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A Second Chance (Agnores x Candira)

Evan looked playfully disgruntled, turning his head away and crossing his arms. "Because I am NOT a chef. I can NOT fix you something good, for free to boot." Evan smiled, glancing at at from the side. He was kind of hungry himself, so it worked out. Plus he had some hamburger meat he needed to cook, and it would be just enough for a burger for the both of them, he thought. He casually thought to make sure he had everything for burgers, and when he decided that he did, he smiled at her. "So, stay here for a bit, and I'll cook ya up something good."
 
Sophie face-palmed a little. She had momentarily forgotten that he was a chef and could fix her something. Of course, even if she had remembered, she would have thought it rude to ask him to make her something on the spot like that. "Sorry, hun. I forgot about that. I don't want to put you out, though. I'll stay if it's no trouble, but don't go too far out of your way, okay?"
 
Evan smiled. "Well, then, come on!" And with that, he led her back to his apartment. He made sure she was good and settled in his living room, offering her more to drink if she wanted it, before he set out to making them something good. The hamburger meat was all ready thawed (he had made dinner with it yesterday, and had intended to use it for dinner tonight) so he took it out and other supplies he would need. A quick spray down of his frying pan with Worcestershire sauce, he seasoned the meat, pattied it out, and set to cooking it.

"Sorry for not letting you leave like you wanted," Evan called from the kitchen, pulling out the lettuce, cheese, and condiments while the meat cooked. "I just didn't want you to get hurt."
 
Sophie felt a little silly for walking back with him, but there was something working in her favor in doing the walking--she was burning off the buzz a little faster. Or spreading it...she wasn't sure. In any case, she was doing something, so that was good, right? And she was a little bit glad that he hadn't let her leave. Even if he had truly only been worried for her safety--and she was sure that part of him was--she was a little bit happy that he wanted her to stay awhile longer. When she was settled--no more drinks for her that weren't water, thanks--she sat back on his sofa and just relaxed.

She smiled as he apologized again and shook her head. "It's okay. I understand," she said with a smile. She brushed a dark curl behind her ear and allowed herself to be taken care of for a bit. "I probably would have done the same if you'd been leaving me. Do you need any help? I realize you probably don't, but I feel like I should ask."
 
"Nah," he replied. "I got this. Won't be long." And it wasn't. He browned both sides, making sure her's was a little more done in the middle while he left his a little more rare. He slipped the done burger onto a bun, then called her over. "I got all the condiments and toppings out, put what you want on there. Out of pickle and onion, sadly, so I hope that's not a deal breaker for you," Evan said, with a smile. He made his own burger with simple lettuce and mustard, and when she had made hers, he led her back to the couch with a soda in hand.

Once situated, Evan took a bite of his burger and smiled. It was good, at least. "Hope you like it," he said to Sophie.
 
Sophie had known it wouldn't be long and that he wouldn't need any help. It just felt rude to not ask him. He was good natured about the whole thing, but she wondered if her question was rude because he did this sort of thing for a living. Sighing, she settled on the fact that it must have been okay because he didn't seem upset at all. Maybe wine would have been a good choice but that would defeat the purpose of coming back up to eat, wouldn't it?

At least she didn't have to be alone with her thoughts for long. The burgers didn't take much time at all. When he called her, she built hers like a pro. Normally, she would have done ketchup, mustard, onion, and pickle, but since the last two items were out, she built it a bit differently, shielding the ketchup from the mayonnaise with lettuce and making sure the cheese was on before any of that. Satisfied, she sat next to Evan and dug in.

It was the most delicious burger. She made an appreciative noise and made sure she swallowed her food like a person with manners before answering him. "It's great. Juicy, but not too juicy. And it's got a nice flavor to it. And I did a nice job of building mine, if I do say so myself." She smiled and nudged his shoulder a little. "Not bad, head chef."
 
Evan laughed. "If you didn't do well at building your own burger, I don't know if there would be anything I could do to help you." He smiled and took another bite. "Thanks. Not usually what I make, but you still pick a few things up that apply to other things working at a pizza place." Evan continued to eat on his burger, enjoying it and feeling a little better about it. "Speaking of that pizza," Evan said after a bit of silence. "Its gotten better. I accidentally made a few improvements to their pizza when I first started there. I knocked over some seasoning into the sauce mix that made it a thousand times better, and it was all ready good."

