𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 » chris evans [✓]

𝐱𝐢.

With the new year came new opportunities. For Faith, it meant a chance at a promotion—but not at The Athletic. She'd been offered a job at ESPN, which was probably the biggest upgrade someone in her position could ask for. It meant that her work as a beat writer for the Celtics had been so well received that they felt it would be the same on a national level.

"That's amazing," Chris exclaimed once she'd relayed the news to him. It was a couple hours past midnight on New Year's Day; they sat in a far corner booth inside South St. Diner, having just finished their usual patty melts with onion rings, and were now sharing a slice of warm apple pie á la Mode. "So, you're gonna go for it, right? I mean, I'd expect nothing less."

As she reached to get another spoonful of ice cream, Faith's expression was pensive. "I want to..."

Chris's eyebrows knitted together. "I sense a 'but' coming along..."

"Not so much a 'but'. Just something to consider. ESPN wants to hire me, and my first job is most definitely going to be the All-Star Game next month. Which is the same week as the Oscars. I was going to try and work something out with Cass for that weekend, but she's not part of the equation now."

Realization of what the predicament was settled in on his face. "Okay, so then your decision should be even easier than I originally thought. Go to All-Star weekend."

She scoffed almost instantly. "And miss out on being your date? Absolutely not going to happen."

"Listen, you said before that getting a job like this is something you've been hoping for ever since you graduated. We're friends, and there'll be other opportunities for us to go to the Oscars together. Don't sacrifice your dreams for me."

"I also don't feel like I need to choose between my dream job and someone who means a lot to me," She responded. "I can tell ESPN yes—and if All-Star Weekend is offered, then I'll say I had a prior commitment. Boom, problem solved."

He acquiesced to her reasoning, letting out a soft sigh. "You just can't get enough of me, can you?"

A slow smile spread on Faith's face, shaking her head. Though he was joking around, he wasn't too far off. "I mean it. I've never wanted to have to sacrifice parts of my personal life for a job, and vice-versa. There's room for it all to coexist."

"Yeah, yeah. Just admit you can't bear the thought of not going on a date with me."

She rolled her eyes, then reached for the plate of pie and moved it closer to her side of the table. "You wish. By the way, this is mine now."

Twenty or so minutes later, Chris was driving to drop Faith off at her apartment. Thankfully, she hadn't encountered anymore paparazzi since the first incident, but in the event that she would in the future, he made sure she knew that his door was always open. "I can't believe we're in a new year already."

"Neither can I. Good part is, there's a lot of great stuff on the horizon for both of us," He turned the radio down a little bit. "Your GMA interview is next week, right?"

"Mhm," Faith replied with a nod. "I'm so nervous, I keep thinking I'm going to say the wrong thing."

"You're gonna be perfectly fine. Besides, if you need tips, I'm your guy. I've got some experience in that department."

"I'll take any advice I can get." She said, chuckling softly.

"You're definitely going to feel a little out of your element, since you're always the one who's in the interviewer's chair—but you gotta remember that it's just like having a conversation with one of your friends."

"Except in this case, my friend is Robin Roberts, which is a sentence I've never had to say before."

He chuckled. "Yeah. She's super down to Earth, though, so you should be good. You won't even notice the cameras once you get started."