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"WANT TO GRAB A DRINK?"
Evelyn spun around to find Ryan standing behind her, his hands thrusted into his blazer pockets. She couldn't fight the surprise that etched its way across her face like stray tree roots. "Uh..." She glanced around her, her co-workers walking past her with no indication that they had heard the conversation. It wasn't until she spotted Pam that she had hatched a plan. "Sure, um, Pam!"
The redhead spotted Evelyn almost immediately, eyes widening slightly at the call of her name. She approached the two slowly. "Hey, Pam, want to grab a drink with me and Ryan? Roy's welcome, too, of course." Evelyn wrapped an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders, her eyes pleading with the redhead. "I can ask Roy. Should we... Should we invite Jim, too?"
Pam pointed toward the leaving giant, his jacket already shed off of his body and hanging over his arm. One hand worked to loosen the tie around his neck, irritation evident on his face. "...Good idea," Evelyn replied, her face growing hot. Pam smiled to herself, lifting her hand to wave over the man, his name rolling off of her tongue with ease.
Ryan stood there silently, his eyes locked on the brunette. His jaw tensed slightly. Jim approached them curiously. "Hey," he greeted them all, though his eyes immediately landed on his best friend. "We're going to get drinks," Evelyn rushed out, tucking hair behind her ear. "Do you want to join us?"
Why did her heart feel like it was going to explode inside of her chest? It was racing a hundred miles per second. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, forcing her hands behind her back to hide the nervousness that twitched at her fingertips. "Uh, yeah," he replied. "Sounds good to me. Where are we going?"
"There's this bar Roy and I go to sometimes," Pam spoke up. There was a bit of excitement bubbling within her tone. Her an dRoy hardly ever got out. It was exciting to her. "Is that okay with you?" Evelyn asked Ryan. He didn't hesitate to nod his head, black hair falling against his forehead. "Yeah, of course," he replied.
It wasn't that Evelyn didn't like Ryan. She did! He was cool and all, but when he had asked her to grab a drink, she panicked. Usually grabbing a drink with a co-worker doesn't go well. Things get awkward and emotions can be miscommunicated. The thought of going alone made her feel nauseous. "Great. You can text me the address and I'll send it to Ryan," she told Pam, stunning the taller male along for the ride. "You've got his cell number?" he suddenly asked.
