"It's this beautiful young woman's 21st birthday tonight and I'm buying her a drink!" Gilbert theatrically announced as they saddled up to the bar, earning irritated glances from the few loners sitting a few bar stools down, nursing their pints. The bartender stared blankly at him, then at rosy-cheeked, wide-eyed Eva. He appeared to be weighing his options—was it worth it to card this obviously underage girl to lose two customers on a slow night?—before he shrugged and asked for their drink order.
Eva bit her lip and glanced at Gilbert uncertainly; she wasn't prepared, especially because she had just assumed they'd be turned away. Luckily, he was ready. "Jack and Coke for me, and a Sex on the Beach for the lady."
Her expression morphed from mortified to perplexed to embarrassed and back again. Gil snickered at her priceless, innocent reaction. "It's just a fruity drink with vodka, I promise you'll like it." He smirked before leaning in to add, "I bet you'd like the non-drink version, too."
She barely contained an indignant squeak, body turning rigid before she elbowed him in the ribs. Eva should have known a comment like that would follow, but he could have said it in a less… seductive way. She simmered as she watched the bartender make their drinks; Gilbert cackled softly.
"You know I was just teasing, babe. I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, stifling a sly smile. Eva shook her head, inevitably forgiving him. He was four years older than her, but she knew that men were said to reach mental maturity later than women. Besides, he was just excited about being there for her first drink.
From the first sip, it tasted almost like a tropical fruit punch, little umbrella and all. She shot him a grateful smile for picking an easy, sweet cocktail for her first time. It didn't even taste like alcohol—not that she really knew what that was like. She quickly sucked down half of the glass, Gilbert watching her as he took small sips of his drink. "Easy, love, it sneaks up on you," he warned halfheartedly.
Not a moment later, a new warmth radiated from her stomach and spread to her extremities, loosening up her limbs and fogging up her mind. Eva felt strangely exhilarated and sluggish at once; was she drunk already after just half?
"Feel it yet?" Gilbert asked softly, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Drink a little water,"
She took a couple of obedient swigs from her glass of water before going straight back to her Sex on the Beach. He turned down another round for her once it was gone, noting that she was pretty buzzed from just one. "Wanna head out? I think you're done."
"Um… Can I trya beer first please...?" she asked, thoughts and words running together. Gilbert did as she requested and got her a light beer, warning her that it wasn't as sweet as the fruity cocktail.
Eva took a sip and apparently contemplated the flavor before taking a slightly bigger gulp. "'t'snot bad!" she exclaimed, giving her expert opinion: "I like the bitter."
"Atta girl," Gilbert praised, snaking an arm over her shoulder. "We'll split after that beer, though, we don't want you getting blackout drunk. Remember, we've got your bucket list to work on!"
Bobbing her head in a loopy nod, Eva took another long drink from her water glass. Her thoughts bounced around in her head and her body felt like it was made of both lead and clouds all at once. She knew if Vash ever found out about this, she'd never be allowed to leave the house again, and in a strange way, she reveled in that. She was constantly doted upon for being such a sweet, poised little lady, while her old high school friends exercised their newfound freedom by partying and hooking up. Before, those kind of antics didn't appeal to her; she was making the best of her time focusing on her education, which she personally found fun. Besides, what's more important that a person's reputation?
But sitting in the bar, probably drunk, with an older male coworker, she wondered why one's image really mattered in the first place. Whatever happened to, "it's what's on the inside that counts" and "judging people by the content of their character"? Eva herself tried not to judge others, but she realized that subconsciously, she too was prone to evaluating others' worth by their outer appearance. Take Gilbert; she thought that because he was in a dead-end job without a formal education that he would be "less of a gentleman". Instead, he was holding doors for her, buying her food and drinks, and encouraging her to follow her own heart, for once.
"So, blondie, what's next?" Gilbert asked, as if on cue.
"Well… There's a tradition at my university that you have to go skinny-dipping in the lake near the aquatics center before you graduate…" Even though her inhibitions had lowered, she still lowered her gaze shyly.
"What are we waiting for then?" he blurted, slapping cash onto the bar before hopping out of his stool and pulling her towards the door.
"Hey!" she fumed, digging her heels into the floor. "Have a little self-respect! I never said I'd let you watch."
He could have been bowled over with a mere feather; which was what she was. He should have gotten her drunk and pushed her buttons a long time ago—it was even cuter than sober, flustered Eva! Gilbert laughed and put an arm around her to help steady her. "You're right, that was not very genteel of me. I'll hold your clothes and keep my back turned. Deal?"
She looked down at his extended hand, narrowing her eyes in faux suspicion, as she tried to conceal a sly little smile. "Okay," she relented, giving his hand a surprisingly firm shake before he helped her back out to the car.
Gilbert pulled over in front of the university's aquatics building after a short drive from the downtown district, shooting her a wolfish grin as he turned out his headlights. She had apparently sobered up slightly on the way there, because she seemed a little more nervous than she had back at the bar. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "You got this, babe."
She returned with a delayed nod, finding herself leaning in towards him in the darkness of his car. But not soon enough; before she realized it, the driver's side door was slammed shut and Gilbert opened her own, offering a hand to help her out. Eva took his hand and swallowed her disappointment; the night was still young, and there was plenty of time for a kiss later. She was surprised at herself at the impulsive instinct, but also a little proud.
