It was not until later that night that Eve remembered that Ethen had left his car in the diner parking lot. She hadn’t thought about it until Ethen offered to drive her home in her car. He was worried that she would be too tired to drive safely. They had spent hours talking after their almost kiss. They had gotten to know each other well over the course of those few hours, or rather, she had gotten to know him well. She still had not shared the finer points of her life with him. She had told him about Iris and how close she was with her. Still, she kept most everything else hidden. She supposed it wasn’t exactly fair. Ethen shared a lot with her, about his business, his past and his son. Eve had built such a strong wall around herself, that she would never be able to share so much.

Ethen refused to tell her what the surprise was, but only that it was a date and he was taking her on it later that week. Eve tried to get more out of him, but he wouldn’t budge. The conversation only started to die out as Eve began to fall asleep on the couch. Ethen offered her one of the guest rooms, but Eve knew that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep there. She hardly got any sleep as it was, but at least at home, she could do whatever she wanted no matter the time. After some convincing, Ethen stopped trying to get her to stay. But he would only let her go home if she would let him drive her. Eve wasn’t sure whether she should go on the date or not. She definitely wanted to but she still could not justify it. She still needed him as a source for her story and she might compromise it if she entered into an unprofessional relationship with him. Something told her that an unprofessional relationship with him was exactly what she needed and might even be more important than the story itself. It was an incredibly selfish thought considering how important the story would be to the world, but maybe to her Ethen James would end up being more important.

“How are you going to get back home?” Eve asked. She suspected that he just didn’t want their night to end because she didn’t either. Despite the security system Ethen had, Eve knew that once she fell asleep, all sense of safety it gave her would be gone. Sleep was when her nightmares came. Often times the snippets of her childhood that she remembered would come to her in her sleep. They were more terrible than anything she could imagine which is what made her so sure that they were real.

“My driver will pick me up,” Ethen replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. As down to earth as Ethen was most of the time, there were moments that showed how accustomed he was to his lifestyle. Eve nodded, agreeing to let him drive her. In any other situation, she would have protested much more, but she was grateful for the extra time she would get with him. She had made the mistake of telling him that the people with Melcor were not the only ones following her. She had barely shared the details of her mob story with Iris but found herself pouring them out to Ethen. After she told him about the car that she had seen following her the last few weeks, Ethen’s jaw set in anger. Part of the reason that he wanted to drive her home was to ensure her safety. He was protecting her and she liked it. It felt warm to her, never in her life had someone protected her aside from Iris. Her brother at one time had been her protector but leaving was the ultimate betrayal of that protection. The betrayal had been so ultimate that she felt he had never really protected her at all but had hurt her more than anyone else in her life had.

Ethen didn’t try to kiss her again when he dropped her off at her apartment. Eve was half grateful for this and half disappointed. Something told her that if he had kissed her she would feel much the same way. It wasn’t until Ethen was halfway to the elevators that Eve remembered what she had wanted to ask him the entire time.

“How did you get the information?” she shouted down the hallway. Ethen stopped and turned to face her. He walked back, obviously not wanting anyone to hear his response.

“On the record?” Eve nodded. Ethen grinned at her, he seemed to like it that she was able to switch her all work attitude on and off so easily. She suspected that he had that same skill. “I hired a hacker.” He smiled saying this, knowing that Iris was essentially a hacker by trade.

Eve raised her eyebrow. “What happened to inside guys and corporate spies?” she asked.

“Technically I had both; they just never physically went into Melcor’s buildings. I never lied to you.” He winked at her. Eve chuckled as he sauntered back to the elevator. He stood there and pantomimed her going into her apartment, indicating silently that he would not take the elevator until she was inside and he heard the lock click. Eve shook her head with a laugh and went into her apartment, ensuring that she locked the door behind her.

Eve practically floated to her bed. Without bothering to change her clothes or even get under the covers, she laid on top of it. She fell quickly asleep, and though there were only a few hours before she would need to be up for work again, she had one of the best nights of sleep she had ever gotten. She nearly fell out of bed as the morning light crept through her blinds and her alarm blared from her nightstand. She rubbed her neck as she moved slowly to change and get ready for the day.

Eve paced as she brushed her teeth. She stopped at her window and peeked out the blind, then nearly choked on her toothpaste and had to run to the bathroom to spit it out and rinse her mouth. She moved back to the window, peeking out once more. She closed the blinds quickly. The car that had been following her was parked outside. She hadn’t seen it in a few days and had hoped that they’d backed off. Eve thought that maybe they realized she was working on a new story so they stopped following her. Evidently, she was wrong. She tried to shake it off, but the reappearance of the car was unsettling.

