by Delisa Lynn
“How y’all doing tonight? I’m Evan and I’m a law student at NYU, I know some of you already know me from singing here weekly. This song is dedicated to a new friend. We have only known each other a few days. But she is a great person.”
I started singing the lyrics of “Find Yourself” by Brad Paisley. As I sang I looked out in the crowd, Lila had never taken her eyes off of me. I noticed a slight tear roll down her face, I hope she wasn’t sad. I smiled and winked at her again and I could see the joy in her smile as she wiped the tear away. Once I finished singing, I had to go see Lila.
“Evan, that was great, you have an amazing voice.” Lila said as she leaned in for a quick hug. I smiled as I placed my hand in the small of her back and walked her to a nearby table.
“Thank you sweetheart, I love to sing. I was worried you wouldn’t like it. I’m glad you did. Let’s grab a drink before it gets late.” I said and she nodded her head.
Classes are starting tomorrow and I wouldn’t want her to have a hangover. So I ordered us both a beer.
“Lila, when I was singing, I thought I seen a tear roll down your cheek? If you don’t want to explain, you don’t have too.
“Ahh, you seen that did you? Well the lyrics touched my heart and to have you singing directly to me. It was all happy tears, Evan. I’m really glad we met. As much as I would like to sit here and talk all night, I’m not a morning person so I better be going. Thank you for everything! I enjoyed your performance.”
“Thanks darlin’, I really wish we could sit here all night also. I have an early morning class then work. I work at the law firm around the corner from campus. Will I see you tomorrow?” I prayed to God she would say yes.
“I’m sure we will be seeing a lot of each other.” She said with a wink, flashing those dimples. I walked her to her car, and noticed Nikki was with Brody dancing. He hadn’t come home all weekend.
Nikki and Lila seem like two opposites. Lila seems more reserved and shy, and Nikki is loud and not shy at all. I got in my car and went home myself. As I lay in bed all I could think about was Lila. I had taken a picture of us in the park and I laid there staring at it.
Walking through the campus yard, I prayed I would see Lila today and hoped I would have a couple classes with her. I walked in the door and there she stood. She was wearing a white sweater, with black leggings and a pair of boots with fur around the top. Her long blonde hair laid in ringlets down her back.
The closer I got to where she was standing I could feel my stomach doing flips. She walked in the class and sure enough it was my class also. Hell yeah! I thought to myself. I walked in and took the seat right next to her. Damn, she looked even prettier today. I’d known this girl less than a week and she has my heart, and the bulge in my pants, doing jumping jacks.
“Well good morning sweetheart, it is good to see you first thing in the morning. This is going to be a great day,” I said with a wink.
“Good morning Evan, I hoped I would see you today also. I have heard this class is really hard and the professor is well umm…a prick!”
“You have heard correctly, dear.” I said with a laugh. He was a prick, I had him in another class last year. He is very strict. When I saw him on my schedule this year I cringed. He handed us or syllabuses and said that where we are sitting would be our assigned seats for the semester.
After class, Lila and I walked out together. We were laughing and talking, then boom, Alyssa pops around the fucking corner. I knew she was going to ruin this for me.
“Hey Evan, who is your friend?” said Alyssa as she rolled her eyes and dragged out the word friend. Fuck I guess I need to introduce them.
“Lila, this is my ex, Alyssa.”
“Alyssa, this is my friend, Lila.” I said and notice Lila reach her hand out to Alyssa but she doesn’t take it. She walks her skanky self on with her friends.
“Lila, I’m sorry about that. Will you meet me for lunch? I have to leave for work after that, but I would love to have lunch with you.” I sounded like I was kind of begging.
“Yes, Evan, I will have lunch with you.” She said has she patted my arm and walked away.
I couldn’t wait to see her at lunch. There is something about her that makes my heart flutter. Damn I sound like a woman. I had two more classes before lunch, I went to each one and collected my syllabus and listened to the professor, but I was thinking about Lila the entire time.
