Chapter Seventeen
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE SUN FULLY set during Everly’s panic attack, but the sky still holds beautiful shades of deep blues and greens. Asim moves his chair around the table closer to hers, and they watch the fading colors together. Everly turns in her seat, tilting her head back against his shoulder as he winds one arm around her, lightly tracing the skin along her outer arm with his fingertips. They’re holding hands and pointing out stars as they appear in the darkening sky above them, and a wave of peace sweeps over her. Asim senses her quiet mood, or maybe he feels the same, and they spend some time in comfortable silence listening to the sound of the boat and other patrons chatting around them.
Asim murmurs here and there when something occurs to him, telling her more about his siblings and sharing a funny story about his brother nearly falling off a boat when they were younger. He clearly misses his family, but he’s also spoken about how much he loves the community and his job here too. His voice is comforting, resonant and deep, lulling her into a place of calm and safety.
Everly wonders about his future; what his goals and ambitions are. Whether his ideals and dreams might align with hers, then if she’s crazy and getting ahead of herself. She figures the worst has already happened tonight and they got through it, so she dives in.
“What are your life dreams?” she asks, eloquent as always.
“My life dreams? Hmm. ”
Asim tips his head sideways and rests his cheek against the top of her head for a moment while he thinks. Everly relishes how natural it feels to be held by him like this.
“Well if we’re talking career goals, I’d love to expand the business, be able to hire more locals and become a town staple. Bring joy to the community. I’ve actually had an idea I’d like to propose to the city council, I’ve been thinking about it for a couple years now and just never gotten around to it.”
“What’s your idea?” Everly tilts her head a little further, curving her neck to the side so she can look up at his face. He looks almost… bashful? She never would have guessed this massive, confident, easy-going man could look that way and she’s even more intrigued now that she’s seen it.
“I’d like to partner with the city to bring more decorative planters to the downtown area. Maybe contract with them to add some native, drought tolerant plants along the sidewalks and in pots downtown. I think it would be nice to replace a lot of the less sustainable landscaping there currently.”
“That would be amazing.” Everly sits forward and twists to face him. “Asim, that’s a really fantastic idea! I can’t believe you’ve had this in your pocket for years. How do we make it happen?”
Asim’s eyes brighten as his eyebrows rise, his lips slowly curve up into a smile. “We?”
“Well,” Everly backpedals, she didn’t mean to insert herself into his life goals. “I mean, obviously it’s your thing, but I know almost all of the council members through my parents. Kinda grew up around them, the people with sway, our families were all in the same circle. I could maybe help if you wanted, not that you can’t do it on your own of course.” She pinches her lips together, determined to stop the rambling herself before he intervenes again.
“I’d be honored if you’d help. I know plants, and I do well enough on the business end, but I don’t know the first thing about bringing a proposal to a group of politicians.” He smiles fondly and she returns it, shifting and settling back into the crook of his arm .
“You don’t need to be nervous to share your opinions and thoughts with me, Ever.” Asim’s voice is a soft murmur above her, and she doesn’t have a good response to that statement. She’s quiet for a few moments while her brain spins.
“I’m…” Everly doesn’t know how to say what she wants to say without sounding like an idiot. She glances at Asim, and his face is soft while he waits patiently for her to find the words she’s looking for.
“I’m not that great with words," Everly rushes through it, cringing at how that very sentence demonstrates it perfectly.
“That’s alright.” Asim is unfazed, and she realizes that he truly means it. “Would it help if I asked questions? When you don’t know the words?”
She blinks as her eyes unfocus, imagining what that would be like, before replying. “Yeah, I think, maybe it would.”
“Alright then," he says. “Even if you don’t have anything to say though, that’s okay too. I don’t mind the quiet.” Asim strokes a hand down her arm and pulls her in closer, surrounding her in comfort and warmth.
Her throat is too tight to talk even if she knew what to say, so she bobs her head up and down before pushing herself a little deeper into his side. He gives her a return squeeze with the arm draped around her and she sighs, allowing herself to finally relax into his embrace.
The stars are out in full by the time the boat putters back up to the dock. Everyone files down the stairs and Everly happily slips her hand into the crook of Asim’s arm as they cross the dock back to the parking lot. Asim helps her into the truck again before climbing in himself, and they drive down the twisting back roads to Everly’s house. The interior smells like him and Everly breathes it in, trying to figure out the individual components that make his scent so unique. She picks out earthy notes, maybe the slightly smokey scent of amber with some sandalwood undertones. Whatever it is, she breathes it in like she needs it to survive.
Everly leans her forehead against the cool glass of the window, a content smile painting her lips as Asim rolls his window down and rests his forearm on it. Cacti and large desert brush sweep by the window as they drive, and Everly stares out past it all, reliving their evening together in her mind.
