Eve blinked once, Kevin blinked twice. Both stared at V as if he'd grown a pair of angel wings behind his back and a halo on top of his head.
"Ahem— " Kevin cleared the knot in his throat. In a blitz, his arm landed on V's shoulders like some shady con artist trying to sell his product.
"Ya see, kid, when a girl and a boy spend time together—"
GAH!
Kevin choked in his own spit as the punch hit his gut with great precision. His knees dropped to the floor, clutching onto his stomach like a lifeline.
"Don't taint him with your degen antics." Eve scoffed, blowing the steam off her knuckles.
V rubbed Kevin's back, a soft look of pity on his eyes as if he were a stray in the middle of the streets.
"D-Degen antic-" Kevin pressed his palm against his mouth, his face turned paler by the second.
"I-I'm just educating the boy, he's a young lad. He's sure to—" A tight squeeze on his right shoulder, glancing up— the demon was back. Eve smiled softly—too softly. The kind of smile that didn't reach the eyes but sharpened them instead.
"One more word and it's dentures for you, old man."
"EEK—" Kevin squealed.
Later.
V's smile twitched as he saw a sulking Kevin retreat into his room. Unsure whether to pity him or leave the scene entirely. His body nudged forward, turning his head behind—a jab.
"See ya this afternoon," She grinned as she turned towards the door of her room. A soft click now echoed in the silent corridor.
The afternoon came sooner than V could prepare.
The thumped steps could be heard from downstairs. He descended. Darting straight across the room and towards the pub's main door.
People strolled by him as he stood there, a bit breathless.
"She's supposed to—" Before he could finish that thought, a light pat on his right shoulder made him jolt. He turned around—Eve, leaning against the wall.
"Wow, ain't you a punctual one." Eve pressed her fingers against her lips, yet did a poor job at hiding her smirk.
"Alright!" Eve declared as she threw her arms up in the air. If it were night, people might even mistake her for a light post just from her sheer tenacity.
"So, where are we heading first?" V wondered.
"Hmm⁓, I wanna try out the street food, Cmon let's go!" Eve yanked his arm, tugging him along as they crossed the street.
Everywhere you go, the influx of people hasn't lessened one bit. Between the adults' banters, kids scuttled after a ball, nudging it forward with quick kicks and moving along the walkway until taking a sharp left onto 12th Street—a block for real junkies for food.
Stall upon stall and even across, all lined up for their choosing of what they want to fill their stomachs with.
The air was hotter than any other street. Turmeric, ginger, paprika, cinnamon—spices swirled so thick they stung the nose…and Eve had to swipe the corner of her mouth before the drool betrayed her. She headed down the street like a riled-up rhino.
V followed her steps,
"Don't—Look away."
He halted in his tracks—head snapped towards the other side of the street, only for his eyes to fall on a group sharing their meal. A bead of sweat clung to his face as he gulped.
For a moment, he'd sworn he'd just heard a—
"Oi!" Like a cold slap, he's come back to his senses.
"Why're ya standing there for? Let's hit this joint, c'mon!" Eve was already a few steps ahead, waving back to him.
"Y-yeah, I'm coming," V replied. But just before he'd taken his steps, his eyes glanced across the street again, lingering just a bit more than necessary. Half expecting someone to call out his name, yet nothing.
In the blink of an eye, the clear day had turned to night. The wind, cold to the touch, and the sky full of crystal stars. The atmosphere was perfect, yet only to be short-lived with a—
BURP—
Eve puffed out her chest as she patted her tummy, sitting on an outdoor table at the last food joint for the day. Plates stacked on top of each other, yet more seemed to be on his side than hers.
"N-no more… I'm about to burst like a balloon," Eve said, yet there was a satisfied smirk on her rather pale face.
As V finished the last kebab on his plate, he added to the pile of dishes in front of them.
"We've been at this for a while now, y'know! Your gluttony disgusts me," Eve said, yet there's a bite to it. V looked up at her, a sheepish grin smeared across his face.
"Well… I don't know when I'll get the chance to eat here again, so I'd like to try as many things as I can…plus the food is great too," V replied.
All the while, Eve looked at him across the table, for a moment, her eyes flickered towards the stack of dishes on his side. She rests her elbow against the table, her palm pressing against her cheek,
"We'll come back—" V's eye twitched, turning his gaze towards hers.
"Even if it's just the 2 of us…we'll come back. Deal?"Eve smirked.
What was this warm fuzziness from within, he wondered. Whatever she said, she might've said that on a whim or not, but to him, it felt as if his world had just grown just a tiny bit. Fiddling with his thumbs without his notice, as his eyes couldn't help but lock onto hers, but it was short-lived as she clicked her boots against the ground.
The chair skittered back as she stood, her arms rising like a cat stretching first thing in the morning.
"The night's just getting started, and I'm craving something sweet!" Eve said.
