All of the cave drawings were from her.  

Eva wasn’t sure what her intentions were when she invited the four of them to her little cave.  She had no idea what she was doing. It was her space.  Her little pocket, seperate from the universe.  No one else’s.

So something told her that she needed to invite a couple friends.

Heck, she didn’t even know if she could trust them.  She had met Andy at the beginning of the year in english.  They were just barely acquainted. She met Ruby at an art convention two years ago; at least they had known each other for a while.  And thank goodness Luc was a childhood friend, someone she knew she could trust.

But why did Eva invite her?

They only had one class together; art.  She sat all the way on the other side of the room, in the back corner of a table.  The loud table, the one filled with the people who only took art for the credit. It was a wonder as to why she chose to sit there, considering she barely ever spoke a word.

But when she did…

“It’s one mouthful of badass.” Luc says, pulling his knees up to his chest in the small, cramped space of the cave.  “That’s for sure. I wish you could’ve seen the look on his face when she flat out proved him wrong.”

Eva nods absentmindedly, her amber eyes drifting over to the cave drawings on the wall, just above Luc’s head of sandy colored hair.  The new ones, the drawings that she had been delightfully surprised to find when she dragged Luc to the cave.

They were flowers.  Roses, daisies, lilies, and tulips.  Even through the rough, muddy surface of the cave, Myka’s talent shone through the walls.  Eva knew she loved drawing flowers. Most of the time there would be a stray rose or a sunflower sketched in the mud, signifying that Myka had been there.  Now, there was a whole bouquet of flowers, autographed at the bottom with a heart and a big “M.”

“But who cares about Myka?” Luc continues, dragging his twig through the dirt floor.  “What was it you wanted to tell me?”

Eva’s head is in a fog, an accustomed way of blocking out the stress and anxiety she’s feeling.  The cave seems dim, even though there’s still a ray of golden sun claiming the horizon. She looks at Luc, but all she can see is the cave drawings above his head.

“I do.”

It’s quiet in the cave for a while.  Luc doesn’t know what to say to the broad statement.

“Well, if I knew we were coming here to say our wedding vows, I would have done a little more preparation.”

Eva doesn’t say anything.  “I mean,” she says after a moment, “I care.  About Myka.”

The easygoing look says plastered on Luc’s face, and he continues to draw squares into the dirt.  “Well yeah, I know.” He chuckles. “I was joking.”

“No,” Eva says, exasperated.  She’s bordering on the point of no return, and she knows it.  The fog surrounding her head grows in response. “I mean, I care about her.”

The sound doesn’t change in the cave.  The two of them can still hear the birds chirping outside and the waves gently lapping at the sand on the beach.  But the air, the air grows so thick, and she can only hope that he gets it this time.

“Oh,” he says.  Though the word lets her down, it ends on a note that she can’t quite make out.  Confusion? Surprise? Shock? Wonder? Eva holds a breath and waits for something else.

“Well?” she prompts when he doesn’t elaborate.  Her voice borders on panicked.

He looks up from the ground.  “You do mean you care care about her right?  Like care?”

Though she would laugh on any normal day, Eva groans at the sentence.  “Yes, Luc. Do I have to say it again? I like Myka.”

Luc nods in thought for a moment, then to Eva’s surprise, he pulls out his phone.  Panic takes her. What was he doing? Her mind seeks out the worst possible scenarios.  Did he hate her now? Was he calling the police to report her intruding on government owned land?  Or worse…

Was he calling Myka?

“Hey, Ruby.  Guess what?” Luc says with a smirk on his face, absentmindedly drawing circles in the ground.  

Ruby?  What was he doing?  Was he just going to outright spill her secret to her friend?  Eva wants to stop him, say something, but her throat is closed up and her eyes are foggy. From the haze or fresh tears, she doesn’t know.

“Yeah, yeah,” Luc says to the squabbling voice on the phone.  “Anyways, you owe me twenty dollars.”

What is going on?

“Yup.”  He says, a grin spreading across his face.  “Yes! I freaking told you.”  Eva can hear more of Ruby’s rushed ranting on the other end, and to her surprise, it doesn’t sound bad.  She wants to hope that everything’s okay, but she won’t let herself think that, yet.

“You better have that twenty bucks by tomorrow, Ruby.  Yeah. Okay, see you.”

Eva can’t stop herself anymore.  Tears rush down her face, drip down her chin.  “What just happened? Why did you call Ruby?”

“Oh, calm down, Evie,” Luc reassures, setting his stick down and crawling over to Eva.  “Ruby and I placed a little bet.” Smiling, he draped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her tightly.  “Though it sounds ridiculous, I’ve kind of known you’re in totally love with Myka. For, like, a long time.”

Eva’s eyes widen under Luc’s protective, comforting arm.  “What?” she asks, stunned. “How?”

Luc shrugs and picks up his stick.  “I don’t know, but based on the flowers she draws you, I daresay the feeling’s mutual.” he adds, smiling.