Realizing that he’s asking me, I nod and stand up straight to leave, only to stumble.
Ezra’s hands shoot out, grabbing hold of my waist and halting my face-first dive toward the floor. The innocent contact sends a lick of shiver rolling down the length of my spine, spreading goosebumps all over my body in its wake.
A giggle escapes me at the picture of me on the ground as I hold on to him. Tilting my head up, I see him looking at me with a bemused expression, causing me to giggle again.
Yeah, no. The Ezra I know doesn’t look at me like this. That Ezra always has a scowl etched on his handsome face. He must be a hallucination. Iamdrunk after all.
I nuzzle my face into his chest as his warmth surrounds me.
God, he’s so warm.
A sigh escapes my lips as I bask in it, knowing that it won’t ever happen in real life, so I shouldmake the most of my dream. Enjoy it while it lasts.
“Okay, let’s get you home,” comes his amused voice from above me as his hold on me tightens and he pivots our bodies together to get to the exit of the club.
It’s like the sea of people parts for him without him having to lift a single finger. Like they can feel his larger-than-life aura, like I feel it deep in my bones.
I stick close to him, my body swaying and almost falling multiple times before we reach the exit.
“What’s your address, Kaeli?” he asks as soon as we’re out on the sidewalk, pulling out his phone from his pocket.
There’s a long line of people still waiting at the entrance for their turn to head into the club. The combination of the chilly wind and my high heels makes me teeter.
He pulls me closer as he whispers in my ear, “Easy there, Feather.” I glance at him through my lashes as his warm breath skates over my skin.
Outside the club, his scent surrounds me. He smells woodsy with hints of cinnamon and something I can’t quite make out. “Don’t wantyou falling and cracking your head open on me.”
It takes my inebriated mind a second to process his words, but the moment I do, it makes me cackle. The image of my head open is too funny to suppress my laugh. Drunk me has a very graphic and vivid imagination.
“Alright, you’re a funny drunk,” he comments with a shake of his head. “What’s your address?” he repeats his question.
“Home,” I say with a big grin, fisting his tee.
“Yeah, home. Where is it, Feather?” His questioning gaze darts between my eyes.
I point to my left, “There.”
“Okay…”
Furrowing my eyebrows, I shake my head again, and this time, I point in a different direction. “No, there.”
Ezra sighs, “Great. You don’t remember your way back.” He looks at me like he doesn’t know what to do with me.
Not liking his tired expressions one bit, I pull his cheeks into a smile, and his face looks comical, making me chortle. Yeah, the real Ezra would never let me do anything like this, let alone come this close to me of his own free will.
With a hand wrapped around my waist and myhand on his shoulder for support, he takes me to his car and drives us to God knows where. But for some reason, I don’t mind it in the slightest. I slump against the window, taking in the night city lights as the buildings flash by.
Guess we’re going home.
Five
Ezra
Loneliness has a way of gripping your soul and refuses to let it go.
Sure, you can drown yourself in tons of alcohol, get high, fuck around to forget about it, to avoid the fact that on the inside, your heart is barren and frozen.
You can try to avoid that loneliness all you want, and for a short while, you might even succeed. You might feel that the people you surround yourself with help you feel less lonely. That you’re fine and happy.
