It's Too Cliché...Right? Ch. 06

I stood in front of Evan's house, watching as my Uber ride zoomed down the driveway, getting smaller as he disappeared. Diverting my attention to my watch, I noted that it was only half past six, meaning that I was still thirty minutes early.

Mr. Trevorrow and I had traded messages the last couple of days, filling me in on all the details that I needed to know. He had told me to arrive at seven and to dress smart casual, which was why I was in a light blue button-down shirt, tucked into my khaki colored chinos, and complemented by brown shoes and belt.

I felt bad keeping all of this from Evan, but I knew that Eric was right. If I had breathed a single word of this to Evan, he would have forced me to decline. Heck, I wouldn't put it past the guy to tie me to a chair to stop me. But nothing felt as bad as keeping things from my friends.

Sure, the gang knew I was invited to some party with Evan, but I had left out almost everything that I had learned about the guy. Evan didn't want me telling anyone, and I had to respect that, but it didn't mean I didn't feel guilty about it. Our little group told each other almost everything, especially when it came to anything even remotely related to our love lives, as much as I hated that. So, to leave out important details about the life Evan had was in a way betraying my friends. I could only hope that Evan would eventually become their friend too and would feel comfortable telling them then.

All this secrecy was also the reason I had to get an Uber rather than get one of the guys to drive me over. Just catching a lift to Mitch and Melissa's house would have given away too much as to the area in which Evan lived, much less all the way to his actual house.

Putting the thought from my mind, I turned to the front door, taking in the house once again since the last Tuesday. I still couldn't get over how nice his house was. Mitch and Melissa may have lived in a mansion that was bigger than this, but it almost seemed too proper to be homey. Evan's place was both homey and yet had a flair all its own.

I rang the doorbell, hearing the distant chiming echoing through the house. While waiting, I adjusted my shirt, making sure that it was still neatly tucked in, smoothing out the creases in my pants. I didn't know if I was dressed okay for the occasion, but Eric kept emphasizing that it was a casual affair, so I didn't think I was too underdressed.

Returning my attention to the door, I realized that there was still no answer. Ringing the doorbell a second time, I started to wonder if I was maybe a little too early. I knew Eric hadn't mentioned anything to Evan. Did that mean that Evan could have possibly already left, not knowing that I was supposed to be dropping by?

I was raising my hand to pressed the doorbell a third time before the door opened, revealing a half-naked Evan, water droplets running down his body, catching on the trimmed hairs on his chest. A towel was tied around his waist, his very delectable treasure trail disappearing behind it. I darted my eyes up, seeing a confused look on Evan's face, water still dripping from his wet hair. Yep, I was definitely too early.

"Brad? What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly confounded by my presence.

"Um...well...I uh..." I stammered, trying to regain my composure. Evan just stood there waiting for my reply, which in itself, wasn't helping my predicament. He was just a living god, I swear. I've seen plenty of guys in the shower, but Evan was just something else. "Your father invited me to the party?"

"Party? You mean the company party?" he asked, an eyebrow rising.

"Yeah. He figured you'd have more fun with me there and he didn't want to tell you because he knew you'd reject the offer."

Evan groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He looked deep in thought for a moment before he heaved a sigh, dropping his hand. Opening his eyes, I saw his gaze travel down my body, and I'm not gonna lie, I felt slightly vulnerable. How pathetic, a fully clothed jock feeling insecure in front of the practically naked nerd. Shouldn't he be the one feeling vulnerable?

"Wait, you're not wearing that, right?" he asked, bringing his eyes back up to mine.

"Uh," I muttered, looking down at my attire once again. "Your dad said smart casual."

"That man is going to be the death of me," he grumbled. "Come on, you can borrow one of my suits." Wait what? Suit?

Evan moved away from the door, returning to his bedroom. I entered, closing the door behind me before following behind him.

"Did you say suit?" I asked.

"Yes."

"So, am I right to assume I'm way underdressed?" I asked as I caught up with Evan, trying my hardest not to look down at his ass.

"My dad has this thing about getting people to go to these parties in something more casual. A little hypocritical of him seeing that he always goes in a suit regardless. My first party, he told me to wear a t-shirt and jeans. Not surprisingly, I stood out like a sore thumb," he explained, all without even looking back at me.

