EVERITT

It was seven in the morning and Everitt was, yet again, deciding what to wear. For years, getting ready had been something that barely took him any time at all. His extra hours in the morning were spent memorising reports, exercising, or doing some research; almost exclusively things to further either his health or his career. Yet, he found himself putting more effort into his appearance in the last few weeks. His typical dress shirt and slacks combo was competing with sweaters, jackets, sweater and blazer combos, and other looks that he found complemented his evolving style. He stopped for a moment, shaking his head at the thought of even having his own style. It must have been something he’d gotten from Danai.

Meeting her at her office with breakfast in-hand before he went to his own, or getting lunch together, had become a daily habit for them. Nai stopped being suspicious and asking ‘why’ after the third time he did so, and he was careful not to tease her about that. He didn’t want to risk the habit returning. Though he’d made a point of avoiding attachment for years, seeing Danai just felt like an enjoyable part of his day. Everitt smiled as he laid out his outfit, thoughts of Danai’s same pleased expression when he went into her office everyday replaying in his mind. It was like it was the first time every time, and part of him wondered if he deserved to even enjoy that moment.

He shook the feeling away before going into the shower and getting dressed. Everitt had settled on a brown sweater and black slacks with a belt--a look he felt would be appreciated--and gave himself two spritzes of an Eau du Toilette before he left the bathroom. The blanket Ev had bought for Danai was folded and laid across the armrest of one of his sofas, and he could still smell her on it as he walked by. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then his keys and wallet before he left the condo.

Everitt was greeted with a smile by one of the guys that worked at the bagel shop he got breakfast from, and the man guessed Ev’s order before he even had a chance to say it. Though there were other customers in the place, the bagels and drinks were ready within minutes, and Everitt made sure to leave a big tip in the jar before he grabbed his order and thanked the employees.

‘Okay, maybe I should start mixing it up,’ He thought as he walked out.

After parking in his favourite spot, four spaces from the elevator, and beside a painted grid to give him optional space from other cars, Everitt enjoyed a mostly quiet ride up the elevator to Danai’s floor. A few people got in and out, but they were too focused on their devices and documents to maybe say more than a quick “morning” to each other, and that suited Everitt just fine. The doors opened to his destination, and the receptionist smiled as he walked past her. He was no longer asked or expected to check-in, and he preferred not to think too much about what Danai’s co workers thought of that.

Danai looked zoned-in on her work when Everitt knocked on her door, and it took her a few seconds after she turned to her head to look at him with her eyes. When she did, she offered him a smile before gesturing towards the seat in front of her. Everitt started towards the desk, then stopped and glanced at the couch not too far away.

“Why don’t we sit there?” He asked, nodding at the beige sofa in her office. There was a perfectly good coffee table in front of it, and it was more comfortable than her desk chairs. He knew that from... Experience.

She looked over at the couch, and her lips formed a silent ‘oh.’ Everitt didn’t miss the flustered expression on her face, or the way her thoughts seemed to race. He was sure she’d decline, and was about to offer her a way out, when Danai shrugged.

“Sure.”

Within seconds, she was sitting on the couch with her phone in hand. Danai raised her eyebrows at Everitt, who was still standing in the same spot. He considered asking her what she thought he was going to do, though he had a good idea, just to tease her. He loved teasing her. Everitt smiled instead, and set up the food the way he always did, just on the coffee table for a change.

He sat down beside her, their thighs touching, before he dug into the bag of bagels and handed Danai hers. She waited for Everitt to get his before they started eating breakfast in the silence of her office. More and more people were starting to file into the building, and the pair of them listened to the muffled chatter and footsteps outside of Nai’s office while they ate. The silence was comfortable, and Everitt made a subtle move to get a little closer to Danai on the couch so that his arm was by her side.

“They knew our order at the bagel shop,” he broke the silence, speaking to Nai between bites.

She covered her mouth before she spoke, looking away from the food in her hands to raise her eyebrows at him. “Who did?”

