Chapter 908

No texts from Mendy, no call, no nothing.

Well, that was to be expected. She needed some time... I think. I was still at 20 Interest with her, so there was at least a wedge in the door. Maybe that meant she hadn’t completely shut me out yet.

What a damn nightmare this had become, though.

She had opened the door, seen us, and then left without saying a single word. I still had no idea what had been going through her head in that moment. Maybe she was angry. Maybe she was hurt. Maybe she simply didn’t know what to say. Whatever it was, it had been terrible.

Terrible.

After dinner, most of us were just lazing around. Well, some of us were.

Kayla, Jasmine, and Nala were behind the couch where I was sitting, watching a workout video on the TV. The TV was connected to Nala’s phone, and the three of them were following along with the woman on the screen.

Well, Kayla was following along perfectly.

Jasmine and Nala looked like they were fighting for their lives.

Kayla was wearing a fitted workout top and tight leggings, both showing off just how much time she actually spent exercising. Jasmine had gone with a loose tank top and short athletic shorts, while Nala was wearing a fitted sports bra and black workout leggings. The three of them had already worked up a serious sweat, but Kayla somehow still looked like she could keep going for another hour.

Jasmine and Nala, meanwhile, were completely pooped. Their hair was sticking to their faces, their skin glistened with sweat, and both of them were panting between exercises.

"Come on, four more sets," Kayla encouraged them. "We’re nearly there."

"Oh my god..." Nala muttered, barely managing to keep her arms up. "I’m literally going to die."

"Oh..." Jasmine exhaled heavily. "Now I understand what needs to be done to have a butt like that, Kayla. Oh, crap... oh my... phew..."

"Less talking, people. Come on."

I had to admit, watching them work out wasn’t exactly unpleasant.

Kim and Minne were in the kitchen, meanwhile, baking a cake. Apparently, this was their collective cheat day. Which made me wonder why anyone would decide to work out on their cheat day in the first place. I bet it was Kayla’s idea.

Tessa was sitting on the floor beside me, playing with Mik. She would spin the cat around on the floor before tossing her onto the single couch. Mik would immediately hop back down and return to the exact same position, paws up and belly exposed, as if she was asking Tessa to do it again.

"Yeah, you fat fuck. Jump." She lightly smacked Mik’s ass. "Look at Kayla. Take an example from her."

"That doesn’t hurt?" Kayla asked without even sounding tired.

"Nah. If it hurt, she’d claw me to hell," Tessa replied. "Cats are like that."

"Aw. Okay." Kayla nodded. "Makes sense."

"Not a cat person?" Tessa asked as she spun Mik around again.

"I am. I’ve just never owned a pet." Kayla glanced to the left. "Nala, you’re doing that sluggishly."

"Yeah, yeah... okay, I know. I just..." Nala bent forward, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "Oh, god..."

"Get down a little more."

Nala groaned but followed the instruction.

I glanced back at them again.

There was something almost ridiculous about how different the three looked while doing the exact same workout. Kayla was still moving like she had barely started, while Jasmine and Nala were sweating through their clothes and struggling to keep up.

Eventually, the woman on the screen announced a break.

Jasmine immediately dropped onto the couch behind me. "How... how much time do we have before the break ends?" she asked between breaths.

Kayla chuckled. "A minute."

"A minute?" Jasmine stared at her. "That’s not a break."

Nala didn’t even bother answering. She grabbed a few tissues from the dinner table and wiped the sweat from her face and neck. Then, with a tired sigh, she pulled the edge of her workout top up slightly and wiped the sweat underneath it before letting the fabric fall back into place.

"I’m drinking a gallon of water," Nala exhaled. "Oh my god, I’m not even a person right now. I’m just a big blob of sweat."

"This isn’t even that heavy of a workout!" Kayla slapped her own legs. "Come on. You guys are just messing with me, right?"

Nala and Jasmine both laughed.

"Maybe you should stop making us suffer," Jasmine replied.

"Maybe you should get stronger."

"Maybe you should shut up."

They both laughed again before heading into the kitchen.

Minne had already prepared two glasses of water for them and left them waiting on the counter. Jasmine and Nala thanked her before practically downing the water in seconds. Yeah. They were thirsty.

I leaned back into the couch, watching Tessa continue playing with Mik, when my phone started ringing in my pocket.

I pulled it out and checked the screen. Ah. Carrie. I had told her to call me whenever she was available. I needed her help arranging a meeting with Jack. I still needed to get Layla’s stolen camera back, and according to Tuck, Jack was the one who had gotten it.

The camera had been stolen years ago, though. I just hoped he still had it. Especially if he’d been keeping it for whatever sick fantasies he had.

"Hey," I answered.

"Evan, hello," Carrie replied. "Sorry, I just saw your message. Busy day."

"It’s fine," I said. "I need to talk to you about Jack. I want you to arrange a meeting with him for me."

"Jack?"

There was a short silence on the other end.

At the same time, I glanced at the TV and realized the break was already over. The workout video was about to start again, and the speakers were about to blast music through the living room.

I immediately got up and headed toward the balcony.

"I can do that," Carrie said. "But we should meet up first. We need to talk this through."

Of course. I already knew where this was going.

"Okay. When?"

"Tomorrow? After work?"

"I can do that." I slid the balcony door shut behind me, cutting down the noise from inside. "Where do we meet?"

"The same motel?"

I sighed. "Don’t you have other places in the city?"

There was a quiet laugh on the other end. "It’s more exciting when we’re in a motel."

"Hmm..." I leaned against the balcony railing and looked out at the city. "Fine."

"See you tomorrow, Evan."

"Yeah. See you."

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