Mal was fuming; she couldn't believe that Evie was acting that way toward Ben, especially since whenever Mal shared things about her relationship Evie would be happy for her and was very pro Ben. Sure, when she saw the Dm's between Evie and Azis for a second, the idea that Evie was trying to get information on Ben crossed her mind, but it went as quickly as it came, but now she was shocked. That day Evie said she was going to go out with a friend and was very vague, but Mal had no problem with it; she missed Ben and planned to surprise the boy at lunch.
Then she saw her friend and Azis and decided to say hi because she wanted Evie to know she knew so they could talk about the friendship or, hopefully, relationship between her friend and Azis. If Evie and Azis ever dated, Mal would be over the moon, and they looked like they were having a great time. Then she said hi, and everything went to hell;Evie was attacking Ben, saying that not sharing the information was a red flag, like looking for dirt wasn't wrong. Mal understood why Ben didn't tell her, she never mentioned her suspicions to him, and neither did the fact that she found the messages between Evie and Azis. Still, the fact that Evie continued to try to say Ben was wrong frustrated Mal, and she decided that they needed a private conversation away from Azis.
At the Airbnb, Mal confronted Evie about the situation; at first, the girl would continue to point out that a relationship was based on trust, and obviously, there was a lack of that between Mal and Ben. Mal tried to tell the girl that she was wrong and was trying to flip the situation because she was embarrassed that Mal discovered she tried to get dirt on Ben. The argument continued until Mal told Evie that she was going to take a shower and they would talk after that. Once Mal got out of the shower and changed, they spoke, and finally, her friend agreed that the way she tried to find information about Ben wasn't right. "It's just that I worry about you sometimes. Look, you focus on the good in people and Ben always sounded too good to be true, and every time we talk, you sound more in love with him. I know that it wasn't right how I handled things, and I apologize for that, but it came from a place of love. Forgive me?"
Mal couldn't be mad at Evie for trying to take care of her, and if she was honest with herself, there was a little fear in her about the intensity of her feelings for Ben. It was the little things, like the way she got upset when he didn't share what his dad said with her; she wanted him to think of her when he needed support. It wasn't rational, at least not with how new their relationship was, but at the same time, Mal knew that there were very few moments on her day when things happened, and he wasn't the first person that came to her mind. Still, she understood that in the end, Evie was the person that knew her best, and even though Mal disagreed with what she did, it didn't come from a place of malice. After making dinner, they talked, and Evie shared that she felt like Mal was sharing less about her life in the last few months, which made her sad.
Mal apologized for making her feel like that and promised her that she was still her number one person, so there was no need to try to "take Ben down." Evie rolled her eyes at how dramatic Mal was being but agreed that she needed to be nicer to Ben and that she would apologize to Azis before going back to New York. They put on a show and continued to share stories until Mal told Evie that she could apologize to Ben and Azis at the dinner they were planning for the next day and promised she would love the rest of their friends. When she said that, Mal noticed Evie getting uncomfortable, but when she asked, the girl said that maybe the dinner wasn't the right place to have the conversation. Mal understood and told Evie that they could find a moment, then she stood from the couch where they were eating and went to look for her phone. It came to her that the way they walked away from Azis wasn't right; she was so focused on talking to Evie that Mal didn't realize that the boy could think she was mad at him.
Mal noticed that her phone wasn't where she remembered leaving it to charge and looked for it near the bed. Then she made her way downstairs and looked around, and it wasn't anywhere; Mal was sure she had it when they got into the apartment. Turning towards Evie, she asked her friend if she knew where her phone was and the speed with which the girl answered made Mal narrow her eyes at her. "Evie? Where is my phone?"
It took Evie a couple of minutes to tell her, and then Mal discovered why her friend wasn't forthcoming with the information. She unlocked her phone and saw a couple of notifications of texts from Lonnie asking her why she canceled the dinner and why she left the group chat. Mal turned to look at Evie, and her friend was looking at her with doe eyes faking innocence, and for a second Mal wanted to cry. "Why did you do that?"
"I panic, ok? I didn't want to face them; they share everything, Mal. You've told me that they are like a close family, by now, they all know what happened, and I don't want to be there and feel judged by them." Mal breathed deeply; she could understand why Evie would feel like that; the memory of Jay and Lonnie coming upstairs telling Ben that he shouldn't call Mal and that she should be by his side came to her, and she felt awful. Still, that wasn't the right way to handle it; if Azis thought she was mad at him for what happened, the message and then leaving the group would convince everyone that she was angry.
" Do you understand that everyone thinks I'm mad at Azis and Ben? Evie, why did you do this? You could have told me if you didn't want to go". Evie looked sad and stood in front of Mal.
