Chapter Twelve
Everest
“Hi! I’m Lance! Owens. Lance Owens.“ He hops up out of the chair in the corner of my room to greet me as soon as I step inside. “I’m your guard for the day shift.” He says with a smile as he sticks his hand out for me to shake.
I know that we aren’t supposed to trust people around here, but my bodyguards are only here for me.
I mean, Maven even said this isn’t their normal jobs.
If they have loyalty to anyone, it’d be me.
Not to mention, if I want to make any kind of trades over the next few months, I’ll have to form some kind of relationship with them.
As much as I don’t feel like schmoozing right now, it’s probably in my best interest. At least he’s pleasant to look at.
“Everest. Harlow. Everest Harlow. At your service.“ I pretend to curtsey, causing him to smile. The guy is undeniably adorable. His hair is pure white, and his eyes are a mysterious, crystal blue that swirl with youthful mischief. He’s probably about my height and has an oddly similar body type as well. He’s in casual clothing right now, so I can see that he has a chaotic splattering of tattoos up his arms that coincide well with the piercings in his face.
He has a ring in his lip and nose with a barbell in his eyebrow.
He teasingly tugs the metal in his tongue between his teeth as he grins back at me playfully.
“Cute! I have a few things to go over with you before I grab your lunch. Since it’s already getting close to shift change, Jett will be taking over before too long, but we’ll have plenty of time to hang out tomorrow.” He says excitedly as he pulls a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolds it.
“Sure.” I step around him and plop down onto my mattress, leaning back on my elbows.
I’m starting to think that the two of us will actually end up being good friends by the end of this.
It’s almost as if his veins are filled with sunshine, and let’s be so fucking for real right now, how can you not love someone like that when you’re in a place this dreary?
“Okie dokie. Let’s see what we’ve got here…
” He trails off as he starts to scan the sheet in his hand.
“Oh. Okay. So, you’ll have a cell with a private toilet.
They’re literally just a toilet with a door, but they’re better than the normal cells.
“ His eyes dart back and forth between the paper and me as he explains everything. If he expects me to complain about the bathroom situation, I’m not, because I was under the impression that I’d have to use the toilet in front of everyone.
“Either JP or I will be with you at all times, except for brief periods when you’re locked in the cell.
No one else will have a key to your cell except for the two of us, and the medical staff.
We can come and go from your cell as we please and can bring anything we need or desire with us.
I’m sure you’ve heard how that works.“ He says with sarcasm. “You won’t have a cellmate for the first three months because the extra bed will be for JP at night. The cells are a decent size compared to other prisons. Probably close to the size of this room, actually.” He explains as he looks around the space thoughtfully.
“You’ll be fine though. Nothing too serious. I was in the same block, so I know a few of the people in there. It won’t be so bad.”
“Doesn’t sound terrible, actually. What are the tests like?”
“Ahh. We aren’t allowed to discuss those, unfortunately.“ He explains as he glances down at the watch on his wrist. “It’s already way past lunch time, so I’m gonna go grab us a tray and be right back, okay?”
I nod appreciatively as he flings the door open and bounces out of it in the same manner an excited golden retriever would.
It takes him about twenty minutes to return with two trays of food.
He somehow manages to knock on the door.
When I swing it open, he bounds back inside with food precariously balanced in both hands, bearing the same amount of enthusiasm he left with.
He slides both trays of food onto the desk that’s wedged between the two beds before grabbing the chair from the corner of the room and dragging it over. He positions it as close to my bed as he possibly can before plopping down onto it.
The meals from the kitchen are much better than I expected them to be.
Considering I imagined nothing more than slop, the bar wasn’t set really high.
They usually provide a substantial portion of meat, some type of bean, and a variety of different vegetables.
I’m not talking about canned veggies, either.
These are always nice and fresh, although very under seasoned.
Even though everything lacks flavor, they’re always a surprisingly balanced meal.
While I’m currently at a point that I refuse to complain since I’m not having to cook for myself, I don’t think I’m going to be able to hold out much longer.
I need something with a little bit of flavor.
I’m so lost in thought about the food that I don’t even realize Lance has been talking to me. He stops shoveling food into his mouth and glares at me expectantly.
“I’m s–sorry, what was that?”
“What was your favorite food before you came here?” He asks before he looks back down at his plate.
“Hmm. I’d have to say sushi. What about you?”
“No way! Mine too!” He answers excitedly. “I usually eat the cafeteria food, since it’s pretty healthy, but sometimes I grab sushi from the shop. I’ll have to bring you some next time.”
“Thanks. That would be really nice.” I reply sincerely, glancing up at him. He seems like a really sweet guy, and I’m grateful for that small mercy.
As we’re both cleaning off the last bites on our plate, the bedroom door opens. Lance immediately spins around in his chair, with an exuberant smile on his face.
“JP! This is Everest, and this is Jett.” He says as glances back at me. “We just finished up lunch since his meeting ran late…” He keeps talking, but honestly, I don’t hear a damn thing he’s saying. My eyes are locked on the masterpiece of a man that just stepped inside.
He has light brown hair with natural blonde highlighting sporadic strands.
Its long tendrils are messily pulled back into a bun with a few shorter pieces falling around his face.
His facial hair is trimmed nice and neat as if he’d just trimmed it.
He’s in casual clothes, like Lance. A traditional pair of chucks with a snug pair of denim jeans that don’t leave much to my imagination.
He’s wearing a black v-neck shirt with a pocket on the front, and it’s pulled taut across his chest, what I can see of it underneath the leather jacket anyway.
The tattoos, the muscles, all of it, it’s exactly what I normally look for in a guy, except for that stupid ass shy smile he’s wearing.
Fuck me.