Chapter 8
Eight
Andie
My chest heaves as I knock on the door of Kaeli’s Victorian house on the Sunday of brunch.
On my way here, I saw a gigantic bouquet of white and pink flowers, and it instantly reminded me of Kaeli, so I had to get it for her.
While getting her something wouldn’t be so tiresome if she lived with Ezra in his penthouse, since it’s closer to my place, Ezra has moved into her home instead, which is farther than my dwelling.
Logically, I could’ve taken a taxi; alas, my teacher’s salary doesn’t afford me that, so I had to make the trek on my own two non-athletic feet while carrying this monstrosity.
As soon as the door opens, I push the flowers into Ezra’s chest, finally taking a much-needed breath. God, I barely see his figure behind the bouquet as I push inside the house.
“Take this, what kind of a gentleman are you, Ezra?” I tease him as I grab onto his forearm to remove my suffocating sandals. “It’s more hairy than normal.” My eyes squint at the observation.
Only I realize that it’s not my brother after all. I suck in a sharp breath when my eyes connect with the emerald ones, staring at me with a tilted head, the barest of a twitch to his lips. My body heats up, flushing with embarrassment.
He puts the large bouquet on the entrance table and deadpans, “I’ll be sure to shave my arms next time we meet if they inconvenience you.”
My eyes widen, my fingers twisting a curly hair, as I try to cover up. “Oh no…it’s not you…I thought it was Ezra. You don’t have to…”
Regardless of my efforts, I spectacularly fail, as is evident by the way Noah’s lips curve upwards, just for a moment, and his eyes sparkle in amusement.
I rarely see him, and whenever I do, he’s always brooding and scowling in a corner. So, seeing him almost smile feels good for a change, and so I let myself smile too. But then I quickly remember that I’m supposed to be mad at him; consequently, the smile falls, and my shoulders stiffen.
Noah must sense the change because he opens his mouth to say something, taking a step forward. But Ezra cuts him off as he comes to greet me.
“Glad you’re here, kiddo,” he says as he nearly cuts off my air supply with his hug. His eyes fall on the flowers when he pulls back. “Aww, are these for me?” he looks at me with puppy eyes and a cute smile that does not suit his face.
I swat his hand away when he reaches for it. “It’s for Kaeli.” His smile turns even bigger if that’s possible.
“That’s even better!” he chirps. “She’ll love it.”
He’s off for her before I can even say a word. “What a simp,” I remark at his retreating figure with a chortle.
“He sure is,” Noah quietly muses, reminding me of his presence.
I swivel my head back to him, and he straightens. I cock my eyebrow at him.
He gets the hints when he says, “Your Ezra—” he shakes his head, clearly flustered, seeing me not fawn over him or give him the sweet side of Andie as usual. “Your brother, Ezra, invited me for brunch this morning.”
“I see.” I nod my head.
“I don’t want to intrude. I can leave if you want,” he offers earnestly, pointing his thumb at the door.
Even though I’m angry at him, I don’t want to feel unwelcome after being invited. “You don’t have to do that.”
With that, I leave him in the foyer and make my way into the living room to find Kaeli setting the plates on the dining table as Ezra spreads the batter for the pancake on the pan in their open kitchen.
The thoughts of Noah settle down when Kaeli looks at me with a beaming smile, leaving the cutlery and rushing to hug me. My own lips lift into a grin, so happy at seeing her safe. The scare she gave us a couple of months ago still terrifies us. Getting kidnapped and nearly killed does that.
I squish her and soak in the true warmth of friendship. My changing body has also led to changes in my relationships. And I found a friend and confidant in Kaeli as much as she did in me. We both needed each other. I’m sure we would’ve found each other regardless of her relationship with Ezra.
“Thank you for the beautiful flowers, Andie. I love them,” she murmurs close to my ear.
I pull back, my hands still on her waist, “I know.”
She nudges me to sit. “Come, today your brother will be serving us,” she teases him, giving me a conspirational grin.
