Page 54 of A Match Made In Evan
Mia twists her neck to face me again. “What?” She frowns at me, then looks back at Ev, then back at me again. “What does that mean?”
“I…” I start, but struggle to find the words at first. “Ev and I…”
Her eyes, so much like mine, widen and her jaw drops. “Wait…”
“We were going to tell you. Today, actually,” I fish my phone from my pocket, wanting to prove it to her, but she’s shaking her head and pushing to her feet, moving to pace in front of the TV like a caged animal.
Her accusatory index finger swishes in the air, directed at Ev, then me, then Ev. “You two are…?”
“Dating?” I suggest.
“In love?” Ev says at the same time.
My heart thumps in my chest.
“In love?” Mia sounds mildly hysterical. She flings her hands into the air, every bit the dramatic sixteen-year-old girl. “How long has this been going on?”
“All our lives?” Ev answers, equally dramatic.
I glare at him. “That’s not—no.You know that’s not what she meant.” I look to Mia, pleading for her to understand. “It’s, uh, it’s been official for about a month,” I tell her.
Being the smart girl she is, she narrows her gaze. “And before that? It wasunofficialfor how long?”
“I don’t think that’s any—” Ev starts defensively, and I cut him off.
“A couple of months.” The look I send him is equal parts apology and daring him to argue with me for finally being honest with her. He sits back and shuts his pretty mouth. I turn to Mia again. “I was…confused, Mia. And scared of admitting my feelings for him. And…and afraid that telling you would change things. Between you and me, I mean. And that was wrong of me, I know. It hurt him, and it’s upsetting you, and it was unfair on me, too. And that’s all on me, okay? I know it is.”
“Baby…” Ev reaches for me and Mia makes a strangled sound.
“That’s…that’s soweird,” she declares. Then, as if hearing herself, rushes to add, “Not…not that you’re bi. Or gay? Or…no. Not that. Just…you guys aren’t like that with each other. You don’tdopet names and stuff. You’re not…you’re best friends,not…” she waves her hand over us, where we’ve given up the pretence and Ev has settled in at my side, his arm wrapped around me. “Whatever the hell this is.”
“In love,” Ev repeats himself, gentler this time. Affectionate. “I love your dad, Mimi. Always have. But, yeah, the feeling is more romantic now, I guess. Best friends with—”
“Oh, god, don’t say benefits,” she covers her face with her hands.
Ev snorts. “I was going to say romance on the side, actually.” Then, because he’s still a shit-stirrer, says, “We have you to thank for this, really. If you hadn’t come up with the fake engagement thing, we probably never would’ve realised how we felt about each other.”
“This is insane,” Mia murmurs towards the ceiling. Then she looks at me. “How do you go your entire adult life without knowing you’re into your best friend?”
“Oh,” Ev grins as he rushes to answer her, speaking over the top of my protests, “he admitted he had a crush on me when we were kids. But I was oblivious, and he still liked girls, so apparently he just pretended it wasn’t a thing and that was that.” He shakes his head and leans forward, as if delivering a secret that I can’t hear. “Your dad’s a bit of an idiot, really.”
“You’re both idiots,” she declares and then sits down heavily on the armchair positioned sideways to the couch. “Seriously. What the actual fuck?”
“Language,” I scold, but Ev laughs.
“Yeah, well, I feel a bit dumb for taking all this time to cotton on,” he tells her easily. “We’ve always been closer and more touchy-feely than most best mates. I just figured it was ’cause we’re enlightened and comfortable within ourselves. But I guess it was more that we were always meant to be together.”
She makes an exaggerated gagging sound. “That is disgustingly sweet.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Ev sounds a little too proud of that fact.
I clear my throat and hold out my hand, palm facing upwards. “Forgive me, sweetheart,” I all but beg, “I should have said something sooner. Of all people, we shouldn’t have kept it from you for as long as we did. I just…coming out is…well, it’s confronting. I’m in my mid-thirties. Shouldn’t I have known myself better than this?” Ev tenses and I shake my head. “Don’t answer that. I just…I’m sorry, Mimi. We should have told you weeks ago.”
For a moment, I’m almost afraid that she’s going to reject my apology, but she rolls her eyes and takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’re still an idiot,” she says, and her lips twitch, “but you’ve got my back no matter what, and I’ve got yours, too.”
The urge to cry hits me all over again.
This time, I give in to it.
