DANAI

The sun peeked through the blinds that morning, and Danai could feel the warmth on her skin. She groaned and stretched, which was when she realised that her sheets and comforter were practically wrapped around her like a burrito. Danai grunted as she yanked the bedding out from under her, and ended up sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Well,” she huffed, “I guess it’s time to get up.”

She went through her routine, scratching her belly as she brushed her teeth, and she tried to recall the night before while she washed her face. Though that drink she got was not great, it kept her from drinking too much; and thank god for that. The conversation she had with Everitt came flooding back to her, and Nai grimaced while rubbing toner onto her face. She was really comfortable, and honest, with him. Luckily, Everitt didn’t ask too much, because she had a feeling she would have told him whatever. Nai had a habit of oversharing at times, especially when people were kind enough to ask. She was also sleep-deprived, and surrounded by the husky scent coming off of that man. Just thinking about it made her most delicate area pulsate.

Nai needed to get it together. They had almost had sex in her office, and he had scented and made out with her in the span of a few days. Every time they were alone it was apparently just a matter of time before one, or both, of them lost control and pounced on the other. This interview with Everitt was a great opportunity for her career. It could really put her on the map, and in the minds of the selection committee for The Nano Awards.

Those TV broadcast awards were what most journalists aspired to, and Nai had dreamed of getting one since she realised it was her dream to be a TV anchor, and someday have her own segment. One of those dreams was now a reality, and all that was left was to clinch that award. Her bosses and mentors had mentioned that they felt she’d get it soon, and once they brought up the possibility she was filled with hope. Danai didn’t wanna be too optimistic; there were so many other journalists out there, and anyone could be thought to be better than her. But, the fact that she was chosen to be interviewed by Everitt Riley told her that she might really be the one to watch.

As annoying and condescending as she felt Everitt could be, the man knew what he was doing. He was respected in broadcasting, and everyone wanted him on their shows or working for them. Everitt had three Nano awards of his own, one of which had been Most Promising Young Anchor. That was the one Danai was going for, and she had some respect for him for winning it. 

Danai put some rosehip oil onto her face, took off her bonnet to reveal her long twists, then smiled at her reflection. She was still in her pyjamas, which consisted of a beige short-sleeve with faux buttons at the front, and loose matching shorts. It was a Saturday, though, and she had nowhere to be anytime soon, so she looked fine.

She grabbed her phone, then jogged down the steps, and her feet had just touched the first floor when she heard someone knocking on her door. Danai looked at it and wondered if she’d ordered any packages or something. She glanced down at herself again, then checked in the mirror to make sure her nipples weren’t visible before she walked over to the door. Nai looked through the peephole, then cursed inwardly.

The one part of the night that she had forgotten about until just then; inviting him over.

Her heart pounded and she stepped back for a second to calm down. It was no big deal, he was just a guy, and maybe he was just here because she left something at the bar. The fact that she was checking her eyes for missed crust and making sure her hair was fine could just be chalked up to the habits she had before she opened the door. There was a light knock again as she took in a deep breath, and she waited for it to stop before she unlocked and finally opened the door.

“Oh,” Danai raised her brows, “Everitt... What are you doing here?”

Everitt stood there, in the cold winter morning, with an opened thick brown overcoat, and a black sweater underneath. His grey scarf hung around his neck, and his collarbone was perfectly exposed. For once, he had on jeans, dark blue ones, and some Vans. His hair, usually gelled and sprayed back into a neat quiff, was now parted in the middle and falling down by his eyes. 

Dammit, he looked good.

He quirked a brow at her, and a smile played on his face. Everitt opened his mouth to reply, but then his eyes travelled up and down her body. Danai swallowed, and tried to ignore how warm that made her feel.

“I thought I’d take you up on your offer to ‘get my shit settled,’” Everitt smiled, quoting Danai’s words from the night before. He lifted his hands, showing the grocery bags Nai hadn’t noticed he was carrying, “and I brought food.”

She looked at the bags, then at him, and couldn’t help the laugh that came out of her. Of all the people that would be standing in front of her door on a Saturday, it had to be Everitt. She had asked him to come, even if she forgot about it. Considering the bickering that always seemed to befall them at some point, she figured Everitt would be in and out before she knew it. But as she stood aside to let him in, she suddenly felt exposed in her pjs. The way he’d raked his eyes over her moments before made her wonder how long they’d stay on, especially with him now in her house.

“You can hang your coat in the closet. The kitchen’s that way,” Danai said from behind him while she pointed to the right of her living room. “I’m gonna get changed, but I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t wait for Ev to respond before she ran upstairs to create some kind of physical barrier between her and the enticing alpha. The sweat-shorts and university crewneck she decided on left more to the imagination, but were more than comfortable enough for what she expected would still be a day in. After the weeks of hard work she’d had, Nai needed it.

When she opened her door to go back downstairs, the smell of eggs and what smelled like breakfast sausages hit her nose. She breathed in it, and sighed, which made her look forward even more to going down and seeing what Everitt was cooking in her kitchen. She rounded the corner and the sight she found there made her heart throb. 

Everitt, in all his alpha arrogance, was standing in her kitchen making scrambled eggs, sausages, and toast with Nai’s beige ‘I love you a latte’ apron on. The sleeves of his sweater were rolled up as he worked, and exposed his mildly hairy forearms. He looked comfortable in her kitchen, and a part of her felt some hope at the site. It felt good to have him there, and this felt like a dream that she’d been having for years.

