Time flies by when you're having fun, at least that's what most people said. Evelyn never heard anyone say anything about time crawling by when the rest of the night turned into a nightmare. The first time she felt time crawl by was when she was taught division in class and nothing made sense. The second time was the hours of discussion with her lawyer while her parents only glared at her. And after that, it was something she faced on at least a monthly basis.

Soon, it turned into an experience and it didn't bother her as much as it used to. That day, however, was an exception. It felt like it had been hours since she arrived at the station, hours since she was on the call, but it had only been thirty-one minutes.

She didn't have to imagine how much harder it would have been on Levi, for all he did was sit beside her in silence, hoping to hear any good news.

Evelyn put her phone down and looked at Levi, whose face had turned red due to his silent tears. She looked at him with pity, but it wasn't the right time to show her sympathy.

"I was talking to your father. We've handled the situation for now," Evelyn said, her face stoic.

"What do you mean?" Levi asked, hope in his voice.

"Considering that this is your first offense, and your father has been related in this field for years, we have tried for house arrest," she said. She expected him to show a sign of joy or excitement, but his face turned to dread instead.

"What's the matter? This is good news," she said.

"I-I just didn't expect to hear the word arrest," Levi said. He looked and sounded vulnerable which caught Evelyn off guard. 

She should have realized that he wasn't even aware of what exactly was going on. It seemed obvious to her but he didn't have a reason to know any better. Once again, she felt pity towards him but this time it was much more. Every time she looked at his fragile state, she was drawn to him more. There was a feeling of such familiarity between them that she wasn't able to shake off. 

"I suppose I should have made it much clearer," she began, her tone solemn, "they received the arrest warrant a few hours after they had called us in. My guess is they were already expecting it and hoped to be done with the case without a proper trial but that didn't happen. I got the information from your father a bit sooner so I started looking into the possibility of house arrest immediately."

The look Levi gave Evelyn was filled with confusion. She didn't know how to give him hope but it didn't feel right to just watch as his head spiraled.

"Your father made it possible. Besides the fact that this is your first offense, you must have realized that there was money involved," Evelyn said. Levi seemed taken aback but it wasn't Evelyn's position to question him. So, she kept quiet and waited for Levi to ask whatever he wanted.

"What happens next?" Levi asked and this time his voice was much calmer.

"You will be assigned a probation officer who will check on you regularly. You will be given a GPS Ankle Bracelet which you need to wear at all times. The terms aren't clear yet but you mostly won't be allowed to attend school," Evelyn said. There was a lot of information she was leaving out and it was probably for the best. Levi just seemed to be warming up to the idea and she didn't find a need to bombard him with information. 

"I'll be honest, I didn't think my father would help me," Levi said, choking up.

"And why's that?" Evelyn asked.

"He made it clear that he thought it was my fault and I didn't deserve to get away with it," Levi said, sounding hurt.

Evelyn hesitated. She didn't want to get involved in their personal matter but Levi told her hoping that someone would listen to him. She wanted to keep all things professional but what would she have done if her lawyer did the same with her?

"He's still your father and he loves you. You clearly don't think that's true but it is. He might think it's your fault and it probably is but he wouldn't abandon his own son," Evelyn said.

"What makes you think that?" Levi asked, doubting her words.

"I was on a call with him for so long. I could tell," Evelyn said.

"No, I meant what makes you think that it's probably my fault?" Levi asked.

"You've given me no reason to trust you. As your lawyer, it's my duty to prove your innocence but it doesn't force me to believe the lies you tell," Evelyn said, taking the opportunity of this moment to let him know what she actually felt.

"But I-" he began but Evelyn didn't give him the chance to speak.

"Save it, Mr.Coleman. I can try to clear your name with the little information I have but it isn't going to be enough. I hope you have realized the severity of the situation at least now and do the needful," she said, her voice thick as steel. 

She was tired of repeating the same thing to him over and over again. There was only so much she could do, the rest relied on him and he didn't seem to care about the outcome anymore.

"I'm sorry Evelyn. I don't know how to start and whether I should-" Levi said.

"First of all, it's Ms. Turner. And second, you start by giving me Andrea's e-mail ID. You may find it unnecessary but I do not. It's time you let me run this case in the way I deem it best," Evelyn said. Her moment of unprofessionalism was over, for her head was in the game.

"The details of the house arrest will be discussed tomorrow. Until then, your father will be staying to make sure you don't leave the house under any circumstances," Evelyn said.

"Really?" Levi asked.

"He should be here to pick you up soon," Evelyn said, "Goodnight Mr.Coleman. Send me that e-mail as soon as possible." Evelyn said as she got up from the chair.

"Also, you don't need to tell the police anything tonight. I've cleared everything up. Just get home safe with your father," she said and waved him a quick goodbye.

She headed straight for her car, heaving a sigh of relief when she got out of the building. It had been a long and exhausting day and all she could think of was having a good night's rest. 

After all, it was only the beginning.

⋆ ★ ⋆

Levi entered his house right after his father and all the suffocation that he had felt in the last few hours disappeared. He knew it was far from over but it didn't hurt to pretend for one night.

The ride back him had been silent as neither of them uttered a word which disappointed Levi. Sure, he didn't want to know how Evelyn knew his father cared about him but ever since she mentioned it, all he could think about was running into his arms, into his warmth. 

He paused as his father stopped walking and blocked the path in front of him. Levi waited, knowing that this was his father's way of letting him know that he wanted to talk.

"Sit down Levi," his father ordered as he motioned to a spot next to his regular seat. Levi sat beside him and waited. 

Levi would never admit it but he'd always hoped that his father would talk to him the way he used to when he was still in middle school. He knew he was partly the reason they didn't talk anymore but neither of them made the effort. He couldn't help but feel awkward by the silence that filled the room.

"How are you, Levi?" his father finally spoke, sounding hesitant.

"I could be better," Levi said, the awkwardness still in the room.

"Evelyn Turner is a wonderful lawyer. You'll be fine as long as you cooperate," his father said.

Levi hated it. He knew he had no right to be angry. He knew that it was all his fault. But the fact that he thought his father would say anything other than blame him made him livid.

"What makes you think I don't cooperate?" Levi asked, bitter. It was true but his father had no idea, he wasn't even there and he was still judging him.

"For god's sake Levi, don't make this a fucking pity party," his father said.

"That is not what this is! You can't even assure me that it will be alright, can you?" Levi asked, raising his voice.

"That is exactly what I tried to do! I can't help it if you twist my words to your liking!" his father said, screaming back at him.

"You think I like hearing that it's all my fault? I get it alright! I know this is all my fault, I know it could have been fucking avoided! I'm sorry for being such a fucking disappointment!" Levi yelled as bitter tears formed in his eyes.

How he had hoped that what Evelyn said was true but it was not the case. He could yell at his father, he could make it seem like it was his father's fault but he was convincing no one, not even himself.

He let his tears stream down his face as he looked at his feet, unwilling to look his father in the eye. He felt his father's palm on his shoulder and that made his back stiffen.

"You're not a disappointment Levi. Whatever you did do, it could have been avoided but it's a little too late for that now. I am angry at you for what you did but I'd never leave you on your own," his father said in a low voice.

Levi looked at him with glowing eyes. His father pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him, leaving Levi stunned through the whole embrace.

He shook his head and let himself enjoy the moment while it lasted. His life wasn't going to be the same anymore and he knew that the next few days would be hell but he let himself forget about it.

Everything was going wrong yet somehow, the moment seemed right.