Nathan was already back, sprawled on his bed, phone in hand, staring up at the ceiling.
"Evan, you back?" Jack called out as soon as Evan walked in. "Wanna run a couple games?"
"Yeah," Evan said, sliding onto his chair and pulling out his phone. "Send the invite."
Ryan twisted around from his desk. "Count me in."
They dove right in—controllers clicking, voices overlapping, laughter and jokes flying around. The room buzzed with energy.
Nathan glanced over, his face tightening for just a second. He watched Evan, Jack, and Ryan goofing off, like they didn't have a single worry. No girlfriends. No obligations.
He clenched his jaw, forced himself to relax.
Whatever.
He had a girlfriend. They didn't. The thought took the edge off his irritation—just a little.
Nathan unlocked his phone and opened WeChat.
Still no new messages.
He frowned, tapped open Jasmine's chat, and started typing.
Jasmine, are you still busy?
You were busy yesterday too… and today as well.
Jasmine, please reply. I really miss you.
Want to grab dinner tonight? There's a new spot in the university district. Everyone on Instagram says it's great.
He sent the messages one after the other, barely thinking.
Then, after a little hesitation, he hit the video call button.
Click.
The call dropped right away.
Nathan stared at his screen, frozen.
Before he could try again, Jasmine finally replied.
I'm busy. Don't call.
His thumbs flew.
Okay, okay. Got it.
But he couldn't help himself. Another message followed.
You finally replied. I thought something happened.
Are you sure you don't want to go out tonight? I'm free. I really want to see you.
Across campus, Jasmine glanced at her phone, her face unreadable. She barely thought before replying.
No. I have plans tonight.
She was meeting Evan later. Dinner with Nathan hadn't even crossed her mind.
Back in the guys' dorm, Nathan stared at her message.
Busy… again?
What kind of plans? I can come with you. I haven't seen you all day.
He waited.
Nothing.
Minutes ticked by.
Still nothing.
Irritation crept back in, but just then Jack burst out laughing and Ryan started yelling about some mistake in the game.
Nathan looked over at them—Evan, Jack, Ryan—still glued to their screens, still single.
A slow sense of satisfaction started to replace his frustration.
At least I have someone.
He opened his photo gallery and pulled up a picture of Jasmine—smiling, leaning in close to the camera. He chuckled softly, almost smug.
He glanced at Evan, let a smug smile spread across his face, then turned away and scrolled through Jasmine's photo again.
Across the room, the game finally ended.
"Man, that last move was garbage," Jack groaned, tossing his phone on his bed.
Ryan stretched, got up. "I'm grabbing water. Anyone want something?"
"I'm good," Evan said, already putting his phone away.
He checked the time.
7:10 PM.
Evan stood up and pulled a clean shirt from his closet.
Jack raised a brow. "Yo, where you heading?"
"Out," Evan said.
Ryan smirked. "That's rare. Big deal or small deal?"
Evan just went to the mirror, changed his shirt, fixed his collar. He moved with a kind of calm that said he knew exactly what he was doing.
Nathan noticed. Watched him a second too long.
"You going somewhere fancy?" Nathan asked, trying to sound casual, but there was a bite in his voice.
Evan glanced over. "Dinner."
That was it. No details. No showing off.
He grabbed his keys—the BMW logo caught the light for a second.
Jack whistled. "Damn. Don't come back too late."
Evan just smiled. "No promises."
He headed out. The door clicked softly behind him.
Nathan stared at it for a second.
The room felt quieter.
Outside, the evening was cool. Evan leaned against his car, checked his phone.
Lena had called twice.
They should be asking what time we'll meet, since it's almost seven already.
The dorm room had a balcony. Evan stepped out with his phone and called Lena back.
She picked up right away.
"What are you doing? I called you twice and you didn't answer. Are you busy?" Lena's voice burst through, half curious, half scolding.
"Oh, nothing. I just missed your call," Evan said.
"Mmm." She sounded distracted, then got straight to the point. "Where are you right now?"
"In the dorm," Evan replied. "Are you at the office?"
"Yeah," she said. "When are you coming?"
"I have a couple things to finish up here, but I can get to your office in about half an hour," Evan said after thinking for a second.
He still needed to book a table at the restaurant and grab some flowers before picking up Lena.
"Okay, okay." Lena agreed, but she didn't hang up.
"Is there something else?" Evan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"There is indeed one more thing," Lena's voice came through. "Remember, my best friend, She said she wants to see you."
"Go ahead and see ," Evan smiled.
They chatted for another ten minutes before Evan finally hung up.
He climbed into his car, started the engine, and pulled away.
Dinner was waiting.
—
Starlight Building, sixteenth floor.
This was where Lena worked—a design and decoration firm.
"Lara, let's head downstairs. My boyfriend's almost here," Lena said, putting away her phone and glancing over at Lara, who sat at the next desk.
Evan had just texted: ten minutes out.
"So soon? Alright, let's go." Lara looked surprised, but she grabbed her bag and stood up.
She wore a white T-shirt and jeans—casual, but the outfit suited her, showing off her slim waist. With her fair skin and pretty features, she stood out in any crowd.
"Finally, I get to meet your boyfriend. Honestly, I'm curious. I've never met someone from a rich family before," Lara said, eyes shining with amusement.