"I could have, but you would have made me go because it was important to meet Ben's friends. Look Mal; I'm tired. Let's talk tomorrow, ok?" Evie went upstairs, leaving Mal standing in the middle of the living room, trying to think what to do next. Part of her knew that Evie was right; she would have tried to convince her to go because she wanted her friend to meet all these new people that were part of her life. The light on the second floor went out, and Mal made up her mind; looking for the keys, she sent a quick text to Lonnie, telling her that Evie was the one that left the group on her behalf and that she wanted to make things clear with everyone.
Mal found her wallet and got out of the apartment, opening her app to look for a car when a text from Lonnie alerted her that they were making their way to the house and could pick her up on the way. The girl smiled, happy to know that she would have an opportunity to clear the air with them; Mal sent her response and then opened her contacts, looking for Azis's name. The second she found his name, the girl pressed it and waited for the boy to pick up, there on the street, she apologized to him, offering an explanation from her point of view of the situation so he could understand her reaction. "I was never mad at you, and I should have made sure you understood that before walking away. I'm so sorry for that, Azis. Evie also regrets what happened, but I'll let you both talk about that."
Azis sounded relieved and told Mal that he was happy to hear that they were ok; also, he shared with the girl that he understood why Evie was acting so defensive. " She cares so much about you, Mal; I understood why she wanted to know more about Ben, although I didn't like the approach. I hope you two had time to talk, she is not having the best time at work, and I think that is making her act a little out of character."
A honk made the girl jump, and she turned to see Ben's car with the boy and his friends. Mal waved at them, and she thanked Azis for sharing that with her and then ended the call. If she was honest, during her time with Evie, the conversation centered more on her life in Seattle, her latest adventures, and her relationship with Ben. Mal made a mental note to ask Evie what was going on with her; she knew that her friend loved her work and that most of the people she was friends within New York were from her office. If things weren't going great at work, that would definitely impact her life in general, and Mal could understand why Evie was being extra protective of her and their friendship.
Looking both ways, Mal made her way across the street and got into the car with the friends, saying hello. Ben was the one driving, and Jay was sitting next to him; the girl was suspicious that they had changed seats because Jay and Lonnie would usually sit next to each other. Still, Mal decided that maybe she was reading too much into the situation, and in the end, her focus right now was on clearing the air about what happened, so with that in mind, she went on to explain what happened from the moment she saw the Dm's on Evie's IG. By the time she finished the story, they were parked outside their house, and they all had a clear understanding of the situation. Mal made a point of telling them what Azis shared with her and how that made her feel that it all was connected somehow.
"Well, we are still having dinner together tomorrow, so if she decides to go, you both can join us," Lonnie said, and Mal thanked her but told her that Evie wasn't up to going and she was not going to force her. In the end, she was in Seattle to spend time with Mal, so she would not leave her behind either. They nodded, and the group got out of the car; Lonnie hugged Mal telling her that she hoped everything worked out between Evie and her. Then the trio started making their way towards the door, and they noticed Mal was not moving but instead was looking at her phone. Jay then turned and asked her if she was not staying, and Mal shook her head.
"I don't want Evie to be alone. Also, I took the only keys we have, so I need to get back in case she wants to go out in the morning, but I'll wait inside until my uber comes." Ben shook his head and told her to get in the car and that he would take her to the Airbnb. "No, thanks. It is late, and you need to go to work tomorrow. My car is ten minutes away, so we can talk a little while we wait if you want."
Putting her phone in her pocket, the girl walked towards the door where Ben was standing, and together, they walked into the house. Jay and Lonnie, who were standing near the kitchen island, asked her if she wanted something to drink. Mal was about to answer when Ben's voice came from behind her telling the couple that he would get her something, and the couple nodded, saying goodbye to the girl and making their way upstairs. Mal turned to look at Ben, telling him not to worry about getting her anything, but he was standing so close to her that she almost stumbled back when she did. Ben's apology came as a whisper, and then he asked her if they were ok. The girl felt a little anger bubbling up against Evie and what the situation created, even though Mal understood that how she handled things didn't make the situation better.
"Of course we are; you were right not to tell me what Azis said to you. I think I've been focusing on what is going on in my life and not considering what is happening with her, which didn't help the situation. That's one of the reasons I don't want to leave her alone in the apartment tonight; I want her to know that even though we are not ok right now, it doesn't mean I don't want to be." Ben nodded; he was relieved to know that they were ok, and the way Mal wanted to be there for Evie, even though he could sense she was annoyed with her friend, made him love her a little more. Mal's phone rang, and the girl told Ben that her Uber was outside; giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, the girl made her way towards the door. Ben grabbed her hand, making her stop and turn.
