Color-Gifted (Color-Gifted, #1)

Chapter Eighteen

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The ground floor is much quieter than the one above. The lights have been lowered even more since we left and a couple of hidden blue lights have been turned on along the walls. That, along with the music pouring out through the speakers, not nearly as loud as in the club, round out the whole bar effect.

All around me people are laughing; tossing back their shots by the bar; chatting easily amongst themselves on low chairs or cuddling in the darker corners. Even though the place is warm, it’s nowhere near as heated or stuffy as upstairs, and I start to feel chilly in my flimsy t-shirt.

As soon as I step outside, I gasp. It’s freezing. Evan is leaning on the wall at the edge of the building; he sees me and hurries over with my shirt and jacket.

“Put them on.” He hands me my shirt first. “Don’t want you to get a cold.”

“Thanks.” I pull my shirt over my head, ignoring the slightly disgusting feeling of lingering sweat on my body. I zip up my jacket next, and even though I’m still a bit cold, it is nothing compared to before.

Time to get down to business. “So,” I say.

“So,” Evan repeats. He’s much calmer than before, but I can feel the lingering sense of annoyance and anger on him—you don’t necessarily need to be Yellow-gifted to feel that.

We’re still by the entrance, and I want more privacy. “Let’s go over there.” I point to the corner where Evan was waiting for me. There’s a small dip past that point where the parking lot spreads out, and the stairs leading to it aren’t too close to the café building, so there’s relative privacy.

“Okay.” Evan’s voice is measured, like he’s expecting me to jump him any second now. I wonder how long his calm will last, and a slight jolt of nerves overcomes me again as I follow him.

Evan leans against the wall and looks at me expectantly. I’m too keyed up to stay in one place, so I begin pacing in front of him. I’m trying to formulate a plan, to come up with some way to get him to give James a chance, but I’m drawing a blank. So I just dive straight in and decide to wing it. “Why do you hate James so much?”

Evan crosses his arms. “I don’t hate James. I just really, really despise him.”

I stop pacing and give him a humorless smile. “Come on, be serious. You can barely look at him without flying off the handle.”

His face is tight, drawn shut. “He’s an asshole.”

How many times has he said that already? I let out an annoyed breath. “Yeah, you keep saying that, and yet you never explain.”

Evan clenches his jaw. “Look, it’s a really long story and I’m not going to get into it now. Let’s just say he’s an arrogant prick who thinks he’s better than everyone else, and leave it at that, okay?”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Even if James is all those things—itdoesn’t matter. Doesn’t he get how important this is for Myra? If it’s a mistake and James isn’t good for her, then she’s the one going to pay for it. It’s not like anyone’s asking him to date James.