Chapter Eighteen Evan
I’ve learned over the years that sitting across from Scarlett is a lot less productive than sitting next to her. When we’re sitting across from each other, all I have to do is lift my head and she’s right there.
I can see all of her. I can see the way she holds her pen a certain way and the ink marks that are left on the side of her hand.
I notice the way she tilts her notebook when she’s writing and the way her eyes narrow when she reads, like she’s trying to live between the lines.
It also doesn’t help that we’re both tall and our legs constantly brush against each other.
I usually hate when other people touch me, or when materials don’t feel right against my skin, but it doesn’t feel like that with her.
Sometimes I need to put a little bit more pressure between our legs for it to feel right, but she never retreats.
I see the way her shoulders relax a little when we touch.
There’s a kink in her neck that is begging for attention, and the more I look at her, the more I wonder what it would be like if it were my hands on her skin.
If I could be the one to help her relax.
But there’s an unsaid agreement now. We don’t talk about the kiss. We don’t bring it up. It’s like it never even happened. Which means I should probably stop thinking about all the different ways I want to touch her and where I want my mouth.
I don’t know who was more surprised that we’d meet at my mom’s library today. I was shocked when she texted me asking if she could get some work done here, and then she was even more surprised when I turned up and sat with her.
We’ve been finishing up homework for our respective classes for a while, but I’ve hardly been focusing.
Too busy thinking about my application for the SEI and what stage of the process it’s in right now.
We handed them in at the end of last week, and even though I’m pretty confident with my references and my portfolio, there’s still that fear that the opportunity might slip right through my hands.
Tiffany was right. Competition is fierce.
NU students make up only a small portion of the amount of students that apply for the program, and there’s a chance that no one from our college could get picked.
I’m up against Scarlett, for God’s sake.
Her application alone could be enough to sway the judging board to choose her over me.
I need to get this. It might be the only shot I have left to show my dad that I want to have my job back.
It’ll show him how much effort I’ve put into working on my studies while also gaining that college experience he so desperately wants for me.
The SEI will be a good opportunity for me to gain some other experience outside of B&Co.
To see more clearly how other businesses build from scratch.
“Stop doing that,” Scarlett murmurs.
I look up to her, shocked to find her still looking at her notes. “Doing what?”
“I can feel you fidgeting.”
It’s only then that I realize my knee has been bouncing, knocking right against hers. I pull my leg back, crossing my ankles under my chair. “Sorry.”
She lifts her head up, golden eyes meeting mine. “Are you thinking about the SEI?”
“Do you ever wonder who actually reads your application? Like, there’s got to be a huge board of people reading them.
They go through hundreds a day. What are the chances someone is reading one of ours right now?
” I shake my head when I realize I’ve been rambling, but it just causes Scarlett to smile.
“So, you are thinking about it.” I shrug, nodding. She rolls her eyes. “Come on, you know you’re going to get it, Branson.”
My eyebrows furrow. “What?”
“I’ve seen the way you’ve been stressing about the application,” she says, gesturing at me. “We killed the presentation and you’re a good student, Evan, obviously you’re going to win.”
Even though it sounds like a compliment, she still seems a little pissed about it. “What about you?”
“What about me? I’ve tried my best, but I’ve also been on a literal wild goose chase this semester.
” She sighs deeply. “And, honestly, working on the list has been kind of fun. Being able to work on the designs for the winter line is all I’ve wanted for years and now I’m doing it.
Not getting the SEI could be a blessing in disguise. ”
I frown. “So, you’re just giving up?”
“I’m not giving up, but the outcome of the internship isn’t exactly up to me,” she says, shrugging. “And if I don’t get in, I’ve got a job at Voss waiting for me once I complete this list.”
I swallow. I don’t know why hearing that puts me on edge.
I’ve not put any thought into what would happen if I didn’t get the SEI, and it seems like Scarlett has it all figured out.
I usually have a plan for everything, and more times than not, things work out for me.
My dad banning me from B&Co was enough of a curveball this year, and if I don’t get the internship, I don’t know how else I’m going to be able to convince my dad to let me back in.
I shake my head, trying to get rid of the anxious thoughts. I don’t need to think about that. Not now. Not when it’s beyond my control.
