The problem with Evelyn was that she was fucking nice.

And now every freshman on the team was in fucking love with her. Even now as she fluttered all across the living room in those tight jeans that made her ass look like a million bucks and that pretty, lacy, peach top, all of them were ogling her with heart eyes. Fuck them all.

We had won one of our important games and Dylan being Dylan wanted to throw a party to celebrate. And since over the weeks, Evelyn and her team had become a part of our team, they were invited as well. In fact, Dylan had roped Tyler and April into planning the perfect rager. And somehow had gotten Evelyn to play host.

So here she was, helping the lovesick puppies set up a beer pong table in a place where it wouldn't inconvenience others. The funny thing was they all already knew where it should be and yet went to her for help. This wasn't the first party hosted in the hockey house and definitely not the first beer-pong game that needed to be set. They just wanted attention from her like toddlers.

Fucking attention seekers.

And because Evelyn and I were supposed to be on the outs in front of everyone else, I was stuck watching them watch her from the kitchen counter. I almost marched over to them when I saw Holden standing too close to her such that she bumped into him and he had to hold her before she fell.

Of course, Evelyn apologized being the nice person that she was. And Holden had the audacity to keep his hands on her shoulder and give her his charming smile. I knew that smile. I had watched it work on women one too many times that even thinking about it made my blood boil. Maybe I should huddle all the freshmen to the side and have a chat.

But was I allowed to do that? Evelyn was free to like whoever she wanted and we were very clear about it right from the start. I had no right over her and definitely no right to shoo the other guys off but that didn't mean that I didn't want to. Because so help me God I was this close to walking over there, grabbing her neck, and kissing the living daylights out of her just to stake my claim.

It was the most primal instinct I had ever felt towards any woman. Then again, Evelyn was first in many areas when it came to my relationship with women so it didn't surprise me.

My grip on my glass tightened as I watched another one of the toddlers walk over to her with ping-pong balls. They were acting like they had been just introduced to the world of partying and needed instructions with everything. What appalled me more was how Evelyn did not see through this charade.

Or was she enjoying the attention? What if she liked one of them too? It would suck to watch one of those toddlers be all clingy and lovey-dovey with her right in front of my eyes. I hoped that they would never grow the balls to confess to her until I graduated. Maybe I could keep them at bay until then. That sounded reasonable enough.

"Dude you are scaring me. Who are you planning to murder?" Dylan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and my head whipped to the side to meet his gaze.

How long had he been here?

That wasn't important. So I scowled at him. "What do you want?"

Dylan walked closer and came to stand beside me, unfazed by my glare. He lifted his beer bottle to his lips, taking a sip before pointing in the direction I was previously looking at with the bottle. "Who has earned the wrath of Atlas Griffin this time for you to glare with such intensity? Did something happen that I'm not aware of?" he asked, his eyes almost twinkling.

Dylan was one nosy bastard. Always wanting to know what was going on in everyone's life. He tried to be subtle about it usually but this side of him leaked out from his cool guy facade as soon as he got a little tipsy. I wouldn't be surprised if he had dirt on even the Dean.

"No one," I grumbled, bringing my attention back to the glass of bourbon in my hand.

Dylan hummed non-committedly and kept staring in front where the beer pong table was all set now. Holden had coaxed Evelyn to be his teammate and I watched with gritted teeth as he crept closer to her every chance he got. Maybe I did have murder on my mind after all. Lifting my glass, I brought the cup to my lips, gulping a big sip.

"Evelyn is looking hot today."

As soon as the words were out of Dylan's mouth, I choked and spat out my drink, coughing wildly. My throat and nose burned, eyes welling up as I thumped my chest with my fist. "What?" I croaked out followed by another fit of coughs.

To my surprise, Evelyn was beside me right away, offering me a glass of water and gently rubbing my back. "Are you okay?" she asked, her brows pinched together and her pretty eyes filled with concern.

I took a few deep breaths and straightened myself, clearing my throat. "I'm good."

Dylan snorted. "Yeah. After wheezing like a dying hyena he is perfectly fine."

It was all his fault. If he hadn't said that I wouldn't have choked. I glared at him before turning to Evelyn to give her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. It just went down the wrong pipe."

She was about to say something when Holden interrupted her. "Okay! Since everything's fine here, let's go back to the game. We are winning, Evie! Let's go!"

Evie?

It was just getting worse and worse, wasn't it?

I understood why Kris would call her Eve. He had accepted Evelyn as another sister of his and I couldn't have been happier when I got the confession from him. I doubted when Holden called her Evie there was anything sisterly about it.

My hands clenched into fists as he herded her to the game again like some sheep. That kid was getting way too ahead of himself.

"Things are getting interesting I see," Dylan commented, gaining my attention again. He had this weird smirk on his face that screamed I-know-something-you-don't.

"What?" I gritted out, tired of everyone trying to get on my nerves tonight.

He shrugged and took a sip of his beer. "Nothing. Have fun, captain. And try not to kill anyone."

And then he walked away, disappearing among the crowd. My scowl reappeared but I decided to deal with him later. I had more important matters on my hands right now. Ones that included the minx in the sexy peach top.

