“Look.” He raises a fist up towards Violet, making us break eye contact.
Stupid Zayn.
She stares down at his hand, and he opens his fist.
“Awe,” she squeals. “It’s cute.”
Cute?
I watch her gaze follow the bug jumping out of his hands back into the water. I can’t help but stare at her. The sun reflects off of her, making her shine so bright.
“How’s that cute?” Zayn asks.
She shrugs her shoulders. “Because it’s so little.”
“Do you want to catch one?” I hurry and blurt out before Zayn has time to say something else to her.
She looks over at me and back down at her feet. She has on pink jelly shoes that have sparkles. I know because my little sister wears them. Is that why she’s so sparkly?
I take a couple of steps and stand next to Zayn. I reach my hand out for hers; her soft hand intertwines with mine, and I help her into the water. My cheeks warm even more at her gazing at me as I lead her into the water. She’s so pretty.
CHAPTER TWO
EZRA
I parkmy truck and look around the area. Only one other car is here, which gives me relief because I’m not in the mood to see or hear people. I get out and look up at the cloudy sky—the ones above me aren’t dark yet, but further out I can see them darkening. I still have some time before it rains.
The soft flow of the river glides over the pebbled rock as I walk alongside it to the spot my friends and I used to go to when we were younger.
Friends.
Can I even call them that anymore?
Except Vi. She will always be someone special to me. Especially after what happened to us.
The closer I get to the spot, the sound of sniffling grows louder ahead of me. My pulse quickens, and my heart drops when I finally make out who it is. I freeze in my tracks, staring ahead at the girl who stole my heart the moment I first laid eyes on her. Right here at this very spot. She’s kneeling by the river, her back hunched as she drags a stick through the water. Her hair falls in a tangled mess around her, shielding her face.
I step forward, and the sound of a twig cracking makes her quickly shift her gaze towards me. My heart drops even further at the sight of her. Red rims and dark circles reflect in her eyes. Her tears glisten against her puffy cheeks. She shifts her head away from me, drops her stick, and sits back with her legs against her chest. Her shoulders slump forward, and her chin rests on top of her knees. Her black leggings are covered in dirt. How long has she been out here?
“Vi.”
“Hmm.”
I come up closer to her and take a seat right next to her. The second my shoulders come beside hers, her shoulders shake. She shifts her head down between her knees, shielding me from her cries.
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and rest my head against hers. Her sniffles grow louder. I don’t say anything. All I do is let her cry. What does someone say to their best friend they just slept with after finding out her husband was cheating on her with her best friend?
My wife.
Saying all that in my head sounds worse than I actually feel. Does that make me a bad guy?
I thought I would know what to say the moment I saw her. But now I am tongue-tied, and my thoughts are scattered.
After her shoulders stop shaking, her body seems to relax a bit, as if the tension has finally left her. Slowly, her head falls against my chest, and her breath is shallow and uneven as she tries to catch a steady breath. My heart shatters even further seeing her like this. The pain of knowing how much she’s hurting twists inside me.
Fucking Zayn.
Fucking Rya.
