During the movie, Lena just couldn't hold it in anymore. She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper, "So… are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
Evan didn't even pause. "Of course we are. Why, are you thinking of finding someone else?"
He nodded a little, almost teasing.
That did it—Lena finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Of course not," she shot back. "I don't want anyone else as my boyfriend."
Evan grinned. "Good."
Maybe it was just relief, but Lena seemed lighter after that.
Right then, Evan's phone started buzzing beside him. The screen glowed in the dark theater. He glanced down. Emily had sent him a message.
"Breaking news: my boyfriend is missing. If he doesn't answer in five minutes, I'm filing a complaint."
He winced. Guilt hit him, sharp and fast.
He knew exactly what he was doing. He'd just told Emily they were official. Now he'd done the same with Lena.
And the worst part? He didn't even want to stop.
Yeah, he thought. I really am a jerk.
He looked over at Lena. She was lost in the movie, popping popcorn into her mouth, totally oblivious.
He picked up his phone and typed back, "Working."
Emily replied immediately.
"Update—missing boyfriend found. Case closed."
Then another message: "What kind of work?"
Evan replied, "Secret."
He put his phone away and let out a quiet sigh. The scary thing? He was actually pretty good at being this kind of person. As long as he kept his cool.
Emily messaged again: "There's a great movie out. Let's go see it this weekend?"
Evan: "No need to reschedule. Tomorrow's Sunday, no classes. Let's go then."
Emily fired off two more messages, then sent a bear emoji, all hopeful and cute.
"Okay, tomorrow then."
He said yes, no hesitation. They chatted for a bit, then he made up some excuse about work and put his phone away.
Lena noticed. "Who were you talking to?" she asked, finishing her popcorn and catching him stashing his phone.
"Nobody. Just a friend," Evan said, keeping his face neutral.
She just nodded and took a sip of her drink. No suspicion at all.
She's really cute, Evan thought, glancing over. Without meaning to, he found himself comparing her to Emily.
But it wasn't about looks or body. It was just… their vibe.
Lena was three years older, already graduated, but still felt so soft around the edges. Maybe her family kept her sheltered; there was this sweet innocence about her.
Emily was a whole different story. Sharp, direct, always clear about what she wanted. In some ways, she actually felt more grown up.
…
The movie ended a little after eight. The theater lights flickered on.
Lena stretched, then stood up. "Gonna use the restroom. Wait here."
"Alright," Evan said, sinking back into his seat.
She slipped into the crowd. Evan just scrolled through his phone, half-listening to the quiet buzz of couples talking as people filed out.
He leaned back, eyes drifting toward the restroom hall now and then. Waiting like this felt oddly familiar. And, weirdly, he didn't mind it at all.
In the bathroom, Lena grinned and snapped a secret photo of Evan sitting in the theater. She swiped through the shots, picked her favorite, and sent it to Lara.
------
At the supermarket by Silver BrookCommunity, Lara had just finished her shopping when her phone pinged. She pulled it out and saw the photo from Lena.
She opened it. There he was—a young guy, caught in profile, focused on the movie. He looked clean, almost striking in a plain white shirt and black pants. Simple, but the whole look just worked. He seemed confident, relaxed.
For a second, Lara just stared. This wasn't at all what she'd pictured from Lena's descriptions. The guy's hair, his style, the way he carried himself… nothing about him was "ordinary."
She shot back a couple of question marks.
"Are you sure this is the guy you were talking about yesterday? He's definitely not just average. His hair's neat, his features are nice—he might not be a movie star, but he's good-looking. And the way he dresses? Seriously, he's got style. But most of all, he just looks so calm and sure of himself."
Lara sent the message almost without thinking.
"It's really him. He changed his hair and his clothes. I never thought he'd look so different."
Then she fired off another message. "Lena, wow, you really outdid yourself this time. You're rich, you're gorgeous, you're the perfect age. I'm jealous!!!"
She hammered out those three exclamation points with feeling. Even though she and Lena were tight, a little envy crept in. How could it not? Evan looked good in those photos—great, even. The whole package: looks, body, he had that vibe.
"hehe."
That was Lena's reply. She didn't say much, but you could tell she was thinking the same thing about Evan.
"I'm done talking to you!" Lara typed. She shoved her phone in her pocket and glanced down at her waist. She had a killer waistline—just no one to appreciate it. When would her own love story start?
On her way out of the supermarket, about to head home, a memory popped up: Anthony's weird reaction earlier. He'd barely glanced her way when they crossed paths. Didn't even try to chat her up. That was new.
Something felt off. Lara pulled out her phone again.
"Lena, you won't believe this. I just ran into that creep Anthony downstairs. I was ready for him to hit on me, and I was going to ignore him, but then…"
She started typing out the whole awkward story.
"Isn't that weird? I swear, it's like the sun rose in the west today."
....
Meanwhile, in a restroom
Lena was about to stash her phone when she saw Lara's messages pop up. She had to laugh. She could picture Lara's face—surprised, a little annoyed, maybe even frowning at her screen.
Want to know what's up with Anthony?
Lena typed back.
"Do you know?" Lara hesitated, then replied.
"Of course I do. Just say if you want to know or not," Lena sent, playing it cool.
"Obviously, tell me! Spill!!"