She had already had more than enough excitement for the week. The reappearance of the car meant that they knew she was still looking into the story, even if it was unofficial. That meant they were following her every move. Somehow, they knew she was researching the mob. She hadn’t looked into it since she had gotten the new lead with Ethen. It frightened her to think that the only time she had mentioned the mob story in recent memory had been the previous night. She had spoken about it with Ethen, and the very next day the car was once again outside of her apartment. It was as though they had heard her. Like they knew she had been with Ethen and had somehow listened in on their conversation. It was a terrible feeling.

Her only solace was in the date that she knew Ethen was taking her on later that week; he had refused to even specify the day that he would whisk her away. She was giddy at the thought. Normally surprises made her nauseated with worry and discomfort, but this one excited her. Eve felt like she had fallen a little bit in love with Ethen that night. She trusted him completely, not because she knew everything about him, or because he had shared what the blackmail was. She trusted him because her gut told her that she should, and for her, that was enough. She trusted her gut more than anything in this world. She knew she would have to go up against a lot in order to be with him, and it went against a lot of her better judgment, but she felt this undeniable pull toward him that she could no longer deny. He made her feel safer than she had in an extremely long time. This was ironic, considering that their night had begun with them shaking off the Melcor tails.

Eve pulled out her phone; she knew that she had to talk to Iris about what had happened and the surprise date. She would be happy for her, Eve thought. Iris was far better adjusted than herself. She had a job that she was never late to, she dated a lot but hadn’t found that evasive ‘one’, and she had other friends and enjoyed her life. Eve had none of this. She spent her free time looking at photos of people reported dead or missing, trying to connect them to the mob. Iris did her best to get Eve into the world, but it was not easy helping someone who did not want it. Eve had barely dialed Iris before her phone began to ring.

“Hello?” she answered. She hadn’t recognized the number, but she only had a few contacts actually saved into her phone.

“Come outside.” Ethen’s voice came from the other end of the line.

“Why?” She extended the word as she narrowed her eyes. She groaned, looking down at her clothes. She had changed into pajamas after waking up, figuring that she would have the day to somewhat relax around her apartment. This was sure not to happen anymore. He didn’t answer her question, obviously not wanting to explain his reasoning. Eve’s first assumption was that something terrible had happened. She thought that maybe whoever had followed them the other day had gotten to him and he was now setting her up. It took her a moment before she remembered that they were supposed to go on a date. It was an odd feeling for her. A date was something she hadn’t done in a long time if you could even consider any of her past dates in college as real dates. She hoped that whatever Ethen had planned for them would far outshine the pizza, beer and a VHS tape dates she had been swooned by in college. “I have to change.”

“I’m waiting,” he said in singsong. Eve rolled her eyes but grinned. He was only teasing, but he had a nice voice. She could imagine him singing his son to sleep when he was a baby. She looked out the blinds again. The car that had been trailing her was gone, but she could see Ethen on the sidewalk on the phone. Though she had convinced herself that he wasn’t compromised and that this was not a setup, her paranoia still made her want to double check.

“Be patient,” Eve ordered, hanging up the phone. She quickly threw on the most appropriate outfit she could find. She peered out the blinds, both looking to see what Ethen had on—another casual ensemble—and to see if the car had returned, which it had not, so far as she could tell. The last thing that she wanted was for Ethen to have another run in with yet another person who wanted to do either or both of them harm. Eve was painfully aware that Ethen was waiting for her. She got ready faster than she ever had and ran out the door and down to meet him.

He stood on the sidewalk; Eve studied his face as she exited her building. It lit up as soon as he saw her. Eve loved the way his eyes squinted when he smiled, even though he had told her just a few hours ago that his classmates had made fun of him for it when he was young. Children can be cruel that way, without ever realizing it. Ethen was lucky in that the comments of his peers didn’t weave their way into his subconscious. It was a terrible thing to make fun of someone’s laugh or smile; for so many, it tainted the rest of their lives. It took their moment of joy or happiness and made it self-conscious. As Eve admired Ethen’s smile, she was glad that this had not happened to him.

