Chapter 16
This past week blew by like nothing. Both Zay and I have been so busy with work that we have hardly talked.
He’s been staying later than usual at work.
He said it’s because they’ve been short on guys this week.
I guess it could be true. But something tells me there’s something more going on.
Something has been going on with him since that day he rejected me, and it all started after that night at the club.
What could have happened? I know my thoughts wandered to cheating but I can’t see him doing that to me.
Tonight is date night for us, and I want to talk to him more about what’s been bothering him.
I turn the shower on all the way to hot to get the stream rolling around in the shower before I get in.
As I step in, the steam hits my face, causing me to take a deep breath.
I let the water run down my face, washing off the stress of this week.
Or should I say, trying to wash the stress off?
Truth is, I can’t stop thinking about what’s going on with Zay.
Besides him turning me down, he hasn’t been his normal self.
I can’t help but wonder if it’s me. But I have done nothing wrong.
I have changed over the years, but the change is for the better. For both me and him.
I turn off the shower and dry myself off.
I notice how quiet the house is. Zay should have been home by now.
He should have been home before I got in the shower.
I continue getting ready, chalking it up to him having to work late again.
Should I have asked him if he still wanted to do date night since he’s been working late?
I slip on a light pink, summery dress that hits above my knees and flows around my body.
My phone shows almost eight o’clock, and Zayn still isn’t home.
I pull up my call log on my iPhone and press Babe .
It rings through my ear, but there is no answer.
Where could he be? He’s been coming home later, but tonight’s date night, and he would’ve said something if he couldn’t make it.
I have no text messages from him. I walk back into our bedroom and slump down on the bed.
So many thoughts of what could be going on run through my mind. But I need to stop thinking the worst before I get a chance to talk to him. He can’t continue to say nothing is bothering him while he acts this strange.
Right as I’m about to turn on some music to help clear my mind, the sound of a door shutting stops me. I get up from the bed and walk over to the mudroom, where he usually takes off his greasy clothes from work. His back is toward me as he strips off his shirt and throws it in the hamper.
“Hey,” I say.
He looks over his shoulder and mumbles, “Hey.” He slides off his pants, standing there in only his boxers. When he turns fully around, he looks me up and down. “What are you dressed for?”
My mouth drops. “Date night.”
He sighs while avoiding my gaze.
“Do you not want to go?”
His head shakes. “Not really.” He walks past me, and I follow behind him.
“Zayn, what has been going on?”
“Nothing,” he says as he goes into the bathroom.
I halt my steps behind him. “It’s not nothing if you’re acting like this?”
“Like what?” he asks, his tone sharp, while turning the knobs to the shower.
“What do you mean, like what? Look at how you’ve been?” I snap.
He turns toward me, raising his brows. “How have I been, Violet?” His voice is low, and he’s staring daggers at me. “Hmm?” He crosses his arms over his chest.
My breath catches and my brows knit together. “I don’t know.” I pause for a moment. “Distant.”
His jaw tightens. “That’s all you got? Distant?”
“Yes. Distant,” is all I can manage to say.
His lips press in a fine line. “You’re starting all this over me being distant with no further explanation.”
I swallow hard while the heat rises in my cheek. “We’ve barely talked since Sunday, and you’ve been coming home late every night.” My eyes flicker to him, trying to read his demeanor, but all I get is frustration. “It’s like you’re avoiding me.” My voice breaks.
He rubs a hand down his face. “Sorry for working to get the bills paid.” He shakes his head. “Most wives would be happy about that.” He opens the shower door and steps in.
“See,” I say, gesturing at him. “We’re not done talking and you decide to get in the shower.”
“Because you’re turning nothing into something,” he says while the water runs down his back.
“No. I’m not. Something is wrong,” I blurt out, my voice loud over the shower.
He stands there running his hands through his hair, soaking it with water.
“Zayn.”
He reaches for the shampoo bottle, ignoring me.
What the fuck? This isn’t like him.
I let out a heavy sigh and storm out of the bathroom. Heading for my car, I grabbed my old worn sandals from the mudroom. I don’t care how I look. I’m not going back in there.
Without even thinking, I realize I’m a street down from Rya and Ezra’s house. I should’ve called beforehand. I was so frustrated I didn’t realize where I was headed. As I pull up onto their driveway, I look around to see if anyone is home. There is a light on, so I get out and head for the door.