“The employees,” Everitt said. “I barely got a chance to say ‘hey’ before the guy at the counter was telling me my order.” He looked over at Danai with a small smile as she ate, watched her look off into the distance while she considered what he was saying. After swallowing, she looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Our order, huh?”

Everitt felt himself flush red immediately, the use of the word ‘our’ not even registering to him when he said it. It had felt so natural, and rang true, that he didn’t think twice about saying it. Yet, there he sat, blushing like a kid that was experiencing their first crush. Danai’s smile turned to a grin, a beautiful grin that showed off her teeth and lit up her whole face.

She nudged him in the arm with her elbow, “well, thanks for getting our food. I’m really enjoying it, as always.”

Everitt shook his head, but couldn’t help the smile that refused to leave his face. “You’re welcome.”

Nai finished the last of her bagel, then discarded the wrapper into the bag and moved onto her drink. She took a sip, looked at the cup, then at Ev. “And could you ask them to add a little recipe card to our bag? I love the chai, I wanna make it at home.”

He rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright-”

“Oh, and some extra napkins with our food would be great. I like to keep them in the office in case of emergencies,” Danai added, smirking. “Cause when we eat our food together, you can get a little crumby-”

Discarding his wrapper onto the coffee table, Everitt reached out to pull Danai into him by the waist. She laughed, half-heartedly telling him to stop while she grinned from ear to ear. He easily maneuvered their bodies so that Nai’s legs were across his lap and he was holding her so close that their noses nearly touched. Everitt leaned back slightly so that he could look at her face, so that he could get a good look at how happy she was.

Danai opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to reconsider as she closed it. Her eyes went from his eyes to his lips, and stayed there for a while. Without thinking, Everitt’s tongue jutted out to wet his bottom lip, then he bit it while he watched her. Nai sighed before smiling again, and she brought her fingers up to touch his mouth, then his chin, then his nose.

Everitt chuckled, his skin feeling ticklish as she traced it with her fingertips, “what’s on your mind?”

She shook her head, still focused on the outline of his lips. “Nothing, really.”

Her eyes came up to meet his gaze, the ghost of a smile still on her lips. Danai touched Everitt’s chin, then traced her finger along the line of his jaw, his skin shaved clean from earlier that morning. His face tingled from the ghost of her touch, and he felt his heart pounding a little more than it had been already.

Though they’d grown closer, and physical intimacy had become a regular occurrence between the two of them, it was almost exclusively initiated by Everitt. Even pulling Nai into his lap felt like a risk, and he was ready for her to push him away. Her touching him and looking at him the way she was, like he was the only guy in the world, made him feel like he’d woken up on the right side of the bed that morning.

“Have you ever grown a beard?” Nai asked, as serious as could be.

Everitt blinked, the aroused haze from the tension between them dissipated for a moment. “A beard?”

She nodded, holding his chin between her thumb and index finger, “yeah.”

The question took him back to high school, when he first tried to grow one after learning more about Movember and meeting his friend’s older brother. The man had the biggest beard Everitt had seen up to that point, and he felt like it made him as masculine as he could be. He looked up to him, a guy in his 20s that had his own place, worked at a gym, had a girlfriend, and was great at hockey. That was all it took for Everitt to be a fan.

He mentioned a bit of that to Danai, along with a few small memories from university. “I like how I look with a beard, but being clean-shaven is how it goes when you’re a TV journalist.”

Danai looked up at Everitt, considering the statement. He was sure she knew that already, considering this was her industry as well, but he could tell she was turning some thoughts around in her head. “Maybe they’d make an exception for you now that you’ve made a name for yourself?”

Everitt laughed as he caressed Nai’s thighs, pulling her even closer to him, “you want me to grow a beard that badly, huh?”

She bit her lip, looked away, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He expected a laugh, maybe a poke, or some kind of verbal deflection. That look, though? He swallowed hard, then touched the back of her neck and brought her in for a kiss.

Their kisses, soft and sensual, were broken up by looks and smiles, Nai’s hooded eyes meeting his before their lips touched again. The soft sounds she made when he held the kiss a little longer, or ran his fingers up her arms in just the right way, sent shockwaves to his core. Everitt snaked his hands up her shirt, wrinkling the sweater-vest she had over top of the button-up. He was expecting to find the straps of her bra, and fidget with them in the way that he’d become accustomed to while he watched the look on her face, but there was nothing there.

