Chapter Nineteen
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE LANDSCAPING IS nearly done, and Everly anticipates it’ll be finished with another day or two of work. Asim is on the lower level digging out the final large hole for the hummingbird bush, and she’s up top filling in the last of the smaller ones. Once they have these done, there are only a few of the small to medium sized plants left to finish up on the lower terrace. She’s wearing another new outfit today; loose cutoff jean shorts that show off her legs, and a light yellow cotton work shirt, loose and fluttery around her curves. As usual, Everly has her hair braided back underneath her sun hat, and she’s wearing her gardening gloves and boots.
Asim looks as delicious as always in his fitted work jeans and a t-shirt that might as well be painted on, the tattoos curling down his forearm taunting her. It’s truly a sin that she isn’t able to spend all her time admiring him, but alas, someone has to finish this up and he’s already said he will only do it if she helps. So Everly grumbles under her breath, turning her focus back to the dirt in front of her rather than the dirt on his delectable backside.
“What was that?” Asim sits back on his knees, and Everly loses her view anyways.
“Nothing!” Luckily, Everly’s face is already flushed from working in the sun. Asim’s been flirting with her relentlessly today, and it hasn’t escaped her notice that he seems to delight in making her blush.
“Mhm.” Asim narrows his eyes at her, then turns back to filling dirt in around the hummingbird bush. “I think we can finish up with the planting today.”
Everly is more than ready to be done sweating, but a twinge pinches her stomach at his words. It’s so easy to be around him, and working together is strangely soothing to her soul; she’s slightly terrified of what happens after, if they’ll still have this connection or spend time together.
She’s been trying to avoid the slew of anxious thoughts that have been threatening her the last few days. They primarily revolve around this topic, of what will happen once they finish this project. Will she still see him every week? Will their dynamic change? Will he enjoy spending time with her if they aren’t doing something he clearly loves? Her breath turns shallow as her thoughts start to race, questioning what—if anything—they have between them while a cramp in her chest makes it even harder to breathe.
“And once everything is planted, then what?” she asks, hoping the tremor in her voice doesn’t betray how confused and fragile she feels inside while her mind continues to race.
“You’ll need some sort of ground cover. Mulch or rock, something like that to fill in between and help maintain the moisture under the soil.” Asim pauses, eyes sweeping over the lower terrace around him. “So we’ll get that sorted out.”
Everly barely hears him, hardly recognizes that he’s speaking and she certainly doesn’t process his words. She’s entirely focused on her breathing, trying to get it back under control and stopping her thoughts from swirling to darker and darker places. Forcing herself to surface, to come back to the present moment, she glances up just as his voice starts to register as actual words that she understands.
“Then that’s it, we’re done," he says.
Everly freezes; her entire body locks up. Then what? That’s it. We’re done . The words ricochet around her head and she feels the blood drain from her face as he confirms every horrible thought she’s been avoiding, the ones she was just trying to pull herself away from.
We’re done.
We’re done .
Asim stands and dusts his hands off, having finished with the hummingbird bush, and looks over at her. His eyes flare wide and he leaps onto the top terrace next to her, placing a hand on her forehead.
“Everly, are you okay? You’re pale as death, do you need water? Something to eat?” Asim asks.
She doesn't respond.
She can’t respond. Everything has shut down, because her worst fear has come to light. It’s as she thought, once the landscaping is finished, he has no reason to be with her anymore. We’re done .
“Let’s get you inside.” Everly feels Asim’s strong arms band around her from a distance, like she’s not fully connected to her body anymore, and next thing she knows, he’s carrying her across the patio and inside the house. Her hat falls off along the way, but she doesn’t even try to grab it; she feels immobilized, helpless, as if she’s sinking to the bottom of an icy lake, lethargic and disconnected from reality.
Asim props her on a chair in the dining room before rushing to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a glass of ice water and a cool cloth that he dabs gently on her forehead.
“Drink this," he says, kneeling in front of her chair and holding it up to her lips. “Steady now. How do you feel?”
