by Scott, Kylie
“No, I haven’t. I don’t know that I would have. It seems kind of invasive. I’ve had the occasional overzealous fan try to track me down and things like that. Respecting people’s privacy matters. Anything I need to know about, I’d rather hear it from you than read it online. Whatever it is. Evan, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Just…try and keep an open mind, okay?”
For the next hour Evan dumps a shit storm of epic proportions on me. It’s so heartbreaking I feel chewed up, spit on, and tossed out like yesterday’s garbage and it didn’t even happen to me.
Poor Evan.
We end the conversation with the promise to call one another tomorrow but I can tell he’s concerned with how I’m going to stew on the story he shared.
The reason he’s in hiding. The reputation-destroying image splashed across the media. Being roofied. The steroids found in his locker. Him being set up. It’s all so much. Far more than I ever anticipated he’d be managing alone, in complete silence, locked away in a home not of his own. Add the virus, the uncertainty hovering over everyone’s heads right now like a dark cloud, and you’ve got dire straits.
Evan has hit rock bottom and right now it seems I’m the only good thing in his life.
A heavy place to be.
CHAPTER 8
QUARANTINE: DAY 8
SADIE
Zahra: He says the girl drugged him and someone placed steroids in his locker?
Me: Exactly. And this is top secret, Zahra. You cannot repeat a word of this to anyone. He’s trusting me not to sell him out to the press and loose lips sink ships. But I had to talk about it to someone and you’re my best friend.
Zahra: My lips are sealed. Don’t worry. The press is certainly skewering him. Some of these articles are damning as all hell. Goes to show how fast you can go from golden boy to the gutter.
Me: I know. I saw. I mean, how could I not after he told me everything? They’re so cruel the way they’re tearing his reputation apart.
Zahra: They’re just doing their job and trying to sell ad space.
Me: Yeah, I guess. Do they have to be so overzealous about it though? Kind of makes me wonder how some of them sleep at night. The way they jump to all of these conclusions and how willing they are to write off his whole career. Even releasing the results from the drug test hasn’t convinced all of them. God knows how it’ll blow up if they find out about the stuff in his locker.
Zahra: It sure doesn’t look good.
Me: I know.
Zahra: Question is, do you trust him or not?
Me: I’ve known him for exactly a week. But yeah, I do. He’s a straight up guy so far as I can tell. And this is hurting him, bad. You should have heard him talk about it. The man sounded absolutely gutted. The way his teammates have turned on him and everything. They’re like a family to him.
Me: On the other hand, I haven’t always displayed the best judgement when it comes to men. The evidence is damning.
Zahra: Girl, we’ve all been there. Each and every one of us messes up sometime. And usually more than once. What does your head tell you? More importantly, what does your heart tell you?
Me: It tells me there’s every chance I’m in over my head when it comes to this man.
Zahra: That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Me: How so?
Zahra: As I recall, your heart didn’t have a damn thing to say about Sean. Nada. Nothing. Not a peep. At least it’s paying attention this time.
Me: True. Even from the mandatory six feet away Evan Sparks has managed to get under my skin. He’s a dangerous man. I’ve got to get off messenger. It’s time to call Mom to see how Dad is going. She’ll only let me call at designated times twice a day, so I don’t drive her crazy checking up on them. Fingers crossed his temperature has come down.
Zahra: He’ll be in my prayers. I’m here if you need me. Keep the pages coming. The story is fun and that’s what people need right now. A little lightness and hope.
Me: xx
Once I’ve called my parents (Dad is doing better) and prepared Evan’s treat, I pick up my cell and dial Evan’s number. I’m standing behind my closed front door so I can hear everything that happens. I’m a little overexcited. So? Sue me.
“Sexy Sadie.” He all but purrs.
My skin immediately turns to gooseflesh. How the hell does he do that? “Evan, you have a delivery. Go check your front door.”