“I’ll gladly serve you our entire lives, my lady,” he yells at the top of his lungs, wiggling his eyebrows at Kaeli. She and I look at each other and burst into laughter, settling down into the chairs.
Noah finally emerges in the living room. The second his eyes catch mine as he pulls up a chair opposite me, I turn my gaze to Ezra. It’s as if he can read me, “I hope you don’t mind, I invited Noah for brunch today, Andie,” he says, pointing the spatula in his hand at the man in question.
Do I mind? Absolutely!
I wasn’t expecting to see him. Not in the near future anyway. I realize that coming face-to-face with Noah will be inevitable. He is my brother’s best friend after all. But what I didn’t realize is that I’d have to see him so soon after making a fool of myself in front of him.
But will I tell Ezra? Absolutely not!
I’d never expect Ezra to choose between his sister and a friend. I can’t blame Noah for choosing his friendship over me either. He shouldn’t risk something so important for me.
After all, he did make it clear that he doesn’t date. So, having intimate relations with his best friend’s sister is hardly ideal.
My lips stretch into a tight smile as I assure Ezra, “Of course, not. The more the merrier.”
With a nod, my brother goes back to making the pancakes, while Noah and Kaeli both narrow their eyes at me as if they can see through my lie.
Clearing my throat, I shift the focus from me. “So, tell me something new,” I say, looking at Kaeli.
“Oh, the usual. Managing the team’s social media and taking a weekly online therapy session with my parents,” she replies, waving her hand in the air.
I take her hand in mine, gently squeezing it. “How’s it going?” I ask softly.
“Better than I expected,” she admits, with hope shining in her eyes. She has already suffered for one lifetime, and my only prayer to God is to keep her happy and safe.
“That’s great,” I express, observing Ezra observe her, his eyes glimmering with the love he has for her.
I love them together. But somewhere deep inside, I envy what they have. And that drowns me deeper into the shame I harbor. Because I know I’m nothing like the woman Kaeli is.
She’s stunning, smart, and a total badass who stands her own ground. I’m just a law school dropout who teaches second graders and whose body doesn’t even fit the social standards.
I hate myself for thinking any of it.
And yet, I can’t not.
“What about you? How’s school?” Ezra asks as he finally serves us the pancakes. Kaeli gets up to get the toppings and sets them on the table one by one. I extend my hand to grab the maple syrup, and so does Noah.
A shot of electricity travels through my body at the slight contact, my eyes widening at the sensation as we pull it back. Noah picks it up and keeps it in front of me. “Go ahead,” he murmurs softly.
“Thank you,” I whisper, grabbing it and pouring the syrup on my meal. Finding Ezra looking at me expectantly from the head of the table to my left, I remember he asked me a question. “Ughh, don’t remind me of school. The Vice Principal is after my job,” I sigh, stuffing a large bite into my mouth.
Ezra’s eyes instantly turn to slits, his body tensing, his hand stopping mid-bite. “I hope they’re not bothering you?” he grits between his teeth, and Noah’s eyes furrow, though I can’t discern the emotion behind them.
Grasping his meaning without having to mull over it, I wave my hand in the air as I ease his worries. “Oh no, nobody’s bothering me. Just giving me responsibilities, I don’t think I’m ready to shoulder,” I explain, taking another big bite.
“Oh, what are they making you do?” Ezra asks, chewing his pancake, the tension receding from his body.
“They’re asking me to do the end-of-year showcase for all of second grade.” With a sigh, I lean my back against the chair.
“And that’s an issue because…?” Kaeli lets that hang in the air, sitting on my right.
“Chocolate on a pie! Because it’s not my job!” I whine, and a second of silence ensues before Kaeli and Ezra burst into laughter. Even Noah’s lips slightly twitch, though he thinks he’s being sly in hiding it.
My face flushes when I realize I’m in the company of his friend. Sitting straighter in my chair, I rephrase my complaint, “I’m bothered because it’s unusual for a teacher on contract with just a few months of teaching experience to take on such a task alone.”
“They’re not providing you any sort of assistance?” Kaeli follows up, her brow cocked up in annoyance on my behalf.
