The Heart System

Chapter 664: Chapter 664

At that point, I was not sure anymore. Something was definitely off with Cora. Maybe she was mad at me for making her run around after Dakota all day and taking it out on her sister instead. If that was the case, then I really needed to stop relying on her so much.

"So," I said, trying to ease the tension a little. "How have you been?"

Esme’s expression changed instantly, and her smile returned. "Ah, well... I’m good. You?"

"Same," I replied. "A bit tired, but I’m good."

She watched me take a sip and nodded lightly. "Being good is good, yeah."

Esme came back with another glass of orange juice, handed one to her sister, and then sat down beside me again. This time, though, she leaned back into the couch instead of leaning toward me. She took a quiet sip, and I could tell her mood had taken a hit from all of this. I was starting to wish I had just gone straight back to the penthouse instead of coming inside.

"Well," I said after a moment. "How’s the computer? You liking it, Esme?"

She smiled and nodded. "Y-yes. Thank you, Evan."

"No problem," I said. "Really, no problem."

"Mm."

The awkwardness in the room was getting ridiculous. I had no idea what I was supposed to say now without making it worse. Any joke I tried to make would probably land badly, and the silence was already doing enough damage on its own. So I decided to keep my mouth shut for once and let the two sisters handle the talking, since I was the outsider here anyway.

That moment, my phone rang, and relief washed over me almost instantly. Thank fuck. It gave me a clean excuse to get out of this awkward situation before it got any worse.

"Sorry," I said with a quick smile, placing the glass down and getting up. "Might be important."

I walked into the kitchen and pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was Ivy calling.

I answered right away.

"Hey," I said.

"Evan," she exhaled. "How are you doing?"

"Managing," I replied. "You staying away from alcohol, right?"

"I am, I am," she said. "I was actually wondering if we could hang out tomorrow. I was planning to do some shopping and, well, yeah."

"Sure," I replied. "I can pick you up at six."

"That sounds good," she said. "See you tomorrow."

"Yup. Bye."

I hung up and slipped the phone back into my pocket before walking out to the living room again.

Cora was still staring at Esme, and the intensity of it made the whole room feel even more uncomfortable than before. Esme had dropped her gaze to the floor now, her mood clearly gone, her hands balled into fists on her thighs. Something between them was definitely off, and it was starting to feel like I had walked into the middle of an argument that had already been going on long before I got there.

"Call from work," I lied as I stepped back into the room. "I’ve got to head out. Thanks for having me over, though."

"Aw, really?" Cora asked. "Stay a little longer."

"I can’t, sorry." I gave a small shrug. "And thanks for the orange juice."

"Evan..." Esme started, then stopped herself and shook her head. "Never mind. Bye."

Yeah. There was definitely something going on between the two of them. I did not know what it was yet, but I could feel it. And honestly, I hoped whatever it was would pass soon, because watching two sisters sit in the same room like this, cold and tense with each other, was just uncomfortable.

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

The next day, I decided to visit Eleanor at the bar where she worked, Stingy Ladies. I wanted to check on her and see how she was holding up with everything going on. Depending on who was there, Charlotte or Emilia, I also planned to ask them how she had been acting lately so I could get a better idea of how bad things really were.

She had a morning shift, so I texted her that I would drop by. She answered almost immediately, which made sense, since the rain outside was coming down hard and the bus probably looked like a miserable option.

I knocked on the door and rested one hand against the wall, leaning forward slightly while I waited.

A few seconds later, the door opened. "Hey, Evan."

"Hey." I smiled back. "Ready to head out?"

Eleanor stood there wearing a long coat that reached her knees, her hair tied up neatly despite the weather. Her dyed blue hair was shorter than I remembered, so a few loose strands had already slipped free and framed her face. She looked incredibly good. If I remembered right, she was thirty-eight, but she looked younger than me. Honestly, she was basically the definition of a MILF.

"In a minute," she replied with a tired exhale. "God, I can’t find my earring. I’ve been looking everywhere for it."

"Oh," I muttered. "Do you want me to come in and help look?"

"God, please," she answered, stepping back and motioning for me to follow. "I have no idea where I put it. I checked everywhere."

I walked inside and closed the door behind me, shutting out the sound of the rain coming from the corridor window. The apartment felt warm compared to the weather outside, though the place itself was a little messy in that lived-in, rushed kind of way people got when they were trying to leave for work and had no time to think straight.

Eleanor headed first into the living room, glancing at the floor as she went. I followed her to the hallway table, then checked the little shelves near the mirror. She looked through the couch cushions while I scanned the coffee table and the small tray near the entrance where people usually dumped keys, change and whatever else they had in their pockets.

"You’re sure it was here?" I asked.

"No," she replied, bending down to check under the couch. "That is exactly the problem."

I smiled faintly. "That’s not very helpful."

"Thank you for the support."

"Yeah, no problem."