Page 59 of Convergence

“Let me guess, quarterback?” Nate asked in a teasing voice.

“The best our school had seen in decades,” Easton praised. Everett sat back in his seat, looking like the attention had embarrassed him.

“Of course you were. Fucking hell,” Nate laughed. “I’m in love with the star quarterback cowboy. How is this real life?”

Everett blushed a deep red and I shifted in my seat. I had suspected it would be Nate who said the L word first. He wore his heart on his sleeve and didn’t seem to do anything halfway. A twinge of jealousy zipped around my stomach since he said it to Ev and not me, but I tamped it down. There was no point in getting worked up over something that was said in a joking way with Ev’s brother. I could be happy about the progression for Ev without sulking.

“How is it real life that we’re suspected terrorists when we were just trying to get our degrees?” Everett rasped, changing the subject. “We need to think of a new plan. We can’t stay here much longer if the rangers are already looking.”

I sighed. “Back to the drawing board.”

“You have time here, yet. I think you should wait until we get more information on who was controlling the project,” Easton said.

“I think we need to talk this over,” Everett said, gesturing to me and Nate.

“Absolutely. Go get washed up. Did you catch any fish? I’ll grab the cooler and the rods from by the river and I’ll call you when dinner is ready. Go rest your legs, Eva,” Easton said and stood.

Everett had to carry me to the RV while Nate grabbed our clothes that had been drying by the woodstove in the cabin from yesterday.

“Nate said he loved you,” I whispered to Ev as he walked me to the RV.

A blush creeped up Ev’s cheeks again. “I heard him.”

I squealed and wiggled excitedly in Ev’s arms, and he shushed me with a laugh.

23

We dressed and sat at the dinette table in the RV after Nate came back with our clean and wood fire warmed clothes. The vinyl bench seat was a half-circle around a small table and reminded me of a roadside diner. I sat between them on the bench, and Everett rubbed my knees to ‌massage the muscles and scar tissue.

“Okay, so what are your ideas?” Nate said with an exhale as he settled into the bench.

“One option is to wait until Daisy and Hoffmann make a move or more information comes out, then we come out of hiding. Easton backs this one. He thinks we should catch Hoffmann or Daisy or whoever is running the show and then come out and tell everyone what happened to us,” Everett explained. It was difficult to determine his thoughts on that plan because he said it without feeling.

“Another option is to keep working with Easton and his… friends to try to stop anything major from happening,” I added. “We could work more intentionally with them to find where our research is going to be used and stop it.”

“Hmm, or we could get moving and find somewhere else to hide indefinitely,” Nate offered. His voice was dark as he spoke. “And not risk getting executed or locked up.”

We were quiet for a few minutes as we each considered our options. A thought occurred to me, and my heart sank. It wasn’t the healthiest thought to have, and I knew it. I swallowed thickly. “The way I see it, we’re already dead. If either Hoffman and Daisy’s people or the police don’t kill us on sight, we’re never going to ‌have lives without this over our heads. So, if we’re going to go out, we might as well go out helping other people.”

The guys were quiet, and they exchanged a long, serious glance. I felt like they agreed with me. It felt like I had said what we were all thinking. This felt deeply and heart-wrenchingly hopeless.

“Whatever we do, whatever we decide, we’re doing it together,” Everett said quietly.

“Fucking duh,” Nate scoffed.

“I don’t like being separated from you guys.” I looked at the tabletop, avoiding their eyes. “I’ve never-” I swallowed a gulp of air and huffed a sigh. “I’ve never felt like I needed another person before. They were right on the news to say that I lived disconnected from people. It’s like… it’s like if I wasn’t talking, nobody was listening, and I wasn’t on anyone’s mind. A girl who doesn’t talk probably sounded like a lot of work to have a relationship with, so… hardly anybody ever tried. Friendship or otherwise. So, there was never anyone I felt was worth it to need. Maybe that doesn’t make sense. I don’t know.”

“It makes perfect sense, baby girl,” Everett said and held my hand. “Little did they know that getting to know you was the key to your voice.”

“I need you, too,” Nate said and took my other hand. “I need both of you.”

“Like I said to Easton earlier, you’re both mine,” Everett said, his eyes flashing as he looked between me and Nate.

Nate cleared his throat and sat up straight, clenching his jaw. “Both of you need to get to the bed now.”

Everett cocked a brow. “No.”

Nate stood, slowly and menacingly. I fought a grin, biting my lower lip.

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