Date The CEO.com

"Ugh, what time did we sleep?" Eve asked groggily. Her closed eyes felt warm from the sunrays. She scrunched her nose, feeling pain on either side of her head. It made her even more reluctant to wake up. Her bed also seemed harder than usual. 

Then, her memories from last night surfaced. 

They had watched a movie after painting each other's toenails.

Her laptop was on the bed while they sat on the floor. Somehow, in their perspectives, this setup enhanced the movie experience—despite how small her laptop screen was. They split an earphone so they'd hear the audio and each other well. 

"I have no idea." Andie yawned, sitting up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The laptop was still on the bed. The screen had gone black from the lack of power. They fell asleep in the direction of the window where the morning light streamed through the glass. 

"Well, the sun came too early," Eve grumbled, turning to her side. "It's clearly not morning yet."

Andie reached for the laptop and closed its lid. With her arms over it, she curved her back and stretched it. Another yawn breathed out of her lips. Was this all from sleeping late? Or was she actually tired? Was she stressed? 

A phone vibrated continuously on the bed. Andie felt it under her arm as the tremors flowed through the laptop. She tapped on the mattress until she found the mobile device.

"Eve, your phone is ringing."

"Who is it?" Eve scowled and rolled on her back. She pushed her arms up and stretched her whole body. It seemed like more sleep would have to wait later. She raised one leg up, using to pull herself up when she dropped it to the ground. 

Andie squinted at the phone. Unlike normal calls, this one didn't take up the whole screen. It only appeared on the top. "The notification bar just says 'Yan'. Did you change your boss' contact on your phone?"

'Yan was Ambryan's nickname, right?' She thought. Did their relationship escalate to that level already? She knew Eve joked about their nicknames with Evan and Ambee—which they only used in public as her best friend stated before.

"No, I didn't. That's just—" Drowsiness evaporated from Eve's system. That name only came up through one source. She lunged for Andie and attempted to snatch the phone. "OMG! Give it to me!"

Andie put it out of Eve's reach, letting it vibrate in her hand. "Why?" 

"Why are you keeping the phone away?" Eve demanded. She stood up for a better angle while Andie fell to the floor. She had to answer it soon. It was rare for Ambryan to call. It could only mean that it was something serious.

He was also calling Evangeline. 

It had to be double serious. Maybe something in the news about their relationship. Maybe to ask her opinion on the roller skates. Either one, she wouldn't want to miss the chance.

"So you can agree to let me listen!" Andie revealed, tucking the phone under her arms and close to her chest. She glanced down and made sure she didn't accidentally push the answer button.

"Why would you even want to listen?" Eve scoffed. She grabbed her best friend's wrists and yanked. The ringing ended but it picked up again after two seconds. 

"Why wouldn't I want to listen?" Andie snorted, her hold loosening. It was ringing for the second time already. Any more and Eve might become angry at her—but she really wanted to listen! "Do you have endearments? Honey? Sweetie? Wifey and Hubby?"

"I told you that we don't. Now give it to me!" Eve seized the phone and accepted the call. She lowered herself on the bed, accidentally sitting on her laptop. She scooted a few inches away.

"H-Hello?" She panted. Her heart raced inside her chest. That had been a workout that she wasn't prepared for. She should exercise more. Maybe they could hit more hours in the gym tomorrow. 

Andie joined beside her and pressed her ear against the back of the phone. Eve leaned away but she persisted. They mouthed words to one another, talking about invasion of privacy. 

"Are you alright?" She heard Ambryan ask. 

"Yeah, I'm fine… is that why you're calling?" Eve frowned, slapping Andie's hands away. She turned around and reached for the window curtains. The champagne pink fabric wrapped around her as a shield.

Andie rose to her knees and put her hands on her hips. Her lips pouted at her best friend's back. She just wanted a little sneaky peeky.

"I greeted you as usual this morning and it's already noon," Ambryan explained. Part of their agreement included these greetings. Since the whole morning passed without a response, he wondered what could have happened.

"It is?!" Eve exclaimed. She pulled the phone and checked the time. It really was past 12PM! They had slept for that long? 

"Did you just wake up?" 

"Sort of?" She squeaked. Her face buried itself in her free hand. This probably looked like unprofessional behavior from her. Ambryan always slept late but he managed his time well—even after a night of drinking. 

"How late did you sleep?" He demanded. The faint tapping of a keyboard echoed in the background. They seemed louder than before if she only heard them now.

"I honestly have no idea. My friend and I stayed up watching movies and we fell asleep," Eve explained, hoping it was enough of a reason. If they were supposed to be a 'couple', should she state everything that happened in the slumber party?

Would it be bad if she withheld info until he asked?

"That is all?"

"Of course, we ate lots of junk food."

Eve could almost see him frown. "You really like to eat unhealthy food."

"Not always. Maybe once a week." She beamed. 

"Too much."

"But it's my comfort food! Helps me loosen up and relax every once in a while." 

'And they taste so good!' Eve finished in her head. It was a sad reality. Why were food bad for the body so delicious? It had been so long since she ate that much. There was still enough for the whole weekend.

The typing stopped from the other line. Ambryan's voice seemed closer than before. His tone lowered into a serious one—almost as if he was in his business mode.

"Evangeline."

"Yes?" Eve replied. She pressed her lips together while she waited. The silence roared in her ears. Was this finally it? Was he going to ask about his gift to her? Get ideas from her? She was more than ready with an answer.

"If you want to relax, drink chamomile tea."

The hope cracked before her eyes. 

It wasn't like she could bring it up by herself. It would seem suspicious since only Eve knew about the gift. She wouldn't be able to lie through it—oh, but she wanted those skates! No matter what Andie said about the matter. Skates were still valuable, especially from high end brands.

Instead of whining, Eve said, "I think you know how much I love my caffeine."

"Contrary to popular belief, some teas have caffeine," Ambryan pointed out. "Also, if you wanted to relax, how is caffeine supposed to help? It offers the opposite experience."

"I needed it to stay up late and enjoy my time with my friend."

"Then, green tea would suffice. And who is this friend?"

"An—" Eve choked. How to lie and not lie at the same time? Learning this skill was getting out of hand. She thought fast. What was Andie's second name again? "Beatrice, my friend since childhood."

Andie hit her on the back. 

Eve bit her lip, trying not to make a sound. She glared through the curtain even if her best friend couldn't see it. It wasn't like she had a better choice. Andie's first name wasn't a nickname. It wasn't short for 'Andrea' or 'Andrei' or anything similar that started with 'And-'. Otherwise, she would have picked that one instead.

Unfortunately, Andie wasn't fond of her second name. It had been taken from her great-grandmother, who she adored while the latter was still alive, but the name just never stuck. 

"Since childhood?"

"Yes, are you and Mr. Kingston the same?" Eve asked back, diverting the focus. "I only know that you two are good friends."

"We met around high school."

"Oh, really? Then, do you ever see your childhood friends?" Question after question flooded her brain. She could keep this up. Maybe if they talked about Richard long enough, Ambryan would forget that Andie existed.

Not that Ambryan ever met Andie before.

But it was best to be cautious.

"Never saw them after I switched schools."

"What? Why?" Eve gasped.

This was news to her ears. If she was to be honest, she couldn't picture any friend for Ambryan other than Richard. To hear that he had other friends… what could have happened? Did they have a fallout? Was it a dark past? 

Was that why he was so cold? 

"We went our separate ways."

Eve debated on how much she should poke on—until she came to the conclusion that she'd drop it only the moment he dodged or refused a question. This had to be the deepest topic about his life that she had with him so far. 

Was it wrong to want more?

"Do you ever miss them?"