Everitt pulled back to look at Danai, who was still recovering from the last of his kisses. “You’re not wearing a...?” He didn’t know if he should just say it outright, but the amused look on Nai’s face told him she knew where the question was going.

She smiled, “A bra?”

“Yes,” Everitt kissed her again, “a bra.”

Danai touched his cheek, “I’m using nip covers today.”

Now, Everitt was sure she was playing with him. He blinked several times, closed his eyes, and asked to be sure, “What?”

Nai giggled, “nipple covers. That way they won’t be seen, and I get my freedom.”

Even though she’d said it, Everitt would not believe that until he confirmed the information for himself. He moved his hands from her back to her tummy, then ran them up the front of her body as Nai looked at him with mischief in her eyes. Sure enough, he felt them there, and heard a quick gasp leave Danai’s lip when she felt him make the discovery.

She cleared her throat, then gave him a small smile. “See?”

Her voice was softer and less playful than before, laced with the arousal of all the touching and kissing that Everitt was peppering her with. He felt her squirm above him, trying to create a little distance between the heat of their bodies. Everitt glanced over at the clock on her wall, reminding himself that they did not have all day. He gave her two more kisses for good measure before letting her go.

“The people on this floor are suspicious of me as is,” he said as he unravelled their limbs. Everitt laughed, despite himself, “Wouldn’t want to give them even more to whisper about.”

He looked up at Danai, the smile on her face gone, and the twinkle in her eyes having disappeared. Maybe he’d said too much, but nothing that came out of his mouth had been untrue. Everitt couldn’t say for sure what bothered him about the possible talk, but he just knew he wanted things to be as simple as possible. They weren’t even sure of what they were, and it was better that they figured that out before others decided for them.

Danai got up and cleaned up the things on the table. Everitt tried to stop her and offered to do it himself, but she refused. She left the drinks on the coffee table when she went to toss everything else in the trash, and only came back to the sitting area to get her latte. Nai gave him a look dripping with polite courtesy that was devoid of the array of emotions she’d displayed earlier.

He’d definitely said the wrong thing.

“Nai,” Everitt tried, but she shook her head before taking a sip of her latte as she stood by the sofa.

She sighed after swallowing the beverage, and stared right at it as she said, “No worries. We wouldn’t want to put a stain on your stellar reputation.”

Everitt pushed his fingers through his hair, resting his elbows on his thighs as he still sat on the couch. The morning had been perfect, apparently so perfect that he had to go and fuck it up by opening his mouth. There was probably a much better way, and time, to convey the message than the one Ev had chosen. The comfortable silence that had fallen on the room earlier had turned into a tension that could be cut with a knife.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Everitt insisted, finally standing up and going to face Nai. “But office gossip wouldn’t help either of us right now. We’re both focusing on our careers, and you know as well as I do that the talk around the office can affect things.”

She shrugged, her unoccupied arm now wrapped protectively around her middle. “It’s fine, I get it. You have to go anyway, right?”

His shoulders fell, “Nai-”

Danai tapped his arm with the back of her hand, then walked over to her desk and took a seat. She went back to her computer, like he wasn’t standing right there staring at her. Everitt looked at his watch, confirming he did have just over two minutes before he had to leave, then went over to Nai’s desk. He wasn’t sure how to undo or fix what he’d say, but he knew it would take more than a few words and a couple of minutes.

Everitt walked around her desk, squatting down by her chair then spinning her so she was facing him. He looked up at her, his arms trapping her on either side, “I know it’s not fine, but can I come back tomorrow?”

All he could think of at the moment was to let it stew and do better the next day. If she would allow him to, that was. He held his breath while he watched her look at her arms, avoiding eye contact. Danai inhaled, looked around the room, then finally at Everitt. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, then sighed.

“Of course,” she said with a strained smile.

That didn’t make Everitt feel great, but he’d take it.