I walked into the cafeteria and there she sat. She noticed me right away and walked over to me. That smile of her’s would make any guy fall to her feet. I was screwed, I thought she already had my heart!
“Hey darlin’, you ready for lunch?” I said as I pulled Lila in for a quick hug. I could see that she blushed as I did. I just couldn’t help myself I wanted to touch all of her. Every time she bit her lip, it drove my bonkers! I waited to bite it, I wanted to kiss her neck and get lost in her wonderful scent.
“Evan…Evan, is everything okay? You seemed a little lost.” Lila said as she stared at me.
“Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought for a second. Let’s grab some lunch, shall we?”
Lunch was great, I hated that I had to leave to go to work, I would love to spend the day with her. I feel like she hasn’t told me everything about her though. I feel like she has secrets. Oh hell who am I kidding, it’s not like she has another life or something, and surely she would have mentioned a boyfriend by now.
The rest of the day at work, she was all I could think about. I had a meeting and couldn’t even think straight. Brody and I were going out for a drink after work. He had been seeing Nikki every day. I hoped he wasn’t moving too fast with her. He was like me, he seemed to fall hard when it came to beautiful women.
I met Brody at Zeb’s, I wasn’t singing tonight. Although they probably wished I would. But I normally only sang there on Sundays, and today I was having a few drinks with my friends.
“Hey bro, I feel like I haven’t seen you in months.” Brody said as he sat next to me at the bar. I had ordered him a drink already and slid it over to him.
“Yeah, your punk ass is always at Nikki and Lila’s! So how is that going? I really like Lila, she hasn’t mentioned a boyfriend yet. Should I ask her? Or just continue doing what we have been doing?” I said to Brody, he ran his hand through his hair quickly.
“I’m not sure, Nikki said something about an Army dude. But when I asked if he was Lila’s steady boyfriend she changed the subject.” Brody said as he sipped on his beer.
I was on my way home when my phone beeped, I had received a text message.
Lila: Hey, would you like to grab dinner tonight? Nikki will be out with Brody and I’m lonely.
Me: Of course, I will pick you up!
Hell yeah, I would love to have dinner with her. I went to pick her up and asked if she had anything special in mind. She wanted Chipotle again. I wasn’t really a fan of spicy food. She seemed to love it. We ate and then I showed her around a little. I didn’t want to take her home, but I knew we both had class very early. I had a case I needed to work on for work also.
“Lila, can I come in? I’m not ready for the evening to be over.”
“Sure Evan, Nikki is at your place with Brody anyways. How about we watch a movie?”
“Okay that sounds great! No chick flick though right?” I said with a chuckle. She got the biggest grin on her face.
“I know exactly what we are going to watch. But it’s a secret.” She said has she tilted her head back and giggled.
I sat on the couch, she went to change and get the movie ready. She made popcorn and poured us a glass of wine. She had changed into a pair of cotton boy shorts and a NYU tee. He legs was gorgeous. Hell every inch of her was breath taking. She sat down next to me and smiled as she started the movie. I looked at the TV and seen the movie was ‘Bridesmaids’.
“So this is what you wanted to watch? Great choice.” I said with a laugh.
“What you don’t want to watch it?” she said with
as she scrunched her nose. She started to get up and I grabbed her hips and pulled her back down. I didn’t realize I had pulled her so close to me. She didn’t move though she snuggled in my arm.
“This movie is fine, don’t tell anyone but I have a secret crush on Rebel Wilson,” I said and she looked at me and laughed.
“Lila, are you getting tired sweetheart? You are yawning an awful lot.” I said as I yawned myself. “I think I should be going, I will see you in the morning. How about breakfast before class?”
“Okay, sounds great Evan. I will meet you at the café around seven-ish?”
She walked me to the door and gave me a quick hug. I nuzzled my head in her hair and caressed her as tight as I could without hurting her.
