FLIPPING EVELINA

ROBERT'S POV

As soon as I picked up my mum’s call, I braced myself for the usual. I figured she’d be all smiles, asking how the "date" was going and offering some annoying advice like she always does. Hell, I thought she’d still assume I was stuck with Evelina, probably trying to figure out how to get through the rest of the night.

But nope. What I got was the complete opposite. Mum was pissed.

“Robert, what is this I just heard?” she snapped through the phone, her voice already at that tone where I knew I was screwed. “You have to go back right now and apologize to Evelina! What the hell were you thinking, leaving the restaurant without even an excuse? She’s crying, Robert. Crying and in a really bad state. You hurt the poor soul!”

What the fuck!! Evelina, Crying? Seriously?

“When did you become so heartless?” she continued, her words hitting me like a hammer. “No son of mine would treat women like this! You’re going to go back and make things right.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. I kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other rubbing my forehead, trying to stop the headache from getting worse. Evelina, that damn snake, must’ve called my mom the second I walked out, spinning the story to make herself the victim.

Mom kept going, nagging and lecturing, making me feel like I was back in high school, getting scolded for staying out too late. When did I sign up for this bullshit?

I stayed quiet through her whole lecture, barely able to process all the bullshit she was throwing at me. That chick couldn’t give two shits about anything except herself. She probably made the whole thing up to get back at me for walking out.

When I sensed Mum was finally running out of steam, I calmly said, “Mum, Evelina is not the one for me. And about apologizing? I don’t know about that.” My voice was flat, tired. I was done. “Goodnight, Mum. I’m really tired,” I added before hanging up.

I let out a heavy sigh, leaning back in my seat for a moment as I pulled into my estate. Why the hell do I have to deal with shit like this? Like, seriously. All I wanted was a quiet night, but no, I had to be roped into this circus.

The vacation I’d planned couldn’t come fast enough. Two weeks, no phone, no people, no Evelina—none of this crap, just peace. I’d make sure to block every single contact. I needed to escape.

I could already picture my mom fuming, probably pacing around the house, angry that I hung up on her and didn’t agree to go back to Evelina. No doubt thinking about how disrespectful I was being toward Evelina. But what did she expect? Evelina wasn’t some angel. Sure, she was pretty, but based on what I knew, she wasn’t someone I could see myself with long term. She’s not girlfriend material. Hell, she’s barely a one-night stand kind of girl, and even then, I wasn’t into that anymore.

I needed more than just a pretty face—someone who didn’t play games or call my mom to tattle on me the moment things didn’t go her way. Fuck that.

**************************************************

Robert lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling in his well-lit room. The day's bullshit was almost behind him, but his mind still buzzed. He needed a distraction. Without thinking too much, he pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to Sophia.

Hey, still up?

Meanwhile, Sophia's phone buzzed with a notification, and when she saw Robert's name pop up, she felt a mix of excitement and something else she couldn’t quite pin down—happiness? Butterflies? Whatever it was, it had her grinning like an idiot. She opened the message and quickly typed back, her fingers flying across the screen.

Back from your date 🌚?

Robert chuckled, not because the date was funny—it was a fucking disaster—but because her little emoji made him forget the nightmare he just went through. He shot back a laughing emoji, forcing himself to lighten the mood, then replied:

Yeah, just stepped out of the shower. What are you doing?

As soon as Sophia read that, her brain went to the gutter. She tried to shake off the thought, but her mind was already conjuring up an image of Robert—water dripping down his broad shoulders, hair wet, a towel barely hanging onto his hips, maybe another one draped around his neck. Goddamn, why was she thinking about him like that? Get it together, she scolded herself, shaking her head, trying to push the image away.

Just on my phone, she quickly typed back, hoping to sound casual and not at all affected by the ridiculous thoughts running through her head.

Then Robert, not really thinking it through, texted back:

Wanna FaceTime?

The second he hit send, he regretted it. Fuck, why did he even suggest that? But it was too late now. When her reply came in with a simple Sure!, he sighed. There was no backing out now.

Moments later, Sophia’s face popped up on his screen. Her messy bun, her face completely bare of makeup—she always looked like that, but tonight it hit differently. She looked effortlessly good, not like she was trying to be sexy, but somehow that made it worse. His eyes darted down to her chest before he could stop himself, noticing how her nightie clung to her, the fabric barely hiding the way her peaches bounced ever so slightly, clearly not restrained by a bra. Fuck. He quickly forced out a laugh, trying to cover up his awkwardness.

Sophia, on the other hand, had been feeling a growing warmth when they first connected, her mind still battling between the idea of Robert as just a friend and...something else. But the moment he laughed—that friendly, stupid-ass laugh—it shattered whatever romantic bullshit had been brewing inside her. Snap out of it, he’s just a friend, she told herself, trying to ignore how flustered she’d been just a second ago.

On Robert’s end, he was doing his best to not let his eyes wander. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about her like that, she’s a fucking friend, he reminded himself. But the way she looked right now had his mind spinning. Still, he kept the conversation light, throwing in jokes and small talk, hoping she didn’t notice the fucking chaos in his head.