“Sleep,” I tell her. “You have my number. Text or knock if you need anything.”
I scan the hall, confirming we’re still alone, then angle in and plant a featherlight kiss on her forehead. “Good night, angel.”
With that I turn and walk away before my willpower wanes.
CHAPTER 26
ALARIC
Istare at the connecting interior door that’s been taunting me for days. Knowing Evangeline is on the other side, just out of reach, has fueled countless fantasies about what could happen if I buried my doubts and stopped overthinking.
As it stands, avoiding her does nothing to quell my desire.
It’s been a long, lonely forty-eight hours. I didn’t see her at all on Thursday. I only caught a glimpse of her profile this afternoon when I passed through the cafeteria on my way to the pit wall.
Qualifying didn’t go well today. We’re P8 and P11 for tomorrow’s race. Heath was on used mediums for his hot lap—a superfluous error by the team. He should be in the top ten, and I can’t help but feel responsible for the snafu.
The day is done. I can’t foretell tomorrow’s results. Tonight, I have one focus, and I better act fast or I’ll lose my window to set this plan in motion.
Lifting my chin, I knock three times.
Evangeline’s voice cuts off. When it starts up again, it’s farther away. Exactly as I expected.
For a moment, I wait. Then, as her voice grows fainter still, I knock again.
A small part of me regrets interrupting her. I know she’s live, because not only can I hear her through the wall, but after Japan, I used a discreet email address and subscribed to the highest membership tier she offers. Now I receive alerts for all her sales and body-doublingsessions. I even watched a few replays from the archive in the member portal.
Tonight, I’m not settling for watching her through my phone.
I promised myself I would make amends for what Luca has done to destabilize her life. She’s essentially working two full-time jobs because of him, and I’m almost certain she didn’t eat anything at headquarters today.
Is it a gross overuse of power to access the team swipe records to determine whether she’s eaten? Perhaps.
But it’s no less delusional than a team principal knocking on the door connecting his room to that of his employee after hours and intentionally catching her with her guard down, knowing she’ll let him in that way.
Muffled metal on metal refocuses my attention as Evangeline unlatches the door on the other side. My stomach swooshes as uncharacteristic nerves send my heart hammering at rapid speed against my ribcage.
When she opens the door, she’s a sight to behold.
She’s wearing a light pink sweatshirt with her business logo stitched along the front. The neck’s been cut out, making it hang off one shoulder. The lacy strap of a hot pink bra peeks out, taunting me.
The light clipped to the top of her phone casts a halo of illumination on her gorgeous face.
We lock eyes.
I fall harder.
Wordlessly, I hold up the brown paper bags I’ve been clutching as I worked up the nerve to knock.
“I brought supplies,” I mouth, tipping my chin, silently praying she lets me in like last time.
“We’re going to have to start playing a new game on these lives,” she says in her “on” voice.
That’s something else I’ve learned from watching older videos. Evangeline has a very specific energy and pitch when she’s live for her audience. Now that I’m aware of it, I’ve noticed her using it around the motorhome as well.
With me—and I assume with her friends—though, her octave lowers and she sounds like the version of herself I have the privilege of knowing.
“When someone knocks on my door and interrupts my stream, they have to cover shipping for every order that night.” She grins into thecamera, no doubt reading the comments and reactions from her viewers.
