"Friend?"
Just one word. But that single word froze her.
She remembered how Axel hated Oscar after that day.
"Yes. A friend," she said firmly.
"You mean… Stella?"
She laughed softly. "Are you teasing me? Stella's my sister, not a friend."
"Ah, sorry… I know she is." His chuckle came through the line, low and amused. "But I also remember you said you don't have any close friends."
"You know Oscar, right?" she asked.
There was a brief silence before Axel finally replied, his tone slow and deep. "Oscar…"
Evelyn's lips twitched nervously.
She heard Oscar had tried to provoke him during their first phone call, and how Axel had gotten jealous after seeing her save Oscar's name in her phone with a heart emoji.
Yes, that Oscar," she explained. "He's visiting our country, so I want to treat him to a nice lunch and help him feel really welcome here."
