Ezra: It would be better if we talked about it in person.
In person?
This makes me feel nauseous.
Violet: Okay.
It’s a little after five, and I’m walking into a coffee shop where Ezra wanted to meet. The aroma of espresso is so strong, my mouth waters for one. I walk over to the register to order andthen I hear my name being called. I turn around and see Ezra sitting by the window with two coffees on the table.
He waves me over and I walk toward him. “Hey Ez.”
“Hey, I already got you a coffee.”
I slide the chair out and take a seat in front of him. “How do you know what I like?”
“I’ve known you pretty much my whole life. I’m sure by now I can remember how you like your coffee.”
He has a fair point.
“So, what’s going on?” I ask, taking a sip of my flat white, hoping it makes the twist and turns in my stomach settle. But it’s caffeine, who am I kidding?
“Has Rya said anything to you…” He pauses, shifting his gaze away from me. “About, I don’t know… Anything?” he asks, looking back over at me with an expression I’ve never seen before.
He looks down, not like himself. Like he’s been having his own doubts about his marriage that he hasn’t been able to explain. Just like me.
My brows raise and my lips purse as I shake my head. “Like what?”
He exhales heavily, slumping his shoulders. “She’s been acting weird lately.”
“Weird how?” I frown, my mind racing to this past weekend when we went shopping. But then also toward Zayn, because he too has been acting weird. Even though he says it’s work. But how can both Rya and Zayn be acting weird?
“She’s been distant, and her shopping addiction is worse than it has ever been,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee.
Distant?
Or is this about us going shopping together? Has she been distant because she’s been shopping a lot? I knew he was upset the moment he saw us walking into the house. Hell, I knew hewould be upset after seeing how much she was buying. I kind of saw that her addiction was getting worse.
My body stiffens. “She hasn’t said anything to me.”
He yawns even though we’ve been sitting here drinking coffee. It’s almost as if his exhaustion comes from his worries rather than the lack of sleep. “I know when she’s stressed, she shops. But the amount of shopping she’s been doing is so much worse now.”
I drum my finger on the table, trying to think back at anything I can remember. Nothing comes to mind.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Ezra’s brows raise. I look over my shoulder at Zayn’s hardening jaw. The crease in his forehead deepens the moment we make eye contact.
I shake my head, confused. “What do you mean? We’re just talking.”
“Just the two of you,” he spits with his eyes bulging out.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” Ezra asks.
Zay glances over at Ezra. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“You’re the one making a scene.”
Zay’s hands turn into fists as his unexplained fumes run out of him, like smoke from a burning fire. “Yeah, because I catch my best friend alone with my wife.”
