Funny how in one moment they were fighting like cats and dogs, but the next he had his arms wrapped around her and they were playing their parts in this charade. She looked at him with the cutest you’re-an-ass-but-I-still-love-you expression she could make, hoping it was good enough for the nosy neighbor to buy it. But hearing him joke like that she couldn’t help but wrinkle up her nose and playfully punch his shoulder. “Stop that!” a small laugh rolled over her lips. “You’ll be cleaning that up by yourself,” she joked back connecting her hands behind his neck once more. Even though it still gave her the creeps, since she was a witness to a murder, it was strange how she could laugh about shooting people so easily. For some weird reason Evelyn felt safe with Vance, like he could protect her if something bad happened. But that was probably just a figment of her imagination. She didn’t know him, he didn’t know her, they didn’t even know the other existed before they had to take upon these fake lives. They were practically strangers and why would one stranger care about an other? She noticed him shooting a glance at the window behind her. Maybe the coast was clear and they didn’t have to pretend anymore. Evelyn was about to turn her head when suddenly Vance leaned in taking her by surprise and locked their lips in a kiss. A kiss so soft and tender that Evelyn forgot they were acting. Vance had given her an impression of a tough, slightly rugged guy, who won’t take shit from no one, but that kiss… So soft, so sweet, so gentle… Raising on her toes she kissed him back, arms wrapping tighter around his neck, arching her back just so slightly to press her body against his, eager to be closer. It took her a while to remember this was just an act. Realizing that she gently broke the kiss and lowered herself back on full feet. She didn’t know what to say, she just looking in his eyes still mesmerized from the kiss.
It was hard to believe that they were both forced into this situation, to play out these fake lives together. When Vance had first been told he’d be put into witness protection, he hadn’t the slightest clue that he’d have to play house with a complete stranger, in a setting that was totally foreign compared to the anything but perfect life he was accustomed to. If he’d known that beforehand, he honestly would have probably opted to chance it on his own by changing his identity and fleeing the country, probably even the whole damn continent. However, despite the torture and possibly problematic hell he’d been putting her through since meeting, Evelyn was slowly but surely starting to grow on the former gangster. Of course, he enjoyed nothing more than to get her all riled up, just for the reaction, but he knew that when it came down to it, he would do everything in his power to keep her ( and himself ) safe. Being able to kiss her on a whim with the excuse that they needed to play their part was just an added bonus. Her lips were so velvety soft, the kiss so earnest, that for a split second, he completely forgot about the charade and even the group of people mingling outside. For that brief moment, it was just the two of them. That is, until he felt Evelyn pull back. Almost chasing her lips with his own, Vance had to stop himself, though he was slightly disappointed that it had to end. “I think that did the trick,” he finally muttered, but made no effort to pry himself away from her just yet, as he was completely captivated by the woman still wrapped up in his arms, unable to decipher the chill that had coursed down his spine once their lips had connected. “Very... convincing.” The tip of his tongue poked out to smooth over his lips at an agonizingly slow pace, gears still grinding away in his head, before he reluctantly released her from his secure hold. “Could use a little work, though.” A hint of a smirk could be seen playing along his lips as he eyed her, and then averted his gaze to the window to survey their guests, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Should we go out there and play perfect hosts now?”