Everly doesn’t know what to say, but those words won’t leave her head. We’re done. She shakes her head, trying to dispel them, trying to get them out, but it doesn’t work. She feels her lips moving around them, and she whispers, “we’re done” as she stares at the glass in front of her without really seeing it.
“We’re done?” Asim pulls back, confusion written across his face as his eyes dart between hers. “We will be soon…”
He cocks his head when she flinches at his words, letting his sentence trail off, eyeing her as her breath stutters and her eyes turn glassy before she twists away from him, curling her arms protectively around herself.
Eternity passes in the silence between them and Everly nearly loses herself again before he breaks it.
“Oh no, my sweet Ever, I didn’t mean you and I. Is that what you thought? No, I meant the project. We’re almost done with the project. Your anxiety thought I meant us, didn’t it?” He pulls her off the chair onto the cool stone floor, cradling her in his arms and murmuring to her.
“No my darling, I am most certainly not done with you. You and I, we have so much left to our story.” His arms are wrapped around her and the icy feeling starts to thaw as his words penetrate the fog in her mind.
“We are not done," he emphasizes, clearly trying to get it through her head.
Not done.
Everly blinks, moving her lips to the new words. “Not done,” she whispers again.
“Not even close," he says. “I’m not even close to done with you, my darling Ever.”
His arms are still around her, and she’s picking up more of his words, letting them sink into her brain. His lips graze the top of her head, and she notices the feeling of one of his thighs against her back, the other underneath her legs as she sits sideways against him.
Not done. Not even close.
My darling Ever.
Everly sucks in a deep, shaky breath, and wrenches her eyes up to his. “You meant the project," she says and he nods, holding her eyes steady with his.
“Of course, you meant the project. I’m so sorry, oh my god I’m such a—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence," Asim interjects. “If you say anything mean about the beautiful woman I’m dating, I’ll have some seriously unhappy words for you.” He glares down at her, but a smile twitches the corners of his mouth.
“Dating?” Everly looks up at him, and then squeaks when he squeezes her tightly.
“Did I not take you out on a date?”
“I… yeah.” Everly is still catching up with everything after the world slowed around her and then snapped forward again into light-speed.
“So, if we’re dating, does that mean we’re going on another?” She peeks up at him through her eyelashes, his arms still banded around her.
“I certainly would like to, what do you think?” he asks .
Everly nods her head, tucking it in against his chest underneath his chin. “Yes, I’d like that too.” Her voice is soft, and all at once, the surplus of frantic energy and tension drains from her body. She slumps against him, exhausted.
They sit in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, Asim’s hands following a soothing path as he rubs up and down her arm before he gives her another gentle squeeze and stands up, picking her up with him and placing her on her feet.
“How about a break. Let’s have a snack, and then see how you are feeling?” he asks, and Everly’s stomach grumbles, answering for her.
She snorts a grimace at herself and takes his hand, pulling him into the kitchen with her. Everly keeps sneaking glances at him, afraid every time of what she will find in his face when he looks at her, not wanting to see evidence that his words were a lie. Pity, revulsion, disappointment, rejection. Her anxiety tells her they’re all there on his face, clear as day, they must be. She finds none of them though, and she wouldn’t believe it if she hadn’t experienced this type of open acceptance from him before as well.
They put together a simple plate with some cheese, fruit, and veggies, sitting side by side at the kitchen counter. Asim doesn’t stop touching her, and she relishes each one. His arm brushing hers as they reach forward, his knee bumping hers as he twists on the stool, his hand grazing hers in passing to and from the plate. It builds a slow heat, and she knows he’s doing it on purpose.
Feeling rejuvenated, Everly proposes they head back out and try to finish up the planting today. It’s still early afternoon, so they have plenty of daylight left, and she won’t let one little misunderstanding ruin their day.
~~~
Everly swipes her gloves together, standing and taking a step back from the terrace. They’ve finished filling in the last clump of deergrass and Everly is sticky with sweat from her forehead down to her toes. She takes her straw hat off and fans her face with it as she walks back up to the patio and plops down into a shaded chair.
