Page 6 of EverGreene
The back of Ever’s head greeted me when I turned the corner to the break room, taking me aback. Her long, dark hair hung loosely down to her mid back. She usually wore it pulled back in a braid or secured loosely in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, and I found myself wondering what the special occasion was. Despite the chill in the air, she wore a plaid skirt thathit just above her knees, paired with a pair of brown leather boots—another anomaly. Seriously, what were her plans? Had she met someone? It took everything in my power to steady my breathing as my hand formed a fist at my side.
There goes my concentration for the rest of the day.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me, or did you actually come in here for something?” she asked without turning around.
“Good morning to you, too.” My hand relaxed, and I tried to regain my composure. “I was just in shock seeing you in here this early and not ten minutes after you were supposed to be here.”
She turned around, hazel eyes boring holes into my very soul. When she was angry, the green in her irises stood out vibrantly. Part of the reason I enjoyed getting under her skin so much was so I could take them in. “You look like hell,” she observed, her eyes raking down my body before she turned back around to fetch her cup from the coffee maker. “What’s with the blue shirt? You always wear it on Mondays. Do you not own another one, or are you just that dull and predictable?”
“Do I wear this shirt every Monday?” I responded, opening the cupboard to search for my coffee mug. “Gee, I hadn’t noticed. Butyouhave, apparently. I didn’t realize you were watching me so intently, Nevermore.”
The way I watch you.
And there’s that green again.
Ever bristled, cheeks blazing red. “Don’t flatter yourself, Loche Greene.” Maybe unintendedly, or maybe not, she slammed the container of powdered creamer down on the counter. “I’m just in the unfortunate position of having to share space with you for the next couple of months. It’s hard not to notice things.”
“Funny, because I couldn’t tell you what you were wearing last Monday.”
A black button-up blouse with black trousers.
“That’s good. Because I would hate to have to file a complaint with HR for harassment.”
“It would seem that would go both ways.”
She pursed her lips, opening her mouth to say something just as Sylvia from Human Resources poked her head inside the door.
“Everything okay in here?” she asked, looking between the both of us.
I stifled a laugh, watching Ever’s face fall. She turned around to address Sylvia just as I answered, “All good.”
“We’re fine. Just talking about our weekend,” Ever answered, her tone anything but convincing.
Sylvia raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “You two are going to be the death of me. Renovations will be completed in two months, and I promise you, the second they’re done, I’ll make sure you’re at opposite ends of the building.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I think Loche will miss me too much. His productivity might suffer.”
It was only Monday morning, yet Sylvia looked like she had already had enough of us to last the entire week. “Just do me a favor and try to get along for the next two months. They’ll be over before you know it.” With one last glance between the two of us like a stern parent, Sylvia disappeared back down the hall, most likely returning to her office to erase whatever number was written under ‘Days Since I’ve Had To Admonish Loche And Ever’ on her whiteboard to change it to ‘0’.
“Not soon enough,” Ever muttered, moving to leave the break room.
“So, how was your weekend, anyway?” I called out to her. “Do anything…fun?”
She paused, peering over her shoulder with the hint of crimson on her cheeks. “It was…memorable.”
“Yeah? Mine too.”
“Aw, did you get a woman to talk to you without giving her your Social Security number first?”
I smirked. God she was adorable, even when she was verbally castrating me. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Oh, so you must be resorting to drugging now. Remind me to cover my drink when I’m around you.”
“Actually, I’ll have you know she seemed to be really into me. No drugging required. Though I would love to try handcuffs sometime. She seemed like she would be into it.”
Ever’s eyes widened, and she nearly spat out the swig of coffee she’d been in the process of trying to swallow. Sharp coughs forced her to cover her mouth. “I’m going to need an extra therapy session to get that mental image out of my head, so thank you for that.”
“The way I see it, you should be thanking yourself. You were the one who brought up my dating life.”