Evan laughed. He had been so scared that day, even thought he was gonna get fired on his first day. Turns out he was lucky.
 
Sophie chuckled at Evan's joke and took another big bite of burger. She listened to him as she ate, enjoying his stories. It was nice to know that he was doing well, and that a potential ruined pot of sauce became a happy mistake that had improved the pizza she'd fallen in love with after only one trip. "Oh, wow. Now I really have to stop by. But if I do, I may never stop eating," she said with a smile. "What a dilemma." She continued to work on her burger, enjoying every last bite. When it was finally finished, she pushed aside the plate and smiled. "Thanks for this. I'm sorry about all the trouble."
 
Evan laughed, then shook his head. "You have been no trouble at all, Sophie. Its been nice, even if a little awkward, to see you again." Evan finished his own burger, taking her plate with him as he went into the kitchen. He immediately set on washing the dishes. One of the few bad things about his apartment was the lack of a dishwasher, but Evan had become quite adept at washing his own dishes. "So, how long do you plan on staying? I have a guest bedroom you can use if you want to play it safe and stay the night." Evan worked hard to keep that fact he actually liked that idea out of his voice. "But I don't blame you if you wanna just get out of here."
 
The artist watched him carry the plates over to the sink, and felt she probably should at least offer to help. But Evan seemed to have things under control. Rather than sitting like a useless lump, she rose to her feet and stood next to him, picking up a towel to dry what he washed. His offer to let her stay over made her heart skip a beat. Did he want her to stay with him? Or was he just being nice? Maybe he wouldn't mind, but it was just an offer. It was hard to tell. Best to take it in context--hadn't they just agreed to be friends again? It was an offer from one friend to the other. No need to read into anything.

"Well, we'll see how late it is when I'm sobered up. I should go home tonight if I can, but I suppose I could go tomorrow..." She smiled and shrugged. "Let's wait and see for a bit?"

She helped him clean up the rest of dinner, storing what they hadn't used, cleaning up what they had. When all was finished, she found herself in a clearer state of mind, but she wanted to hold back a little longer. No point in jumping the gun, right?

"So, do you like it here?" she asked, looking around his place again. It could use more color, but she could help with that if he wanted. It looked comfy, though.
 
"Hm?"

Evan glanced around his apartment. "Yeah, I like it here well enough. Its cheap but not shitty." He smiled and nodded. "It keeps me out of the elements, at the very least."

Evan wanted Sophie to stay, but he was unsure if he should push it. After all, they were trying to just be friends. What kind of message would it send if he asked her to stay after that? Of course, the offer could be taken in a friendly manner and mean nothing special...but if she were to stay, Evan had to admit he wanted it to be something special. It was a dilemma.

"My only complaint isn't even with the building itself. I think I live next door to a crack-head, and he's loud and obnoxious. Has the cops there more often than I am actually home, I swear." Evan chuckled, suddenly thinking he probably shouldn't of said that. "Whats the place you are staying at like?"
 
Sophie smiled at him as he explained his apartments. The fact that this place wasn't particularly safe hadn't escaped her, but as long as she was with him, she figured she would be fine. If she didn't think about it too much, it wouldn't be so bad. She looked around again and when he asked about her place she smiled.

"It's a nicer neighborhood, but the building's kind of old. It's well kept and comfy. No security doors, but there's a dead bolt on the door leading to the street, so there's that." She shrugged and glanced at the clock. It was getting kind of late...and she could always go home early in the morning if need be.

"Maybe I will stay here tonight. It's getting kind of late and I'm still a little buzzed. I'll just get up a little early tomorrow. Do you have a shirt I could borrow to sleep in?"

Or maybe she could sleep in nothing...NO! Friends, damn it! They were friends, and if she chose to sleep in nothing, then he didn't need to know about it.
 
Evan had to try really hard not to jump excitedly when she said she would stay. When she asked if he had a shirt he could borrow, he smiled at her. "Of course...but maybe you won't need it?" He said with a wink, before quickly turning away. FRIENDS, Evan, FRIENDS. Why would you say something like that? Idiot. Not only was that out of place for the type of relationship you were going for, that was awfully forward. Sophie wouldn't appreciate that. Would she? Did she want to...NO, Evan, no. Turning back, he gave her a smile to try and hide the incredible awkwardness growing inside of him. "Just let me know when you are ready for it and I will go and get it for you."

