After the farewell dinner, it was nearing 5 a.m.
For someone like William, sleep was irrelevant. Even if he were to go without it for a century, it wouldn’t affect him.
But Evelyn was different.
She was just an ordinary person—attending school by day and working at night. Naturally, her body would feel the strain over time.
Upon leaving the bar, Evelyn paused, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Were you joking earlier? How can someone your age not know how to ride a bike?” she asked, a hint of astonishment evident in her gaze.
William sheepishly shook his head, “I genuinely don’t.”
Evelyn chuckled, replying, “Alright then, I’ll teach you.” She confidently mounted her bike and began demonstrating the basic techniques of cycling to William. Every move, every point of balance, she explained in great detail. For William, although it seemed like his first attempt, he caught on remarkably fast. It was almost as if, after just one demonstration from Evelyn, he could mimic her perfectly, handling the bike as though he had been riding for years.
Watching William ride effortlessly, a suspicion crossed Evelyn’s mind, “Is he doing this on purpose to get close to me?” The thought made her smile; after all, why would someone like William resort to such a tactic to approach her?
On the way back to school, only William and Evelyn remained.
Cycling side by side on the quiet road, there was no tension between them, and clearly, no ulterior motives.
“Evelyn, do you have any wishes?” William now seemed like a veritable magic lamp. Should Evelyn voice a desire, he could fulfill it for her.
While others might boast about plucking stars from the sky, if William wanted to fetch something from any place in our solar system, the Milky Way, or even further, he certainly could. He could even use his superpowers to shrink planets down to the size of a grain of rice.
“I don’t have any wishes.” Even though Evelyn felt that William seemed to be on a path of redemption, they hadn’t known each other well enough to delve into personal aspirations.
Then, casually, William asked, “With your work schedule, do you ever get to sleep?”
“I take naps during the day, so it’s fine,” Evelyn replied, feeling that silence between them might be more awkward. Laughing, she added, “Weren’t you doing well working at the bar? Why’d you quit?”
William replied, “Consider it me having earned enough to get by. Besides, catering to the whims of the wealthy isn’t all that appealing.”
When he first started at the bar, he considered leveraging his talents to thrive. But because of him, the clientele changed, and it wasn’t something Maria and Caleb could handle anymore.
William didn’t want to resort to violence at every turn. In this peaceful era without war, if he wanted to blend into society successfully, the best he could do was adhere to its rules.
“You made enough in just two days?” Evelyn had no idea how much William had earned over those two days. She’d guessed at most a few thousand dollars and never imagined William could make thirty thousand dollars in just two days.
“It’s enough for now. Money isn’t that important to me,” William paused before adding, “After all, I have tuition to pay next year, and I need to cover everyday expenses. Maybe I’ll have to find another job.”
“You… you pay your own tuition?” Evelyn suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie, thinking that perhaps those living on East 62nd Street weren’t particularly well-off either. 𝗼𝐯𝗹．𝐞𝘁
“Not this year,” William replied, “but I will from the next.”
Tentatively, Evelyn asked, “Oh, so your parents don’t support you?”
“They passed away when I was very young,” William was clear on one thing: to have a fruitful conversation, it helped if both parties were on somewhat equal footing. After all, why else would there be different cliques?
“I’m sorry,” Evelyn quickly apologized and changed the subject, “I remember the owner of the house next to mine is named Brian. You’re renting from him?”
Riding beside Evelyn, William could faintly smell a subtle fragrance emanating from her. He smiled, “That property used to belong to my family. I moved in only recently for my studies.”
“Oh! So your family must have been quite wealthy back in the day, owning such a large property.”
Gradually, Evelyn was letting her guard down with William, engaging in casual chatter.
William chuckled, “You could say that. My grandfather was a renowned businessman. However, due to the Great Depression in 1929, our family fortunes dwindled.”
Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Evelyn inquired, “Are you close to Lila?”
“Not really. I met her just a couple of days ago. I’m new to New York. Her grandfather knew mine, so she showed me around the school.”
Crafting tales about his own grandfather, William was adept at spinning stories without batting an eyelid.
Their casual conversation made the journey less awkward. By the time they reached the school entrance, dawn had broken, and some breakfast joints were opening up.
“Let me treat you to breakfast,” William suggested, pointing to a nearby cozy breakfast spot.
Evelyn had barely eaten any grilled meat at the bar earlier, and she knew that if she went home to sleep at this hour, she’d probably find it hard to wake up later. So she nodded in agreement and parked her bikes in front of the small diner.
Though William chatted casually with Evelyn throughout their journey, he was also observing her physical condition. Evelyn’s health seemed rather frail. Just two nights of working at the bar had left her visibly exhausted. If she kept up this pace, she’d surely wear herself out.
From Evelyn’s job choices and their recent conversation, William could tell that if he offered her money, she’d definitely refuse. Direct help would undoubtedly be turned down by Evelyn.
So the only option left was to treat her to breakfast.
Two cups of coffee and two egg sandwiches were served. As William handed one of the sandwiches to Evelyn, a trace of golden blood seeped from his fingertip and soaked into the sandwich.
“Thank you,” Evelyn said politely as she accepted the sandwich.
William faintly smiled. His blood had the unique ability to restore youthfulness. While it couldn’t grant eternal life, it could extend one’s lifespan by twenty years.
Evelyn ate leisurely. After finishing the sandwich, she felt a sudden surge of energy. All her fatigue vanished, and she felt rejuvenated.
“Why don’t I feel tired anymore?” Evelyn questioned, furrowing her brows. She had been extremely exhausted earlier, but after the meal, she felt as if she’d had a full night’s sleep. She even felt energetic enough to run a couple of laps around a track.
Looking at her as if she was a child discovering something new, William chuckled, “Feeling full often gives one energy.”
“But this sensation is extraordinary!” Evelyn remarked, glancing at William, who had already polished off his sandwich. She hesitated before adding, “I won’t go into school with you later. I’ll head in first.”
Evelyn knew that if they entered the school campus together and were seen, it would undoubtedly spark rumors. Being well-aware of such consequences might have been one of the reasons she agreed to breakfast in the first place.
“That’s fine, I really enjoyed our chat,” William replied. “It’s the weekend tomorrow; you’ll be heading home, right? We could travel together.”
“That works. Though I’ll leave tomorrow morning. I have work tonight,” Evelyn didn’t decline. After their chat during their journey, her impression of William had improved. Given they were neighbors, traveling together wasn’t an issue.