After dropping the girls off that morning, I decided to check on Cora and Esme.

Yeah, I was slacking a little, but Mendy's strange request had thrown my whole schedule off. Thankfully, my so-called boss, Nala, was understanding. She'd even told me, again, that I didn't need to come in at all as long as she was running TechForge, but staying home doing nothing would've driven me crazy, so I ignored that offer.

I stopped at a red light and turned off the AC. The weather was strangely calm compared to last night. No wind, no snow, just light rain tapping against the windshield. Just a little cold now. The storm itself had passed, but the damage it left behind was obvious. A few buildings had cracked windows, dirty piles of snow were pushed to the sides of the streets, and city workers in bright jackets were trying to clear what they could. Traffic was a complete mess, and I'd already been stuck on the road for almost forty minutes.

"Come on," I muttered, tapping the steering wheel. "Move."

The light turned green, but no one moved. I sighed, zipped my jacket higher, and rolled the window down to look ahead. An accident, apparently. That explained why nothing was moving.

"Great."

I noticed an opening to my right, turned the wheel, and slipped into the next lane. I barely caught the green light before it changed, and I let out a breath once I was through. I was close to Cora's place now, which was the only comforting thought.

On the back seat sat a giant teddy bear, buckled in like a passenger. It was nearly my height. I had no idea what Esme liked, so I went with something safe. Big, soft, and impossible to hate.

The dashboard lit up with an incoming call from Kayla.

"Hey," I answered, easing the car forward. "What's up? You forget something at the penthouse?"

"No, no," she said quickly. "I just wanted to talk about that night."

"Okay," I replied. "What about it?"

She hesitated for a moment. "When is the next time we do something like that?"

I smirked. "You liked it after all, huh?"

"Don't change the subject," she said. "If you don't want to invite me next time, I'll understand."

"Not invite you?" I scoffed. "Kayla, you're crazy. Of course you'll be invited."

╭───────────╮

EVENT

===============

Kayla's Interest +5

╰───────────╯

"Okay," she murmured. "Good. And what about Mendy?"

"I'm not sure about her," I said as I turned left at the intersection. "But I'll ask. Maybe she'll be open to it next time."

"I doubt it," Kayla replied, "but go for it."

I smiled. "You were amazing, though."

She groaned. "You already said that, along with half a dozen compliments about my ass."

"Hey," I said, "that ass deserves it. It's out of this world."

She laughed. "Oh my god, Evan. I'm hanging up now. See you when I see you?"

"Yeah," I said. "See you."

She ended the call just as I slowed down at another red light. A moment later, my dashboard chimed again with a new message. When I glanced at the screen, I couldn't help but smile. Kayla was standing in front of a mirror, wearing only a t-shirt, turned just enough to make her point obvious. Damn, her ass was just perfect.

'Out of this world, huh?' She sent it a few seconds later.

I shook my head and typed back: 'Fucking perfect. 10/10. Damn.'

The light turned green, and I moved forward again, rain streaking across the windshield as traffic slowly crept ahead. With any luck, I'd reach Cora's place soon, because after everything that had happened, the quiet would be nice for once.

╭───────────╮

WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

===============

Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60★★

Kayla: Interest: 35 / 40★

Tessa: Interest: 32 / 40★

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 21 /40★

Nala: Interest: 100 /100★★★★★

Penelope: Interest: 5 /20

Minne: Interest: 38 /40★

Ivy: Interest: 12/20

Eleanor: Interest: 15/20

Amelia: Interest: 5/20

Esme: Interest: 10/20

╰───────────╯

"Push the pedal, moron!" a man yelled from his window in front of me. "It's green! Move!"

"Jesus," I muttered, leaning back against the seat. "This traffic is unreal."

The next five minutes felt endless. The light turned green and barely anyone moved. Another green came and went, and we crawled forward by a few feet. On the third light, I finally made it through and turned left, relief washing over me as the lane cleared. I dialed Cora while driving and waited.

"E-Evan?" she answered, her voice coming through the car speakers.

