Chapter two - the man who promised Forever(Lincoln)

Evelyn met Lincoln in the most ordinary place imaginable.

A classroom.

It was a hot Tuesday afternoon, the kind that made the air feel heavy and slow. The lecture hall was crowded, students filling the long wooden seats while the ceiling fans spun lazily above them.

Evelyn slipped into a seat near the middle, placing her bag beside her.

She had no idea someone was watching her.

Lincoln Hayes noticed her the moment she walked in.

He didn’t know her name.

He didn’t know her course.

But something about the way she carried herself caught his attention.

Maybe it was her calm expression while everyone else rushed in late.

Maybe it was the way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while reading her notes.

Or maybe it was simply that he had never seen her before.

Lincoln leaned toward his friend.

“Who is that?” he whispered.

His friend glanced in Evelyn’s direction.

“No idea.”

Lincoln kept watching her.

After class, Evelyn walked out of the lecture hall with her notebook pressed against her chest.

She didn’t notice the tall figure walking behind her.

“Excuse me.”

She turned around.

And suddenly she understood why several girls nearby were staring.

Lincoln was striking.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp features and confident eyes that made it difficult to look away. His smile appeared effortlessly charming, the kind that suggested he knew exactly what effect he had on people.

“Hi,” he said.

Evelyn blinked.

“Hi?”

“I just realized we’re in the same class.”

“Oh.”

There was an awkward pause.

Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m Lincoln.”

“Evelyn.”

“Nice name.”

“Thank you.”

Another pause.

Lincoln suddenly laughed.

“I’m not usually this awkward.”

Evelyn smiled slightly.

“What are you usually?”

“Smooth.”

She laughed.

And Lincoln knew right then that he wanted to hear that sound again.

Their first real conversation happened three days later.

Evelyn was sitting at the campus café studying when Lincoln appeared in front of her table.

“Mind if I sit?”

“You already did,” she replied.

He grinned.

For the next hour they talked about everything except the lecture they were supposed to be studying for.

Lincoln told her he wanted to become a surgeon.

Evelyn told him she still wasn’t sure what she wanted.

“You’ll figure it out,” he said confidently.

“How do you know?”

“Because people like you always do.”

“People like me?”

“Quiet. Thoughtful. Slightly mysterious.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes.

“You just met me.”

“Exactly.”

She shook her head, but she was smiling.

Lincoln quickly became impossible to ignore.

He was everywhere.

Waiting outside her classes.

Texting her random questions.

Stealing her fries when they ate together.

But unlike Alex, Lincoln was bold.

He didn’t hide how much he liked her.

Two weeks after meeting her, he asked:

“Are you dating anyone?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to take you out.”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

“That was very confident.”

Lincoln leaned back in his chair.

“Confidence works.”

She studied him carefully.

“Alright.”

Lincoln blinked.

“Alright?”

“Yes.”

He laughed loudly.

“I was not expecting that to be so easy.”

Their first date was simple.

Just dinner at a small restaurant near campus.

But Lincoln made it feel special.

He opened the door for her.

He pulled out her chair.

He listened when she talked.

At one point he looked across the table at her and said quietly,

“You’re different from anyone I’ve met.”

Evelyn felt her heart skip.

“Different how?”

“Real.”

That word stayed with her long after the night ended.

Months passed quickly.

Lincoln and Evelyn became inseparable.

They studied together.

They traveled together during school holidays.

They spent long evenings walking through quiet streets, talking about the future.

Lincoln loved planning.

He talked about the hospital he wanted to work in someday.

The house he wanted to buy.

The life he imagined building.

“You’ll be there too,” he told Evelyn once.

She looked surprised.

“Where?”

“In my future.”

The way he said it made her believe him.

By their first anniversary, Lincoln had become everything Evelyn thought she wanted.

He was reliable.

Strong.

Ambitious.

And unbelievably handsome.

Sometimes people stared at them when they walked together.

