Page 29 of Duality (The Archers #1)

SEBASTIAN

I practically levitated to my darling’s door, nearly skipping in excitement at the thought of getting to spend all day alone with her.

Cleanup had taken far too long last night, and the sun was peeking above the horizon by the time we had made it back to the manor the next morning.

We had crashed for a few hours before my phone rang with a call from Sanders.

Apparently, someone had called the police, and they were at the office.

This was a job for Alexander, but when I poked my head into his room, he hadn’t been there.

I caught him slipping out of Evie’s room, phone in his hand and wearing a pair of old sweats.

The glare on his face had prevented me from teasing him.

He looked cranky at being disturbed, and I couldn’t blame him.

If I had gotten the chance to sleep with my darling all night, I would also be cranky if I were disturbed.

In hushed tones, he told me that he had shut off Evie’s alarms and to let her sleep as long as possible. But now it was close to lunchtime, and she needed to eat. I knew the perfect place to take her to for our first date.

I knocked lightly on the door a few times, bouncing on my toes as I waited.

I could hear rustling coming from behind the door and approaching footsteps.

My darling answered the door, blinking blearily as she tried to clear the sleep from her eyes.

Her curly hair escaped from the loose braid she must have fallen asleep in.

Curly strands framed her face, and she brushed them back from her eyes. I grinned. She looked adorable.

“Sebastian?” she asked, a yawn splitting her cheeks. “What is it? What time is it?”

“It’s almost noon, sleepyhead.” I grinned at her. “Alexander told me to let you sleep, but I figured you needed to eat too.”

“It’s almost noon?” Her eyes widened comically, and she cursed, turning around and walking back into her room to grab her phone from the nightstand. I followed her into the room taking in my darling Evie’s haven. She powered her phone on, then groaned when the battery flashed low.

“Everything’s fine,” I reassured her. “Alexander just got called down to the office because someone called the police, but he’s handling it.

Danny said not to worry about anything today.

He’s interrogating the guys we captured, along with Grace, Marcus, and Adrian, so we have the whole day to ourselves!

So get changed because we’re going to lunch. ”

Evie blew out a breath, eyeing me for a few seconds like she was torn between being responsible and playing hooky. She was playing hooky whether she wanted to or not, but it was better if she accepted it. We weren’t at the stage in our relationship yet where she would react well to kidnapping.

“Fine,” she conceded. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” I grinned at her. “But dress casually.”

She nodded and headed down a hallway in her room that must have led to her bathroom and closet.

I took the opportunity to poke around her room.

It was my first time, and it suited her well.

I frowned. We needed to clear out her dingy apartment and help her finish this house.

It was the perfect size for all of us to have our own space.

We could finish the basement as well and have a true base of operations for her here, so she didn’t need to commute.

Alexander was right. She needed more sleep.

But now that she didn’t have to keep her two lives secret from us anymore, we could help her.

“Is this okay?”

My breath stuttered as Evie came out from the bathroom. She was dressed in light blue jeans that cupped her curves and ass and a dark green sweater. Her hair was now braided in a long braid over her shoulder. She looked absolutely edible.

“You look perfect,” I said softly, stepping closer and brushing a strand of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “Ready?” I held my hand out for her, and she only hesitated for a moment before slipping her hand in mine.

I didn’t let go of her hand until she slid into the passenger seat of the car I drove back from SDS.

She arched an eyebrow when I reached over and grabbed her hand again but didn’t protest. We drove in a comfortable silence into the city.

I rubbed my thumb in small circles over the back of her hand as she stared out the window.

I was dying to know her secrets, but that would come with time and trust.

We pulled into a neighborhood. The houses were small but well-kept, with neatly trimmed lawns.

We parked in front of a bright blue house on the corner with the words Kenny and Diane’s Diner painted in a cheery yellow on a white sign hanging from the porch.

I’d found this quaint neighborhood place on one of my drives to quiet the voices in my head.

Kenny and Diane were an older couple who had run this restaurant for over forty years.

As it was after lunch, the restaurant was mostly empty. Diane was bustling behind the counter, and her eyes lit up when she saw us. “Sebastian! And is that Evelyn with you? Kenny! Sebastian and Evelyn are here!”

