Chapter Twenty-Two
Jett
Everest has been a lot more open to affection lately, even in front of other people.
It’s almost as if he finally gave in and let me inside his walls.
Knowing that he’s starting to open up to me feels good, and I’ve been enjoying every second of it, but I still feel like there’s something that’s keeping him from fully opening up with me.
Roman wasn’t at the apartment this morning, and it was boring as fuck at home.
I didn’t have anything else to do, so I figured that I would come back and let Lance take off for the day.
I don’t really know what he does in his free time since it’s hard for us to hang out together now, but he acts like he always has something better to do than staying with Everest. Spending time with Everest is the best thing I have to do though, so it just makes sense for me to take over for him when I can.
Especially since I prefer that he spends as little time with Everest as possible.
“Oooh, did you bring lunch?“ Lance asks enthusiastically as I step up behind Everest at one of the tables in the common area. He looks up at me as I bend down to kiss his forehead. He gives me a longing smile as he leans back against my stomach so that I can wrap my arm around him.
“Yeah, I grabbed us all a bite to eat before Everest’s appointment with Wilder.”
“Oh fuck!” Lance says frantically as he glances down at his watch. “I completely forgot about that.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you showed up.” Everest says as he glances back up at me.
I run my fingers through the hairs on the nape of his neck before I step around and sit beside him at the table. Lance unpacks all the food and waits for me to show him what belongs to who.
Everest has already been in the wing for over three weeks now.
Every day that passes, I get more and more antsy.
He’s only supposed to have us as guards for three months, but he could be pulled for a job placement at any time.
He’s really smart, so I know that he’ll get a good job eventually.
I’m honestly surprised that he hasn’t already been placed somewhere, but it’s possible that there aren’t any positions open where his interests and intelligence would benefit the prison.
I’m just thankful for every day that he’s still in the block, because it’s much easier for us to spend time together in here.
It’s not that I need to be with him all the time, but there’s that lingering feeling that he’s holding back for some reason.
If he was pulled from the block right now, I’m not even sure if he’d still want to be with me.
I meant what I said though, that I’m going to win him over, and I’ll spend every day making sure he knows how much I want this. How much I want him.
Lance finishes his food and takes off long before either of us are done, but that’s not saying a lot because Everest just seems to be picking at everything today.
“Is it not what you wanted?”
“No, no. It’s fine. I’m just… It’s been a while since I’ve had fruit. You think we could stop and grab some from the shop?”
“Oh. What fruits do you like?“ I ask as I set my fork down in the empty bowl in front of me.
“I love strawberries and peaches, but I like most fruits. Pineapples, Apples, Bananas, Plums, pretty much everything.”
I tuck the trash back into the bag as I think about it. If I had known that he wanted some, I would’ve stopped and grabbed some from the market when I picked up the sushi.
“The stores in the blocks don’t carry any produce. It’d probably take me twenty or thirty minutes to walk out to the market. I could go down there when we get back from your appointment with Wilder.”
“No, no.” He says as he shakes his head. “You’d be gone too long. Maybe you could just grab some before you come back tomorrow? On the way?”
I glance down at his bowl, and it makes me insanely uncomfortable how little he’s eaten. I wish there was a way that I could get him what he wanted now. I really don’t like it when he doesn’t eat.
“Of course,” I reply with a nod. “Are you done with the sushi?”
“Yeah… I think so.” He admits remorsefully as he pushes it over to me. “Sorry.”
I fix the lid and put it in the bag with the rest of the trash. “Don’t apologize, my love. It’s not a big deal. I just worry when you don’t eat enough.”
“I know. It’s just… hard.” He says as he leans his head against my shoulder. “When I’m not in the mood for something or I’m craving something specific, my body rejects everything else. It makes me feel nauseous to even think about eating anything other than that one thing.”
I discreetly roll my wrist over to check my watch.
Wilder’s office is on the east side of the building, a lot closer to the market on that side.
It might be a fifteen-minute walk from there.
Everest is supposed to be with him for thirty minutes, but Wilder won’t release him until I knock on the door to retrieve him.
Most guards either stand around nearby or run to the shop in the block, but I might be able to make it work.
It’ll be tight, but if we leave now, I’ll have a couple extra minutes.
“Why don’t we go ahead and walk down to Wilder’s office?” I ask as I stand up and step over to throw our trash away.
I guessed the time exactly right, and when I drop Everest off with Wilder, I have about five extra minutes. That doesn’t really leave me time to grab everything I need and checkout, so as soon as Everest is safely tucked inside, I take off sprinting down the hall.
Adrenaline immediately starts thrumming through my veins and my heart starts pounding frantically in my chest. I round the corner, barely missing a collision with another staff member.
My shoulder still bumps into theirs and I turn back to apologize to them profusely.
I can’t tell what they do since they’re just in casual clothes, but I think he’s another guard.
He just waves me off as he keeps walking.
As soon as I start jogging down the corridor again, my phone starts ringing. I curse as I struggle to fish it out of my pocket, finally able to answer it on the last ring.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Roman.
