Magnetic

EIGHTEEN

EVERITT

Street lights blurred past his vision as Everitt drove down the highway, approaching the next exit. He glanced over at Nai in the passenger's seat, wondering if she'd finally fallen asleep. Everitt figured she'd be tired after the long day they'd had, but her eyes were still open. Quieter than usual, Nai looked out of her window, a soft smile on her face. Ev refocused on the road, slowing down as he indicated and switched lanes to get off the highway.

He didn't want to tell her at any point during their day with his family, but Everitt had been worried. Striking a balance between being himself and the versions he was with Nai and his family seemed impossible at first. Though he felt like Nai saw most of him, his siblings brought out another, often more childish side of Everitt, one that he didn't know Nai would be happy to see. And, for a while, he worried that his fears had come to life. But then, after she got the hang of golf, Everitt felt a shift. She looked happier, more comfortable, and her smile came back.

Damn, he loved her smile.

They came to a stop at a red light, a little under ten minutes from his place. Ev took the opportunity to watch Nai once again. She looked peaceful, and he wondered what was on her mind. Before he could overthink it, Everitt slid his hand over her leg, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. He heard her inhale sharply, probably surprised by the sudden contact, but she quickly relaxed and met his gaze.

Nai's brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the soft lights that streamed into the car from outside, her face lit up by a warm glow on her right side. Everitt got lost just looking at her, and almost forgot that he had to drive until his girlfriend squeezed his hand and said, "The light's green."

"R-Right," He turned back towards the road, stepping on the accelerator while he cleared his throat.

The hand in his felt cold in Nai's warm lap, and her other hand moved to rest on top of Everitt's. She hummed a tune he didn't recognise for a bit before she finally said, "I'm really glad I got to meet your family."

That made Everitt smile. He stroked unrecognisable shapes into Nai's skin, her cold hands warming up in his touch. It meant a lot to Everitt to have Nai meet his family. Though he doubted their rejection of her would have meant the end of their relationship, it might've casted some serious doubt in his mind, either about her or his family. Ev didn't dare say it out loud, not yet, but he'd found it increasingly more difficult to imagine his life without Danai. Downright impossible, if he was honest with himself. She'd permeated nearly every part of his routine, and he liked that. Ev wanted to see her often, and even though he enjoyed their time apart, he spent at least a bit of it wondering what she was up to. Waking up next to her in the morning, or seeing her stuff in his closet and bathroom... It felt right.

Holding her hand in the darkness of his car felt right.

"They loved you," Everitt finally said, glancing over at Nai.

He could see her smile out of the corner of his eye, "Really?"

"Yeah, especially my mom and Ella. Seriously, she would not get off my ass, and she gets like that when she's excited." He turned left, onto his street, "My sister, I mean."

Nai laughed. "I figured."

After he pulled into the garage and parked, Everitt got Nai's bags--just her purse and the bags from the shopping he'd done--and she grabbed their leftovers. She held onto the crook of his elbow as they walked inside, went up the elevator, right until he had to unlock his door. The bags in his hands rustled and rubbed against each while Everitt searched his pockets for his keys.

As soon as he fished them out, he heard a door open. When he looked up, Nai stepped into his apartment, "Well, I have a key, too."

The alpha cracked a smile, "You just had to show me up?"