Lena just smiled. She wore a white floral dress that made her look sweet and elegant, but everyone at work knew she was also brilliant—she had that kind of contrast.
Lara glanced over at Lena, then sighed quietly. Sometimes it felt a little unfair. She wasn't old by any means, but compared to Lena, she definitely felt the difference. Evan was a lucky guy.
"What's wrong?" Lena noticed the sigh and looked at her friend, a bit puzzled.
"Nothing," Lara said, brushing it off.
"Alright then," Lena said, not thinking much of it. The two of them held hands and headed for the elevators.
Just as they reached the lobby, a man stepped in front of them. He looked about thirty, decent enough, but both Lena and Lara frowned when they saw him.
"What do you want?" Lara asked, not bothering to hide her impatience.
"Can't I just come say hi?" Ben shot back, mostly ignoring Lara and turning his attention to Lena. His eyes lingered a bit too long, and he swallowed hard before speaking. "Heading out? Where to?"
"It's private," Lena answered, shaking her head. She grabbed Lara's hand and walked off.
The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside.
"That Ben is relentless," Lara grumbled as soon as the doors closed. "He keeps coming by since you started here. It's obvious he likes you. Drives me nuts."
She rolled her eyes. Ben was a junior manager, decent salary, but divorced—a fact Lara never forgot.
"Honestly, Lena, we should have Evan pick you up after work more often. Once Ben sees him, he'll back off for good," Lara said. "You know how Ben loves to show off his watches? Wait till he gets a look at Evan's."
"Yeah, I'll ask him," Lena agreed. Ben's constant hovering was getting old. She tried ignoring it, but it was wearing thin.
"Good," Lara said, satisfied. She quickly changed the subject.
The elevator dinged. First floor.
Lena pulled Lara along toward the building's entrance.
—
As Evan drove up, he spotted Lena right away. Even with a crowd at the bus stop, she stood out in her white floral dress, looking both innocent and stunning. She had that kind of presence—you couldn't miss her.
Next to her was Lara, waiting too.
Evan didn't expect to be caught off guard, but when he saw Lara, he had to admit—he was surprised. Lena had mentioned her best friend before, sure, but he never pictured someone like this. Lara stood right next to Lena and somehow didn't fade into the background at all. Honestly, that almost never happened. Lena's looks, her figure, her whole vibe—according to the system, she scored over 90 out of 100. That kind of score? Pretty much a unicorn among girls. Yet Lara matched her, and when it came to looks, Evan thought she might actually edge Lena out a bit.
And her figure—well, she didn't have Lena's sort of supernatural curves, but her waist was so small it gave her this striking pear shape. No Instagram filters, no tricks, nothing fake about it. Just a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and that was it.
As Evan drove, he kept sneaking glances at Lara in the mirror, his thoughts drifting. He pulled up to the building where a small crowd was lingering. When they saw his BMW, a few car guys couldn't hide their envy.
He rolled down the window. "Get in," he called to Lena, ignoring the looks.
Lena nodded and slid into the seat. The moment she did, Evan reached into the back seat and pulled out a bouquet wrapped in simple white paper—fresh lilies and roses, elegant but not flashy.
Lara noticed it first.
"Oh—" she paused, then smiled knowingly.
Evan turned to Lena and handed the bouquet to her.
"For you."
Lena froze for half a second.
"For… me?" she asked, even though the answer was obvious.
Evan smiled. "Who else?"
She took the flowers carefully, her fingers tightening around the paper. The faint scent filled the car, and her ears slowly turned red.
"They're beautiful," she said softly.
Before she could say anything else, Evan leaned in. His hand rested lightly on the edge of her seat as he pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek.
Lena's breath caught.
Her face instantly turned bright red, and she instinctively clutched the bouquet closer to her chest.
"E-Evan…" she murmured, flustered.
From the back seat, Lara looked away immediately, clearing her throat.
"Ahem. I didn't see anything," she said, staring out the window. "Absolutely nothing."
Evan chuckled and straightened up, completely relaxed.
Lara glanced at her through the mirror and smiled.
Yeah…
Best friend really hit the jackpot.
"This is the best friend I told you about—my college roommate for all four years. Lara. We're really close," Lena said, glancing back at her.
Evan turned in his seat and smiled. "Hey. Lena's mentioned you so many times—said you two were inseparable. But honestly? I didn't expect you to be this gorgeous."
Lara laughed, waving him off. "You're too much. But I've heard about you, too. And when Lena said she finally had a boyfriend, I was shocked. Tons of guys chased her all through college, but she never said yes to anyone. Now she's with you. So you'd better treat her right. I'm basically her family, and if you mess up, I won't go easy on you." She said it with a grin, but she also made a little fist, just to drive her point home.
Evan laughed. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."
Lara relaxed and unclenched her fist.
"Seatbelt," Evan reminded Lena, glancing over.
"Yeah, yeah," she replied, buckling up.
That small motion made Evan look at her again—he couldn't help it. Lena caught him staring, and her cheeks turned pink. "Eyes on the road," she muttered, trying to sound stern but not quite pulling it off.
If it were just the two of them, she probably wouldn't care. But with Lara in the back seat? She felt a little exposed. She shot Evan a look, telling him to quit it.
Evan almost laughed, but he knew she was embarrassed, so he turned his attention back to the road and drove them toward the restaurant.
******