Eva was doing all these things she never would have dreamed she'd do yesterday. She didn't want to credit Gilbert for all of it, even though he had sparked the daring fire ablaze inside her, because it still took a lot of nerve on her part. They walked hand-in-hand down the hill to the edge of the water as the black water lapped at the shore, dotted by the bright moon and stars.
The cicadas and the frogs sang a midsummer duet as Eva slipped off her black patent leather flats and daintily set them aside. Facing the lake, she untucked her plain white blouse and began to unbutton it; when she glanced over her shoulder, she noticed that Gilbert was still watching and hissed lightly, "Hey!"
"Oops, forgot." He snickered, grinning mischievously, before he obeyed.
She smiled to herself as she removed her blouse and pencil skirt, folding them neatly and handing them to Gilbert over his shoulder. Taking a quick glance at her surroundings, she quickly shimmied out of her pantyhose and undergarments, wrapping the latter up in her pantyhose when she realized how plain and perhaps "childish" they were. As she reached over his shoulder again to hand him the last of her clothes, he abruptly grabbed her wrist.
Eva's heart stopped; what had she done? What was he going to do to her…? She should have known better than to trust him. What respectable man encouraged a girl—she did not feel like a woman much anymore—to get drunk, strip down in public, and flail around in a lake, especially while he was right there? Panicked, she struggled to free her hand, however, he relented easily with a laugh.
"Just messing with you, blondie! Go ahead, I swear I won't turn around." he assured her, keeping his own eyes on the street above.
Eva could have slugged him—well, mentally—as she heaved a heavy sigh of relief. She covered herself as well as she could as she waded into the surprisingly cool water, moving as quietly as possible until she was in up to her waist. Taking in a deep breath, she held her nose and submerged herself completely into the water, popping back out a moment later with a giggle. She was feeling much less sluggish than before, but her judgement was still, obviously, a little fuzzy. Her alcohol-induced buzz combined with a new surge of adrenaline encouraged her to slice the water with her palm, aiming to splash Gilbert back on land.
"Hey!" he called, startled, "Is it cold in there, hun? Need me to come in to warm you up?" He teased Eva but he kept his word, not taking a single peek, as much as he wanted to.
"Yeah, right!" she exclaimed, laughing and wading a little deeper as her body acclimated itself to the lower temperature of the water.
They joked with each other back and forth for a minute or two before the distinct sound of an engine coming down the street reached their ears. Eva's blood ran cold and she froze like a deer in very real approaching headlights.
"Eva? Eva! Get out of there!" Gilbert hissed, quick eyes searching for a place to hide. There was a sturdy, wide tree off to the side between them and the road, and he locked in on it. Breaking his promise, he turned to see her petrified—literally. "E-Eva!"
The approaching car pulled in behind Gilbert's, and when she saw that it had a light bar on the top and writing on the side ("CITY POLICE") she thought she was going to pass out. When she heard the car door slam, however, she shot like a bullet towards Gilbert. She didn't even care that he was looking directly at her, just that she was naked and a police officer was going to catch them. Oh God, what will Vash think?!
The cop had been shining his flashlight into Gilbert's car, apparently abandoned on the side of the road, until her sudden splashing caught his ear. Emerging from the water, Eva ducked behind Gilbert, dripping, trembling, and white as a sheet.
"Hey, who's there?" the policeman shouted, suspicion in his tone. The flashlight beam grazed the surface of the lake a couple of times, lingering upon the upset water where Eva had just been.
"Come on, over here," Gilbert whispered, wrapping an arm around her and quickly guiding her to the tree, the flashlight on their heels. Circling around to take cover behind the tree, he pressed her up against the trunk and held her damp body against his chest to shield her. Though they didn't dare to breathe a word, trying to stay silent, each was breathing heavily. Eva clung to his shirt, eyes wrenched shut, as her heart beat out of her chest.
The flashlight beam scanned over the area a few more times—including past the tree behind which they cowered—before the cop cut it off and started up his police cruiser once more. They breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, and Eva's knees just about buckled under her when her fears were allayed. They sank to the ground, still embracing each other securely, once the hum of the engine faded, smiling wide, relieved, terrified grins. She finally opened her eyes, pulling away just slightly, to see him looking intensely into her own.
"Th…that was close," she breathed, chest still heaving, "Thank you…"
He managed a nod, still panting himself, maintaining eye contact. Something in the back of Eva's mind prodded her on to do what she'd been meaning to, and she instinctively followed it. Her hands on his shoulders, she pulled herself in to press her lips against his. His delayed reaction revealed his own surprise at her forwardness, but soon enough he was pulling her in closer, running his hands through her still-wet blonde hair. Her heart was in her throat even still as they broke the kiss, smiling sheepishly back at him.
Gilbert ran a hand down her flushed cheek and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear before abruptly handing her her clothes and turning away. She nodded, a little disappointed with his lack of a reaction, but dressed quickly. When she was through, he gave her a peck on the forehead and guided her back to the car, smiling and saying softly, "That's enough excitement for one night, don'tcha think?"
Feels like I'm racing to get this story finished. Have to go back to university next week, so hopefully I can wrap this up for everyone by then! I've planned it so there should only be 2 chapters after this one. My poor baby Liech. She should have remembered that ~brother knows best~. Flynn Rider- I mean Gil is just going to get her into trouble.
Thank you all again for reading, and please feel free to leave a review if you'd like! c:
