Assigned to You (Completed)

Chapter Five: Everett

I couldn’t believe my luck. In front of me was the girl I’ve been thinking about since last night. I had assured myself last night that there was a likely chance I’ll get to see her around town if I had seen her at that club last night, even if it was within just a few days limit. But who would’ve thought that I’d see her the very next day and find out that she actually lived right in next to me?

Thank you, Curtis.

I stared at her for a while as she savored her breakfast, my hand laced with hers. It was a bold move and a bit forward since we’ve only seen each other twice. But there’s just something about her that draws me, like how Icarus was drawn to the sun. “Hey.”

She looked at me with those beautiful green eyes. I’ve never seen eyes as green and bright as hers before. And she looked even more gorgeous under the morning light. Freckles dusted her nose and cheeks and her red hair looked aflame under the sun.

“Yes?”

Even her voice sent shivers down my spine. “Are you doing something tonight?”

I could still remember her words from last night, telling me I better get her number next time so I could land a date with her. But why would I need her number when she lived across from me when I had the chance of seeing her every single day and if things veer to the right course, I could end up spending more time with her.

“Are you asking me out for a date during a ‘not-date’?” She asked. That made me laugh. I liked her boldness and the way she was so direct with me. The way she basically told me that she liked me through coated words yet she was still a woman to be respected and asked out.

My family would love her. “I’m having dinner tonight with the family. I haven’t seen them for almost a year. I know this might sound forward, but you have a very comforting presence for me.”

I was actually nervous to ask her to come. One, because this would be the first ‘date’ that we had. Two, because she could reject me. And three, because she simply made me nervous and ruined the mojo that I had going on with the ladies.

“Would you like to join me?”

But she looked at me with those green eyes and slowly, agonizingly slow, nodded her head. “Of course.”

It must’ve shown how surprise I was with her answer because she raised her eyebrow at me and tilted her head to the side. “Were you expecting me to say no?”

I found myself nodding. “You barely know me and it’s a family dinner.”

“I’m guessing you think that meeting the family is something that couple’s do somewhere in the middle of their relationship-,”

It was my turn to look at her with questioning eyes, “Relationship?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, I forgot to get it to you straight. I’m not expecting us to have a relationship unless you want to push it. I told you, I’m not a one-night stand kind of a girl nor do I want to simply be someone’s fling or even a frenny and benny thing.”

She leaned back in her chair, her green eyes glinting with confidence. “I’m the girl that you work to get, Everett. Commitment, that’s what I’m looking for. I gave up on flings and hook-ups the moment I was done with school. If that’s not your kind of thing, then make it clear.”

To say that I was wowed by her statement would be an understatement. Her directness continued to astound me. Never have I ever met a girl as bold as she was nor have I ever met anyone who would lay their cards on the table without hesitation.

“Another thing, I’m guessing this family affair isn’t something you would want to attend alone, given that you just told me my presence comforts you. I’m doing this as a favor to you, not because I think of us in a relationship. Please, this isn’t even a date,” she said, motioning to the breakfast plates in front of us, “And tonight wouldn’t count as one either.”

I was too at lost for words to speak. I didn’t even know what to say. I simply nodded at her and said, “Okay.”

I gauged her response but she doesn’t seem fazed by my agreement. She finished off her breakfast, but she had let go of our interlacing hands. “Evangeline.”

She looked up at me again, “Lin. Just call me Lin.”

I nodded. “Lin. Who else calls you that?”

She shrugged. “Everyone I know. They say Evangeline’s a mouthful.”

“But I happen to like your name.”

Evangeline looked at me and there was something in her eyes that I couldn’t decipher. “Call me whatever you’d like.”

I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling, “You wouldn’t mind if I called you ‘baby’ then?”

She narrowed her eyes at me but I watched the corners of her lips twitch upward. She shook her head in amusement, looking down to hide her smile. “I actually would since we’re not a couple.”

“But when we are…” I let my voice trail on purpose, hinting an answer to the question she indirectly asked. I waited for her reaction but still, she seemed unfazed.

She merely shrugged and finished her juice and then nodded at me, her eyes focused on my head, or specifically, my hair. “Do you mind getting a haircut?”

I looked at her with surprise, my hand unconsciously running to my long hair. “What?”

She licked her bottom lip and sank her teeth on it, her head tilted to the side as she assessed me. “I liked you better with shorter hair.”

“Then would you mind going with me to get my hair cut?” I asked, grinning.

“I need a dress for the occasion tonight, anyways,” she replied, making sure that her tone sounded bored but I could see her eyes lighting with excitement. I wasn’t even sure what she was excited about, going with me for a haircut or shopping for a dress but nonetheless, watching her look all giddy made her look adorable in my eyes even when she showed herself as sophisticated and independent.

