Evelyn had been frowning at the toast for the last five minutes and it was starting to scare me.

Looking back, her mood had been a little off ever since I found her slumped on the porch steps of the hockey house. I'd chalked it up to an onset of hangover and hadn't pestered her about it. After we came home last night, we went to bed straight away. However, it was odd that Evelyn didn't kiss my cheek like she usually did or say goodnight before going to bed. But I didn't think much about it then.

Now though? Everything seemed like a sign. A sign of distress that I'd missed.

"Rosy?" I called, gently placing my hand on hers on top of the kitchen counter. "Is everything okay?"

She looked up at me and forced a smile, abruptly pulling her hand away. "I'm fine. Just tired."

Lie.

By now I could tell when Evelyn was lying. I had seen her tired and this wasn't it. Her eyes were unfocused and she was jumpy. She also refused to face me, keeping her head down at all times. Something she often did when something was bothering her and she wanted to hide it from me.

Even though I wanted to call out her lie and question her more, I knew it wouldn't work on Evelyn. If anything, she would shut me out completely and try to flee at the first signs of interrogation. So, I smiled and nodded, deciding to give her space.

We ate breakfast—more like brunch since it was close to midday—in silence and then Evelyn announced she was heading home. Despite my every instinct telling me to stop her, I didn't. She would come around eventually and all I could do for the time being was to wait, hoping she would trust me enough to open up.

I decided to leave at the same time as she did. Not that I was eager to go back to the hockey house and get caught up in the chaos of Kris ripping the guys a new one. I just didn't want to stay indoors and let my brain run in circles about Evelyn.

As we left the penthouse and rode the elevator down to the parking lot, I tried to start a conversation but was met with only hums and one-word replies. It made me wish I could read her mind and figure out what that pretty little head of hers was cooking.

Evelyn made a beeline to her car the moment the elevator doors opened and I followed behind. She opened the driver's side door and got inside, pulling on her seatbelt. "Atlas..." she turned to me and I offered her a smile. She gulped and turned away, avoiding eye contact again. "I'll... I'll see you later."

"Yeah. See you later," I said even though all I wanted to do was pull her out of the car, kiss her senseless, make her look me in the eyes, and beg her to tell me what was bothering her.

Because this... The way she was shutting me out was making my heart sink and a bad feeling spread in my chest. I had the same feeling when we fought last time. At least then I knew why there was a rift between but right now I had no idea what had gone wrong or how to fix it.

Evelyn turned her key and the car made a sputtering noise. "That does not sound good," I remarked, which Evelyn fully ignored. She tried again and then again. On the fourth try the car made one last miserable sound before it shut down completely.

"Fuck!" Evelyn cursed, banging her head on the steering wheel.

"Hold on, let me check under the hood," I said and walked to the front of the car. "How often does this happen?"

Evelyn jumped out of the car, quickly joining me. "Not a lot. Last time Tyler did some tinkering and it started immediately."

Nodding, I unlatched the hood and lifted it. As soon as I did so, a cloud of smoke puffed right in our faces. I coughed and waved the smoke away as I tried to take a look at the insides of her car. "This does not look good," I said once I had assessed the situation.

The engine was overheated and the wiring looked wanky as well. Anyone looking at Evelyn's car could tell that it was old but I hadn't expected it to be in such a dire condition. There could be a multitude of reasons why it won't start and I was no expert to say what those were.

"We need to take it to the shop. I'll call my mechanic," I said, whipping my phone out. "That's the only way to tell what's wrong with it."

Evelyn looked hesitant but gave in seeing there was no other option. I pulled up the contact of the mechanic I had been going to ever since I got my first car. If I could trust anyone with handling my car or cars in general, it was him. He picked up on the second ring, his jolly voice floating from the other end.

"Atlas, my man! How's it going? Car troubles again?" Benny asked.

"Hey! Everything's fine except my friend's car. Do you mind coming over to take a look?" My gaze went to the car's engine again. "On second thought, bring your tow truck. The situation isn't that great here. I'm at the hotel."

"Okey-dokey. I'll be there right away!"

True to his words, Benny reached the hotel within half an hour. He jumped out of his tow truck wearing a red shirt with the shop's logo embroidered on the top left side of his chest. He twisted his ball cap backward and grinned as he walked over to us.

"Heya people! I'm assuming the beautiful lady here is having car problems?" he asked, his gaze bouncing between Evelyn and me before going to the car. His eyes glinted in excitement as he rubbed his hands together. "What's wrong with this baby?"

