he would wait forever for this girl. He stepped closer and was relieved when she remained in place, anticipating. Leaning down, he touched her bottom lip. “Evie, I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I can wait. I’m willing to wait for you if that’s what it takes.”

  William was a poet, a romantic, and a gentleman. Evie knew in that second, through her woozy clouded mind, she could not have him wait forever. She knew she had to be with this man no matter what the cost to herself. In her romance-induced fog, she got on her tiptoes and kissed him. She couldn’t be mad he wanted to know more about her. When they were together, they lived in that very moment and that was all that mattered.

  She pulled away from him and ran for a cab, ducking inside then waving good-bye.

  In that kiss, he forgave her for all of her other commitments, he forgave her for her prior engagements, and he forgave her for not spilling all of her secrets. He believed half the fun of dating was finding out these things in their due course.

  Walter approached the cab and opened the door for her when she arrived home. She looked at the meter and down to her left and more frantically to her right then to the floor. It dawned on her that William still had her bag. She smiled at the doorman. “I seem to have left my bag somewhere. Can you cover my fare for me please and I will repay you as soon as I get upstairs?”

  Walter was happy to cover the thirty-dollar cab ride for Evie. He knew she was good for it. As they took the elevator up, he started questioning where she was coming from in the city to rack up such a big fare. He gently probed, curious. “Good day so far?”

  “Lovely.”

  “Doing a little dining downtown?”

  “I was at the park.”

  Central Park was too close for that high-dollar fare, so he thought she had probably been somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be and let the subject drop.

  Everleigh flew into the apartment, coming to a skidding stop when she saw Tom and her mother sitting in the living room discussing wedding plans. Tom stood, greeting her with a kiss. She was hesitant and looked down which did not bode well with him. Sticking her finger into the air to halt him, she rushed back to her bedroom. She pulled a hundred dollar bill out of a clutch she used the previous week.

  She was hurrying back to the front door when Tom stopped her. “Where are you going, Everleigh?”

  “I didn’t have money to pay the cab fare. Walter paid it for me. I’m going to repay him and then I’ll be right back.” Everleigh left him standing in their foyer with his hands on his hips and a confused expression.

  Walter had held the elevator open for her. She handed him the large bill and smiled. “Thank you. You were a life-saver.” She saw his baffled look toward the bill. “Keep it. Thanks again.”

  “Thank you, Miss Wright, but that’s not necessary.”

  “Please call me Evie.”

  “Thank you, Evie.” He paused as she walked to her front door. “That was a large fare. Did you have fun at the park?”

  She turned around with her hand on the doorknob, and smiled. A hint of blush covered her cheeks. “Yes, I did. Thank you for asking.”

  Tom had questions and Everleigh explained the best she could during his cross-examination regarding her day. She kept things vague.

  He found her in character for her recent untrustworthy behavior. That didn’t mean he understood the changes he was seeing in her and it confused him more to what brought them on. He started contemplating drastic measures to get her back on board with the way he thought she should be by the time they married in October.

  William had watched Evie run for the safety of the taxi and speed away. By the time he realized he still had her bag slung over his shoulder, she was out of sight. He knew he couldn’t call her since her phone was in the bag he was currently holding. But he did know where she lived because even though he never escorted her to the building, she had pointed in the general direction of that corner the night he walked her home. He headed for the subway and as he descended the stairs into the tunnel, he had made a decision. He chose to return her bag, rationalizing she would need her wallet, phone, and the bag in general. It was the right thing to do.

  He exited the subway one block up from Park Avenue and even though he had ridden his bike do
wn the street many times for work, he had never walked down the pretty street, never having a reason to before. Evie was right about the avenue. It was one of the most beautiful in the city and at night seemed magical with the tiny white lights in the trees and the doormen all standing in their starched uniforms. But, William didn’t kid himself with the façade of the wealth that lined this street. He knew behind every door everyone had problems—just different ones than he had. He walked up to the building he hoped was hers and approached the doorman who was sitting behind his desk.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I was caught up in the baseball game on TV. How can I help you?” Walter asked, standing out of respect for the visitor.

  William smiled at the man as he explained the situation. “I have a friend’s bag I need to return. She left it by accident today.” William smiled while taking the bag off his shoulder. “Evie Wright? I hope this is her building.”

  Walter recognized the backpack right away. “Yes, Sir, it is. I can get that to her if you want to leave it with me?”

  He was relieved to know she would have her stuff tonight and not have to worry. “I’m William, what’s your name?”

  “Walter, Sir.” Walter gave a firm, but friendly handshake.

  “Please don’t call me sir.”

  “Ok . . . William.” Walter set the bag behind the desk, his curiosity piquing, and he asked, “So, how do you know Miss Wright?”

  “We go to school together. Who’s winning?” William leaned over the top of the desk to get a look at the small television hidden from the lobby’s view.

  Walter looked the young man over, noticing his casual but well-worn clothes and his backpack slung over his shoulder. His bag looked like it had seen a few years. Walter smiled, connecting the dots of the evening between Evie and William. “We’re down in the sixth. Where do you live, William? Who’s your doorman? I know most of them in the city.”

  “You know, Walter, I don’t have a doorman. I live in an old walk-up about eighteen or so blocks from here.”