“I— Ooop. Fuck. Sorry,“ I apologize as I nearly crash into another person. “I’m trying to get to the market and back before Everest’s appointment is over. I thought you weren’t at the apartment?”
God. I really need to do cardio more often. I’m already starting to get winded, and I still have to get to the shop and all the way back.
“Really? I thought something was seriously wrong, you jackass… and I wasn’t home earlier. I just had a quick errand to run.”
Considering the fact that Roman always gets everything delivered to the apartment instead of leaving, that’s definitely weird. Going to the coffee shop is about the only thing he ever leaves the apartment for.
“Hmm. I would follow protocols if something were wrong. I know to call—“
“Someone is around the next corner.”
I smile as I swing wide around the next turn. I think it’s funny that Roman always acts like a dick to everyone, but he does shit like this. He cares about the people close to him immensely, he just shows it differently.
“What do you possibly need from the market so urgently?” He asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“Everest has weird eating habits. Aversions and— and stuff,” I pant out. “He couldn’t eat his lunch today. Said he was craving fruit and everything else was making him feel sick.”
I slide to a halt as I wait for the automatic doors of the market to open, snatching up a basket as I rush inside. I check my watch. If I can run back just as fast as I came here, I should have about ten minutes to shop.
“So take him to the fucking medic bay. They make pills for that.”
“He studied homeopathic medicine, you dick. I’m not taking him to the doctor for pills. I’m just gonna grab him some damn fruit.”
“You are so fucking whipped, dude.”
“Yeah, well, at least I don’t sit in front of computer screens making sure the guy I’m obsessed with isn’t touching other people’s dicks instead of telling him how I feel.” I tease.
“Fuck you,” he growls back. “Hope you have fun running back with all that shit.”
The line goes silent just before the call disconnects.
I glance up at the camera and shoot a bird at him playfully.
Roman and I always cut up with one another, but I’m pretty sure I struck an actual nerve this time.
He’s been watching Lance a lot lately, and I don’t know why he doesn’t just tell him that he’s interested.
I know he has to be worried about the way Lance acts, though.
He’s such a busy body, and Roman is the exact opposite of that.
I don’t know how they would ever work together, honestly.
Roman has been getting more and more fidgety at his desk lately though, and I think he’s at a point where he would actually enjoy someone to spend time with.
It’s gonna be really tough for him to find someone that fits into his lifestyle because of how dedicated he is to his job, though.
It isn’t just work for him; it’s his passion.
I glance down in my basket, but all I’ve managed to get so far is a couple peaches, some bananas, and a container of strawberries.
I know that Roman was right, and running back with all this shit is gonna be a lot harder than running here.
I grab a couple of plums and a package of grapes before heading to the counter.
I can come back and grab a few other things before my shift tomorrow.
My phone buzzes in my pocket as I’m digging for my badge to checkout. I slip it out and see that it’s Roman texting to tell me that he called Wilder to let him know that I would be a few minutes late.
“Thanks, Roman!” I announce as I look back up at the camera. The cashier guy doesn’t even bat an eyelash at me, as if it’s completely normal for me to be talking to the cameras. I doubt it’s the weirdest thing he’s ever seen working here, though.
He bags up everything for me, and as I step out into the hallway, I check the time again. I have thirteen minutes, so I could technically just walk there and be a couple minutes late, but I settle on walking at a brisk pace, hoping that it’ll shave off those couple of minutes.
By the time I’m back at Wilder’s office, I’m completely out of breath, but exactly on time. I knock on the door, leaning my weight against it as I push it open. Both of them turn to glare at me.
“Why are you breathing like that? And why— what is that?” Everest demands as he glances down to the bags in my hands. “Is that fruit?”
I can practically see his eyes light up with excitement which makes this entire fiasco worth it. Seeing him happy feels so fucking good.
“Ye— yeah.” I nod through my labored breaths.
“Babe.“ He stands up and walks over to me, brushing a strand of sweaty hair from my face. “I could’ve waited until tomorrow.”
“You didn’t eat enough lunch.” I pant out.
He leans up on his toes and kisses my cheek.
I glance back at Wilder whose brows raise with curiosity.
Wilder is a bit of a… wild card. Depending on the day he could decide to keep his mouth shut or use any information he has to his advantage.
It’s possible that Maven will get word of whatever is going on between Everest and I very soon.
I’m not really sure if that’s a good thing or not.
Considering the fact that I’m not positive where Everest and I stand, I’m leaning toward not.
Everest starts to tug me out into the hallway, but Wilder stops us.
“Wait!” He says as he rips open his desk drawer and digs out an envelope. “This is for you. Also, your meeting with Maven is scheduled for next week.”
Everest nods at him as he takes the envelope, and we both silently walk back to the block as he turns it over and over in his hands.
I’ve never received any kind of envelope or note in over six months.
My mind is racing with all the things that I imagine could be inside, but there’s one especially frightening option that I don’t want to think about.
Everest has finally been offered a job position, a real one, and we’re going to be separated.