1: Whispering Smoke - Evan Peters

Condo 3

The week slowly made it to Wednesday. I sat in my morning lecture and scrolled through my lecturer's slides on my laptop. I don't know how much more medieval art in Europe I could take. I sighed softly, and dropped my head down onto the table.

Evan and I hadn't seen each-other since our movie date on Sunday, but we'd kept in contact though the phone. He worked nights Monday and Tuesday, for an editorial company on the printing press. He had so many different jobs it was hard to keep track. It was like it was hard for him to settle, or he just hadn't found his true calling yet.

Our lecturer dismissed us shortly after I laid my head on the table, and luckily, it was all I had for college on a Wednesday. As I was leaving the lecture theatre I got a message from Evan, asking me if I wanted to come and check out his potential new place in an hour, and that he wanted a "female's opinion". I agreed, thinking it would be exciting to be involved in Evan's house hunt.

For the next hour I scrolled through social media on my phone, alone in my dorm room. It seemed like such a time-wasting activity, but it meant I got to lay in my bed and do nothing until Evan arrived to pick me up. I found myself wondering if Evan had any socials, and searched "Evan Peters" into instagram. An account came up, and I was intrigued to see if it was him. I was surprised to see pictures of Evan and his friends, all the way until last year June, until I saw my first picture of Emma. The post was celebrating their 7 years together. They mustn't have lasted longer than that then. She was pretty, thin, short blond hair. They complimented each other. But I couldn't get it out of my head that Evan had told me they dated in high school, when in 8 years ago, he would've only been in his late 20s. Maybe he wanted it to seem like his relationship with Emma was insignificant and just another high school romance.

When I got the text that Evan was waiting in the street parking lot, I put on a jacket and headed down to meet him. I wasn't upset, well maybe I was, but I wondered more on why he wouldn't tell me the truth. What other big secrets did he keep?

Like usual, he was smoking a cigarette, with his head poking out of his car window.

"Hey," Evan greeted me as I sat in the passenger seat.

"Hey, you excited?" I queried.

"So excited, I really want my own place again," I was thinking about how his previous landlord might not give him a good reference, after his incident of breaking the front glass window in a fit of rage. But us going to inspect the unit must've meant he'd gotten far in the application process.

We'd only driven 6 minutes before Evan pulls into a block of condos, slightly closer to my college than his old place. He cuts the engine and we step out of the car. There was only street parking available for visitors, it looked like there was a gated parking lot for residents. It was bland from the outside, red brick, institution-looking. But larger than his previous unit.

"Kinda looks like an old hospital," Evan remarked, as we entered the wooden doors leading into the building.

"Yeah I was thinking that too, bigger than your other place though," I stated. He looked down at his phone to retrieve the condo number. We walked down a corridor to condo 3. He knocked on the door. The door opened to a spritely, blond real estate agent, wearing a black pencil skirt with a blouse tucked in at the waist.

"You must be Evan! I'm Connie, I'm showing you around today," Even shook her hand and she turned to me.

"Hi, welcome to condo 3," she shook my hand as well. We stepped into the condo and all the walls were baby blue, the window panes and doors white.

"So this is our open living and kitchen area. The condo has been restored since it was built in 1925. You probably saw as you parked that were across from a gorgeous park. Both bedrooms have a gorgeous view of it," Evan looked at me and raised his eyebrows for my approval as we toured the house. I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze and smiled at him in response. It was really homely.

"Your condo comes with all your essential appliances, and electric heating and cooling. There's also a gym facility down the hall," we walked into the main bedroom behind Connie, and I stood by the French window overlooking the park. It was such a gorgeous view.

"What's the parking situation like?" Evan enquired, as I opened the bathroom door to peer in.

"You have 2 gated, secure parking spots," Connie responded. "I'll let you two have a moment to look around yourselves. I'm in the kitchen if you have any questions," Connie flashed us a smile and left the main bedroom. Evan turned to me and smiled.

"So what do you think?" Evan asked me.

"It's great, so much room and potential for this place. It's cheap too from what you've said," I found my eyes travelling towards the view out of the window again.

"Views great hey?" Evan grabbed my hand and pulled me in to him.

"Yeah it's perfect."

Evan leaned down a placed a small kiss on my lips. The notion gave me butterflies.

"It's in my budget, like I said it's got a 3 month contract. Should I sign off on it?" Evan asked.

"Yeah do it, it's close to my college too," I added in, and gave Evan a bump with my shoulder. He laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright, I'll do it. Thanks for coming with me," Evan and I left the main bedroom and found Connie in the kitchen. I watched as they discussed the condo and read through agreement papers. Evan signed off on the contract and Connie told him he could move in tomorrow if he wanted when the deposit came in. We both thanked Connie, and Evan left with his rent agreement in hand.

"That was easy," I said as we sat in the car.

"Yeah, the place was great, I'm excited," I reached over and grabbed Evan's hand. He brought my hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on it. I laughed at his cheesiness.

"Now we have to pack your stuff," I said as we pulled away from the condos and back onto the street.

"Most of my stuff is in boxes and my storage unit anyway, it's pretty much move-ready," Evan said.

"How was class today?" He asked me.

"Boring, the lecture seemed to drag on for the 2 hours I was there, I might not bother with it next week," I shrugged my shoulders and leant my head against the car window.

"It's second week and you're already sick of it?" Evan teased me and I let out a small laugh in response.

"Yeah, I dont know how I'm going to survive 4 years at university," I truthfully replied.

"Have you been looking at UCLA like Elliot and Dana?"

"I dont know, I think I will. I've never left Missouri," as much as I wanted to follow Evan and my best friend to LA, I was sad to leave my family behind.

"You should think about it, you'd get to spend more time with me," Evan said with a cheeky smile.

"Oh no, not more time with you," I joked and Evan leaned over the centre console and tickled my side.

"I'm leaving in 3 months you know," the conversation turned from joking to serious in a second.

"I'm sure you'll have a great time in LA," I offered him a reassuring smile. Deep down, I didn't want him to go. The past few days had been some of the most fun in my life. I hadn't thought Evan and I would be anything, but I really liked him already.

When Evan dropped me outside my dorm's building, I watched in longing as he drove off. We were in such a situation-ship it was hard to tell how to express my feelings without coming off too strong. I had accumulated all of these feelings for a 35 year old with a problematic past relationship, and I felt the more I thought about how much I liked him, the more I also thought about how far-fetched the idea was that we'd be anything more. I thought of the things Dana told me to consider, along with him moving in 3 months. Reality struck and my mood changed as I realised I got caught up in this image of us I had in my head. I had to see our relationship for what it was, fun, and nothing more.