Lara shot back, almost instantly.
"Then you owe me a treat." Lena grinned as she typed her demand.
"Deal!!" Lara didn't hesitate. Curiosity always won out.
"Actually, Anthony's scared of Evan now. That's why he leaves us alone," Lena explained.
"Because of Evan? What happened? Come on, tell me everything."
Lara couldn't stand the suspense.
So Lena laid it out—what went down at the entrance to their building.
But before she could finish, another message from Lara popped up.
"Wait, are you saying Anthony just saw Evan's car and got scared? That can't be the whole story."
Lara frowned at her phone. Something didn't add up.
"There's more, will you let me finish?" Lena replied, half-laughing, a little exasperated. She explained about the watch Evan was wearing—the expensive one.
"Anthony spotted that watch, and that's when he changed. He probably didn't talk to you because he thought you'd tell me, and then I'd tell Evan."
Lena hit send.
This time, silence from Lara.
She just stared at her phone, stunned. Evan was really that rich?
Lara didn't know what to feel. Jealous? Maybe. Happy for her friend? Sure. Mostly, though, she was just plain surprised. Lena really lucked out.
Calling it envy didn't even cover it. It was just… a lot.
But that feeling didn't last long.
Lara let out a big sigh.
...
Outside the restroom—
Suddenly, a robotic voice echoed in Evan's mind.
"Ding. The host and Lena have established a romantic relationship. One million in relationship funds will be issued."
Note: This dating fund can only be spent on Lena.
The catch? He could only spend the money on Lena.
Huh?
Evan paused. Another million, just for dating? When he started dating Emily, the system gave him a million he could only use on her. Now, with Lena, same deal—another million, exclusive to her.
So, what, every time he dated a girl, he got a million for her?
He shot the question to the system in his head.
"Not exactly. You only get the exclusive dating fund if the girl's comprehensive score is ninety or above," the system answered.
"Ninety or above?" Evan repeated.
"Correct. Only girls with a score of ninety or higher unlock the exclusive fund."
Yeah, only people with an overall score of 90 or higher get those exclusive dating perks.
The system made it simple enough. Evan got it right away and glanced over at Lena.Dating Lena made him want to treat her… in a special way."
Honestly, Lena's looks and figure easily score above 90. Plus, she's obviously pure—she hasn't even had her first kiss yet. So yeah, her overall score's definitely up there.
Same goes for Emily.
"What's wrong? Why'd you stop all of a sudden?" Lena tapped Evan, a little confused and curious.
"I'm fine."
Evan snapped out of it, shook his head, and took her hand as they left the cinema.
"Heading back to school? It's already eight," Lena said, glancing at their hands clasped together. She blushed a bit, suddenly shy. This was her first time holding hands with a boy.
"No rush. We've got time. As long as we're back by nine, we're good," Evan said after a quick pause.
"There's a park right next door. Want to take a walk?"
The second Lena realized they weren't heading back yet, her eyes lit up. She was thrilled. It was her first date, after all—of course she wanted to spend more time with him.
"Let's go," Evan said, and didn't waste another word. He just held her hand and led her toward the park.
There were plenty of people strolling around. But after a few minutes, Lena noticed something odd. Evan was guiding her somewhere quieter, away from the crowd.
"Where are we going?" she asked without thinking.
"Kiss."
Evan said it straight out.
"Huh?" Lena froze for a second, her face turning bright red once she got it.
She hesitated, then quietly tugged on Evan's arm.
"Um, we just had hot pot. How about we grab some gum from the convenience store before… you know?" she mumbled, cheeks burning.
She was also secretly relieved she'd skipped the garlic tonight.
"Yeah, good idea," Evan said, realizing she had a point. He took her hand and they headed to the store beside the park.
While picking out gum, Lena's eyes flickered over the counter. She spotted something, turned even redder, and quickly looked away. Her heart started pounding like crazy.
------
Evan stopped in a quiet patch of the garden, tucked away where almost no one ever walked by.
"Did you have a good time with me?" His voice barely broke the silence.
Lena answered right away, "I did!" But then she caught herself and said it again, softer this time. "I really did."
Evan's grin said everything. "I'm glad."
He hesitated, and then, "Lena." His voice dropped lower. She leaned in without even thinking.
"Yeah?"
"If I kissed you right now… what would you do?"
Lena went still. Her cheeks flushed, and she gripped his sleeve so tightly he must've felt it. She didn't know what to say, couldn't even look at him for a second.
Evan just waited, patient.
It took her a moment, but she finally whispered, "I… I don't know."
That was all he needed.
He moved in, slowly, giving her every chance to step back. She didn't. Their lips met—awkward at first, careful, but honest. Lena's breath caught; she held onto his shirt like she might float away. The kiss deepened a little, still unsure, until Lena pulled back, breathless and dizzy.
She stared at him, wide-eyed, completely thrown off. Her lips parted. She looked like she had no idea what to do next.
Evan laughed quietly. "It's okay. We're not in a hurry."
Lena just nodded, still too shy to meet his eyes.
You, you answer the phone first, it's rung several times already."
With her pretty face flushed, Lena gently pushed Evan away and whispered.
Under the moonlight, you could see that her lipstick had smudged.
"..."
----------