Evan smiled and wondered how many more times he was gonna ham up this situation.
 
What the hell was that supposed to mean?! Who just says something like that? Didn't they just agree to be friends first? Or was he just trying to joke around and be funny? That seemed more likely. Evan wasn't an idiot. He was probably just nervous and trying to be funny. Right. That was it. So she smiled and chuckled politely, trying to mask the idea that she was a little bit pleased that he'd said anything of that nature to begin with. Obviously, he remembered her body pretty well--she was pretty proud of her figure.

"Aw, that won't be for a bit. I'm not really tired yet. How about we watch a movie or something? We can do something friends do to sort of ease back into things." It was a good offer. Hopefully one that highlighted how she wanted to be friends. God she felt stupid for bringing it up so much. But it seemed like they both needed to be reminded. They'd practically leaped at each other when things had started out in college. It seemed the magnetism had never truly warn off. It didn't help that he looked so good. And she was in a little red dress that seemed to accentuate all the good aspects of her body. The recipe for friendship in bizzaro land.
 
Evan smiled and nodded at Sophie. "Movie sounds good. I'll show ya my movie cabinet and you can pick one out." He smiled and led her to the cabinet that sat right next to this TV. The whole time his mind was racing with how much this was a bad idea. He had thrown the movie choice on her because he was afraid of picking the wrong movie. Pick too romantic of a movie and she might catch on to that and think he was trying something. Pick too sexy of a movie and she'd get the wrong idea. Pick a movie with characters who stay just friends, and she'd think he wouldn't want to be more. He would just go with whatever movie she chose.

He opened his cabinet and motioned for her to take a look. He had a decent selection of movies, enough that something she'd be okay with watching would be there. All of a sudden it occurred to Evan that by making Sophie choose the movie he had only reversed the situation: now instead of Sophie possibly reading into the movie choice, Evan would. Sighing internally, Evan hoped she found a nice neutral movie.

Oh, who was he kidding? He wanted her to pick a sexy movie so they could make out. You know, as friends.
 
Well, now that she was faced with the choices, she wondered exactly how much he was going to read into the titles she chose. Nothing blatantly romantic--that would ruin the whole friendship thing she was trying to hammer into his skull. Of course, it wasn't lost on her that it was probably also to remind herself to keep her hands off of him. Nothing sexy because that was just too much stimulation for the two of them. But if she chose something without any sex appeal, he might think she didn't ever want to be more than friends with him. And that simply wasn't true as her raging hormones seemed to scream at her.

"Well, I'm not sure. You've got such a big collection. I might need a minute to adjust..."

She looked over the rows and rows until she found a movie that seemed to reach neutral ground. He wouldn't read too much into this, would he? God, she hoped not.
 
Evan blinked at Sophie. Did she really just say that? Really? He tried his best not to laugh, but he couldn't. He snorted, laughing hard, doubling over and falling back to his couch. It was so funny to him, especially in contrast to the awkward thoughts going through his head, that he nearly cried laughing at her words. He could only hope that she understand why he was doubled in the floor laughing.

"That...Oh my God...was the best...thing anyone has ever...said," Evan said, between laughs and deeps breaths. He stood back up and approached the cabinet, reaching up and picking out a movie. It was an action comedy. It had subplots that covered romance and even a sexy scene, but it was not the focus of the film and Evan felt it would be an okay choice. He presented to Sophie, still chuckling over her words. "This one okay?"
 
When Evan exploded into peals of laughter, Sophie realized what she'd said and sighed, chuckling a little. She would have to say something like that now. Still, he seemed amused more than anything, so she just nodded at his suggestion. "Sure, why not?" She smiled and sat back on the couch, making herself comfortable again.

Once the movie was started, she smiled at him and waited for him to come back to the couch. "This is nice."
 
"It is," he replied, after slipping the DVD into the player and getting the TV on and set up. He plopped on the couch next to her, careful to leave enough space so as to not seem weird. He picked up the remote and hit play, putting the remote to the side afterwards. "I actually haven't seen this movie in a while, this will be fun," Evan replied with a big grin.

"I hope you enjoy it," Evan said, turning to look at Sophie.
 