“This is a surprise,” she said with a smile, linking her arm in his. She wasn’t exactly glad for it, as she needed to get a lot of work done and had planned on spending the rest of the day doing that work. She was glad to see him though, she hadn’t wanted to leave him even for a moment.

“I was going to take you on our date later, but I couldn’t wait.” Eve’s heart beat a little quicker as he mentioned their date. It still felt surreal, which Eve was glad for. She thought that maybe if it felt too real she would be able to talk herself out of it. As long as she felt like she was in a dream, she didn’t have to justify her actions too much.

“I’m glad you didn’t. Where to?” Eve asked, but Ethen shook his head, indicating that he was still keeping everything secret. Eve sighed but knew better than to press the issue. She did not like leaving things up to other people. She had planned her whole life herself and was not used to someone else doing it for her. Eve’s life had been a constant string of unhappy surprises, she herself was an unhappy surprise for her parents and they just kept going from there. The idea of a happy or a good surprise was a foreign one to her. Ethen led her to his town car, where the two of them sat in the back together.

“You know the way, Peirce,” he said with a friendly slap on the driver’s shoulder. “This is Eve.” He added.

“Peirce,” the driver replied, extending a gloved hand to her. Eve shook his hand and soon they were headed down the street. Ethen seemed to be friends with or at least friendly with the driver. There was a comradery there that lent itself to the idea that they had been together for a long time.

“Could you tell me where we are going, Peirce?” Eve asked from the backseat. She stuck her tongue out at Ethen, who pretended to be hurt by the expression. He dramatically hit his hand against his chest and turned his face from her. Eve could imagine how wonderful a father Ethen had been when Jeremy was young. He was one of those people that seem to never be embarrassed or self-conscious; one of the lucky few who could do just about anything without shame or recourse.

“I’m on strict orders not to tell you, ma’am,” Peirce replied with a smile in his voice. Eve could not see his expression as he was facing the road, but she could hear the humor in his voice. She did not appreciate that he and Ethen were in cahoots, keeping their final destination a secret from her.

Ethen stuck his tongue out at Eve, who scrunched her face up in response.

“It’s just Eve, sir,” she said to Peirce. The man laughed and nodded. Eve could never get used to being called ‘ma’am’. It was far too formal for her and made her feel much older than she was. She also hated being called ‘miss’ which made her feel much younger than she was.

“Fair enough,” he replied. Only a few moments later the car came to a stop. Eve looked out the window, confused. They were parked in a large, empty lot.

“Is this it?” Eve asked, feeling nerves flutter in the pit of her stomach. In the seconds between the car stopping and Ethen’s reply, she had gone over a million different ways she could have been driven to her death. No matter how comfortable or trustworthy she felt her party to be, the more paranoid part of her could not stop from going over every possible detail. She thought that maybe they had gotten to him. They could have given him a choice, her or his son, and in a heartbeat, both of them would make the same decision. Eve supposed that it would be alright if this were how she was meant to go, but that didn’t make it any easier. She could run, but she wouldn’t make it very far.

“That’s it,” Ethen said pointing. Eve looked where his finger pointed as a loud chopping sound began and the wind picked up around them. A helicopter landed near the location where Ethen was pointing. He adjusted his finger so it was pointing directly at the helicopter. “Sorry, that’s it.”

Eve laughed at him. “We’re going in that?” she asked with disbelief. Her worries dissipated as quickly as they had come. Eve felt foolish to have gone to such a dark place in her mind just at the sight of an empty lot. That’s what trauma and paranoia did to people though. The mundane became dangerous in their minds and there was not much they could do to stop it. She looked at the beast of a helicopter and smiled like a child in a candy store.

He nodded sincerely. Eve had always dreamed of going in a helicopter. As a kid, she’d loved the shots in films and even on the morning news that came from helicopters. She loved how small everything looked from above like they were toys in a giant dollhouse. She had flown in airplanes before, but there were only a few moments right after take-off and before landing that made everything look just the right size.

While they were in the helicopter Ethen pointed out all of his developments. He knew every nook and cranny of the city. It was like how he had directed her down all those back roads with such ease; he essentially was doing the same thing but from the helicopter. He could name all the streets as they flew over them. After the helicopter ride was over, Peirce drove them to Ethen’s house. Ethen bade Peirce good night and unlocked the complex door, leading Eve into his house once again.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been here. I like what you’ve done with the place,” Eve said with a smile. Ethen looked like he was going to burst into laughter but only chuckled. They both felt so giddy from the excitement of their date that they both wanted to burst into laughter for no reason at all. It was the kind of happiness that makes you bite your lip to stop from smiling and where you can feel the laughter bubbling in your chest.