“Do I now?” The sound of his bare feet against the polished wooden flooring echoes through the quiet of his apartment. “How’d your work go today?”
“Excellent, thank you. But even better, my dad’s fever broke.”
“Honey. That’s great news. You must be so relieved.”
“Yes, I am. So, we’re celebrating.”
I can hear his door opening followed by a low chuckle. “Well, now. You’ve been busy. I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be hearing from you again.”
“What? Why not?”
He sighs. “Because of what I told you, about the whole fucking mess my career is in. You barely know me. Why the hell should you trust me to believe I’m not cheating the system and taking drugs when some of my oldest friends have turned their backs on me over it?”
“You’re right, we haven’t known each other long. And maybe this is just a fling, a fun time between two consenting adults. Maybe when the world starts turning again, we’re going to find we’re not the least bit compatible and this was just a temporary isolation type thing. A Band-Aid to help get us through this situation.” I pause and take a deep breath. Just the thought of this being a bust hurts more than I anticipated. Those pesky damn feelings again.
“But, Evan. I’ve seen you out on that balcony almost every day working your ass off to keep fit and strong. I can’t even imagine how much time you spend on the treadmill and bike in Jake’s spare room. I’ve seen how you eat clean and look after yourself. Most importantly, I heard in your voice how much this has hurt you. How wrong this all is. Not only do I believe you, I believe in you. Okay?”
“Okay. Thank you.” His voice comes through both on the cell and more quietly down the hallway. We’re so close, but not close enough. And the man needs a hug. I can tell. What he’s going through is awful. That I can’t be with him to comfort him sucks.
“Now pick up your food and take it inside while it’s still hot.”
The door to the neighboring apartment snicks closed. “Thank you for the beer. Without sounding like an ingrate, are you sure what’s in this bowl is food? Because it doesn’t look like food.”
“This is as close as I get to cooking, buddy.” I settle on the sofa, my own meal already set out in front of me. “I even did a side salad for you. You’re welcome.”
“Sprinkling parsley on top of orange macaroni isn’t a side salad, baby.”
“Close enough.”
“This came out of a box, didn’t it?” he asks, but I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Two boxes, actually. No expense spared. A toast,” I announce, picking up my vodka, soda, and lime. “To our families’ health and to us.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“Now put your TV on. Lord of the Rings is about to start and it’s one of my favorites.” I unmute my TV just as the wonderful opening music begins. God, I love this film.
“Never seen it,” he comments.
“No? Well get comfortable because they’re showing all three so we’re here for the duration.”
“Is this a date?” His voice is a low, sexy rumble. The kind I imagine might come with a saucy little grin.
“Of course, it’s a date. Every time we come near each other it somehow winds up being a date,” I say with a laugh, filling up a fork with gooey carby goodness.
“This is about wizards and shit, right?”
“Yes, it is, and you’re going to love it. It’s such an epic tale. The world-building is amazing. Not to mention that Aragorn is smokin’ hot. For you, there’s some eye candy in the for
m of warrior maidens and winsome elvish ladies fluttering their lashes. Plus, there’s heaps of battle scenes. Helm’s Deep is my favorite. It’s so full on.”
He chuckles around what I assume to be a bite of food. “Okay, okay. You’ve sold me. We’re watching it,” he says. “Except you know what this means? Next time I get to choose.”
“Sounds fair.”
“And you have to watch a ball game with me sometime.”
“By ballgame do you mean porn?”
“Ha ha. Very funny. You’re watching a sport with me, Sadie. I’ll explain all of the rules and everything. It’ll be fine. You’ll like it. Trust me.”
“Can’t we just watch porn? I think it would be far more educational…for you.” I tease while laughing, knowing he’s going to jump on me like cheese on a hamburger.
“Are you suggesting I might need some sex education? Because I thought I proved everything is all A’s in that department just yesterday. I mean, I made you come without touching or kissing you. I’m thinking that’s some phenomenal prowess.”