"Your dad has a strange sense of humor."

"If only that was the case. I can understand if he's doing it all for a laugh, but he's not. He got his secretary to come in a mini skirt once, and he actually thought she was dressed appropriately. The rest of the company didn't share his sentiment," Evan said, pushing through his bedroom door.

I entered after him, proceeding to stand awkwardly by his bed. I watched as Evan gave me another once over, crossing his arms across his muscular chest. "It's a good thing you're around my size," he said, tilting his head to one side. "Your shoes are okay, though. A good thing, seeing that I don't think any of mine will fit you." I took this opportunity to look down at his feet, noticing that he did have bigger feet than me. Not really surprising because I had what some would call small feet; a shoe size 9.

He turned, heading for his closet, ruffling through the rows of clothes, hangers clanging against each other as he worked. Eventually, he pulled out a black suit, a white dress shirt underneath the jacket. "Here," he said, handing it to me. "You can change into this."

I took the outfit in my arms as I wondered if he wanted me to go change in the bathroom. Evan answered my unspoken question immediately when he grabbed his things and proceeded into the bathroom and closing the door. I sighed, laying the probably expensive garment gently down onto the bed.

I stared at it for a moment, before I began to undress, pulling on piece by piece the components of the suit sitting in front of me. First, the pants that were neither tight nor baggy, almost like it was tailored for me. Next came the shirt which I carefully tucked into the hem of the pants, securing it in place with the leather belt. I decided to hold off on the jacket until later, though, straightening the cuffs on my sleeves.

I heard the bathroom door open behind me, causing me to turn. There, I saw Evan already in his outfit, who like me, was without the jacket. He took a look at me before a small smile crept onto his face. "You clean up good," he laughed, walking over to the closet and pulling out a pair of ties, handing one of them to me. "You know how to tie one of these?"

"I know how, but it won't turn out pretty," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. I've worn ties like, probably three times in my life before, so it wasn't that surprising. Heck, it's an accomplishment in itself that I knew how to do it.

Evan laughed, though, shaking his head and walking up to me. He tossed the long fabric around my neck and fantasies immediately filled my head. Oh, how I imagined him tugging on the ends of the tie, pulling me closer to his warm body. I would look up at him, seeing the smirk that plastered his face, feeling my growing arousal pushing against his own. Before long, he would lower his soft lips to mine, giving me a quick and sweet kiss before pulling away. Wanting more, I would push forward, crashing our lips together again, opening my mouth to him.

Of course, all this only happened in my head. In reality, Evan began working the tie into a presentable state, his fingers moving with swiftness and dexterity. I stared at him as he worked, his focus fully on making my tie look the best it can be. His long eyelashes hid intense brown eyes, his lips pursed as he concentrated. His jaw was clenched tight, the bone moving ever so slightly on the sides of his face. Every so often, his knuckles would accidentally brush against my neck, but I managed not to melt. I hoped to hell he didn't notice the goosebumps that erupted across my skin, though.

After about half a minute of blissful agony, Evan pulled away, admiring his work. "All good?" I asked, bringing my hand up to feel for the knotted mass of cloth at the base of my neck.

"Yep. Ready for inspection," he said, motioning for the mirror behind his closet door. I stepped up to it, taking in my appearance and adjusting the tightness of the tie just a little. Overall, I think I looked pretty nice. Evan was right, I did clean up good. "Here. To complete the look," Evan said. I turned to him, seeing him holding out a hand with two metal stubs resting in his palm. I picked them up, fitting each cuff link into the little slit in the sleeve.

"So, I take it you're used to these kinds of functions?" I asked, making my sleeves look presentable.

"More than I'd like. These company parties are dull. Just old people who talk about business all the time," Evan grumbled.

"Your dad said that some of them bring their kids, right?" I questioned.

"Yeah but they're either too young that they're annoying or old enough to try and pretend to be one of the adults, listening in on their business talks like they understand them," he said.

"And I'm guessing you're one of the latter then?" I smiled.