Asim chuckles at her theatrics, pulling the bottom of his shirt up to wipe off his forehead, and Everly shamelessly lets her eyes wander down the ladder of abs to that delightful ‘V’ near his hips. Asim catches her, of course, and he stalks in her direction, sending her heart into a gallop before it takes a nose dive when he veers at the last second toward the remainder of his ice water instead, then thumps down into the chair next to hers.
“Good work out there," he tells her. Everly peels the gloves from her fingers and drops them on the table.
“You too. Thanks again, I never would have done all this without your help.”
Asim eyes her for a moment and she raises her eyebrows.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“Oh,” Everly tucks a stray hair into her braid as she forces herself not to look away from him. “Good, much better. Thank you.”
“Good,” he says, and turns his attention back to the plants. “Now we just need to water them.” His eyes gleam as he says it, glancing her way. She’s not sure what that’s about, but her gut says he’s up to something.
Asim heaves a breath and then stands back up. “I noticed a spigot on the side of the house, but no hose. You have one in the shed, maybe?” he asks.
“Sure," Everly says. She has no idea. Hose or no hose, she’s taking a few more minutes in the shade.
Asim huffs a laugh and strides across the lawn to the shed, then disappears inside. Everly perks up when he comes back out with a green hose coiled and draped over his shoulder, massive biceps flexing as he hauls it across the lawn to the house. She doesn’t have any of the fancy watering attachments that give it a nice even spray like what he has at the greenhouse, but that doesn’t seem to bother him.
He attaches one end to the spigot and turns the water on, then cinches the hose closed as he uncoils and drags it closer to the terrace. Everly stands and steps to the edge of the patio, ostensibly to help, but really just to get a better view. He uses his thumb to disperse the spray and lets it rain down over the plants on the lower level. Giving them a good soak, he turns his attention to the top terrace, nearer to Everly’s location.
His eyes flick to her, and his mouth pinches. Before she can react, he adjusts the angle of his thumb and water shoots straight toward her. Everly shrieks, throwing her hands up and leaping back from the cold spray.
She holds her arms out and shakes them off, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he just sprayed her with a hose. Like a child. She blinks down at herself, feeling a bit like a wet rat, then hears his bellowing laughter.
Everly looks up from swiping the water off her arms, eyes slashing toward him, narrowed in a playful glare. He has his head thrown back and the hose is loose at his side, water sloshing onto the grass next to him. She doesn't waste a second of his distraction.
Dashing down the two terrace levels faster than she has ever moved in her life, Everly snatches the hose from his hand and turns it on him before he can react. She’s not nearly as precise with dispersing or aiming the spray as he is, so she sets her sights on quantity rather than quality.
Everly drenches him and jumps out of his reach before he has a chance to react. Water blasts him directly in the chest, and his full-bodied laughter turns into a growl. Asim pins her with a look so full of heated anticipation it makes her core clench, and then he leaps toward her. She matches his movement, dancing backward and cackling when his arm swings out and just misses snagging her waist. He would have had her if her wet shirt wasn’t stuck to her like a second skin. She turns the hose on him again, soaking his hair, the rest of his shirt, and one entire pant leg. Asim laughs and swipes water out of his eyes, combing his hand through his hair and then letting out a roar, coming at her a second time.
With a yelp of alarm, Everly attempts to skip backward out of his reach again, but this time she slips in the wet grass and stumbles, her feet skidding out from beneath her as her body twists in the air. Releasing the hose, water goes flying in every direction as she flails her arms in an attempt to latch onto anything that could stop her fall. She scrunches her eyes shut, bracing herself for impact, but before she lands, she feels an arm band around her waist.
Instead of hitting the ground, she simply stops, hair hanging down around her face and breath wheezing out of her lungs. Everly opens her eyes slowly, sees a massive hand splayed out on the grass just inches beneath her face. The moment stretches, time warping around her. She haltingly turns her head, eyes tracing up the bulging arm to a shoulder, which is when her head can’t turn any further and her hair blocks her from seeing more.