"Me neither. It's been quite awhile." She smiled and leaned back into the couch, enjoying herself. This was simple and easy. Just sitting. Sitting next to a friend. A handsome friend. A handsome friend she'd seen naked. A handsome friend she'd seen naked and had sex with. Oh yeah. Super simple. She looked up at Evan and smiled at him when he told her he hoped she'd enjoy it. How could she not?

"I'm sure I will. I'm spending time with you, right?" There, that was sweet. Sweet and simple. There was no way he could read into that, right? Right. Well, too bad if he did. They knew where they stood. The boundaries had been set, no problem. They were following them nicely.

As the movie went on, Sophie leaned a little more against Evan, not really realizing it, but she was comfortable. He didn't seem to mind in any case. When she finally did realize that she was leaning on him a little, she took it as a positive sign that they'd made it so far without being terribly awkward. Good. Nothing wrong with that.
 
Evan smiled warmly at Sophie as he sat down, nodding. "That is true. It'll be great." Evan didn't really think much about it, surprisingly, as he began to focus on the movie. Somewhere down the line, however, he noticed that Sophie had gotten closer, leaning on him a little. Also somewhere down the line, he realized he had moved and arm and placed it around her. He hadn't been aware of either of these facts until now, and was unsure when it happened. He hoped, silently, that friends did this sort of thing. Maybe they didn't. Maybe it was just a little quirk in his and Sophie' friendship. Yeah, that's it.

Man, it was hard just being friends with someone you had strong feelings for.
 
Sophie had noticed when Evan put his arm around her. Granted he hadn't tried to do anything but make them both more comfortable, she couldn't just ignore his arm. She'd gotten comfortable, but not too comfortable and continued to watch the movie thinking that he'd just acted on instinct. After all, he hadn't done anything else. And who said that friends couldn't be comfortable? No one, that's who.

Besides, it wasn't like she would complain about it. He was a handsome man she'd seen naked and had sex with. Why would she have a problem with his arm being around her? Oh yeah, because she had wanted to move slowly this time. But she was clearly reading too much into the arm situation. Now, if he'd tried to cop a feel or kiss her, that might have been crossing a line. But this? This was friendly. Maybe a guy trying to be a little tiny bit more than friendly at best. They were doing just fine.

So in the spirit of being friends, she didn't say anything about it and just kept watching the movie, leaning into him a little more. Nothing wrong with that. Just getting cozy. She just leaned back and enjoyed the show until it was over. By this time her head was on his shoulder and she was somehow half asleep. She blamed the alcohol. And the fact that she was comfortable.
 
In the future, Evan would describe this moment as things heating up between him and Sophie. In the moment, Evan was really unsure what to do. The movie was over, and Sophie was half-asleep on his shoulder, with his arm around her. He was comfy, she was obviously comfy, and Evan was fighting an internal battle over what to do. Wake her up and possibly have her leave his side? Or let her sleep and both of them fall asleep on the couch? Gah, this taking things slow thing was hard.

"Sophie?" He asked, shaking his shoulder a bit. "Movie's over. What now?"
 
She looked up at Evan as he shook his shoulder. Yes, Sophie, what should we do? She took a deep breath and looked at the clock on the wall. It was pretty late. She figured going to bed would be the best option, but she was very comfortable where she was. The dilemma, then, would be whether or not she should stay cuddled into this handsome, warm, charming man she'd been in love with in college, or get up and go to bed alone. She knew that staying on the couch might lead to things moving faster, so she decided to go to bed. What she ended up saying in her half asleep way was, "Take me to bed?"

Which was so much worse than anything else she might have opened her mouth to say. Granted, she'd murmured it because she wasn't quite all there in the moment, but it was something she'd look back on and feel like an idiot for saying.
 
For a person who wanted to take things slow, that certainly wasn't the thing to say. Then again, she didn't know where the room was. Holding on to that thought as the motivation, Evan nodded. "My pleasure." He wrapped his arms around her and adjusted himself to where he could pick her up, moving off the couch easily carrying her back down his hall to the spare bedroom. He carefully maneuvered the door open, the light on, and stepped over to the bed, laying Sophie down on it. "Wasn't expecting guests, so the room is kind of messy. I'll be right back with that shirt."

He quickly slipped out of the room and over to his own room. He dug in his dresser for a shirt that would be adequate for Sophie, finding one and slipping back over to her room. He held it out to her. "Hope this works," he said, with a smile, helping her get the room ready if she needed it.
 
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