18. Heartache

Carlos' P.O.V.

Great. Now I was back in my bed, where I had been spending far too much time recently. Evie sat next to me and looked out of the window, lost in thought. Again, this strange behavior. Since I couldn't do anything else anyway, I could use the time. I wanted to talk to her anyway.

"Evie, are you all right?" A smile immediately fell on her red lips, but I knew her well enough to know that it was not real.

"Of course. You should also sleep, Carlos!" But I didn't give up that easily.

"I'm not blind. What's going on?" The smile slipped off her face and worry spread through me. What had happened when she wasn't with us? And then tears came to her eyes. Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms and Evie started to cry. My arms were wrapped around her delicate body and I hugged her tightly. The girl on my chest sobbed all the time and it almost broke my heart. I hated to see her cry. What had happened? I had no idea how much time had passed before Evie calmed down a little. But still, she lay there and didn't go away, but it was fine. Evie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Apparently, she was trying to calm down. Only now did I notice how fast my heart was beating. I hadn't noticed that because of Evie's condition. The girl on me raised her head and looked at me with tearful green eyes and I saw how finished she was. It had to be very hard for her. First, all the stress with Auradon and Mal, then my illness, the magic wall was destroyed and finally, what had happened and of which I didn't know anything. The guilty conscience spread through me again. It was also my fault that she was doing so badly.

"Evie, if you want to talk, I'll be there," I said softly and the girl smiled sadly.

"I and Doug split up." I looked at her in shock. Why? They fit together perfectly.

"What? Why?", I asked, trying to keep calm for her. Now I understood why she was so bad. It didn't have to be easy. Evie looked at her hands and I became more and more worried. I gently put my fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that she had to look at me. Her eyes cast a spell over me. "What happened?" Evie swallowed hard.

"It was because of you." Everything in me contracted. They broke up because of me?! Why? I dropped my hand in horror, but Evie quickly held it and looked me straight in the eyes. I could see so much in her eyes: fear, despair, vulnerability, anger, but also love and warmth. My heart beat a little faster. What was going on now?

"W-why?", I breathed softly, not even noticing that I was crossing my fingers with hers.

"Because I'm with you so much. He's not the right one for me, Carlos. He never was." I sighed softly. It wasn't like I didn't tell her she didn't have to stay with me. But deep down I was happy about it. Suddenly Evie leaned forward and I guessed where it was going. My heart was pounding at the thought of it and I wanted to. She came closer and closer to me and I felt her breath on my face. An incredible warmth spread through me and it was incredibly pleasant. But just before our lips touched, something occurred to me and I held her back. She looked at me hurt and it almost broke my heart.

"Evie, do you know what you're getting yourself into?", I breathed. I wanted it. I wanted to kiss her, but she had to be aware of everything that came with the illness. Evie understood and grief but understanding flashed in her eyes. She gently put a hand on my cheek.

"Yes, I know that for sure." And with that, I closed my eyes, relaxed, and let our lips meet.