Seeing that the game was wrapping up, I made my way toward the table, pretending to be walking past it. When I reached Evelyn, I slightly brushed my fingers against her lower back which was peeking out of the top. She immediately turned to the side, making eye contact with me and I walked away, deciding to wait for her in the empty hallway.

I leaned against the wall and sighed, the darkness of the hallway a welcome change after being under the too-bright lights of the living room. My eyes opened when I heard the distinct click of heels and I saw Evelyn looking around with an adorable pout on her face. I wanted to kiss that pout away.

She took a few more steps ahead and as soon as she reached the corner, I pulled her inside the hallway. Her eyes widened and she was about to scream when I placed my hand on her mouth and wrapped my other arm around her waist, holding her close. "It's me," I said and she immediately relaxed.

Once sure that she wasn't going to scream bloody murder, I removed my hand from her mouth and loosened my grip on her. "What the fuck were you thinking?" she screeched and smacked my chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

And what have you been doing to me for the last few hours?

I brushed that thought aside as quickly as it came to me and smashed my lips against her. Evelyn took a sharp breath at the sudden kiss but soon wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. My hands went around her waist, holding her soft body against mine. Sometimes I just wanted to squish her but also worried that I might end up hurting her.

Our kiss was passionate and fierce and just the way I liked it. Evelyn pulled back after a while and I leaned in for more but she placed her hand on my chest, stopping me. "We are in the hallway," she warned.

"Should we leave then?" I asked, pecking her nose, cheek and then going for the lips again.

Evelyn chuckled but kissed me anyway, this one being briefer than the previous. "Always thinking about that," she said, shaking her head. "One track mind."

I hummed and slid my arms up her sides, feeling the lace under my palms. "And who's fault is that?" I raised a brow at her. "What else am I supposed to think when you come wearing this? Lacy, lingerie-looking type thing... What even is this?"

She laughed when I tickled her sides. That thing even had a mesh net on it with more designs. It looked all soft and feminine and made me want to rip it off her body.

What were the chances of getting a smack on my head if I actually did it tonight? Probably 100%. But I could always buy more for her. She looked good in it. We needed one in all the colors and different styles available.

"It's a bralette. Isn't it pretty?" she exclaimed, her face lighting up as she did a twirl for me. "I always wanted to get one but all the good quality ones were super expensive. I finally got one in my budget."

The happiness on her face answered my earlier question. She would not be happy if anything happened to her precious outfit. But it also told me that my other idea of getting one of those in every color would make her ecstatic.

A smile tugged at my lips at her happiness and I traced my finger on the delicate lace designs. "It is. But I know it'll look prettier on the floor." She laughed and shook her head. "How much did you drink?" I asked.

"I didn't," she said. "Holden drank on my behalf."

"So you are completely sober?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yep. Didn't want to drink when I have to work early tomorrow morning."

"Then you're driving," I said and tossed my keys to her.

She caught them with both hands, looking at them incredulously. "Your car?"

"Of course, Rosy. Whose else's?" I said, turning her around by her shoulders and ushering her out the back door. "Keep up. We are going to the penthouse."

I gave her ass a pat before going to the passenger side of my car. However, Evelyn stood near the driver's side, chewing her lip anxiously. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Why wouldn't I be? Although I had only one glass of bourbon and was sober enough to do my taxes, I never did drink and drive. One glass or ten, a rule was a rule.

"Yes, Rosy. Now hurry up before someone decides to step out and see us," I said. That seemed to work as she immediately unlocked the car and got in the driver's seat. I sat inside as well and buckled my seatbelt. "You know the way right?"

She nodded. "I do."

It took us twenty minutes to reach the penthouse and less than two to start clawing at each other's clothes the moment we stumbled inside the foyer. Our lips were locked in a heated kiss as I walked her inside and away from the elevator.

"Jump," I said, pulling back for a moment and Evelyn followed. She wrapped her jean-clad legs around my waist as I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. By now we had been here enough times since we'd made our pact three weeks ago to not trip and fall even when we were busy looking at each other rather than the way ahead.

"Why do I smell cherries?" I asked as I laid her down on the bed and crawled on top of her, capturing her mouth again.

"New lip balm," she replied. Her hands trailed down my front until they reached the hem of my t-shirt. She tugged at it and I immediately helped her get rid of it. As soon as the fabric was out of the way, Evelyn's gaze darkened, her eyes fixed on my torso while her hands started their upward ascent just to trail back down.

"My offer still stands," I said, a smirk on my lips. Her gaze snapped to me and she raised her brow in question. "Take a picture and keep it as your wallpaper."

She rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Griffin."

"My dreams are way, way more creative than that, darling," I said and leaned down to kiss her again. She eagerly returned my advances, her hands getting lost in my hair, tugging the strands every now and then. The fabric of her top scratched against my bare chest and I decided it was time for it to go. "Rosy, get that thing off. I know you like it but I'm this close to tearing it apart."

She gasped, sitting up. "You will not dare to do such a thing! It's my most prized possession and if there's a tear on it, I'll key your car."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her expression and was about to say something that would rile her up more when her phone started ringing. It was on the side table closer to me so I peeked a glance. Her dad.

"It's your dad," I said, holding it up to her.

She quickly snatched it from my hand and ended the call. I frowned. Here I thought she was excited to pick it up and that's why she wanted it out of my hands fast. "You're not taking it?" I asked as I saw her keep the phone on the table on her side.

"No," she said curtly. Her face had gone blank and there was this weird coldness that wasn't there before. Something was off but she didn't give me a chance to interrogate further as she pulled me to her and crashed her lips on mine.

"Rosy," I mumbled between the kisses, wanting to make sure she was okay but she just kissed me more fiercely. Her phone went off again and she again declined the call. "Take it. It might be something important," I said, sitting up.

She shook her head. "It's not important."

My brows furrowed at the finality in her tone. How would she know unless she picked it up? She reached out for me again but I distanced myself. "How would you know that? It could be something serious," I said.

No one knew better than me what late-night calls from your parent's phone could mean. The worst are the ones when your parent isn't the one speaking from the other side. It's some police officer who dialed the emergency contact after finding your parents' car totaled on the side of the highway.

Evelyn sighed. "It's nothing serious, Atlas. I'm sure."

Just then her phone rang again, her dad's ID lighting up the screen. Irritation flickered on her face and she hung up again with a curse before switching it off. What the fuck is wrong with her?

"Evelyn, take the call. You never know what he might want to say," I said, trying not to sound too emotional even when the flashes of that night started taking over my mind. I wouldn't want Evelyn to go through that.

She turned to me, annoyance clear on her face. "I know what he is going to say, Atlas. You don't need to worry about it."

"Trust me, Rosy, you don't," I said. "You can never know what you might hear from the other end."

"Atlas, please let's not talk about it," she said, rubbing her eyes with both hands. "It's my personal issue. You don't know what you're saying."

That irked me for some reason. "I know what I'm talking about. You don't realize how lucky you are that you have a dad who calls you. What I won't give to get just one call from either of my parents. You will end up regretting wasting an opportunity to talk to him someday."

At this point, I didn't know what I was trying to do here. Whether I was giving her advice or venting out my own feelings, I had no idea. Maybe a bit of both.

Evelyn's face flashed with sadness, maybe even pity but she was quick to wipe it away. A mirthless laugh left her mouth the next instant. "As sorry as I am for your situation, I cannot relate to you. In my case, what I wouldn't give for this man to leave me alone. I wish he would just go away somewhere and be gone for good," she spat.

I reeled back at the amount of hatred in her words. How could anyone speak about someone like that? Let alone their parents?

Maybe Evelyn wasn't as nice as I had thought she was. Maybe she was like every other girl I had come across. Rude, selfish, and ungrateful. And I was the one being blind to all of that. This new side of her was like a bucket of ice water on my head, washing away all the good things I had thought about her.

"Now you're just being an ungrateful brat!" I snapped.

Evelyn stilled, her face becoming void of any emotion as soon as I said those words. The anger and annoyance from earlier were wiped clean and replaced by an expressionless mask. She just stared at me blankly to the point I wondered if she was even looking at me. I was about to say something when her eyes focused on me again. Within a second, she sprang to her feet and grabbed her phone while fixing her clothes in a hurry.

"Evelyn," I called when she started picking up her shoes and putting them on.

"I'm leaving," she said, her gaze trained on the floor.

Panic bubbled up in me and I instantly reached out for her. "Wait!" I said, grabbing her hand. "It's late. I'll drop you off tomorrow."

She shrugged my hand off. "No thanks. I'll be fine," she said and walked out of the bedroom. Cursing under my breath, I ran a hand through my hair as I followed her out.

"Come on, Evelyn. Don't do this," I said. "You don't even have your car right now."

"I'll be fine," she repeated.

We walked into the foyer with her ahead and me following after. She pressed the elevator button and tapped her foot impatiently as the numbers slowly changed on the tiny screen. Seeing that she wasn't going to listen, I sighed and decided to let her go. "Okay, fine. Take my car. I'll get the keys."

"No. I don't want to. I'll be fine," she said again and the last thread of my patience snapped.

Stomping toward her, I grabbed her shoulders and forcefully turned her around to face me. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't want to stay here fine. But at least act a little mature and think about your safety. Why are you being so difficult?"

Evelyn's face crumpled and she pushed me away with a surprising amount of force that had me stumbling back. "Get off me! I don't want anything from you. You are no one to me!"

I stood still, too stunned to react. Evelyn breathed hard, her chest heaving up and down in an erratic way. Her eyes had welled up with tears and her nose and cheeks had turned red. Something in me broke at the sight of her.

The next moment, the elevator doors opened and Evelyn rushed inside. She pressed the close button furiously and when the doors finally started to close, I watched the tears roll down her cheeks. I got only one glimpse of her before my view was blocked and the elevator moved downward.

I knew I should have followed her, tried to talk to her and convinced her to stay but I didn't. I let her leave.

After all, who was I to her?