I glanced at Evelyn. She knew Kenny and Diane?

Kenny popped out of the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. He was a portly man with a full belly and a mustache that would have looked weird on anyone else. He grinned, his teeth yellow with age but his grey eyes sparkling. “I can see them, Diane. No need to shout.”

Diane bustled towards us, her pink and white checkered dress swishing around her ankles. She untied the bright blue apron from her waist and threw it over the counter as she held her arms out to us.

“Come here and give me a hug. It’s been too long!”

Evelyn grinned but stepped forward to greet her. “It’s only been a few weeks.”

Diane scoffed as she enveloped her in a big hug. “Like I said, too long.”

“Come here, girlie.” Kenny hugged Evelyn as well. “You staying out of trouble?”

Evelyn laughed, a beautiful sound, and I smiled widely. She needed to laugh more.

“I don’t know if she knows how to stay out of trouble,” I told Kenny as Diane swept me up into my own hug.

“Well, if she’s hanging around you lot, then probably not.” Diane winked at me.

I put a hand on my chest, a mock-offended look on my face.

“I’m so glad you understand,” Evelyn said solemnly, although her eyes were twinkling. “Trouble just seems to find them wherever they go.”

Kenny barked out a laugh. “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”

Diane swatted his arm. “Evelyn is an angel.”

“Yes, she is,” I murmured my agreement, and Diane’s grin practically split her face.

“Oh, you two are the cutest. Come, come, sit, sit. I’ll get your usuals.” She guided us to the back corner booth that I usually sat in and settled us into the seats with promises to bring our drinks out soon.

“Is there anyone in the city you don’t know?” I asked after Diane left to get our drinks.

Evelyn grinned. “Not really. But how do you know them?”

“I found this place on a drive one day and kept coming in. I’ve brought the others here occasionally, but I’ve tried to keep it to myself as my special spot.”

Diane set our drinks out in front of us and patted my shoulder. “Your food should be out in a jiffy.”

We thanked her, and she hurried over to the front door to seat a group of people who had just come in.

“So what’s your favorite color?” I asked.

Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up, and she took a sip of her coffee as she thought about it.

“Mmmm… I don’t know if I have a favorite. I like dark colors, like dark green or dark purple.”

I nodded. “Mine’s green,” I said. The same color as the pale flecks of green in her hazel eyes, specifically, but I was trying not to scare her away. “Favorite food?”

“What is this, Twenty Questions?” she asked, but she was smiling.

I shrugged and grinned at her. “Maybe it is. I feel like I know so much about you and also nothing at all.”

And that was true. I knew the big things.

I knew what she did with her time. I knew how big her heart was and how much she cared.

I knew that she bit her lip when she was thinking hard about something, and she drank coffee like she needed it to survive.

But there was so much more about her I wanted to know.

Her eyes darkened for a moment before she shook her head. “Lasagna,” she said.

I grinned. “Does that mean Alexander’s the favorite after the other night?”

Her cheeks darkened, and she looked away but didn’t say anything. I was dying to know what happened between her and Alexander last night, but I could be patient.

“Isn’t it my turn for a question?” she asked, looking at me pointedly.

I waved my hand in front of me, like a king gesturing to his subjects, “Proceed,” I said loftily, grinning when she giggled.

“Favorite animal?”

We went back and forth asking each other silly trivial questions, even when Diane set our food in front of us.

After Diane cleared the table and refilled our drinks, Evelyn hesitated, cupping her hands around her coffee mug.

She cradled the mug against her chest, eyes skimming the table’s edge twice before they dared settle on me.

“Alexander kissed me last night,” she blurted out after a few moments.

My eyebrows shot up, but I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. I knew it!

She studied me carefully, her expression blank. “Does that bother you?”

“No,” I said simply. It didn’t bother me as long as I got to kiss her, too.

“Why?”

“Ah, ah.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the table. “It’s my turn to ask a question.”

She bit her lip but nodded.

“Did you like when he kissed you?”

Her cheeks flamed red, but she nodded, looking away.

“Why does it not bother you?” she asked again, her eyes still trained out the window.

“It doesn’t bother me as long as I get to kiss you, too.”

Her eyes flew back to mine, and I grinned at the surprise in them. “What?”