Evelyn used to laugh about it.

“You know everyone is looking at you, right?”

Lincoln shrugged.

“I’m used to it.”

“Of course you are.”

But despite his confidence, Lincoln was also surprisingly gentle with her.

When she was stressed about exams, he stayed up all night helping her study.

When she felt overwhelmed, he listened patiently.

“You’re safe with me,” he told her once.

And Evelyn believed that too.

But somewhere during their second year together…

Things began to change.

Slowly.

Almost invisibly.

Lincoln became more focused on his career.

His days filled with classes, hospital rotations, and endless studying.

Evelyn didn’t mind at first.

She admired his dedication.

But eventually she noticed something else.

Lincoln was always planning the future.

Evelyn was living in the present.

“You should be more ambitious,” he told her one night.

They were sitting in his apartment.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You’re too comfortable.”

“With what?”

“With just existing.”

The comment stung.

“I’m figuring things out,” she said quietly.

Lincoln sighed.

“You’ve been figuring things out for two years.”

“Because we a student, i can’t do anything about that “ she said rolling her eyes

Their arguments started small.

Little disagreements about priorities.

About time.

About expectations.

“You don’t understand pressure,” Lincoln said during one argument.

“And you don’t understand feelings,” Evelyn replied.

He laughed bitterly.

“Feelings don’t build careers.”

“And careers don’t build relationships.”

The room fell silent.

For the first time, they looked at each other like strangers.

The fights became more frequent.

Lincoln grew impatient with her calm personality.

Evelyn grew tired of his constant ambition.

“You’re too emotional,” he snapped once.

“And you’re too cold,” she replied.

The words hung heavily between them.

Neither apologized.

One evening, after a long argument, Lincoln stared at her with frustration.

“Why are we even together?”

The question shocked her.

“You asked me out,” she reminded him.

“That was two years ago.”

“And?”

“People change.”

Evelyn felt anger rising in her chest.

“Yes,” she said.

“They do.” She said as she grabbed her jacket and stormed off not wanting the matter to escalate but she was wrong

“If you walk out on me, we are done” suddenly a cold voice spoke she froze for a bit but the constant fight and random augment were just too much for her so she left

Lincoln voice yelling as the distances were getting further

Their breakup didn’t happen in a dramatic moment.

It happened slowly.

Like a rope unraveling.

Until finally there was nothing left holding them together.

One night they sat across from each other in silence.

Neither spoke for a long time.

Finally Lincoln said,

“We’re too different.”

Evelyn nodded.

“Yes.”

He rubbed his face tiredly.

“We keep hurting each other.”

She starred at his tired face she opened her mouth but nothing came out

Another long silence.

Then Lincoln stood up breaking the silence

By that time Evelyn had regained her voice

As she said

“I think we should end this.”

Lincoln felt the anger surge inside him

She face was with disbelief and anger, he was indeed the emotional one among them but he just blurted out “okay”

Evelyn looked surprised and sad

She was not expecting that reply she thought they would argue as usual and be done but the room was quiet and heavy

She thought to herself what if she made a mistake

Why did I blurt a break up

“You’re not going to argue?”

She said looking up at the tall handsome face that was just staring at her

“No.” He said looking away but his voice gave it away,

She looked at him carefully.

Two years of love ended in one quiet conversation.

Lincoln walked her to the door.

They stood there awkwardly.

“You were important to me,” he said.

“You were important to me too.”

But the warmth that once existed between them had disappeared.

They looked at each other like people who had already become strangers.

“Take care, Evelyn,” he said.

“You too, Lincoln.”

Months later, Evelyn saw him again on campus.

He walked past her without stopping.

It felt strange, no hello

Neither spoke.

Neither smiled.

It was strange to think that two people who once promised forever…

Could eventually become people who couldn’t even stand each other.

She knew Lincoln hated her but she just felt sad

She really loved him the way they did everything the same … she was not going to slow him down