The doorbell chimes through the door. A few seconds later, I hear footsteps and the door swings open.
“Hey,” Ezra says, as if my surprise presence isn’t a shock to him. I guess it wouldn’t be, considering how close we are.
He widens the door for me to step in. “Sorry I came unannounced. Are you guys busy?” I say with a wince. I don’t want my problems to stop them if they have any plans.
“Hey Vi,” Rya says, coming around the corner in her beige lounge wear.
I’m assuming they don’t have any plans.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, her head tilted, narrowing her gaze at me.
My shoulders are sagging, and my arms are tight across my chest. “Zayn and I got in a fight.”
“What happened?” they both ask.
Rya’s face flushes, and she darts her eyes between me and Ez.
Shaking my head, I say, “I don’t know. That’s the thing. Things have been so off since last weekend after the club.”
“After the club?” Rya meets my gaze.
“Yeah. Did something happen? You two were together.”
She shakes her head, looking at Ezra. “No. Not that I can remember.” She takes a few steps back and says, “Let’s go sit down.”
I follow behind her, and Ez is on the side of me. I look up at him and our eyes meet. His soft eyes are staring back at me in concern.
A ping comes from Rya’s phone. We ignore it as we sit on the couch. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Rya bite at her lips as she is looking down at her phone.
“So, what’s going on?” Ez asks.
I shrug my shoulders. “He’s been very distant from me this week. I tried to talk to him about it just before coming over here and it turned into an argument, so I left.”
Rya fidgets in her seat and says, “That’s all? He hasn’t said anything else?”
I furrow my brows, facing her. “No.”
She lets out a small breath and a small smile forms on her face. “Maybe he’s stressed.”
“Maybe. He has been working late every day this week.” I lean back into the couch, feeling some relief at having two best friends that I can talk to. I look over at Ez. “Has he said anything to you?”
He shakes his head. “Haven’t talked or seen him since the club.”
Rya places her hand on mine. “You two just need a night apart. You guys are always around each other. Sometimes we get on each other’s nerves.”
Ezra chuckles, and Rya narrows her gaze at him.
I nod in agreement. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
“Why don’t you stay the night here? We can order takeout and have a girls’ night,” she says, sitting upright with a wide grin.
“I guess that’s my cue to leave,” Ezra says as he stands from the couch.
Rya and I both giggle. “Oh, Ez, you can be a girl with us tonight,” I say.
He looks between us and shakes his head. “No, it looks like you two need a girls’ night. I’ll be in the bedroom if you need anything.”
Rya’s face lights up like she has something on her mind. She follows behind Ez into their room.
I watch them until they disappear.
Already my tension feels better. I do need a night away from Zayn. I do know sometimes being around one another so much can cause tension. It’s a part of marriage. The constant closeness can be both a blessing and a curse. A little distance is exactly what we both need.
Rya comes out with a bin of nail polishes and a huge grin on her face. “We haven’t done this in a while,” she says, setting the bin down on the floor before sitting down herself.
My heavy heart lightens up as memories of us painting our nails together during our summer breaks from school resurface. It feels like we’re back in high school all over again.
I scoot off the couch and sit cross legged on the floor in front of Rya as she takes out all the nail tools and lays them across the floor.
I reach in and grab the nail polish remover to take off my old polish on my toes. “It’s a good we’re doing this,” I say as I look down at my chipped polish.
Rya chuckles as she removes her old nail polish too. “So, Zayn really hasn’t said anything?”
I glance up at her as she continues to stare down at her toes. “Nope. He just said I’m turning nothing into something.” She nods her head. “Why?” I ask.
Her shoulders shrug. “Just wondering. I thought maybe he said more, and you didn’t want to say it in front of Ez.”
I could see why she would think that. There are some things I’ve told her that I tell her not to tell Ez. It’s the type of stuff girls talk about that the husband don’t need to know. Who knows if she tells him or not.
“Do you know something that you didn’t want Ez to know?”
Her head tilts up as her eyes flicker around. “No.” She winces, and then she places the used cotton ball to the side of her and grabs another one.
Usually, we talk more about our problems, but this time Rya doesn’t seem to want to talk about this.
Am I really turning nothing into something?