“You did not have to cook,” Danai whispered, suddenly feeling shy. Everitt looked over at her, eyes wide for a moment before they settled back into a calm gaze, and he shrugged. He scooped equal portions of the eggs onto two plates, then added the sausages and toast.

“What do you put on your toast?” He asked her. Danai looked up, thinking, because she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had toast. 

Everitt bit his lip, “or do you not eat toast? Damn, I should’ve asked first. Maybe you’re even vegan or-”

Nai laughed, “no, sorry, I just don’t eat it often. It’s all perfect. Honey and butter, please.”

Ev sighed, then nodded. He looked around her pantry for the things she asked, and Nai decided to go ahead and set the table. She put forks and knives in sets across from each other on her rectangular dining table, then set place mats on the dark wood surface. Danai grabbed two glasses, then checked her fridge for some drinks. Luckily, she had some apple juice, which was half-finished.

She put the glasses and juice on the table, then went to make herself some tea. The old-fashioned kettle she had took longer than an electric one, but Nai found the process to be cathartic. After a few minutes, the kettle whistled, and she took two mugs out from a cabinet. 

“Do you like tea?” Nai asked Everitt, who was putting the plates on the table. He looked back at her, then at the kettle she was holding.

“What kind?”

Nai picked up two boxes of tea leaves, “Earl grey or hibiscus.”

“I’ll have what you’re having,” he said before he went back to arranging the table.

She ignored the way she, and her omega, were pleased by how easily she and Everitt moved around her home making breakfast. It felt so natural, and Danai couldn’t help but wonder if this was the thing she’d been missing.

Danai made two cups of earl grey, adding milk and sugar to hers. She put some on the side for Everitt then brought everything to the table. He was sitting already, somehow leaving her preferred seat open. She almost asked how he knew, but then decided that the conversation that might inevitably follow might leave her oversharing and embarrassed.

“This looks really good,” Danai smiled at Everitt. “You really didn’t have to do this. I-”

“Seriously, Nai, I just wanted to.” He looked into her eyes, and his face had no signs of his usual amusement or that almost-permanent smirk. “I’ve been...” He sighed, and his eyes went to the food in front of them. He stared down at it for a while, and Nai tried to smell what he might have been thinking. His scent was a little sour, and she sensed some possible regret there. She wasn’t sure what it was about, though.

“This is just my way of apologising, and I was happy to do it.”

She wanted to ask more about why he was apologising, but he smiled in a way that she took to mean it was time to move on. He didn’t smell sour anymore, and his woody aroma came back to a sweet place. There wasn’t any need to ruin the mood.

“Okay, thank you. I’ll stop mentioning it,” was all Danai said before she dug into her food.

Everything was simple, honouring the flavours that came with them. Danai loved well-seasoned food, especially as someone who grew up in a Ugandan family. Breakfast, however, was always better done simply. Everything Everitt made was perfect for her, even the slight runny consistency of the eggs. It felt like a posh diner had set up shop in her kitchen, and she couldn’t help the moans that came out of her.

Everitt laughed, “enjoying your food?”

Danai shook her head and tried to smile, but it was hard to do with her cheeks resembling a chipmunk’s. She swallowed, which finally made it possible for her to speak. “It’s so good, oh my goodness.”

He smiled at Danai while he poured some milk into his mug of tea. “So you only curse when you’re tipsy?”

She stopped eating and sat up straight. Danai could remember what happened the night before, but not everything she said. She wasn’t shy about swearing, but that was outside of work, and in her years of working she was sure only Patrick had heard her slip up a few times. When Everitt quoted her earlier, she thought he was paraphrasing.

“Please tell me I only did that in front of you,” Nai sat back with a groan.

Everitt grinned, “that mean you feel safe with me? Have I made it into the inner circle?”

Danai rolled her eyes, “can you just answer the question?”

“Didn’t sound like a question to me-”

“Oh, my God!” Danai threw up her hands, and Everitt’s warm laughter filled the room. He put a hand to his left pec, and the motion made Nai feel warm inside. The sound of his amusement was like music to her ears.

He sighed, and wiped fake tears from his eyes, “no, you didn’t. Your reputation is intact. Well, even if you had, no one would’ve noticed. They were all bottles deep and out of it.”

“I’ve never seen Theo like that before,” she added, shaking her head as she poked more eggs and sausage.

They talked about their co-workers and continued their conversation from last night over their food. By the time they were close to the end of their tea and juice, Nai was making a list of things Everitt needed to watch today. She was determined to solve the problem of his cinematic ignorance while he was in her house.

“Before all of that,” she said, gesturing at an invisible something away from them, “can we please finalize what we’re doing for this interview? What are you gonna ask me?”

The smile on Everitt’s face fell a bit, but his eyes still had an amused sparkle to them. He looked off into the distance, then unlocked his phone.

“Okay, I have a list here of all the things I might ask-”

“Might?! But-”

Everitt held up his hand, “I say ‘might’ because some questions could be better than others depending on the direction of the interview. Don’t get your knickers in a twist, here’s the list.”

He placed his phone closer to her on the table, and Danai raised a brow at him in suspicion. Partly because he apparently had absolutely nothing to hide, and also his choice of words. She picked up the phone and carefully scrolled through the 25 questions he had open in a document. Nai nodded and hummed here and there, glancing up to find Everitt watching her each time. When she was satisfied, she gave him back his phone.