A slight rumble on the streets from the influx of people as the night progressed. But their adventures hadn't yet met the finale,
"H-hey, No need to pull me, y'know!" V protested. Eve didn't even glance back. Her fingers stayed hooked to his sleeve, tugging him along as she bounced forward, humming louder as if his voice was nothing but background noise.
A sweet aroma hooked her nose, making her stop in her tracks. Her eyes glance at a dazzling red brick shop to her right. Her eyes lock onto the various sweets and pastries behind the display glass.
"Jackpot!" Eve smirked. Turning her head to V as she pointed her thumb at the shop.
Ding Ding!
The bell clicked as they crept open the red door. Pink painted walls, 3 big glass displays of cakes, pastries, and various kinds of bite-sized sweets drenched in sweet sugar water, and the hair thick in sugar.
V's nose scrunched the moment he stepped inside. The air was thick—chemical, sharp—and he flinched as if something had clipped his temple. His shoulders tightened. His breath thinned. His gaze skittered across the shelves, never settling.
"Hm? Oh boy. Out. Now."
She planted a hand on her back and guided him outside. V stumbled into the open air and gasped.
"I can breathe again!" He puffed his chest like a victorious gorilla.
For a while, V leaned against the cold brick wall near the door, his eyes followed people walking past him before darting right back to the ground. Staring at the rough, tiny holes in the pavement made the hairs on his arms rise slightly.
Ding Ding.
Laughter echoed as the door swung wide open. Alright, take care! Eve stepped out of the door. She turned her head left and right, her eyes scanning the streets before darting to her left.
"You good now?" She spoke out, stepping towards him. V pushed his back against the wall.
"Yeah, just got a bit lightheaded, that's all." V dusted his hands before his eyes, locking onto her hands.
"What's that?" V asked, tilting his head to his side.
"Hm? What? Ain't much of a sweet person, are you? These are crêpes." Eve answered, holding 2 crêpes.
"Here, this is yours," She said. Holding the crêpe in front of him. His eyes stared at the crêpe in her hand as if scanning something foreign. Eve eyed his movements, his head tilting from side to side as he stared at the crêpe from all sides, his occasional head scratching.
Pfft-
A breathy snort slipped out of her. Her foot nudged his shin, making his eyes snap to hers.
"It's not gonna bite you, C'mon." Eve pushed the crêpe towards him again. His shoulders jerked in response before settling back down. His fingers wrapped around the crêpes tissue. Light to the touch.
"Attaboy, take a bite." Eve leaned in, her eyes scanning his as if she were waiting for something.
V stares at the crêpe in his hands, clutched onto it like holding a baby for the first time, unsure of what he should do. Chocolate syrup was draped over the soft cream that was embraced by the hard texture of the waffle cone wrapped in soft tissue. His throat bobbed with a hard swallow. Suddenly, his eyes sharpen, inching his face closer to the crêpe. Before coming to a halt.
"H-How do I eat this?" His eyes turned towards her, yet he could only make out the smirk on her face. Before he could react,
Schmp—
Her teeth sank into the soft crêpe, the warm chocolate stretching in thin ribbons. She leaned back, and with one swipe of her thumb, she cleaned the whipped cream on her lower lip.
"That's how," then licked her thumb clean in one motion.
V stared at her with a raised brow, then turned his gaze onto his crêpe again, eyeing the part she bit on. He inched closer, and closer. His eyes pressed shut.
Schmp—
A cold and almost bitter taste hits his tongue. His mouth moved in circular motions. The creases on his forehead relaxed with each bite before his eyes crept open.
"It's…" His word hung as if blocked by a lump in his throat.
"It's tasty…"
He stared at the crepe in his hands, not curious, just stunned.
"Bold of you to take a bite there." Her voice cut clean through his haze, like a tap on glass right before it cracks. He turned.
She was failing miserably at hiding her grin, fingers over her mouth, eyes squinting at him.
His gaze flicked to the bite again, finally noticing he's bitten right over hers.
He blinked twice, then slowly turned to face her.
"...Did I mess up again?" He scratched the back of his head.
"Pfft—" A snort escaped her, crackling into a laugh, patting her tummy as a desperate attempt to stop her laughing. V's shoulders jerked, his cheeks flashing red, figuring he's done something stupid again.
"Hahaha… phew, Nah, ya didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes I forget that you have a bit of a gap up here," She tapped her head. V's head tilted, unsure of what she meant by that.
She leaned in without warning and pressed her crepe into his lips.
Before he could react, she slipped the bite into his mouth. His eyes dropped to her hand, then climbed back to her face as she drew her fingers away.
"You didn't do anything wrong. But… don't do that with anyone else, 'kay?"
Her smile had a lilt to it—light, effortless, knowing.
She turned and strode ahead. "C'mon, let's go."
He paused. His tongue swept the streak of cream from his lips.
He watched her back, the crepe swinging lightly in her hand. The thought pressed against his breath, quiet but undeniable—
"...too sweet."