|CHAPTER 20: CLARITY|

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The scars will last forever, but nothing compares to the pain that put them there.

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"Red or white?" Tony awkwardly asked, fidgeting with his collar as they sat in a secluded area in a fancy restaurant.

"Red."

The waiter nodded quickly, even he sensed the tension and the awkwardness of the atmosphere between the two of them.

"So...how've you been?" Leaning across the table, he tried to force a smile, and yet to his shock she let out a groan, and snapped.

"Just fucking ask why already, Stark!"

She knew.

She knew that what happened this morning was still fresh on his mind, and it was quite clear that it was all he was thinking about.

"Alright fine! Why?" He frowned.

Not anger.

No.

In confusion.

"I don't understand, Evelyn. If anything her insults to me should have made you feel better. Why...why were you defending me?"

"I know you hurt me. I know you didn't sleep with her, but it still hurt me that you had her next to you. I know that, Tony, I do. But that doesn't mean she gets to talk about you that way. You're still my friend, you're still my...family. And yeah, maybe things didn't work out between us, but I'm willing to try and be your friend."

Evelyn gave him a smile, and to her surprise, his frown deepened, and his face fell even more.

A few minutes later, they both hadn't said anything, just simply gazed into each other's eyes, and awkwardly looked away.

"You kissed him," And as if it had to get more awkward, "that night. You kissed him."

Tony nodded to no one in particular, remembering how every fibre of his being suffered as she did so.

"I did." She agreed.

Playing with the food on his plate, he peered up at her, his brown eyes piercing through her facade.

And in that moment he knew, that she was anything but okay.

"What happened, Evelyn?" He dropped his fork, and leaned closer to her with a concerned frown.

"What do you mean?" Her resolve was crumbling, she knew that he saw right through her.

He always did.

"No, hey. Don't." He stopped her when tears welled up in her eyes, and stood up abruptly, and threw an absurd amount of money on the table, apparently paying for the food, and walked them out of the glass doors.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not." She protested.

"You will in just a second." And just when he said, she threw herself in his arms, heavy drops of wet tears sliding down her cheeks, soaking his white dress shirt.

Evelyn • Tony StarkWhere stories live. Discover now