GoodReadDorothy slipped back into the hospital room, finding Everett engrossed in a video call with the company's shareholders.
She didn't interrupt. Instead, she gave him a little wave, signaling that he should keep at it and not mind her.
Listening to Everett converse in smooth, fluent Spanish, Dorothy found a quiet corner to sit and watch him work.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHer mind wandered back to Everett as a middle school student, who always clad in his crisp, clean uniform, sitting silently while working on problems with his refined, scholarly look. He'd furrow his brow in concentration and occasionally flipped through textbooks and jotted down notes.
Back then, her impression of her deskmate was simple: he liked his space clean, wasn't much for chit-chat, and had a string of admirers. His family was loaded, too. Every day after school, a sleek black sedan would be waiting to whisk him away.
The make and model of the car were beyond her knowledge then, not to mention what a luxury car even was. All she knew was that it was the most impressive car she'd ever seen—the kind she figured she'd never get to ride in.
As she watched him now, Dorothy couldn't help but pull out her phone and snap a picture of Everett in deep thought.
She scrutinized the photo from every angle, marveling at how there seemed to be no dead angle to his face. His features were sharply defined, his jawline chiseled, and his oceanic eyes were as deep as a serene pool. When his gaze dropped, the delicate fold of his eyelids became visible, and below that, his lashes fanned out like the feathers on a quill.
Dorothy saved the photo to her cloud album, hesitated for a few seconds before deciding whether to file it under ‘Life’ or ‘Scenery.’ Chewing on her lower lip, her fingers finally moved to create a new album in the cloud, renaming the untitled folder to "0825." After these little adjustments, she felt a little silly, as if Everett's youthful spirit was contagious—she was even resorting to a bit of sneaky photography.
But her mood? It was pretty great.
"This album should be filled with our photos together and with the kids, not just me alone.” She had no idea when Everett had silently moved from the bed. He was now standing behind her.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmStartled, Dorothy put on a stern face intentionally, "What are you doing up again? Dr. Quincy said you need to stay in bed!" "I know my own body," he replied, reaching past Dorothy to swipe her phone, extracting his solo picture from the "0825" album and creating a new one named "Family," where he dropped the photo.
"What are you doing?" "In '0825', | want to see lots of pictures with you, and with the kids." He didn't want to be alone in that album.
Dorothy blinked. Then, she couldn't resist her laughter, "If you wanted a photo with me, you could've just asked! Beating around the bush isn't your style, Mr. Lopez." Everett raised an eyebrow, "Fine, | want a photo with you. Is that alright, Ms. Sanchez?" "Ummm... let me think about it," she teased, then relented, "Alright, I'l indulge your wish!" She stood on tiptoes, phone in hand, switching to the front-facing camera.
But try as she might, even on her tiptoes, she couldn't fit Everett's entire face in the frame.
"You're too tall, bend down a bit!" Everett, with a half-smile, simply took the phone from her and effortlessly pulled Dorothy into his embrace.
Before she could react, he pressed the shutter button and planted a kiss on her lips right as the phone clicked.
All she heard was the click of her cell phone before she was pressed against the wall and felt his breath growing heavier.
"E...Everett... | thought we were just taking a photo?" "Who made that deal with you?" He hadn't said a word about just taking a photo.
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