Eve was in the middle of her routine when Rowan waved, and she didn't see the motion. Even if she did, she most likely wouldn't have waved back. It wouldn't have mattered if the President of the United States walked through the door; when Eve Springett was practicing, it was the only thing she was honed in on.
Rowan headed out without expecting a wave in return. After all, he'd been so into his own routine that he forgot to drink anything, so he couldn't blame her for being focused. He headed back to the apartment and showered before changing into fresh clothes.
Eve finally finished with her practice session. Sweating profusely, she grabbed her belongings and made her way back to their apartment. Halfway up the stairs, she received a text, and she stormed the rest of the way up the stairs, through the apartment, into her room – nearly in tears – and shut the door behind her with an unintentional and forceful bang.
Rowan was in the kitchen when Eve returned and looked up, noticing how upset she looked. His stomach fell and he looked a bit uneasy and uncomfortable. Oh god… uh… it's not really my problem, but… I'd feel bad if I didn't try, especially after she helped me earlier. He sighed and got to his feet, tentatively knocking on Eve's door. "Uhh… Eve? You alright?" He asked warily. He definitely didn't want her anger turned onto him.
"I'm fine," came the muffled response.
Inside, Eve was anything but. She trembled like a leaf and sank to the floor, overcome with emotion. Why can't he just leave me alone? she wondered, but the person behind that thought wasn't Rowan.
"Um… alright… I'll be out in the kitchen if you need anything, though. Okay?" Rowan stood there awkwardly for another few seconds before heading back to the kitchen. She's obviously lying, but… I doubt I'm the person she wants to vent to. She hates me.
"Okay," Eve replied before covering her mouth with her hand to keep in her cries. After a few moments, she reemerged from her bedroom and made a beeline for the bathroom, shower supplies in hand. Once inside, it only took a few seconds for the shower to start running so her tear tracks would be indistinguishable among the rushing water from the showerhead.
Rowan looked up when he heard Eve leave her room, but she was already gone before he could actually see her. He sighed and cleaned his dishes before heading off to his own room. He planned to go to the gym to go some exercise other than dancing later that day.
"You are being ridiculous," Eve whispered to herself as she stepped out and dried her hair. "Just forget." When she reemerged from the bathroom, she looked again like her normal self. She tossed her old clothes into her hamper and went to the kitchen to get a meal.
Rowan poked his head out of his bedroom door when he heard Eve come out from the bathroom and watched her walk by. He still wasn't entirely sure what to do, to be honest, but he still felt a bit bad and uncomfortable. "You alright?" He called out again after a few seconds.
"No," Eve replied, bending down to look in one of the lower cabinets. She straightened back up, put her hands on her hips, and shook her head with a sigh. "But I'll live." She crossed the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator to check inside.
"Uh… okay…" Rowan was quiet for a few seconds, considering how he should reply. "Um… do you… want to talk about it…?" He asked awkwardly, hesitating before coming out of his room and into the kitchen.
"It's alright," Eve said, straining a bit to reach for a Lemon Lime Gatorade near the back. "I wouldn't want to bother you." Her fingers secured the drink in her grip, and she shut the door to conserve the cold. She opened the bottle and took a swig.
"I mean, you took the time to help me earlier." Rowan came a bit closer, sighing and shoving his hands in his pockets as he approached. "I'm sure you were a bit inconvenienced. I don't mind listening to you vent if you want."
Eve lowered the drink from her lips. She arched her eyebrows, gave him a once-over, and sighed quietly. "Alright. It's my ex. He won't leave me alone." After a quick shake of her head, she took another sip, letting the chilled liquid rush down her throat.
Rowan nodded and quietly sat beside Eve. He didn't interrupt, figuring she would just want to vent without him giving advice. He didn't really know how to help her anyway other than suggesting she block her ex, but he figured she had probably already tried that anyway.
Eve closed her eyes, collecting herself. “He keeps texting me. I don’t know how, I’ve had him blocked for weeks now, and he keeps finding ways to text me. I don’t understand. I just want him to leave me alone.” Her eyes opened again, and she refused to look at or near Rowan. “Honestly, he’s a part of the reason I moved. Just a part, but still.”
Rowan nodded again with a soft hum to let Eve know he was listening. "Well… I'm not sure you want my advice, and I presume you've already taken the necessary precautions. Honestly, best thing to do is to just be at your damn best, yeah? Show him that you don't want or need him, and you're way better off without him. Maybe he'll figure out at some point that you're way out of his league." He laughed softly.
At that, Eve turned to look at him. An expression of soft shock formed on her face. She blinked and looked away again. “Oh. Well, thank you,” she murmured with a small smile.
"Mm?" Rowan looked over to Eve, still smiling softly. "Yeah, no problem. Sometimes people just suck, and you gotta do your own thing to let them know you're not like them. Let the trash stay with the trash."
For the first time in a very long while, Eve let out a genuine laugh, causing crinkles to form around her eyes. As much as she didn’t like herself for it, she found herself warming up to Rowan. “I’ll drink to that. Cheers,” she said, sounding very British as she did so thanks to her accent. With that, she took another drink from the Gatorade bottle.
Rowan flushed lightly, laughing as well. He honestly had a really nice genuine smile, and it clearly wasn't his practiced smile that he used in pictures and for competitions. That smile wasn't bad, but there was a certain empty shell behind it. This smile and laugh were bright and full and honest. "You're going to drink to that with Gatorade? At least you're getting the electrolytes, hm?" He sighed, his smile still lingering as he rested his hands on the counter.
Eve’s laugh was similar to Rowan’s in that it was very different from the usual façade she put on. Cool, calm, collected, and above all, professional. Her genuine laugh was wild and more amplified. “It was in my hand!” she retorted, not unkindly. Her eyes flashed, and her eyebrows arched as if declaring a playful challenge. “Would you rather drink with something else?”
Rowan's eyes flashed as well at the challenge and he looked over to Eve, smirking a bit. "Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, shifting his position a bit to face Eve more. "Are you… challenging me to a drinking game?" He asked. "I've got some alcohol in the fridge, if so. Got any parameters in mind?"
“Be my guest,” Eve replied, stepping back from the fridge so he had access. “The only rules that exist are the rules that you can convince me exist.” She drained the rest of the Gatorade quickly and tossed the bottle away in preparation.