I haven’t been going out with strangers in a long while, and the whole situation is making me a little nervous. Evie places our cocktails order to a passing waitress, and asks for a large plate of tapas for us to snack on.
“So, what was all…thatabout?” Evie asks me, grinning playfully.
“All… what?”
“Well, with the guys? You were arguing with Jack and Nate.”
“Like you didn’t hear.” I roll my eyes.
“Oh, we did,” Ikram snorts. “But we might need a little context.”
I sigh. “Jack basically told me that he and Nate used to scare guys away from me in my first year of university. Which is, I think, totally out of line.”
“Oh, yeah. It is.” Evie nods. “But why?”
“I don’t know,” I breathe out. “Something about guys being horny jerks and ‘protecting me’ from them,” I quote with my fingers.
Evie rolls her eyes with a grunt. “Fucking men, incapable of minding their own businesses.”
The waitress set our cocktails and food on the table and cast us an approving glance.
“Well, I think it was kinda sweet of them,” Ikram shrugs. “I wish I hadsomeone to look out for me back when I was younger…”
Evie snorts and takes a sip of her drink through the straw. I inspect mine with a confused frown. Wait, are these straw long raw pasta with a hole in the middle? Like long, straight… Macaronis?
Clever.
“Your judgment of this particular situation is biased,” Evie tells Ikram with narrowed eyes. “Firstly, your ex was a total horseshit. Secondly, you have a crush on Jack and that tints your view of—”
“Wait, what?” I interrupt, straightening up on my seat.
“Evie!” Ikram groans with a frown.
“What? It’s not like you’re being discreet.” She rolls her eyes and sip her drink again. “You always volunteer to bring him everywhere, you stare at him with puppy eyes all the time… I’d be surprised if Jack hasn’t noticed yet.”
Well, if hehas, he didn’t tellme!
“Wait, isn’t that…”
“Completely against the rules?” Evie cuts me off. “Yeah.”
“Is that true?” I turn to Ikram, whose face is getting redder by the second. “You really have a crush on my brother?”
“It’s nothing,” he mumbles, avoiding my eyes.
“It’s not!” I screech excitedly. “Because you’re totally his type and if you’re serious about him, I’m definitely vouching for you.”
He turns his face abruptly towards me, and the surprise on his face is probably due to the obvious excitement on mine.
“Wait, you’re serious?” His eyes widen slightly. “You’re actually serious?”
“Oh god, I hope they don’t choose Samantha to replace you.” Evie grits out.
“Why would they replace him?”
“He can’t work for your brother if they get involved. It’s unethical.”
“I’m not getting ahead of myself here,” Ikram says quickly. “With his condition, he might not evenwantto get involved. But if Prudence says I’m his type, and if she can somehow talk with him about… Well, dating me? Yeah, I’m out. I’ll push for Lina or Zoe to take my place though.”
