𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 ~ | 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤

XV

Chapter Fifteen: 

~ Evie and the Fortress of Trust Issues~

I haven't driven in what feels like forever.

I haven't even felt useful in a long time.

My days had turned into a monotonous blur of office work and late nights spent staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that I had made the right choice. Not just with him. But everything.

My life felt like it was slowly falling apart at the seams, the threads of my sanity fraying with every passing day. The monotony of work was a welcome distraction from the tumultuous mess that was my personal life. The office had become my sanctuary, a place where I could hide from the chaos that seemed to follow me wherever I went.

Everything I did, every choice I made, seemed to make the pain worse. It was like trying to navigate a minefield blindfolded. I had thrown myself into my work, hoping that the distraction would help me forget. But it was a double-edged sword. The more I worked, the more I missed the thrill of the track, the speed, the roar of the engine.

But there was something else too.

Around a month after my encounter with Charles, Oscar and I had grown quite close. It took him a month to work up the courage to ask me out, but he did. He looked so sweet and nervous I couldn't say no.

But that's when it happened.

I... had fun. I had a good time and finally saw the world without the shadow of Charles looming over me.

Oscar had been... amazing. He didn't push, didn't pry, didn't expect me to be ready for anything more than I was. And slowly, I started to feel like myself again.

Like the Evie who didn't have to hide from the world. Like the Evie who could drive fast without fear of the world coming crashing down around her.

I was healing.

Everyone saw it too. Rory and Thea were overjoyed at seeing the old me again. I was too.

Life was finally normal again. No drama, no pain, no absurdly handsome dickish Ferrari drivers. A normal life. A slow life. A boring life?

No. It wasn't boring. Nothing about my life was boring, I was just used to so much angst and emotions that the simplicity of it all felt... strange.

Oscar and I had been seeing each other for two months now.

I had finally found someone who didn't expect me to be anything but myself. Someone who didn't need me to be his savior, his muse, his escape. Oscar was just... there. He listened when I talked, and even when I didn't want to talk, he would sit with me in silence.

Life with him was... easy. He knew I wasn't ready to jump into a full-blown relationship, and he was okay with that. He took me out to dinners, we watched movies, went for long walks in the park, and held hands like any other couple. But it was different. With him, it was real. There were no games, no hidden agendas.

Just two people enjoying each other's company.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was holding back.

That I was still playing it safe.

Oscar deserved more than that. He deserved the whole messy, chaotic, beautiful mess that was my heart. But I didn't know if I was ready to give it to him.

To anyone.

"You okay, baby?" Oscar's voice was soft, his hand giving my knee a gentle squeeze.

His hand hadn't left my leg since we got in the car. I had almost forgotten about it, lost in looking out of the window. The scenery was a blur as we drove towards the restaurant where Rory and Thea were waiting.