Chapter 43 : Lucifer

I heard noises when I entered the penthouse coming from the kitchen and I wondered if Everly had fallen again. I paced in the direction of the kitchen without waiting for another second and faltered in my steps when I saw Jessa sitting at the breakfast bar listening to Everly. What happened while I was away?

"Lucifer," Everly said, relief clear in her voice, Jessa turned around in the stool, her face was pale, drained of all the colors. The usual Jessa was gone and I began but was cut off by the loud thunder outside. Of course, shit. How could I forget about it? Jessa hated storms from the very beginning. I still remembered how she crawled into my bed during the storms when she was young. "Dad's not home?" I asked sitting down beside her.

She shook her head, "He's gone with Blake to attend some conference at his university. I was alone and I couldn't go at Celia's, she already had her hands full with Lily and Liam. So I came here. I'm sorry I knew you were planning on taking Everly out and I ruined it."

"It's alright. It's good you came here, you'll stay here as long as you like." I said patting her hair which had started to frizz up due to the humidity. I looked up at Everly expecting an upset face but I was so wrong, she was smiling. I mouthed a sorry to her and she shook her head the smile never leaving her face. "I'll go freshen up." And her smile fell. She either didn't want to stay with Jessa or she didn't want me to go to my room.

Yes, it definitely was the later. When I entered my room it looked like that the storm had hit my room and not the city outside. Clothes were scattered across my bed, the floor was taken by shoes but that wasn't enough the bathroom had changed too and I felt her presence. Everly was everywhere. Her toothbrush beside mine, her bathrobe next to mine, the shower stall had her shampoo and body wash. It felt different, a good different perhaps. When I came back into the room Everly was there kicking the shoes to make way for walking, "Hey," I said and she jumped. She scowled. Oh I loved doing that. "Am I missing something?"

"Jessa said she'd take the room which she usually took, the one down the hall in which I was living. If she'd seen my stuff there she would've been suspicious, you know with us being in a relationship-" Pink hit her cheeks and I smiled. "So I brought all of my stuff here. I didn't have the time to set them up, more like I didn't know where to keep them." She said looking around the room.

"Don't worry I'll take care of this, you better go downstairs, it won't be long before she comes upstairs."

"Oh yes," She said and headed for the door but stopped in her tracks and turned around, "It was beautiful the way you handled Jessa just now. You're a great brother." And with that she rushed out of the room. This was the first time she had ever complimented me and it felt good. Getting a compliment from her was way different and much more delightful. But as of now being delighted wouldn't help, I needed to clear up this beautiful mess.

When I got back downstairs, Jessa certainly looked better, but with the storm worsening it wouldn't be long. "Lucifer you were hiding such a chef from us." Jessa said as soon as she spotted me.

"You know I don't share." I winked at her and wrapped my arms around Everly who was facing the counter. Jessa poked out her tongue and got back to eating.

I turned to my woman who was busy making some pattern with frosting on the cake she had made, "So how's it going?" My voice broke her concentration and her hand jerked making the frosting spill out all over the cake. She drew out a frustrated breath and threw away the frosting bag. she turned in my hold and glared up at me, then pushed me away, I smiled and stepped back.

"Are you happy now?" She scowled at me and placed her hands on her hips. From my peripheral I saw Jessa put down her fork and giving us her full attention with a smirk playing on her face. Of course she was amused it was probably the first time she'd seen someone, especially a woman snap at me.

"Eyes on me Lucifer!" Everly snapped again.

"Oh sweetheart my eyes are always on you."

"Stop that, you know I was this close to getting done with that flower." She flung out her arms and huffed. I sidestepped and looked at the cake behind, the thing on it looked anything but a flower. Everly followed my line of sight and realized the same, "It doesn't look like one now but it would have if not for you."

"I'm sorry sweetheart," I said with my smile and I could already see her resolute slip away. Of course, my Everly had the sweetest heart and she just didn't know how to hold a grudge against anyone. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed, "But you'll do the dishes." She said and turned her back to me. I had no problem with that, anyway it was more of an unspoken rule, she made the food and I did the dishes. Not wishing to push my luck any further, I joined Jessa at the breakfast table who was grinning from ear to ear.