Tatum, called me a few days ago to let me know, that she and Thayer had called off the engagement. I don’t think it will be off for too long. She always ends up back with him. I knew that I could never be with her, so I needed to put her in the past.
Class, work and trying to hang out with Lila as much as possible was stressing me out. I talked with my parents and they said I could take some time off work. With this being my second year, I needed to focus as much as I could. I also would have to start my internship soon.
I was taking Lila sightseeing and then we are having a small party at the loft tonight. All of us guys and some more friends. I was looking forward to dancing with Lila.
“What would you like to do today, pretty lady? I asked Lila, she smiled and placed a finger on her chin as if she had to really think about it.
“How about Central Park and one of those hotdogs?” she said with a kiddish grin.
“I think we can do that.” I said.
The weather had started getting a little colder, I wore my leather jacket, I rarely wore it, but I thought now would be a great time to start. Lila had on a white pea coat with a bright pink scarf and those Ugg boots she liked. I assumed she couldn’t wait to get to New York so she could wear winter clothes.
“Evan, you aren’t originally from Utah, are you?” Lila asked as she scrunched her nose up at me. I smiled and I knew exactly where this was going.
“No love, I’m originally from Alabama but moved to Utah when I was a child. I do go back to Birmingham every summer though. It’s my damn accent isn’t it?” I said laughing.
“Umm. Evan, you have the strongest twang I have ever heard! I like it though, especially when you sing. Will you sing to me tonight?”
“Of course, I will sing to you whenever you want darling. Now let’s grab those hotdogs.”
Brody and Zander already had the party started when we arrived. I noticed Alyssa was also here. I didn’t know who the fuck invited her, I hope she doesn’t try to pull anything with Lila. I see her eyeing me, and licking her lips like I was a goddamn steak. I grabbed a beer and wanted to dance with Lila, but then God-Seala grabbed my arm and pulled me to the patio.
“What the fuck do you want, Alyssa? I don’t want to play any of your games tonight.” I seethed at her.
“Oh come on Evan, don’t you miss us? That girl can’t give you what I can. I need you so much. We are good together, you and I, we always were. Then you let Mal ruin it. Oh wait, where is Mal? Oh that’s right she dumped your ass so fast. She must not have liked the sex as much as I do.” Alyssa said as she ran her finger up my arm.
“Just stop, we are nothing!! We never were Alyssa! How many damn times do I have to tell you this? We can be friends, but nothing more! Understand?” I whisper yelled, I didn’t want Lila to hear me. I saw her and Heather looking our way.
“Yep!” she said as she popped her P and batted her fake lashes at me.
“Just know this Evan, you will never find anyone that will love you the way I do.” She said as she walked away.
I walked back in and see Lila and Nikki dancing. I took a swig of my beer and told Zander to change the music, I grabbed Lila’s waist and pulled her close to me just as “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts came on. I pulled her closer to me and whispered in her ear. Then I started singing the lyrics of the song. I could feel my arousal through my pants. Fuck, I have had more erections around Lila than I have ever had. I backed up a little, I knew she could tell what was going on.
She just kept her distance as she laid her head on my chest. I pulled her back in and imagined kissing her, and holding her in my arms all night. God I would have loved to know what she would feel like inside and out. The music stops and I realize I was still holding her. I pull away and smile and ask her if she wants to get a drink.
“Evan, I think I should go. I have had a few drinks and my stomach feels a little upset. I have had a really great day, thank you for everything.” Lila says as she walks off to tell Nikki she is leaving. I took her home and she seemed kind of quite all the way there, I hoped it wasn’t the dance that upset her.
I walked her to her door, and asked if I could see her tomorrow after class. She agreed and I leaned in for a hug, and I kissed her nose. Yeah real nice dude, I thought. I just needed to put my lips on her body at this point I wouldn’t care if it was her fucking toes.