I gesture to Scarlett’s notebook. “Is that what you’re working on right now?”
“Yeah.” She twists the notebook, tilting her head to the side. “I think they’re done.”
“Can I see them?”
Scarlett hesitates, lowering her notebook back onto the table. She thinks about it for a second, her gaze flickering between the notebook and me, before she eventually slides it across.
I take in the sketches, running my index finger over the bumps of the pencil on the paper. The designs vary from skirts and dresses to tuxedos, and even children’s sweatshirts.
Before I can even say how incredible they look, she says, “I need to redesign the skirt on this one.” She points at a dress shaded in a dark-pink pencil. “I don’t think it matches the corset part of the dress.”
“Stunning,” I whisper, flicking slowly through the notebook.
“I know it’s not the typical style of what Voss usually goes for, but I’m trying to experiment a little. Hopefully trying something new will encourage my parents to do that too,” she explains, and I nod, taking in more of her work.
“These are so good. Like, so fucking good.”
“My dad doesn’t think so from the last time I showed him some of them,” she mutters, closing the book and setting it to the side.
“I think they are.”
“Thanks, but you can’t exactly do anything about it, so it doesn’t really mean anything.”
“I would if you asked me to. I’d create an entirely new fashion brand to see someone wearing these on the runway. They’re incredible.”
She scoffs. “You must enjoy lying, huh?”
I shake my head. “This self-deprecating shit you’re doing isn’t cute, Scarlett. We both know you’re way smarter and way more talented than anybody gives you credit for,” I say, and her lips part on a gasp. I lean into her and whisper, “Own it.”
She tries to hide her smile, but I see it. Scarlett is confident with everything she does, and I don’t know why she gets like this sometimes. Her parents must have really done a number on her if she takes what they say so seriously. She’s good at this. Way better than I imagined.
“You could do this by yourself, you know? Branch out and create something separate of your own,” I suggest.
She scoffs. “How would that work? It’s practically in my blood to work at Voss.”
“Not really.”
She clicks her tongue, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “I-It’s complicated.”
I shrug, leaning back in my chair. “It’s also an option.”
She holds my gaze for a while, and I can tell she’s thinking about it.
She must know how good her designs are and how easy it would be for her to start something of her own.
She’s got the talent and the drive. All she needs are the right connections, good people on her team that won’t fuck her over, and she’ll be set.
Scarlett shakes her head lightly, pushing her chair back from the table. “I’m going to check out the fiction section.”
“Good idea. I’ll come with.”
She smirks. “You just can’t leave me alone, can you?”
“Something like that.”
Every time we’ve come to the library, we never have much time to walk around and browse. The place is filled with books of every genre, all carefully picked out by the team that work here.
I should’ve known Scarlett would gravitate toward the thriller and horror section. She scans the shelves with precision, picking up a book every few minutes to skim the blurb before placing it back in its rightful place.
A book with a pink spine catches my eye and I laugh when I see the front cover. “What is it with everyone and taxidermy?” I shudder, placing the book behind another one.
“Why does it bother you so much?” Scarlett asks, laughing.
“Why doesn’t it bother you? It’s creepy.” Scarlett just laughs even harder, the corners of her eyes creasing in the most adorable way. “You’re laughing now, but you won’t be when scientists find a way to bring those things back to life.”
She blows a raspberry, waving her hand in my face as if the idea of that doesn’t scare her at all. Maybe it doesn’t. “At least I know not to choose you to bunk with during a zombie apocalypse.”
I shake my head. “Nah, I think we could handle it.”
She snorts, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans against the bookshelves. “I really don’t think running away in terror and making out against a tree shows that we could ‘handle’ anything.”
I chuckle deeply, stepping to the side so I’m right in front of her. Her eyes still burn a furious fiery brown, but the freckles on her cheeks have faded almost completely now. I want to trace each of them with my finger, count them, connect them with lines and form constellations.
Without thinking, I grip her chin between my fingers, tilting her face up to mine. Her lips part on a gasp, her eyes bouncing around my face. “We had fun though, right?”
Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip. “I mean, yeah, it was okay.”
“Okay?”