"I'm coming with you. I promised I won't stay, but I don't feel comfortable with you taking an Uber alone so late at night." Mal wanted to say no, but she wanted to spend some time with the boy, so she agreed. Hand in hand, they made their way to the car, waiting for them outside. The ride to the apartment was quick, there was practically no traffic at that time, and Mal took the opportunity to rest her head on the boy's shoulder and sleep a little. Once there, Ben got out of the car and walked Mal to the apartment door and made her promise that she would share with him how things were with Evie after they talked the next day. Mal was about to agree when the door opened, showing Evie looking at them. "I thought you were going to stay with Ben tonight. Then I was going back to sleep but decided to check your location and saw that you were making your way back here, so I waited so we could talk."
"Nope, I just wanted to clear the air with them. Ben came with me because he didn't want me to come alone in the car, and I'd already made a reservation for a car when he realized I was coming back." The boy could sense that both girls wanted to be alone, so he said goodbye to both and was about to go out when Evie called his name, asking him to please come inside so they could talk. The next couple of hours were filled with pleasant conversations about their lives. Evie apologized for doubting him. The boy graciously accepted her apology and told her that he understood her intentions. After that, Evie shared with them that she felt more protective of Mal due to some problems she was having with her friends back home.
Ben wasn't sure if he should excuse himself at that moment so the girls could have privacy, but sensing that Evie wanted to tell the story as a way to explain her state of mind, he decided to stay. That's when the girl shared with the couple that her new project had failed when one of her coworkers had decided to go behind her back and make some adjustments that were wrong for the outfit at the last minute. "When I confronted him, he acted offended. He said that I was always so close off to any suggestions that it was a nightmare working with me. Some of my friends agree that I always wanted things my way, and they didn't like that I was given more opportunities lately. Sure, some others said that as a team leader, that is exactly what I should be doing, but the damage was already done, and in the end, my boss told me that if I can't work with the team, maybe I need to take a long look in the mirror. I trusted these people, I thought we were all on the same page, and now they are barely talking to me, and I don't think I'm going to be in the run to be on the next big project."
Mal stood up and hugged her friend, promising her that everything would work out in the end. "Your vision is amazing, Evie. People are just jealous, and if your boss can't see that, then that is not the right place for you. I'm sorry that I didn't know what was going on."
"This was the first time I've ever felt like I couldn't tell you to come to be with me. I've always known that if I call you, there was zero chance that you wouldn't be on the next flight." Mal argued that she would still do that, she was her best friend, and she would be there when she needed her no matter what. "Thanks, but I know that you had to travel for work and miss Ben so much that you flew to see him between trips. I didn't want to be the reason you couldn't be with him. I asked for the time off; they owned me, and I came here. When I started asking Azis about Ben, I was looking out for you, but when it was time for me to share what I did, I panicked because I can't take you being mad at me now, Mal."
"Is ok, we are ok, Evie." Ben smiled and cleared his throat; he told Evie that he hoped everything in her job worked out and that they were ok. Both girls smiled at the boy, and Evie thanked him for his wishes and then told the couple that she was exhausted. Saying a quick goodbye to Ben, she told Mal that she was going to bed, leaving them alone to talk. Ben ended up staying the night on the couch with Mal; they fell asleep talking and woke up to his alarm disoriented. They stood, and Mal offered the boy a cup of coffee, and after sending a text to his friends asking them if they could lend him a shirt to change, he accepted the cup, hoping that it would be enough to stay awake.
Taking advantage of being closer to the office, Ben took his time drinking the coffee and eating the eggs and toasts that Mal made for him while they talked about everything that happened the day before. "So when are you girls leaving for the island?"
"Tomorrow, I need to check the transportation to be sure when we need to be there to take the ferry, and I should also see if we can stay there longer. I think we need to have time without distractions to talk." Ben agreed and leaned to kiss his girlfriend, already missing her. Evie stood on the last step looking at the couple and smiling at how her friend had managed to find someone like Ben.
"You should join us, Ben. Maybe invite Jay, Lonnie, and Azis. You all can come on the weekend, so I have some time to apologize properly and get to know all of you." That took aback the couple, but after asking Evie if she was sure, Ben promised to go and that he would ask his friends if they would be open to joining them. After that, he kissed Mal goodbye and went to his friend's apartment to change before they all made their way to the office.
The girls left the next day to their Airbnb and spent their days talking and doing some walks around the island, enjoying the peace of the surroundings. All the group agreed to go, but Jay and Lonnie rented their own place to spend some time alone while participating in the group's activities. On Saturday morning, they all arrived at the island; Jay and Lonnie went to their Airbnb, promising to meet everyone at lunch. Evie and Azis excuse themselves and went to talk while walking around the island and telling the couple that they would see them at the restaurant. Ben turned to Mal with a devilish grin on his face making the girl laugh. "Finally, we are alone."