We headed back to my car. I still can’t get over the fact that Papa gave me the car I’ve been wanting. I’ve always had a thing for cars, and Papa knew it. My hands lingered to touch the steering wheel. Beside me, Evangeline cleared her throat.

“It’s a bit upsetting on my part to see that you’re more thrilled with your car than with the girl beside you,” her bored tone broke the spell that I was in. I turned to her and her green eyes glittered with amusement.

I smiled at her sheepishly before revving the engine and driving to the mall. “I’ve always had a thing for cars. I guess it’s a typical boy thing. Other than adult magazines I had stashed under my bed, I had dozens of magazines about cars lying around my room.”

“Hmm,” Evangeline mused, “So it’s safe to assume that cars turn you on? Does that mean I might need to up my game?”

I slammed my feet on the break, nearly crashing into the car in front of me because her statement caught me off-guard. I turned to apologize to her for breaking too hard but I regretted the moment I looked at her. She had this tempting look again and it took every ounce of self-control I had to restrain myself.

“You kept telling me you’re all for commitment but you keep on saying those things.”

Evangeline smirked and shrugged, turning her attention on the road. “Oh don’t get me wrong, Everett, I’m all for commitment but that doesn’t mean that I’m a prude.”

I closed my eyes. “Do you do this to all guys you meet?”

“Just the ones that I like.”

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. I swear, this girl could be the death of me.

We headed to the mall to find her dress for tonight. It was quick to note that Evangeline wasn’t like most girls who spent too much time looking for a dress. It was also quick to notice that she preferred dresses that hugged her curves perfectly, sexy but still modest enough. I browsed as she did the same, and pulled out an off-shoulder emerald dress that I knew would be perfect for her.

“Evangeline.”

She turned to me, and I was still amazed by how beautiful she looked. “Yea?”

“This would be perfect for you,” I said and handed her the dress. She looked at it and assessed it.

“I’m going to go inside and try it on,” she said and headed to the fitting room. I lazily browsed around and as I did so, I spotted a familiar dark haired man.

“Curtis!” I called my uncle. He turned to me in surprise. A brunette was clinging to his arm, probably the same age as Evangeline and I.

“Everett, I’m surprised to see you, here of all places,” Curtis stated, a familiar smile on his face, “Are you with someone?”

“Ev, I’m getting this dress,” I heard Evangeline’s voice and she suddenly appeared next to me. She assessed Curtis for a moment and then flashed a winning smile, “Hello.”

Curtis looked surprised to see a girl with me. He knew I wasn’t one for dating. I was more a fling and hook up kind of guy. After the fiasco of romance that happened to my parents, I became a non-believer of love. Which means that if Evangeline was all about commitment, if I did like her as much as I think I do, I’ll end up changing my belief.

My uncle plastered a charming smile, channeling the charming businessman he always was. I watched as the brunette narrowed her eyes as he extended a hand for Evangeline to shake, “Why, I didn’t think my nephew can manage to land a pretty girl like you. I’m Curtis Saunders.”

“Evangeline Sterell,” she replied, shaking his hand with a modest smile, “You’re Everett’s uncle?”

Curtis nodded. “More like an older brother that raised him. But yes, biologically I’m that goof’s uncle. I’m hoping he’s paying for that dress.”

My eyebrows rose. I didn’t intend to pay for Evangeline’s dress, partly because I spent half of my money on our breakfast. I still had my old wallet since I didn’t grab the new one that was lying on the nightstand in the bedroom of my new apartment. I knew that it was stocked with cash and credit cards and debit cards.

“Oh no, I can pay for my dress.”

“But I’m sure that Everett could,” Curtis pressed.

Evangeline simply shook her head. “I’m not that kind of girl, Mr. Saunders. I have money. I can afford the dress.”

Curtis pursed his lips. I knew what he must be thinking. He was used to having girls clung to him because of his money. Admittedly, I sometimes get girls the same way, back when I still clung to my family’s wealth. His cool blue eyes regarded Evangeline in a speculative way but then, he was back to his charming self.

“I’m hoping the dress is meant for tonight.”

Evangeline nodded. “Of course. Everett invited me.”

“He’s bringing a date. Mom will be thrilled,” Curtis said, his tone polite. But I saw the way he looked at Evangeline and it suddenly bothered me, “I’ll see you two tonight.”

He gave me the firm nod and then went off with his girl, not bothering to introduce her to us. Evangeline turned to me. “You’re uncle’s a bit of a douche.”

I barked out a laugh and smiled at her, “It’s the first time I heard someone tell me that.”

