Chapter 20
Rya: Vi! Do you have to bake today?
Violet: No. My order got canceled.
Rya: Yay for me! But I’m sorry for you. I know how frustrating that can be.
Rya: Do you and Zayn want to come over for brunch? Ez is cooking, so you guys won’t get any food poisoning. Lol.
I’m glad I make customers pay a deposit. My policy states that I need a seventy-two-hour cancellation notice. Hopefully, this customer doesn’t argue about it. I hate when customers do that, as if this is only a hobby and not my living wage.
I turn over to Zay, who’s scrolling through his phone. We’ve had a slow morning today and have been lying around in bed. “Rya and Ez want to know if we want to go to brunch over at their place?” Zay stiffens in his scrolling. “Ez is cooking, not Rya.” I chuckle.
Rya used to always try to cook for us when we would have dinners at their house.
We never had the heart to tell her it wasn’t that good.
But one dinner gave us all food poisoning, or at least that’s what we thought.
We finally had to tell her no to her cooking.
She wasn’t that hurt by it because she said she hated cooking, anyway.
She was only trying to do something for us.
“Oh. Uhh. Sure,” he mumbles.
His answer doesn’t sound so sure. “We don’t have to,” I say.
He tilts his head toward me. “No. It’s fine. We can.”
Violet: Okay. We’ll be there in an hour.
Rya: Excited face emoji
“Hey!” Ez says as he swings the door open wide, letting us walk through.
I reach in for a hug. “Hi.” The sweet, savory smell overwhelms me, making my stomach grumble.
Ez and Zay do their manly handshake. “Hey man,” Zay says.
I walk over to the kitchen, inhaling the scent that makes me hungrier. The kitchen is empty but there is a platter laid out on the island with waffles, and next to it are strawberries and bananas. “Where’s Rya?” I ask as I eye the champagne in the corner. No doubt she bought that for today.
“Still getting ready,” Ez says. He grabs a flute and raises it up. “You guys want a mimosa?” Both of us nod as he pours champagne into four flutes.
“Do you need help with anything?” I ask as I turn around, looking for Zay. He’s sitting at the table, staring between the two of us in the kitchen.
“Nah. I’m good. Have a seat and I’ll bring everything out.”
I go sit next to Zay and he lays a hand on top of my thigh, making me scoot closer to him so our shoulders touch. Ever since that night he apologized, he’s been more lovey-dovey. He must be making up for acting that way with me.
“Heyyyy!” Rya comes storming in with her heels clinking on the hardwood floor.
I catch a glimpse of her red high heels, paired with a black miniskirt and a loose white off-the-shoulder top.
My brows furrow, questioning why she’s so dressed up.
Usually, when we do brunch at home, we’re both in loungewear.
I look down at my cropped gray hoodie and black leggings.
I feel underdressed. At least Zay and Ez aren’t dressed up either.
She grabs a mimosa out of Ez’s hand and twirls back around to us with a full face of makeup. What the hell is going on?
Ezra sets our mimosas down, giving her an uncertain look, like he doesn’t understand what’s going on either. Her cheery voice and all dolled-up attitude are a little off for this early in the morning.
She walks over, sits down in front of Zayn, leans back into her chair, and takes a sip of her mimosa. My brows are still furrowed, questioning her before us.
“Rya, what’s going on?” I ask.
Her big smile falls. “What do you mean? We’re having brunch?” she says, twirling her mimosa around.
“Yeah, but since when do you get all dressed up for brunch, especially in the house?”
She shrugs. “I felt like dressing up. That’s all.”
Ezra comes and sets the waffles and fruit down in the middle of the table. I look up at him as his jaw clenches, eyeing Rya from behind. Is he upset she’s not helping?
I scoot my chair out, letting Zayn’s hand fall from my thigh. “Let me help you, Ez.” I say, walking over.
“Thanks.” He hands me a plate of eggs and bacon.
“Wow, you went all out.” I eye all the food as I walk the plate back over to the table and setting it down. Before I turn around, he’s setting down another plate with a stack of toast on one side and potatoes on the other.
He scoots the chair out next to Rya and sits down.
As I’m sitting back down, Zayn puts his hand right back on my thigh. Rya notices and her eye shoots away from us.
Zay softly sets his phone on the table, the quiet thud making me look over.
“Oh, you got a new phone?” Rya asks as she serves herself a waffle.
He avoids her gaze as he reaches over for the spatula to serve himself eggs. “Yup.”
I glance between everyone on the table as I wait for them to be done serving before I serve myself.
“What happened to your other phone?” she asks.
How does she even know he got a new phone? It’s the same color as his last one. It’s pretty similar to his old one. I wouldn’t have even noticed it was a different one if I weren’t there getting a new phone with him.
His eyes open slightly, glancing up at her. “It broke at work.” He reaches in and takes a sip of his mimosa. Actually—more than a sip. More like half the glass.
Rya leans back into her chair, twirling her flute stem between her fingers. “How did that happen?”
“Rya, why are you so interested in his phone?” Ez asks, giving her a side-eye as he takes a bite of his food.
“It’s just a question. I’m only trying to start a conversation.” Her eyes are wide.
We settle in after our plates are full and start to eat.
The table is silent other than the soft thuds of our flute glasses hitting the table and the silverware clinking against our plates.
This is the most awkward brunch we’ve ever had.
I don’t understand what’s going on. Are Rya and Ezra in a fight?
Sometimes that tension causes everyone to be quiet in a weird setting.
If they are, why did they invite us over?
“You two seem very cuddly?” Rya says, smiling at me and Zayn.
Our shoulders are touching as we eat and he’s kept his hand on my thigh this whole time, eating and drinking with his other.
I smile at her and then at him because even with all the awkwardness in the room, I can’t help but feel the love between us. It became stronger after the apology. Sometimes it’s the talks like those that connect you the most to your partner.