My eyes fall shut when I imagine the workload. “No,” I heave a tired sigh.
“Do you want me to talk to them?” Ezra offers, his meal almost finished.
I look at him appalled. “Why must everyone think of me as a child? I’m not! I don’t need you to talk to anyone on my behalf,” my voice stern as I scold my older brother.
His eyes widen as if he doesn’t understand what I mean. “What? It wouldn’t do any harm?”
“Ezra,” Kaeli just has to take his name for him to sit quietly and raise his hand in surrender.
I drop my spoon in the plate and look at him earnestly, hoping he’d understand what I want him to.
Because I know his heart is in the right place.
“Ezra, I love you for wanting to make things easier for me and fight my battles,” I say, squeezing his hand on the table.
“But I need to be able to do things on my own. I need to prove to the world, to the school, and, most importantly, to myself that I can do it. That I’m enough,” I emphasize.
He opens his mouth to protest when Noah cuts him off after wiping his mouth with a napkin, and suddenly, all I can focus on are his full, juicy lips. Lips I’d very much like to taste.
“She can handle her own, Ezra,” Noah’s voice rings around the living room, and once again, silence follows while he takes his time to keep the napkin neatly on the table and looks up.
“Am I wrong?” he cocks his head to the side very slightly and asks the room a question, though his gaze is locked on mine, and for some reason, my pulse hammers in my throat as I forget how to speak, because damn, this man has the most stunning pair of eyes I’ve ever had a chance to look into.
For just a moment in time, it feels like it’s just the two of us in the room, staring at each other, unearthing secrets no one is privy to, until Kaeli breaks the silence.
“No, Noah, you’re not. That’s what I’m trying to tell your foolish friend,” she agrees with him, glaring at her boyfriend.
Ezra raises his hand in surrender. “I’m sorry,” he drawls.
I roll my eyes at him. Sometimes my brother can be daft, even though he’s kind and considerate. He often overlooks what’s right in front of him. But being with Kaeli is making him a better man.
Noah’s still staring at me, waiting for me to answer. I finally blink and clear my throat. “No, you’re not,” I mumble, and it’s like approval shines through his eyes when he barely nods.
God! It feels like we’re sharing something illicit in front of these two. Even though nothing really happened.
Soon, everyone is done with their meal, sharing stories and spending some time together. Later, I help Noah clear out the table.
Ezra and Kaeli head into the backyard, soaking in some sunshine, while Noah and I load up the dishwasher. The second I shut the door and turn around, Noah is hovering over me.
“Oh,” I gasp, my eyes flaring and my hands grabbing onto the counter behind me, as I rise on my toes.
“Hey,” Noah whispers, looking down his chin, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
I lose myself in the broadness of his shoulders, the shape of his lips surrounded by a light beard, and his eyes that seem to beckon me whenever they’re on me.
Then I remember the wait, the hurt, and the humiliation I suffered in his presence. So, dropping any pretenses, I ask in a clipped tone, “What do you want?”
“I’m sorry,” he expresses, his eyes downcast, but this time I don’t lose myself in the allure of them.
Taking a couple of steps forward, he continues, “I’m sorry for—”
My hand lands on his buffed chest, as my eyes turn to slit. “No,” I snap.
Noah’s eyes widen, not expecting me to react.
“You don’t get to apologize to me after promising we’d do what we agreed to and then leaving me hanging.” I stop, my throat bobbing to swallow the hurt. “You’ve humiliated me enough. So, no, I don’t particularly care for your explanation or your apology.”
I push him back and walk off, but not before noticing the hurt on his face. My hands curl into fists as I restrain myself from going back and stretching his lips into a smile.
I know he let me go; he let me push him away. If he wanted, he could’ve stopped me. And maybe, I wanted him to. Maybe I wanted him to grab me and tell me that there’s a good reason why he didn’t reach out to me.
My stomach drops even further when he doesn’t call out for me. Huffing and angrily swiping the tears I didn’t know escaped, I take a deep breath before stepping into the backyard.
Pasting on a smile to mask the hurt I feel.