She merely shrugged and headed to the counter to pay. I suddenly wanted to offer to do so but when I made a show of pulling out my wallet when I walked over to the counter, she held me off with a firm hand in mine. She paid with her card and then I grabbed the bag from the lady.

I grinned at her cheekily. “Chivalry isn’t dead.”

She chuckled but surprised me by holding my hand. We strolled around the mall to find a barber shop. I wasn’t exactly specific where I had my hair cut but Evangeline seemed adamant to find me a good one. We finally ended up in a barber shop that looked classy enough for her liking. She wiggled her eyebrows at me and dragged me in.

“Sit,” she said, pointing at one of the chairs and she headed straight to one of the staff and I watched as she pulled out her phone and seemed to be directing instructions. Soon, she sat back at one of the couches and pulled out a magazine to skim while the staff she talked with went to me.

“Your girlfriend seems to have a good style,” he said as a greeting and without further ado, began nipping on my hair. I didn’t even bother to correct him that she wasn’t my girlfriend. Yet.

By the time I was done- which took almost thirty minutes- I looked almost the same as I did when Evangeline and I first met albeit a bit more stylish. I couldn’t help but wonder if she did it on purpose. The huge smile on her face gave me the confirmation I needed.

“Now you look like the Everett I met,” she said, reaching out to touch my hair, “Lunch?”

I chuckled and checked my watch. “We just ate breakfast three hours ago.”

The time that passed seemed to surprise the both of us. But I guess we didn’t take the travel time in consideration. Versailles was a bit far from the mall so I guess that’s mainly the reason why. Evangeline simply looked at me and shrugged.

“Same time it takes enzymes to work and digest the food we ate,” she replied, her tone back to sounding bored, “Also, I have a fast metabolism.”

“Explains why you’re skinny,” I commented and then casually took her hand to hold. I waited for her to react and pull away from me but she didn’t. For all her talks about commitment and how I needed to make an effort if I wanted to date her, she seemed fine with acting like a couple.

The car ride back to the apartment was filled with little questions about our life. “You know our lives aren’t that much different. You were raised by your grandparents; I was raised by my uncle.”

I glanced at her. “You never mentioned that at the beach.”

“Because you seemed hell-bent on telling me your life story,” she snorted, “But yea. I was raised by my uncle.”

“What happened to your parents?” I asked, curious about why she ended up as an orphan. But Evangeline turned away, her lips a thin line and it was enough to note that she didn’t want to talk about it. “Are you doing something else before the dinner?”

She flashed me a thankful smile but didn’t reply right away. We arrived at the apartment complex and I parked the Audi to where I saw my apartment number. Evangeline and I boarded the elevator and still, she remained silent. It was only until we were back on our floor that she talked again.

“Why? Did you have something in mind?”

I glanced at my watch. There was time to kill before both of us had to get ready for dinner and I really, sincerely, did want to get to know her better. She was actually the first girl that I was this interested in. “Netflix and chill?”

“That’s a code for ‘want to have s*x’, Everett,” she told me bluntly. I blinked, taken aback. She chuckled and headed straight to her door, fishing out her keys from her bag, “I have laundry to do, Everett. You can Netflix and chill alone. Or you could take in your apartment.”

“Or I could help you do laundry.”

She clucked her tongue and shook her head, opening her apartment door, “We practically spent the entire morning together. I know I’m interesting but we need a break.”

I chuckled and moved closer to her, taking the short steps to where she stood. I wanted to kiss her again, my lips aching to touch hers. “I’ll see you tonight?”

She rolled her eyes, placed a hand on my chest and then slowly inched her hand to my face. She touched my cheek, and gently caressed my face and then said, “I don’t like beards.”

She burst out laughing and quickly headed inside her apartment, shutting her door. I could still hear her giggling behind it. “Evangeline!”

“You better be clean-shaven tonight, Saunders!” She teased. I pressed the side of my head on the door, trying to listen to her but I was only met with silence.

With I sigh, I walked to my apartment door but glanced back at her, hoping that she’ll pop her head out and invite me in but she didn’t. I headed to the bedroom and practically threw myself on the bed, thinking of the morning I spent with Evangeline. This was by far the longest that I’ve spent with her and I couldn’t help but be excited to spend the rest of the day with her.

My phone buzzed and I fished it out of my pocket. It was a text from Curtis.

I’m looking forward to seeing your girl again tonight. Didn’t know you had an affliction for red-heads. I’m impressed. She’s a catch.

I didn’t like the way he seemed to admire Evangeline. I knew Curtis. He was a man-w***e. He was a good uncle but a jackass to the ladies. If he was looking forward to seeing Evangeline tonight, that meant that I had to be on guard. He had charmed my dates before and more than once, they had ended up in his bed.

There was no way I was letting him steal Evangeline from me.