“Fine, you win. Still when it comes to the sport, football for me has always been this odd event that happens before and after a cool mini-concert once a year. Lady Gaga was my favorite though Shakira and J. Lo were awesome too.”
“You’re killing me.”
“And we all gather together with drinks and lots of different snacks to watch the mini-concert and cool ads. Then dudes run around a field doing something. I’m not sure what. Never really paid attention to that part of things.”
Evan groans loudly. “You have so much to learn. I would have thought the guys running around in tight pants would have at least caught your interest.”
“It’s true. I do admire their thighs.”
He chuckles. “You’re going to learn about football, Sadie. And you’re going to like it. You can’t date a baller without going to the games. Assuming all of this shit gets sorted out with the pandemic and I get to play professionally again. Someday.”
“It will be, Evan. Do not give up hope. I won’t allow it. You’re a great player.”
“How do you know? By your own admission, you’ve never even watched a game.”
“I don’t care. I know things. Important things. And this is one of them. This whole doping scandal and whoever set you up is all going to get sorted out. Your career is not over, and you will be exonerated! Do you understand me?” My voice brooks no argument with how strongly I feel about this.
A pause. “Yes, ma’am. Hell, I wouldn’t dare disagree. You’re kind of scary when you get going. Sexy scary, but still a little teeth-rattling.”
“I’m sorry I had to use my ‘fuck with me and die’ voice on you. But this is important.”
“You have names for your different voices?” he asks.
“Indeed, I do, and you just heard one scarily close to DEFCON one, my friend. That’s reserved for people who commit true acts of bastardry. Or if someone mildly inconveniences me when I’m hungry or something. It kind of depends on the day. Let’s hope we never have to go there.”
“You know we’re going to.”
“Hmm?”
“We keep this up, I’m going to hear you go ballistic one day. I guarantee it. At some hopefully long off time in the future, I will annoy the living shit out of you. In fact, I’m kind of looking forward to it. Which is a surprise, because I never hung around for that sort of thing before. But with you, it’s different. It’ll mean you trust me enough to go off because you know you’re safe with me. And you’ll know I’ll still be there once you’ve calmed your ass down.”
My heart doubles in size for some reason. It’s pressing against the cage of my ribs, trying to hold in all of the emotions he evokes in me. Any day now it’s going to burst and make an awful mess. There’ll be clingy delicate feelings all over the place. I just know it. And after the year or so of nothing that was my relationship with the ex, the idea of feelings is more than a little scary. “That sounds dangerously like you’re forecasting the possibility of a serious relationship between us, Evan.”
“It does, doesn’t it? I figure we’re both old enough to know what we want.” Once again that low rumble of his gets me every time.
“True.” I wave a hand across my now heated face.
“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens between us. Which sucks because I hate waiting. I especially hate waiting when it comes to you.”
I don’t know what to say so I let him do the talking.
“Just don’t go apeshit on me too often, okay?” His words hold a hint of vulnerability.
That vulnerability hits me right in the gut. “Okay,” I whisper.
Soft chewing noises come over the line. “Thank you for making dinner for me, sweetheart. I really appreciate the effort, but this tastes terrible. I’m not sure it’s really even food. Was this cheese originally in powdered form?” I can hear a gagging sound that has me giggling. “We can do so much better, baby,” he says. “I’m thinking I should probably cook from now on—for both our sakes.”
I snort. “The kitchen is nothing more than somewhere convenient to store my candy, cookies, and ice cream as far as I’m concerned. Have at it.”
“Check out this dude in the gray hat. How many times a day do you think he knocks it on doorways, and it falls off?”
“He’s a wizard. He has supernatural powers up to and including the protection of excessively pointy hats from any and all architectural structures.”
Evan chuckles. Quite possibly my favorite sound in the whole universe. “Sure, Sadie. Whatever you say.”