"Actually no. I'm part of the third group of kids, most of whom are around our age. Rebellious teens who want nothing more than to spend a Saturday night doing anything other than to keep up appearances for the sake of their parents."

"Hang with them then. Sounds like your type of people," I laughed.

"Wrong again. People like that want nothing more than to sulk in a corner. Mingling, even with others of the same flock is the last thing on their mind," he said, walking back towards the bathroom. I followed, stopping by the door and leaning against the wooden post.

"So basically, you're saying that I have walked myself into a trap?"

"Why did you even agree to this anyway? I can't believe that my dad would have even asked."

"He thought that you'd have more fun with me there," I said. "Besides, maybe you will. I am pretty awesome."

"So humble," Evan chuckled, moving to grab his contact lens case that sat on his sink top.

"You shouldn't," I said, making Evan stop.

"Shouldn't what?" he returned, unsure what I was referring to.

I walked over, picking up the pair of glasses that sat on the countertop, holding it out to him. "The glasses go well with the whole formal outfit. You look better with glasses anyway." He stared at me for a second, an eyebrow rising to show that he probably didn't really believe me. I nodded, pushing the glasses into his hands. "Trust me."

He sighed, grabbing the glasses and putting them on. I smiled, looking at his handsome face. Yep, Evan was one of those people who could pull off the bespectacled look. He looked to the mirror, looking like he was contemplating if he did, in fact, look better. "Are you sure?" he asked, turning his head from side to side, seeing it all from different angles.

"Hold on," I said, returning to the bedroom to grab his jacket that he had left on the chair. I turned, seeing Evan already standing there, waiting. I handed it over to him, watching as he slipped on the piece of clothing, giving him a once over as soon as he was done. "Oh yeah, you'll be making all the girls swoon," I said. He was the definition of a hot gentleman, a look that not many people I knew could pull off, something like Taron Egerton in Kingsman.

"Stop it," he said, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"I'm serious," I said, moving him to his mirror. "Look at you. I'd do you," I said, but immediately regretted that those words had left my mouth. I mean, true as it may be, I didn't need to say it out loud.

"I'm sure you say that to all the boys," he laughed. The internal sigh of relief I gave was none like I had ever given. Right, just play it off like friendly banter, I told myself.

I gave a half-smile, looking down at my watch. "So, what time do we need to go?"

"About now actually," Evan said, after checking the time. "Are you good to go?"

I grabbed the jacket on the bed before turning to him and nodding. We proceeded out of his bedroom and headed down towards the garage. I was certain that Evan wouldn't be driving his old Honda, but that still left like four other cars to choose from.

As we entered the garage, I was once again greeted by the pristine sheen of expensive vehicles, only this time, the Audi was missing. I assumed that his father had taken it, but I didn't voice this to Evan. Instead, I followed behind him as he grabbed a set of keys from the cabinet and headed down the line of cars.

"Is the Maserati okay for you? I'm not allowed to drive the Lambo so that one is off the table," Evan said, twirling the key around his finger.

"I'm okay with anything really," I said, not wanting to seem...I don't know...demanding?

"Oh? How about the Honda then?" Evan said, throwing a smirk back towards me.

"I can't stop you if you wanted to anyway," I replied.

"Lucky for you, we aren't. The Lexus just screams middle-aged business man, and the BMW doesn't seem appropriate for the event."

"Which leaves the Maserati," I finished. Maybe to seem less like I didn't belong in his rich world, I, against my better judgement, added, "No big deal."

Evan stopped, turning around to face me. His face was serious and I was suddenly worried that I had said something wrong. I mean, I didn't think I did, but I really didn't know with Evan anymore. Still, Evan just continued to stare at me and I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable underneath his gaze.

"What," I finally added once I couldn't take the awkwardness anymore.

Just then, a smirk appeared on Evan's face. "You so want to ride in the Maserati. You're practically bubbling on the inside aren't you."

"No," I replied, trying to sound offended but probably came out more like unsure.

He leaned closer to me, his face not exactly right in front of mine, but close enough that I had to restrain myself from sweating. "Admit it." For a moment, I really didn't know what he was referring to anymore. It was as if he was asking me to admit about my crush on him like he knew all along and was simply playing along because he knew it was torturing me. "Admit it, or I'm taking the Honda."