"Hey," I said. "I'm just around the corner. Do you guys need anything? Groceries or something? I figured you couldn't really go out yesterday."

"Oh, um," she hesitated. "C-can you get us food? Esme wanted pizza."

"Sure," I replied. "Any good place nearby?"

"Renson's!" Esme yelled from somewhere in the apartment, her voice faint but enthusiastic. "Renson's! Two large pizzas, extra pepperoni!"

"Two large?" I asked, typing the name into the navigation. "Who's eating all that?"

"Esme eats one and a half by herself," Cora sighed.

I chuckled. "Is she secretly a Ninja Turtle or something?"

"And diet coke!" Esme added loudly. "Diet coke!"

"You don't need diet coke," Cora said. "She's just being dramatic."

"And diet coke," I said anyway, smiling as I followed the GPS and turned left.

Renson's came into view a block later. It was a small corner pizza place, the kind that looked like it had been there forever. The sign above the door was red with white letters, one of them flickering slightly, and the windows were fogged up from the warmth inside.

I parked, pulled my hood up, and hurried across the sidewalk, nearly shouldering the door open as I stepped inside. The cold still clung to everything despite the calmer weather. Inside, the place smelled like baked dough, melted cheese, and spices. A small counter ran along the wall, with a few stools near the window and a menu board hanging above.

I walked up to the counter, pushing my hood back and clearing my throat. The girl working there looked up with a polite smile.

"Hey," I said. "Two large pizzas, extra pepperoni, and two diet cokes."

"Alright," she said. "Cash or card?"

"Card."

I paid and stepped aside while they prepared the order, glancing around the place. It was quiet, a radio playing softly somewhere in the back. A few delivery boxes were stacked near the oven, and the warmth was honestly tempting me to stay longer.

When my order was ready, I grabbed the boxes and headed back out. The cold hit me immediately. I reached my car and realized I'd locked it out of habit, so I fumbled with my keys before finally getting inside. The rain was light, but the air was sharp enough to sting.

I made a U-turn and drove toward Cora's building. Parking took a few loops around the block, but I finally found a spot near the entrance.

"Alright," I muttered. "Let's not freeze."

I grabbed the pizza boxes and reached into the back seat for the teddy bear. It was huge, soft brown fur, round black eyes, and a stitched smile that made it look permanently cheerful. Balancing the pizzas on its belly, I hurried into the building and climbed the stairs.

By the time I knocked on Cora's door, I was slightly out of breath and probably looked ridiculous.

The door opened quickly. Cora stood there with an awkward smile that widened when she saw what I was holding.

"Oh my god," she said. "I'm so embarrassed. Evan, I'm sorry for making you buy all this. I'll pay you back."

"You can pay me by taking this thing off my arms," I said. "It's heavier than it looks."

"Oh—right," she said quickly, reaching for it.

She struggled a little before managing to carry the teddy bear into the living room and set it down on the couch. I stepped inside and set the pizza boxes on the counter. Esme wasn't there yet, probably still in her room.

Cora glanced back at the bear. "What's that for?"

"It's an apology gift," I said. "I figured she'd like something to hug while she sleeps."

Her expression softened. "That's… really nice of you. I love you."

"Huh?"

Then she froze, her eyes widening. "I—I didn't mean—" She turned red almost instantly and looked away. "I mean… thank you."

I smiled, pretending not to notice how flustered she was.

"Esme!" she called down the hallway. "Get out here. Evan's here."

"I'm sleeping!" Esme yelled back.

"You ordered pizza," I called. "Two extra-large ones."

"Oh," she said. "Right."

Wow. That got five points from her. That was… okay. That was easy.

╭───────────╮

WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

===============

Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60★★

Kayla: Interest: 35 / 40★

Tessa: Interest: 32 / 40★

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 21 /40★

Nala: Interest: 100 /100★★★★★

Penelope: Interest: 5 /20

Minne: Interest: 38 /40★

Ivy: Interest: 12/20

Eleanor: Interest: 15/20

Amelia: Interest: 5/20

Esme: Interest: 15/20

╰───────────╯

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