“If you would like, I have a surprise in the living room.” Ethen flourished his hands. Eve giggled and walked past him. She liked that she knew where it was; it made her feel almost like she was at home.

Eve stopped at the entryway to the living room with a gasp. Her jaw dropped and her hand went to her chest. The couch had been taken out of the room and in its place was a large picnic. There was a veritable feast on the blanket that was laid out on the floor. There were blackout curtains, making it appear as though it was already night, though it was barely afternoon. Every surface was covered in fairy lights. They twinkled soft yellow light that reflected off the shiny black tile floor. Though the setup was magnificent, it was nothing compared to the idea that someone had gone through all that trouble for her. No one had ever done anything like that for her before. Eve felt tears brim in her eyes; the shock of something so wonderful being created for her took her breath away.

“Ta-da!” Ethen said with a goofy bow. Concern colored his face as he noticed Eve’s tears. “Are you okay? Do you like it?”

Eve nodded vigorously. She walked up to Ethen, taking his hands in hers. “Can I kiss you?” she asked, mimicking his words from the night before.

Ethen nodded and before she could move, he pulled her face to his. Taking his hand out of hers, he brushed it against her cheek. His soft lips moved against hers in harmony. Eve pressed herself closer to him as his hand moved to the back of her neck, their other hands still entwined. Their tongues danced, his twisting around hers, exploring her mouth. They broke apart, breathing heavily.

“You can definitely kiss me anytime you want,” Ethen said with a heavy breath.

Eve smiled and kissed him lightly. “I don’t know that I’d ever stop.” She too was breathing heavily. She leaned her forehead against his chest.

Ethen smiled and kissed the top of her head.

“You know, I haven’t gotten a full tour yet.” Eve looked up at Ethen and raised her eyebrows.

“I don’t suppose you have.” Ethen laughed as he shook his head.

“Maybe we can start the tour in your room?” Eve asked, batting her eyes at him, being silly.

“You want to see my room? When I’ve been through so much trouble getting all this setup?” He laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the living room. “Well, that was the living room.” They ran through the kitchen. “You’ve seen the kitchen.” He pulled her up the stairs, both of them giggling with glee.

They paused at the top of the stairs, and Eve pulled Ethen close to her. She crashed her mouth into his, kissing him hungrily. Each curve of her body pressed tightly against him. His hand roamed her body before he gripped her thighs and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. They bounced their way down the hall to Ethen’s room. Eve’s breaths came quickly as she became more aroused. Ethen tossed her onto the bed and pulled his shirt off as Eve quickly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off without grace. They burst into another fit of giggles when the jeans got stuck around her ankles. Ethen leaned over to help pull them off and Eve kissed him once more.

Ethen pulled Eve’s shirt off, his hands slowly groping every part of her body. Eve bit her lip in pleasure as his hands worked their way to the top of her underwear, and she let out a moan of anticipation. Pulling them off, Ethen began kissing her thighs, making his way to her center. She gasped as he began to kiss and suck her, her hand gripping his hair in ecstasy. It was not long before she was shaking with uncontrollable pleasure, her back arched in pleasure as she moaned and used his fingers to help her to climax. After a momentary break, Eve pulled Ethen back to her face and kissed him deeply, feeling like she would never be able to kiss him with enough fervor or desperation.

Unbuttoning his own jeans, Ethen pulled them off with more grace than Eve had managed. Eve reached around and unclasped her bra, her breasts bouncing with their release as Ethen stared at her body with hunger. Smiling, she pulled him on top of her once again and slid his boxers off with ease, feeling him hard against her thigh. Ethen kissed her softly and rested his head on hers as he entered her. Eve let out another moan, nearly shaking with pleasure once more as Ethen gripped her thighs, thrusting against her. He continued to gyrate with increasing speed until he let out a soft moan, but keeping on for a few moments later, allowing for Eve to reach her second climax of pleasure that night. As they both finished, Ethen collapsed beside her.

“Did you want to see any more of the house?” Ethen asked with a smirk, his eyes closed as he breathed heavily. Eve only shook her head no, not wanting to reply fully. “Good,” he said in response. Eve laughed as Ethen scooted closer to her on the bed and leaned his head against her. Eve absentmindedly brushed her hands through his hair, feeling completely at peace.