Page 16 of Convergence

Leaning back in my desk chair, I shot a text to Nate to let him know I finished. It was nearing one in the morning, and I let out a jaw cracking yawn and stretched. I tidied up my desk and filed away the notepad I had been annotating in with bits and pieces of research. No reply had come.

Me: All done!

Me: Hey Nate, can you come get me?

Me:gif of a man yodeling on a mountain

Me: okay it’s been twenty minutes and you’re not reading these texts or answering my calls. Cool.

I sent a text to Everett to see if he was awake and could come get me. I called him, too. No response ten minutes later. Awesome.

I put on the sweatshirt I had left in the office a few days ago and layered my jacket over it. It was chilly when we drove in this morning, but now it was cold and raining. Sighing, I shut the lights off behind me and started on my way home. I could have stayed in the lab and slept on the couch in our office, but I was exhausted and wanted my bed and my coziest pajamas. The rain was freezing cold in the November air, and it seeped into my jacket and clothes quickly. I was mad. Then I was enraged. Then I was Throw The Whole Man Into The Bowels Of Hell angry.

There was a small side street I was pretty sure went between two buildings and would get me to our house faster. We had never driven any way other than our usual path, but I was certain this way would be shorter while walking. That side street turned out to be an alleyway between a cute café that had what looked like French style patisserie in the windows, and a shop that sold teas. I made a mental note of them being a few blocks away and wondered if they did delivery. I rushed down the alleyway at a sloshing jog in my Ked sneakers. My feet were numb in my shoes and my nose was streaming.

I came out of the other side of the alleyway and heard an engine barreling toward me. On reflex, I jumped back thinking it was a car and panicked. I fell back onto the sidewalk as the tires came to a skidding halt near me.

“Eva!” a man’s voice shouted through the rain.

I looked up to see Everett, in a raincoat, pajama pants, Nate’s baseball hat, and his running shoes. He rushed to me and grabbed me up by the shoulders. “Are you alright?” he shouted over the thundering rain, water dripping down his nose and onto me despite his hat brim and raincoat.

I tried to answer verbally, but I couldn’t find the words. I nodded stiffly and gave a large sniff. He said nothing, but had to practically carry me to Marie Curie. Ev set me on the passenger seat and got in the driver’s seat. He wrapped an arm around me and held me to him, but it did not help for sharing warmth. Though, heat did bloom in my belly from being smashed against him, banded in with his powerful arm. I breathed in his clean soap and beeswax beard balm scent and held on as we skidded through the turns.

“I’m going to fucking kill that kid,” Everett grunted as he drove as fast as Marie Curie could take us in the rain. MC had no windshield, so water drenched us as we drove, the drops feeling like pin pricks on my cheeks.

“I f-finished the report and sent it to Daisy,” I said through shivering teeth.

“That’s great,” Ev said, a bit flat.

“And I saw these t-two shops I w-want to check out. A p-place that l-looked like a French p-p-pastry shop and a c-cool tea shop,” I told him, if only to keep part of my body moving against the cold.

“You were supposed to be coming home, not sight seein’,” Everett lightly scolded me with a squeeze.

“I was t-taking a shortcut through that al-alley. It connects to Chestnut Street b-before the turn we make,” I informed him.

He hummed in response and concentrated on his fast driving.

We flew into the driveway as Nate was running out the side door, pulling his pants up as he ran. Crocs on his feet and an open raincoat over his bare chest. He whipped around to see us pulling in and I saw the look of both regret and relief cover his features.

“Oh, thank god. Eva, I’m so sorry-” he started desperately.

“How could you?! You promised!” I practically shrieked at him. The cold and emotions were limiting my vocal abilities, and I didn't mean to sound so shrill. “I had to walk in the rain and it’s so fucking cold!”

I realized I was shivering so hard I could barely stand, but I forced my legs to walk up to Nate and push him in the chest. My hands slapped against his now wet skin.

“I’m sorry,” Nate said regretfully, as Everett again half carried me into the house with his arm around my shoulders.

“Go upstairs, throw your wet clothes in the tub, and wrap up in towels and get into bed. I’ll warm some pajamas in the dryer,” Everett said quietly as he helped me up the stairs. He said louder, “And Nate will make you some lemon and ginger tea.”

I followed his directions and huddled in my bed, naked but wrapped in towels and blankets. Everett returned to my room a few moments later with a pair of gray lounge shorts and a red Hanes zip up hoodie I had seen him wear. “Here, these were in the dryer already, so they’re warm and dry for you.” He handed warm and soft clothes to me.

“Thank you, Ev,” I said, my voice hoarse from yelling.

He gave me a soft smile instead of his usual smirk. “Thank me after I beat that kid to a pulp,” he said before leaving the room.

I hurried and put the clothes on while they were still warm, inhaling deeply the smell of him where it clung permanently to the cotton fibers. I could hear his voice rumbling downstairs as he spoke to Nate. The kettle we had yet to use clunked down on the stove. I felt nervous, wondering if Ev was going to ‌beat Nate up. Nate’s voice rumbled back, though I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

I tiptoed to the top of the stairs and listened more carefully.

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