“Evan, I really enjoy spending time with you. I can’t wait till tomorrow,” she said as she gave me another quick hug.
“Goodnight, darlin’, sleep tight.” I said as I walked off the porch. I got in the car and laid my head on my steering wheel. What the fuck is going on with us, I think she likes me? But I still think there is so much she isn’t telling me. I sat there for a few minutes thinking about everything. My mind is so fucked up right now. This girl is driving me crazy. I want her so bad I can’t fucking stand it.
I went back to the loft, Brody and Nikki was in his room. Zander had some girl on the couch. I had never seen her before. I went to my room, I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. Then I started thinking about the last month that I spent with Bryn, how I was looking forward to being a father.
“Evan, I need you to sit down. What I’m about to tell you may shock the crap out of you. I know it did me anyways. I have thought about this for weeks, I know I should have told you when I first found out but, I was scared and I’m still scared. I…I’m um… Evan, I’m eight weeks pregnant. I don’t know what to do. I haven’t told anyone yet, well except for Kay. But I don’t know how to tell my parents. Evan say something.”
“Bryn, I’m in shock. We were careful, the condom must have broken or something. Baby, I love you and I will always take care of you and our child. We are in this together. I will go with you to tell your parents. I know my parents will help us, or my grandparents. They won’t let us or our child go without.”
“Evan that’s just it, my parents are going to freak! They will make me get rid of it. I know them, you know that Duwayne is my nephew not my brother. They hid my sister until she had him, so no one would know she was pregnant, and not my mother’s. This will ruin their reputations. I can’t tell them Evan.”
“Bryn we will get through this I promise, baby. I will never let them hurt our family.”
Just thinking about it all, made me hate her parents more and more. We waited for a week then, we told them. They were both disgusted and of course wanted no part of us being a family. Her mother’s exact words was, “No child of mine is having a baby at the age of seventeen, even if I have to give you the abortion myself.”
Those words haunt me every day. A week later, they took her for an abortion and I never seen her again. I knew she didn’t have much control over her parents, but I feel she could have done something. It killed me knowing the perfect little life we had created out of love, was being sucked out of the woman I loved. I need to move on, it had been four years and it still gave me nightmares.
I was so tired, I skipped class. I text Lila and asked her to just meet me for dinner. That gave me time to take a quick nap. Just as I dozed off my phone beeped. It was Tatum.
“Hello Ta, is everything okay?” I asked I knew that jerk had been hitting on her from our previous conversati
on.
“Yes, I’m giving him another chance, please don’t be mad. I know he loves me and he won’t hurt me anymore. I just wanted you to know. Thank you for always being an ear for me. I got to go. Evan, I love you.”
“I love you too Ta, please be safe.”
I laid there trying to go back to sleep, I just kept tossing and turning again.
Damn, I can’t sleep now so I showered and called Lila. She said to pick her up anytime and I was ready to see her. Maybe she could take my mind off of Tatum.
“How was your day, darlin’?” I asked Lila as she got in the car.
“It was wonderful, I slept in a little and then went to class. How was yours?” she asked, she had a glow and seemed really happy. I wondered if it had anything to do with the Army guy Brody had mentioned. I still never questioned her, I hoped that she would be honest with me when she was ready to talk about him, if there is someone.
Sometimes Brody just talks to hear himself talk. We went to a small Mexican restaurant, I knew Lila loved Mexican food.
“I hope this is fine, I know how much you like spicy food.” I said as I opened her door. She looked beautiful she was wearing a pair of jeans and had her hair pulled to the side with her curls flowing.
“This is fine Evan, how is it that in the short time we have known each other, you know me so well?” She laughed as we walked into the restaurant.
Just as we sat my phone started ringing, it was Zander. I excused myself from Lila and took the call.
“What’s up dude, this better be important, I’m with Lila.”
“Evan, that fucker is beating on Tatum. Did you know this? If you did I’m going to break your fucking neck!”