Chapter 23
JAHNVI
E verett James is off-limits.
Everett James is off-limits.
Everett James is—
But does he have to be?
My hands clenched into fists inside my pockets as I saw Everett look back at me. He was holding the door of the building open, his eyes on me as I grabbed the door behind him.
This was getting out of hand.
It had gotten to the point that his look was almost causing me pain. The reaction I was experiencing wasn’t actually pain, that I understood. I knew from the beginning what that emotion was, I just didn’t want to admit it because admitting it would put me in a perilous place.
The emotion I felt was yearning.
I wanted Everett James so much it hurt. But if I admitted it there was one issue: I risked the chance of losing him painfully.
Everett was never going to go for me, never .
If I admitted to myself that I liked him, whatever that meant, I would have to go through the painful part of watching him date someone else and try my best to forget him.
It would be painful having to let it go.
So, I really didn’t want to admit it. I really, really, really, didn’t want to. But there was one issue that stopped me from having control of my emotions.
I couldn’t help it.
As Everett talked to someone in the dingy, foyer-like room in the warehouse, I watched him wave his hands around as he explained something. His black nail polish was glittering, and he made sure that he used his hands as much as possible when he talked, to show them off.
I did that.
I was the one that had painted his nails and he was wearing them proudly. The entire thing caused such a big bloom of emotion in my chest that I had to physically turn away so Everett didn’t see what a mess I was.
I couldn’t keep—
“Jahnvi?” Everett’s voice behind me startled me from my thoughts. I whipped around to see him motion with his head that we were leaving. I followed him as he opened another door farther down. It led to a hallway type thing with multiple doors with little windows.
I peeked inside the windows to see massive rooms with shelves almost touching the ceiling. They all had brown sacks piled neatly.
“They’re not all sugar,” Everett said when he saw me glance into another window. “They also have flour and other things a restaurant might need.”
“Oh.” I nodded absentmindedly. All I could think about was how he’d known my questions before I could even ask it.
Once we reached a room all the way down the hallway, Everett pulled a key out of his pocket that he must have gotten from the person he was talking to before; I didn’t know since I hadn’t really been paying attention. He unlocked the door, and we entered a room that smelled sickeningly sweet.
I loved chocolate and all things sweet, but I never would’ve guessed that it could smell this bad.
Everett’s nose crinkled along with mine as he entered. He noticed how I gagged. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it soon.”
“I didn’t know sugar could smell like this!”
“The bags way up top”—he pointed to the highest shelf—“might have gone bad at this point. We’ll stick to the ones down here.”
“Sugar goes bad?”
“Yeah, when bugs get into it or sometimes it absorbs odors.” He walked toward a shelf and bent down, inspecting the tag on a big brown sack. “Sugar shouldn’t go bad and it’s fine to use bad-smelling sugar. It’s just that the smell transfers to the food too, and we don’t want that.”
He was wearing a tan sweater that had dark brown lines crisscrossing it with light jeans that seemed a few sizes too big for him. I noticed the way his sweater tightened when he bent over and how his back muscles shifted as he moved his arms.
Swallowing quickly, I looked away.
From my peripheral vision, I saw him straighten back up and look over at me. “Well, if you’re done inspecting , I’d love some help over here.”
I looked down at the sack he was standing next to and blinked back up at him. Was he serious? “Ha! Everett, there’s no way I can carry that thing.”
“Really?” He walked over to a door I hadn’t seen yet and opened it, propping it open with a sack of something that was near the door. I could see his truck that I had parked so crookedly a few feet away. “I’ve seen you carry things way heavier.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Like that one time you carried like five chairs at a time in freshman year because I’d dared you to. I still don’t even know how you got your fingers to bend like that.”
I rolled my eyes and looked away. He had that smile on his face. The one that made everything inside me dance. “I only did it because I was trying to prove to you that I was stronger.”
“Jahnvi.”
“Everett?” I looked back at him. His smile had widened and his hands were in his pockets. Something was coming, I could feel it.
“I dare you to carry at least two sacks over to my truck. And I bet I can do it faster than you can.”
Of course, he knew my weakness. I crossed my arms and gave him a glare, but there was nothing I could do at this point.
I needed to beat him.
Suddenly, without warning, I ran. Dashing to the nearest sack I could find, I heaved as I tried to pick it up.
Damn, are these bricks instead of sugar?
I looked over and saw that Everett was already outside, holding a sack easily like it was a book or something. He knew he was winning and made sure to flaunt it. While I was still grunting, trying to get the bag upright, he had put the bag down by his feet and turned to face me.
He raised his eyebrows and raised his hand and gave a single wave.
Oh, you cocky motherfucker.
I didn’t know where the strength came from, but with a sudden heave I got the bag upright. With another grunt, I slid the bag off the shelf and got it on the ground. I looked back up to see Everett’s cocky smile vanish at the sight of the bag in my hands.
And that was all I needed.
Giggling maniacally, I lifted the bag and dashed madly to the truck. I completely ignored the way my bicep muscles were screaming under the pressure; to beat Everett I was ready to do anything.
Everett had already thrown a sack into the trunk and was running back inside to get another one; But I wasn’t too far behind.
It took two tries, but I eventually managed to get the sack into the trunk and started to run back toward the door.
Everett was already back out by that time with another sack.
“Going that slow, you couldn’t even beat my grandma trying to get the last sewing needle during Black Friday.”
“Oh, you—” He was trying to distract me. I didn’t have time to fling insults at him, so I sprinted toward another sack. This time, it only took one heave for me to get it off the shelf. Looking back, I saw that Everett, confident as he was , was just leisurely strolling toward the truck.
He thinks he’s so strong, doesn’t he?
I don’t think I’d ever run that fast in my life. My focus was only on the truck as I sprinted. The pain in my arms vanished as I ran. I was going to remove that stupid grin from his jerky, but very pretty, face.
“Holy—” Everett started running when he noticed that I was right next to him, sack in my hand as well.
With an excited laugh, I realized that I actually had a chance and that I might beat him.
Willing my legs to go faster, I was already tossing the bag toward the truck bed when I felt my foot catch on something.
I went sprawling face first into the grass. But I didn’t mind at all.
I heard a beautiful thud. My sugar sack had found its mark.
“Shoot. You okay?” he said, standing over me.
“HA!” I looked up, spitting up some grass. Eyeing the sugar sack that was still in his hand, I threw my hands up in victory. “I won!”
His eyebrows shot up as he smiled. Why was he smiling? He motioned behind me and said, “Look in front of you stupid.”
Still on the ground, I propped myself up on my elbows and looked over at the truck.
Oh, shit.
My bag had landed near his tire. Everett swiftly picked it up, still holding his bag, and swung them up both at the same time. I groaned and flopped back down. “It’s not fair! I can’t compete with Mr. Strength-Training!”
“I’m flatter-woah—” He fell, tripping on my feet as he was walking back. I flinched and closed my eyes, expecting his elbow to hit my face. When it didn’t, I opened my eyes.
I stopped breathing.