“You didn’t really think I’d let you fall, did you?” Asim’s voice rumbles in her ear. She gasps a breath, filling her starved lungs after the air was punched out of them from his arm clamping around her. That’s when she notices his chest is pressed to her back, and he’s holding her horizontal against him. His breath gusts through her hair and Everly shivers, tingles cutting down her spine. Asim rolls so he’s lying under her, his back in the grass with her looking down at his face instead of his hand.
He’s wearing that boyish grin she loves, eyes twinkling with laugh lines creasing around them. His arm is now around her waist, holding her chest tight to his, his heart hammering against hers. Asim’s smile slowly fades as his eyes roam her face and neck.
“You okay?” he asks, his hand coming up to smooth the hair back from her cheek.
“I’m good.” Everly smiles at him, then looks down at her shirt between them. Her eyes widen when she sees that her light yellow shirt is now transparent, the comfy bra she’s wearing underneath clearly visible. It’s nothing super sexy (because yard work), but it’s also much less than a typical sports bra since those always feel too confining to her. Her nipples are practically stabbing him through her wet clothes.
Asim’s eyes follow hers and flare with desire. His hands drop to her hips and he rolls them again, putting her on her back underneath him. His weight on her feels incredible and Everly reaches up, running her hands along his arms and across his shoulders to link her fingers together behind his neck. Everly’s breathing is heavy, her breasts grazing his chest with every inhale. She hasn’t been this close to him in the daylight like this before, and her eyes are taking advantage, perusing every inch of his face so close to hers.
Her tongue sweeps across her bottom lip and Asim’s eyes darken. She gives in to temptation, and pulls. He is an immovable object though, and she pulls herself up to him instead of what she intended, which was to yank his head down to hers. As soon as their lips touch, Everly doesn’t care, and Asim gets sucked into her just as fiercely as she does him. His arms band underneath her as he props himself on his elbows, holding her off the grass with one hand splayed out between her shoulder blades and the other diving into her hair, angling her head and deepening the kiss.
When she hears herself moan into his mouth, the sound startles her back into the present moment and Everly remembers where they are. Lying on the grass, in her backyard. Although she would love to stay in this moment with him forever, she’s pointedly aware of the fact that she has neighbors and does not want to be caught romping about in the yard, while soaking wet no less.
Noticing her change in demeanor, Asim pulls back and looks down at her, a slight crease in his eyebrows. Her eyes dart around, ensuring there are no nosy neighbors staring at them, and Asim catches on quickly. He stands, holding his hand out for her and lifting her to her feet. Everly attempts to brush herself off, as does Asim, but now that they’ve both been thoroughly watered the dirt just smears to mud across their skin and clothes.
“Well," Everly huffs. This was a fun idea in her head, and the cool water certainly feels good on her sweaty skin, but she hadn’t accounted for what happens after the fact. She’s also shocked that she didn’t once think about how she’s literally muddying up her pristine appearance, and even now that she realizes it, she doesn’t particularly care.
“I suppose showers are in order," she says, glancing in his direction.
“I do need to water the upper plants, so they get settled in," Asim says. “Why don’t you go shower while I finish up out here.”
Everly doesn’t mind that arrangement at all, though part of her does wish he would join her. She starts to turn away when he snares her wrist and tugs her back into his chest for a quick peck on the lips, then the tip of her nose, before spinning her around again toward the house.
Smiling, Everly steps inside and shivers as the cool air hits her wet skin. Peeking out the window to ensure Asim can’t see her from this angle, she strips off her wet and dirty clothes, leaving them in a pile by the hallway to the laundry room, then streaks up the stairs to her bathroom for a quick, lukewarm shower.
She puts on a clean pair of fuzzy socks, fresh panties and opts to skip the bra, instead donning a comfy, casual dress with a built-in shelf that she likes to lounge around in.
When she gets back downstairs, Asim has finished watering the newly planted garden and is coiling the hose up by the house. After sending him toward the guest bathroom with a fresh towel, Everly mixes a Manhattan with bourbon, wanting a slightly sweeter taste for herself than normal, and settles down on the couch in the living room to relax, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.