Coming here was the best decision I ever made!" She squealed, "Now I have tons of scoops for my late night talks. Oh yes, Everly's done with her exams, right?"

I nodded.

"So how about if she joins Celia and I on our Friday nights, she's already part of the family you know."

My eyes drifted back to Everly who was trying to make something out of the spilled frosting on the cake. Part of the family. Everly would've been elated if she heard that, but it would've broken her heart at the same time. Even though my feelings for her were without a doubt true, she still thought that it was all an act and she was lying to everybody. All I needed was for her to fall for me too and I'd come clear to my family, it was my idea after all and she had nothing to do with it. "Shouldn't you asking her instead of me?" I shrugged.

"I'm not asking you, I was informing that we'd be taking your sweet Everly for some wild fun." She punched in the air dramatically and shouted, "Hey Everly!"

Everly jumped again, the frosting bag falling out of her hand again. She muttered something about both of us belonging to the same family and turned to us, "What?" She snapped and we stifled our laughs. There was no way she was getting done with that flower today.

Everly seemed restless after the dinner. She refused to sit down and was on her feet cleaning stuff that didn't cleaning in first place. Jessa looked at me questioningly a few times but I just shrugged my shoulder because I had no freaking clue what was wrong with her. "I'll hit the bed now before the storm worsens." Jessa said getting up from the couch.

"Sure. Do you need anything? Do you want me to stay with you?" Everly said stacking up the magazines I was still reading.

"No Everly I'm good. You don't have to worry I'll call for you if I'm scared." She winked at her and headed upstairs.

"So got anymore cleaning to do?" I asked turning to Everly. She shook her head furiously and put the magazines away, "Let's call it a night." She announced. I turned as she ran upstairs, she seemed wry of me since dinner. Even the slightest touch made her jerk. I don't remember doing something to make her act like that. I sighed, women could be complicated, it would be better to ask her than running my own wheels. Moreover, Everly was the forth ward type, she'd definitely spill the beans. I turned of the lights except the ones in the living room, I didn't want Jessa stumbling around at night and headed to my room.

I halted at the first step when it dawned upon me. Of course Everly was restless, she was nervous. She had to sleep in my room with me tonight. I smirked, Jessa's unannounced arrival did play in my favor after all. I hung around a few minutes before going to my room.

It wasn't the first time I'd spent a night with a woman in bed, but Everly wasn't just any woman, moreover those times I was just fooling around except once. I shook my head trying to bury an old memory which was making its way up. Everly was different from her, so much different, she would never do what that woman did to me. Taking a calming breath I opened the door to my room, which was unlocked. Thank god, at least she didn't lock me out. The room was bathe in darkness except from being occasionally lighted by the lightning outside behind the curtains. I immediately made out her small form on my bed. She was all huddled and had built a pillow wall in the middle of my bed. Cute, she thought that the pillows could stop me from reaching out for her if I wanted to. I smiled and headed to the closet, normally I slept just in my boxers but I didn't want to frighten Everly more than she already was, so I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt and headed to the bathroom to change.

When I returned I took my time getting into the bed and when I did Everly scooted towards the edge. I tuck my hands behind my head and sighed, "You up?" I asked. She didn't answer immediately and pretended to be asleep. She wasn't good at acting though. "I know you're not asleep."

This time she spoke and it was a mere a whisper, "Yes I'm not but I'm trying." She pulled at the covers. So she was a blanket thief.

"You know I won't eat you up." Unless you wanted to. But I kept that part to myself. "So you don't have to hang on the edge like that." I murmured and turned to my side. I heard some rustling and I knew she had only scooted closer to edge again. I sighed even if she was in my room, in my bed, she was still miles away from me. The walls around her had taken up most of the room leaving no space for anything. Remembering myself that even though she wasn't in my arms but at least she was here, close enough so I could feel her, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.