The characters from the game belong to Capcom.
A/N:I'm not english native speaker, so you might find some typos or grammar mistakes, I do apologize for that.
Later at night when Chris woke up sored for sleeping for so long on the couch. He noticed the TV was turned off and the light of the hallway was turned on. He looked at the wall clock to see it was 9 o'clock and thought Evana could be changing her clothes to go to work. He decided to give some time before going to use the bathroom.
He turned on the TV to entertain himself and not long after, Evana showed up at the living dressed in her sexy green nightdress.
"You're finally awake." She spoke turning on the living room lights
"Yeah." he said noticing her clothing and no makeup visual, "Aren't you going to work tonight?" he asked in curiosity
"No… I can't with this hand like that." she replied
"Oh I see…" he replied making a pause, "by the way, what do you work? If it's not a bother asking you that after so long…" he asked politely
Evana was slightly taken aback for his question, not for the question itself, but for the fact that he waited so much to ask such simple question and now he showed interest about that area of her life.
"I'm a dancer... pole dancer." She replied while she sat on the chair of the dining table
"Pole dancer?" he spoke with an impressed expression
"Yeah… is there a problem?" she asked back feeling tense for his expression, fearing his disapproval
"No, not all. I'm actually impressed in a good way. It demands a lot strength, flexibility and dedication because I don't think it's an easy thing to do." Chris spoke demonstrating his excitement
"Yeah…"
"So… do you work at a nightclub?" Chris asked a bit apprehensive to be asking further details, but putting the pieces of his previous notes on her nightly attitude
"Yeah… my main activity happens in a nightclub, but I also work in events when they hire me for presentations and I also used to give private classes to women for some time." Evana replied a little taken aback, but honestly.
"Oh really? That's cool! Really cool!"
"You mean it?"
"Yeah! I don't see any problem in being an exotic dancer."
"Really?"
"Really! It's a work, it puts food on the table and it's a form of art in my opinion because I compare its techniques to those of people who work at the circus or some artists."
"Yeah… but people don't see it that way. They have a lot of prejudice."
"I don't!"
"You don't?" She needed his assurance, his acceptance
"Nope… the prejudice comes from not really knowing or understanding the other's point of view, so people talk shit without knowledge, or also because of what happens in nightclubs… the extras…"
"Yeah… those are some of the case scenarios, but it's not all the girls that make extras…" Evana agreed with his point of view and implicitly talking about herself
"That's true. That's why I'm no one to judge anyone."
"Really? Are you serious about it?" Evana couldn't help her surprise and the hope forming in her inner "pathetic" self in hearing her man's point of view about something she feared so much
"Of course I am!" Chris assured her, "Did you think I would call you names or badmouth you if I learned about your night work?" he couldn't help but laugh a little
Evana looked down in embarrassment and only nodded in confirmation
Chris moved to the other side of the couch to stay closer to Evana and then caressed her shoulder in support, "Eva, I don't think this work makes you a bad person at all! I would be the biggest jackass if I judged you because of that after all you did for me!" he spoke lifting her chin to look at him
Evana smiled softly affected by his words, those words felt like heaven. It looked like she was starting to live a fairytale and after so long she was starting to feel there was hope for her after all she went through since her father died. The event that was the start of her ruination.
They looked at each other with tenderness.
Chris smiled at her. There was nothing wrong with the woman he was falling more in love every minute, and learning more about her, just made him like and admire her even more. He could see she was a woman that tried to hide her wounds and he could see how much she suffered with people's prejudice about her in town. They didn't really tried to know her, they just judged her for one detail and were oblivious to the big and noble heart that beautiful woman had. He wanted to change that. He wanted to show her that there was still hope and people worth of knowing. He wanted to prove her she deserved good things too and wasn't her job that would determinate what value she had. He was willing to prove she deserved to love and be accepted for who she was and for the good things she did; and not for what she made her living.
"Now it makes sense all the workout you have. Is there the pole you keep behind that locked door at the gym?" he asked
Evana nodded, "Yeah… I hid it in that bathroom when you started living with me…" she spoke laughing and hiding her face a little embarrassed
Chris laughed too, "Silly girl!" he spoke in a warming tone caressing her cheek
That touch made her blush and she hoped Chris hadn't seen that, "Oh, I was almost forgetting… You spoke during your sleep again." She said changing the subjects
"Really? What did I say this time?"