"Any sane guy...actually, scratch that. Any sane person would be stoked to ride in a nice car, gearhead or not. Is it so wrong to be excited?" I said, finally going for the car confession if you could even call it that.

"It's not, but you really don't have to pretend to play it cool. I get it, cars are cool and you like them." With that, Evan turned and proceeded to the car. I knew I was overthinking at that point because almost everything that Evan said seemed to have a double entendre.

I tried not to think about it and followed after Evan, getting into the car swiftly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of me drooling over his sweet ride. I ignored the sleek interior of the vehicle, only noticing the chrome words that spelled 'GranCabrio' on the dashboard. I ignored the tanned leather and wood finish, ignored the plethora of controls that littered the console, and most definitely ignored the smooth purr of the engine as it started.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Evan turned to me, a smirk obviously on his lips even from my peripheral vision. Still, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Soon we were off, out the garage and heading towards town. I didn't know exactly where this party was supposedly held but I didn't really care, to be honest. I would assume it would be at some swanky hotel or something.

"So, how are you supposed to make sure I have fun at this party if you don't even talk to me?" Evan said after some minutes of silence, not even the radio turned on.

"I thought you liked silence?" I countered although it was actually an honest question. Evan had never been one to shy away from the peace of silence, our previous car rides usually devoid of conversation.

"Yeah, well maybe I feel chatty tonight?"

I scoffed. "You? Chatty? I don't think so."

"You don't think I can be talkative?"

"I've only known you for a few days, and I can honestly say for certain that you are not the talking type," I said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing?"

"It's not, but sometimes outgoing people are easier to make friends with, you know?" I said.

"Hmm, I see." I didn't know what Evan was going on about but that was the truth, for me at least. I had never been a very observant person and I am sometimes clueless as to what people think, so to me, a person who wears their heart on their sleeve is someone I can easily get along with, because I don't feel like I need to tread on eggshells around them. Now, a person like Evan on the other hand, so mysterious that I didn't even know what to say to him on multiple occasions, is not someone I can honestly say I can be completely relaxed with.

Once again, the silence returned. Unlike previous times, however, this one wasn't comfortable, maybe due to the fact that apparently, Evan didn't want to be silent. When it got to the point of being unbearable, I spoke up.

"Since you're feeling so chatty today, then please tell me why you're feeling so chatty today."

"Do I need a reason?" he replied, a smile on his lips, probably happy that I had started the conversation going.

"Well, no, but I just thought maybe there might be?"

"I just...feel like it."

"Such articulate words. You are a true poet," I joked.

"Oh, shut up," he laughed.

"Okay fine, you want to talk about something, how about telling me about this party?" I asked.

"What about it? I basically told you everything already. Like I said, it's usually a dull affair," he said.

"Not that? I mean the ins and outs. How do I fit in?"

"I don't think you're gonna have difficulty fitting in. The people are generally nice, most of them anyway."

"Oh, now we're getting somewhere. What about the minority that is not included in that then? Should I avoid them?" I asked.

"Well you can try, but they'll find a way to talk to you anyway. A new face is fresh meat to these people.

"Oooo scary," I laughed, causing Evan to chuckle as well. "And these cannibals, are they any dangerous?"

"Well, that depends."

"On?"

"How long your brain can take listening to them go on and on about their so called 'problems'," Evan said.

"That bad huh. So, I take it you'll be protecting me from these people?"

"You wish. I'll toss you to the sharks and save myself," he said.

"Oh, what a gentleman. It's a wonder you're still single," I quipped.

"Oh, excuse me, because you're not? Last I heard, you were nowhere closer to being attached," Evan shot back.

"Well, I don't claim to be a gentleman."

"Neither did I."

"Touché," I said, chuckling.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend, though? Isn't it a prerequisite that a jock has to be attached?"

"Well, popular jocks aren't usually gay either," I said.

"Seeing that we go to Cornway, I'm happy to let that slip," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "So, what? The guys in school not good enough?"

"Meh," I muttered. "It's not so much that they're not good enough, but just that no one exactly offers what I'm looking for."