* * *
EVAN
“Hi, Dad. How’s it going?” I ask while putting together my morning smoothie. Since I woke up so early, I didn’t bother asking Sadie if she wanted one. Not that she would anyway. Eventually I plan on waking her up with some morning nookie which would then turn into having breakfast together and potentially even showering at the same time before we started our day.
Someday.
Hopefully.
“You’re looking good, son. Fit as a fiddle.” He coughs into his hand and I frown at the laptop screen I have sitting on the opposite kitchen counter running Skype. Thank goodness Dad has Curt still living with him. My brother set up the technology so I could connect with them face-to-face from anywhere.
“I am, thank you. Working out. Holed up in Jake’s pad.”
My dad coughs again and he hits his wide barrel chest with a closed fist.
I narrow my gaze and note his pallor is a little off. “Dad, why are you coughing?” My heart pounds right out of my chest. I stop everything I’m doing and hang on every breath my father takes to see if there is anything off or strange.
“Relax, son. I don’t have the virus. I’m fine. Jesus. Everyone is going crazy about this flu.”
“Dad, it’s not a flu. It’s a virus with no known cure, vaccine, or treatment plan other than to let it run its course or being hospitalized. Do you have a fever? Any other symptoms?”
“No, boy. I have this cough because I’ve been working myself to the bone. The cannery is working overtime and I signed up for as many shifts as possible.”
“Why the hell would you do that! I have enough money to float both of us for the rest of our lives! You don’t need to work, Dad. I’ve told you that a million times.”
He scoffs. “What? And leave people in need? Reports are saying the stores are getting wiped clean out of canned goods all over the nation. We’re a big supplier, son. I need to do my bit to help. This is me doing my bit to help. Understand?”
I grind my teeth and breathe through my nose. “Dad, I’d prefer you limit your access to other people. What kind of safety measures do they have going down at the cannery to protect the workers?”
He runs a hand through his white-blond hair and then his scruffy chin. The lines around his eyes seem deeper than usual and he just looks tired. Run down. “My company is taking it pretty seriously seein’ as a couple people came
down with the virus. They shut down work for an entire weekend and had a crew come in and do a detailed cleaning. We all wear coveralls over our clothes and have these face-shield type things. Which are a damn nuisance. Smelling your own breath all day. Breathing hot air.” He scowls.
“Dad, those are in place to protect you.”
“I know, and I’m doing my part, wearing ’em going in and coming out. We leave them in a heap by the exit on our way out and they do something to hose them down each night. We’re lucky. Fellas in the break room are talking about some companies where they’re just laying people off and not doing Sam hell to protect any of them.”
Jesus. This thing is getting so much worse. I press a thumb and forefinger to my temples trying to ward off a tension headache. “Maybe this is a sign you’re supposed to take early retirement? I’ll make sure your account has plenty of money and you can spend your time golfing, playing cards, and hanging out with Curt at the bar. Hell, I’ll buy the bar for you guys! You can run it together. After this pandemic situation gets better.”
“Son…” He has that warning in his voice I have zero desire to hear.
“Just think about it, Dad. Okay? Talk to Curt, yeah?” I put a call to my baby brother on my radar for sometime today too. Get myself an ally. Curt would be happy to get Dad out of that back-breaking work in the cannery, but he may not take too kindly to his brother buying him a bar.
Hmm. What if I told them I needed the investment and they were going to own a third of it since they’d be the ones running it? Might make it sound more palatable. I’ll talk to Sadie about it. Get her thoughts.
“I’ll think about it,” he says begrudgingly. “If you tell me what the hell is going on with all these media outlets claiming my boy is doing drugs.”
I can’t look my dad in the eyes. Even though I didn’t do it, I still feel a ton of guilt my father even has to hear this crap.
“Polly’s on it. We released my statement on the image along with the blood, urine, and hair test results that cleared me of doing anything wrong.”
“Then why on God’s green Earth are they saying you may lose your job on the Marauders? If you’re cleared, you’re cleared. End of. What does the coach have to say about all of this?”