Desperate Lies

Chapter 13 (Trigger Warning)

Trigger Warning: SPOILER but potentially necessary - if you or someone you know has suffered with an eating disorder, this chapter may be triggering.

Chris returned from tour in the middle of the night.

After setting his things down and stripping down to his boxer-briefs as quietly as he could, Chris crawls into bed next to Eve and exhales deeply, happy to be next to her again. She would be graduating the day after tomorrow, and Chris was so happy that he could be there to support her. Eve was an incredible artist, and once she graduated, she would really be able to hone in all of her focus on her art and work, which was something she'd been looking forward to for some time now. Chris was happy for her.

In the darkness, Chris feels a soft kiss on his lips. Chris smiles and kisses Eve back, slowly and tenderly. He pulls her to him and finds that she was wearing a T-shirt and panties, but nothing else. The T-shirt soon comes off though, as does everything else, and the two of them melt into each other like they'd been apart for years.

X

When Chris wakes up, his heart sinks.

Eve lay with her back turned to him, still sound asleep. The last couple of times that Chris had seen Eve, he'd suspected that she was getting thinner, but this was the first time it really became obvious. Eve was asleep completely naked, and while she wasn't entirely skin and bones, her ribs and hip bones were much more prominent than they used to be.

Eve's eyes flutter open and she turns to face Chris with a tired smile. Her eyes looked slightly sunken in, as did her cheeks, making her cheekbones stand out more than they used to.

How had this happened so fast?!

"Hmmm...Morning," Eve says with a smile; it then falters as she sees Chris's face, "What's wrong?"

Chris pauses, his mind whirling as he tried to think of something to say. Finally, he takes Eve's hand and smiles.

"Nothing," He lies, a plan already forming in his head, "I guess I'm just not used to not waking up in a bunk."

Eve's smile comes back, "Well, I'm glad you're home."

Chris nods and sighs, "Yeah, I'm glad I'm home too..."

X

When Eve walked across the stage to receive her diploma, Chris was filled with so many emotions and he couldn't decide which ones to focus on. On the one hand, he was so happy and proud of Eve for such a major accomplishment. Her graduating was the beginning of the rest of her life, and Chris was so excited to see where Eve's art career would take her.

On the other hand, he was extremely worried.

Since Eve was wearing a graduation gown, the amount of weight she'd lost wasn't quite as obvious. But she just looked so...tired. Her skin used to be tan and rosy, but now, especially under the stage lights, she looked pale. Chris wasn't sure what was going on, as he'd seen Eve eat since he was home - but was she only eating because he was there? Chris remembered seeing her totally over work herself at the gym too.

He had a plan to find out what was going on. For now though, he kept a smile on his face and applauded when Eve received her degree.

X

"So, what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?" Eve asks as the two of them walk up to the house.

"I've got some ideas," Chris says.

He opens the front door to reveal all of their friends standing in the living room.

"Surprise!" Everyone exclaims.