When Asim turns into her neighborhood and she sees the road sign for Poinsettia Lane ahead, she pulls her mind back to the present moment. Everly peeks at Asim from the corner of her eye, noticing his arm is tensed, muscles corded beneath his tattoos as he clenches his hand on top of the steering wheel. Before she can ask if everything’s alright though, they turn into her driveway and he glances her way, eyes softening as he smiles at her.
He doesn’t have to tell her to wait this time, and his hand is there to help her out of the truck again. He parked right in front of her porch steps, so the house lights cast a halo effect as she looks up into his eyes. Asim doesn’t let go of her hand, instead pulling her closer before sliding one hand to her waist and cupping her face with the other, while her hands settle around his lower back. His thumb lightly strokes from the corner of her jaw to the tender spot beneath her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
“May I kiss you?” Asim phrases it as a question, though his tone sounds more like a statement of fact, with his voice hushed and low, for her ears only. Everly nods her consent anyways, tipping her face up and leaning toward him. Asim’s eyes flicker between hers for a moment, then he looks down at her mouth, lips slightly parted as he leans forward to meet her.
The first brush of his lips on hers feels like coming home. Soft and warm, she sighs into his mouth, melts into his hold. The second is more demanding, meeting her mouth firmly, tongue stroking the seam of her lips and requesting entry. Everly opens for him, and he lets out a low groan from the back of his throat the moment his tongue tastes hers. She lets him lead, and he is happy to do so, plundering her mouth with his tongue and exploring every inch of her.
They meet over and over again, lips and teeth and tongues colliding and dancing for position to be the one to taste the other. Asim’s lips capture hers, refusing to let her go, and his fingers tighten where they grip her. His hand slides up her waist to splay across her ribs, just barely grazing the underside of her breast, and Everly’s nipples instantly harden when his other hand tangles in her hair and pulls, tipping her head back for a deeper kiss. The slight sting in her scalp only increases her ravenous desire for him, sending tingles down her spine. In return, she threads one hand into his hair at the nape of his neck. The other is still fisted in the hem of his shirt.
Just as she starts to feel light-headed from the lack of oxygen, Asim pulls back, loosening his hold on her hair and leaning his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.
“If we don’t stop now, I won’t leave.” Asim’s voice is strained, like it took considerable effort to say those words to her, and his Arabic accent is heavier than normal. “I want you to invite me in. I want to tear you out of that torturously sexy dress and taste every inch of you. I want more, I want it all, Everly. But I’d also like to take things slow. Sex has ruined things for me in the past, and I would hate it if I let that happen with you, especially on a night that I suspect has already been a lot for you emotionally. I like getting to know you, and I don’t want to push either of us into too much, too quickly.”
Everly debates inviting him in despite his clear hesitation, but she doesn’t know if she’s ready for that either, even as her body is currently begging to climb him like a tree.
She slowly nods in agreement, rocking her forehead against his, and he briefly closes his eyes, then nods back. Asim peels his fingers from her ribs and slides his hand from her hair, gently cupping her face in both hands and dropping his lips down for another kiss, this one sweet and chaste. She slides her fingers from the back of his neck and lets them rest on the tense muscle of his shoulder. As he pulls back, he stops inches from her face, pinning her with those intense green eyes as they seem to search her soul.
Her favorite color, Everly realizes. In this light, his eyes are her absolute favorite color, or maybe her favorite shade of green has changed to match that of his eyes .
Easing back from each other, Asim’s hands slide down her arms and he grasps hers lightly, giving her fingers a squeeze before letting go and turning to walk up the porch steps. He stops outside her door, shifting to look at her a step behind him and tucking in some of the stray hairs that came loose from his manhandling.
“This is the best evening I’ve had in years, maybe ever," he says, and Everly blushes, looking down in an attempt to hide the shy smile that blooms across her face. Asim bends down to meet her lowered gaze, and she pulls her keys out of her purse before meeting his eyes again.
“This is the best evening I’ve had in a long time too. Thank you for… everything," she says.
“Truly my pleasure.” Asim still has a small, blissful smile on his face, and it warms Everly up inside. “I’ll wait here until I hear you lock the door," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Everly offers a quiet goodnight, turns and enters the house, locks the door behind her. She hesitates, then presses her ear to the door, hands splayed wide against it. Unsure what she’s hoping for, she simply listens as he waits a beat before his steps slowly back away. Everly sighs, then slips out of her heels and walks through the foyer to the darkened kitchen, peering out the window to see him getting back in his truck before the brake lights flare and he drives off.
Happier than she can ever remember feeling, Everly gets ready for bed and slips between the sheets. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, hoping to dream of him and imagining what steamy scenarios her unconscious mind might come up with. Maybe they go swimming in the river, or skinny dipping. She imagines the bite of the cold water and the contrasting heat she’d feel from his skin, and goosebumps pop up along her arms. Everly wiggles around, feeling exhausted and yet somehow full of energy at the same time.
Her toes are sore from her shoes, her brain is tired from the mental gymnastics, and her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but that doesn’t diminish it in any way. It’s been a truly wonderful night, panic attack and all.