Page 38 of Dichotomy

Fucking Adrian. That was the problem with knowing someone as well as we knew each other. He knew I was just sitting in my office instead of manning up and asking her.

Adrian:Do it now. Alexander and Sebastian are in the security room with me.

Adrian:She won’t say no.

It was now or never, I guess. I definitely didn’t want an audience of my brothers if she rejected me. I stood up and smoothed down my tie. I had a few client meetings today, so I was in a suit. The fabric felt more restrictive than normal as I reached for my office door. Over the last few weeks since we hadreturned to the office after the gala, I had taken to working out of my office on the executive floor and not my usual one on the legal floor. I could say the change of scenery was to be closer to my brothers, but I would be lying. It was to be closer to her.

I paused in the doorway. Evelyn was engrossed in something on her computer, typing furiously. She had been subdued all day; the rigid set of her shoulders and the careful blankness on her face as she tried to compose herself were clear to us. Adrian hadn’t shared much about dinner with his mom, except that it had gone well. But if I had to guess, Melissa’s warm and caring nature brushed up against an old wound that Evelyn had from her parents. Momma Melissa, as she told us to call her, was a warm, loving woman who was always there for Adrian. Basically, she was the exact opposite of Evelyn’s parents, based on the stories Evelyn had told us. Her parents had been neglectful at best and abusive at worst, in my opinion. Melissa wouldn’t have meant to trigger her, but I could see her unintentionally triggering Evelyn. And now Evelyn was trying to immerse herself in work to outrun her feelings instead of facing them. I would know. I was a master at it.

Evelyn glanced up at me as I approached. She flashed me a tired smile, but it reached her eyes, causing the gold flecks in them to sparkle. It was a real smile, not a fake one, and for some reason, that gave me more courage than Adrian’s words would ever give.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight?” I had planned on being smoother than that but just being in her presence had me off kilter.

“Like on a date?” Her fingers paused on the keyboard, and she leaned back in her chair to give me her full attention.

“A little bit like a date.” I tried to play it smooth.

“How much is a little bit?” she shot back, not letting me off the hook.

“Okay, exactly a date,” I conceded. I didn’t want to play games with her. I had already fucked this up enough. I wanted to be her anchor during these stormy times.

“Has ‘someday’ actually arrived?” she said, making air-quotes around the word “someday”.

What had started as a joke in the kitchen after Finch kidnapped me felt like a heavy weight in the air now. She was teasing me, I thought, but I still half expected her to say no. I nodded, and a small smile spread across her face.

“I would love that.”

I fought the urge to pump my fist and instead mirrored her smile with my own. “Great. Pick you up at seven?”

“That’s perfect,” Evelyn said.

The elevator doors dinged, and Sebastian stepped out. I backed away.

“I’ll see you later then.” I turned and walked to my office, acutely aware of Sebastian on my heels.

“What did you mean ‘see you later’? Did you finally man up and ask her on a date?”

“Did Adrian tell everyone?” I grumped, only half-meaning it.

I was behind the curve with Evelyn and needed all the help I could get. And who better than my Evelyn-obsessed brother? Although he wasn’t the only one.

“It was only a matter of time before you did.” Sebastian waved his hand dismissively in the air as he slumped into a chair in front of my desk. “So where are you taking her?”

“I’m not sure yet, actually,” I admitted. “I wasn’t even sure she would say yes.”

Sebastian’s brow furrowed. “Of course she would say yes.”

“I was an ass to her,” I pointed out.

He waved his hand again. “So? You apologized, and you’ve both moved on. Evelyn’s not one for games. She would have toldyou to take a hike if she hadn’t wanted to go on the date with you.”

Underneath his happy-go-lucky personality, it was easy to forget that Sebastian was probably the most emotionally mature one of all of us.

“If you’re sure,” I said slowly.

If anyone knew what Evelyn was feeling, it was probably Sebastian. If he could plant a bug inside her brain, he probably would have already. I had no doubt he had her apartment wired.

“I am.” Coming from Sebastian, Evelyn’s obsessive stalker, his reassurance carried a lot of weight. Maybe I hadn’t fucked this up as badly as I thought.