Benny didn't wait for a reply and immediately ducked under the hood. He pulled back after a few minutes, his lips tilted in a frown. He walked over to his truck and brought out a small toolbox. He got back to work and after ten minutes looked up at Evelyn. "Will you try starting the car again?"

With a nod, Evelyn got inside the car and turned the key. Her car made the sputtering sound again. "Again," Benny said. Evelyn followed his instructions trying a few more times until it finally started. However, our joy lasted only a few seconds as the car made a dying noise before shutting down.

Benny closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "We'll have to get her to the shop so I can do a thorough check. I can take her and contact you later or do you want to come along?"

"I want to come along," Evelyn piped in immediately before looking at me. "If that's okay?"

"Of course," I said, smiling. "We'll follow in my car."

"Okay! Let's roll people!" Benny slammed the car's hood shut, preparing to tow it.

I walked over to my parked car and got inside, bringing it to where Evelyn stood watching Benny with utter fascination. One would think she'd never seen a car get towed before. "Why don't you wait inside the car while I see if Benny needs help," I said.

Evelyn's gaze stayed fixed on Benny's truck as it slowly backed up with its under-lift sticking out. "Okay," she said absently and scooted a little closer to my car.

Shaking my head, I chuckled to myself before helping Benny to get the under-lift aligned with the car. Not that he needed help. He probably had towed cars a thousand times but it felt weird to just sit around and watch. Once Evelyn's car was secured, Benny got back inside his truck and popped his head out. "I'll be driving a little slower so you can go ahead of me."

Getting inside my car, I waited for Benny to start moving before following him. Once we reached the main road, we ended up overtaking him as the traffic increased. Thankfully, Benny's shop wasn't that far from the hotel and it didn't take us long to reach there. I parked the car to the side so it wouldn't get in the way of anyone and got outside, walking over to open Evelyn's door for her.

Benny rolled in a few minutes later and two of his fellow mechanics came to help him with the car. Once it was safely transported inside, Benny walked over to us. "It's going to take a while. Would you guys like to wait inside? I must warn you though, it's pretty loud in there."

I was about to suggest that we wait inside the car but Evelyn interjected. "It's okay. I'll wait."

She started following Benny without a second glance in my direction. It also wasn't lost on me how she said I instead of we when I clearly intended to be here. She was pushing me away again and I couldn't understand why for the life of me. What had gone so wrong in the last twenty-four hours that she wasn't even trying to communicate with me?

Undeterred by her cold shoulder, I followed them inside. Benny gestured to a set of plastic chairs placed in one corner near the main entrance. He told us he'd be back soon and then disappeared inside.

I had just settled in my chair when Evelyn spoke to me directly for the first time. "You don't have to wait here, you know. I can manage."

"I'm waiting," I replied firmly, leaving no room for debate. She didn't want to tell me what the problem was? Fine. But I wasn't going to leave her when she was in the middle of a problem. No matter how big or small it was.

I heard Evelyn huff but didn't pay attention. Instead, I pulled out my phone and started replying to emails that had piled up.

About forty minutes later, Benny came back, a grease-soiled rag in his hands. Evelyn shot to her feet. "Did the car start?"

I got to my feet as well when I noticed the serious look on Benny's face. "Uhh... things don't really look good. When did you get this car?"

"Around two years ago. A friend of mine helped me get it secondhand," she replied.

Benny sighed. "Well, it looks like the previous owner had pretty much given up on it. The battery is ancient. Long overdue for a change. The wiring is old. I noticed some damage to the coolant system as well. I'm actually surprised it was still running."

Evelyn wrung her fingers together. "There had been some issues in the past but my friend had fixed them and then it didn't cause trouble for days."

"Temporary solutions," Benny said, waving his hand dismissively. "It looks like the engine gave out today. Any other problems you have been facing? Other than the obvious ones."

"Well..." Evelyn's eyes darted from Benny to me as she shuffled on her feet. I narrowed my eyes at her knowing whatever she was going to say was going to piss me off. "There have been times when the brakes didn't stop the car immediately."

"You were driving around with faulty brakes?" My voice came out louder than I had expected, making her wince. "What were you thinking? Were you even thinking?"

She glared at me, her nostrils flaring in annoyance. "I let Tyler have a look at it and then the car worked fine."