"You mentioned other names and Claire again… I couldn't understand what you spoke in between, but apparently something happened to Claire and there was something you couldn't tell someone called Barry."
"Barry?" Chris frowned and immediately an image came to his mind
"Do you remember him?" Evana asked noticing his behavior
"Sort of… Barry is a long time friend." Chris replied making effort to remember more details, "What other names did I say?"
"Jill and Piers."
Chris frowned and held his face trying harder to remember more details. Those names were very familiar to him, but he just couldn't remember anything. Their faces, their last names. Nothing came to him.
"I can sense those names are familiar, but I don't remember how they look like or from where…"
"What about Claire? Barry? Don't you have images of the dream?" she asked trying to help him
Chris stayed in silence trying to remember anything, "Nothing Eva… But I have a feeling that Claire had been in an accident." Chris spoke with a saddened tone
Evana left the chair and leaned on Chris to an embrace. She knew Chris was living old pains again and she didn't want it to make him drown in alcohol or anything else. She knew that was a tendency he had and she didn't want him to disappear again. She wanted him to know he could count on her and she would be there during the whole process to prevent him to fall very deep.
Chris hugged her tightly looking for her comfort and support. He didn't want to break again the promise and drown himself in alcohol or just run away after the tender moment they just had. He knew she was starting to trust him and to open up and he didn't want to cause her any pain because of his own pain. The memories were coming slowly during his sleep and facing again something he had faced before hurt even more, but now he wasn't alone. He had Evana just like she had him. She was becoming an essential pillar for his support and strength to not dive himself and succumb to those terrifying feelings.
Their relationship was reaching a new level, a deeper one. They had one another. They remained hugging for some time, until Chris felt a little better.
"From now on you're going to sleep in the bedroom…" she suggested
Chris made a face not knowing what to say
"You will sleep in the sleeping bag of course…" she added laughing at his face, "We know you tend to remember things through your dreams, so since now I'm going to stay home at night and I'm a light sleeper, so I'll watch you during your sleep when you start speaking things."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes I am. Is there a problem for you?" she asked back, more likely to test his answer without him knowing it
Chris cleared his throat not sure what to answer. It was obvious sharing the same bedroom made things more intimate, "Not a problem exactly… I guess…" he answered with some uncertainty because of the things that were going between them
Evana couldn't help but laugh, she knew what was in his mind. However, they were two adults and more than just friends sentimentally speaking, "Nothing is going to happen if both of us consent on the matter… or are you the type that…"
Chris didn't let her finish her sentence, he got what she was referring, "Of course I won't do that Eva! I'm not that type of monster!"
"I know! That's why I'm telling you that if anything else happens, is because both of us will be two consenting adults."
They stared at each other for some seconds as if they were sealing a deal.
"I'm going to take a shower. Is it still the same old rule?" Chris asked breaking the silence
"I don't mind seeing you naked…" she thought and laughed, "Yeah, still the same rule. I'll wait here…" she replied to him
Chris nodded, "Alright." He replied standing up, "By the way, thanks for everything, Eva." He spoke with a warming gaze
"You're welcome, Adam…" she replied with a joke
They laughed and then Chris headed to the bathroom, leaving the bedroom door open.
Thank you Xaori and Otori Kaede for the reviews. I'm sorry for torturing you like that, but this is part of the construction of the character of Evana that will make much more sense in the second half of the story. I really enjoy your feedback and I promise their romance is not far anymore. :D
This chapter I decided to keep short because I didn't want to mix important subjects into the same chapter and now that I'm updating twice a week, I didn't think that would be a problem to be shorter if it had an important content.
Well, here I am with a new update I had planned (in my mind) to do on my saturday or sunday, but since my cat is still very sick and I'll have to take him to the doctor and will get super busy these next days, so I decided to update once again. Technically is already saturday in my country, but it's still dawn. I don't know if later I will publish the next chapter as well since both are shorter ones, but with content... I'll think about it later during my free time to breath :(