I snorted. "Clearly it didn't. And Tyler's not a mechanic. He doesn't know shit about cars."

Evelyn turned to face me, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "Oh, and you know? You don't even—"

"Woah, woah, guys! It's okay. Stuff like that happens," Benny interjected. "No need to get so worked up."

With a sigh, I turned to Benny. "Sorry. Please fix everything. Make the brakes a priority."

"Of course. But I must warn you it's going to cost a pretty penny. The model is old too. I'm not sure if it's worth getting all the work done on it," he said before meeting Evelyn's gaze. "Are you sure you want to keep driving this car?"

Evelyn chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes trained on her shoes as we waited for her answer. "How about..." she trailed off and then cleared her throat. "Can you fix it so that it at least works? Maybe I can resell it?"

Benny shook his head. "Finding a buyer for a model like that is going to be difficult. And even if you manage to find one, the cost of getting it to work is going to be twice what you might earn. Scrapping it and getting a new car is your best option."

Evelyn's face fell. "I don't uh... It's not financially possible for me to get a new car at the moment. Can you just fix it so that it works for a few more months? Just until I can save up for a new car."

Benny shrugged. "Yeah, I can do that. It will cost you a little less than what you'd need to get the full work done but it's a temporary fix. I can't promise that the car won't act up every few months."

"That's okay, I can manage with—"

"Just get the full work done Benny," I said, interrupting Evelyn. "Don't worry about the cost and do whatever's necessary. Send the bill my way when you're done."

"Atlas!" Evelyn reprimanded and then faced Benny again. "He isn't paying. Don't listen to him. If you can, please keep the costs as low as possible. I just need to get by for a few more months with the car."

"Give us a minute Benny." I grabbed Evelyn's arm and pulled her outside the garage so we could talk privately.

As soon as we were out of earshot, she yanked her hand out of my grip. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" This time I didn't try to lower my voice or keep the anger out of my tone. I was done playing nice. If she was doing all this to pick a fight, then I was going to give her a damn fight.

"Stop trying to shove your money in my face! I don't need it," she seethed.

"I'm not—" I faltered, taken aback by her words. "I'm just trying to help."

"Well, don't. I don't want your pity. And I definitely don't want you reminding me just how much of a charity case I am."

"Evelyn..." I grabbed her hands in mine, squeezing them and hoping she would understand my intentions. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way but I just want to help you. I'm not pitying you."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, right!"

"Look at it this way," I urged. "I'm lending the money to you when you need it as any good friend would do. And when you are in a more comfortable position you can return it to me."

"That's not how it looks! Everyone thinks I'm a gold digger!" She yanked her hands out of mine as tears filled her pretty eyes. "Like I'm selling my body to you for money."

This came so far out of the left field that I was rendered speechless. "I— what? What are you talking about?"

Fat tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I can't do this! I can't stop feeling dirty after what he said. I can't..."

My eyes narrowed. "He who?" I swear to God if someone had tried something on Evelyn I was going on a killing spree. "Who said what to you Evelyn?"

She shook her head, taking an unsteady step back. "I can't. I can't do this."

Fear clawed at my chest. She was pushing me away. She was going to run away from me and I wasn't sure I could take it.

"Rosy...Rosy, listen to me," I said, reaching out to her. "You don't want me to help you financially, I won't. But please let me just get your car fixed."

"That's still too much. I cannot accept—"

"I cannot lose someone to a freaking car crash again!" I yelled, forcing down the lump in my throat.

I have had enough car crashes to last a lifetime. And now that I could do something to prevent even a minor incident, I wasn't going to take any chances. Even if I had to beg Evelyn on my knees to let me get her car fixed, I would.

"Please," I pleaded.

Evelyn's expression softened as realization dawned on her. She opened her mouth to say something but the ringing of her phone cut her off.

She pulled her phone out, her brows furrowing as she glanced at the screen. She pressed the device to her ear and cleared her throat. "Hey," she mumbled.

I didn't know who the person on the other side was but the more Evelyn listened to them, the more her face scrunched in worry. After what seemed like an eternity she finally spoke. "Please stop crying. Where are you? I'll come get you."

She listened for another second before nodding. "Okay. Stay there. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Hanging up, she shoved the phone back in her pocket and turned to get inside the garage. "What's wrong? Who was that?" I asked, stopping her.

She pursed her lips as she met my gaze. "It's Veena. She's in some trouble and I need to get to her immediately."