Chapter 30
“Have you talked to Ezra… Since. You know?” I ask.
Zayn shakes his head while his eyes dart around the restaurant.
It’s date night. We haven’t had one of these in a while, with all the bickering that’s been going on between us.
I’ve felt more at ease after we last spoke about everything.
Since everything that happened, I thought it would be nice to invite Ezra and Rya.
Although I’m not sure if they’re even going to show up; we’re already on our second round of drinks.
Good thing they serve bread or else the wine would get to me already with my lack of food today.
“You think they’re going to show up?” Zay asks, shifting in his seat as if he’s uncomfortable with the thought of seeing Ezra.
Was it a good idea I invited them?
I shrug my shoulders, looking around the softly-lit restaurant. Soft-spoken conversations are happening all around us. I hope our conversations stay as soft as everyone else’s.
Zayn tilts his chin up, directing behind me. “They’re here.”
I look over my shoulder, eyes wide at Rya’s skintight red dress and black stiletto heels as she struts toward us.
“Hi guys,” she says, flipping her blonde hair back.
She’s dressed up as if we’re going clubbing.
“Hey,” I say.
She pulls the chair next to me out and takes a seat.
“Sorry we’re late,” Ezra says as he makes his way over across from Rya next to Zay. “Rya took forever to get ready.”
Rya tilts her head. “Do you have to start?” she whispers.
Ezra ignores her, grabs a menu off the table, and looks over it.
I look between Rya and Ezra. She crosses her arms over her chest, her gaze fixed on Ez while he ignores her, reading over the menu.
What’s going on with them? I’m glad it’s not me and Zayn this time. Did I speak too soon about soft conversations? This better not escalate. I don’t want another scene like the one in the coffee shop.
Zayn glances over to Ezra and says, “Hey man, sorry about the other day.”
“It’s fine. No need to apologize,” Ez says, avoiding eye contact with all of us as he looks over at the menu.
Zay looks back over at me with his brows raised and a slight shrug to his shoulders.
I hope he’s sincere about being fine with what Zay accused us of.
I can’t help but wonder if there is something else going on with him.
Is it because of how late Rya made them?
I hope it’s as simple as that, but if it was, I don’t think Ez would be this upset about it.
Does he not forgive Zay, and did Rya force him to come?
“What are you apologizing for anyway, Zayn?” Rya asks, as if she’s clueless.
He looks up at her, brows furrowed in confusion because I’m sure he thinks Ez or I would have already told her. Which I did. So, I’m confused too.
“Oh, right.” She giggles. “You thought Vi and Ez were sleeping together.” She slaps her hand down on her leg and giggles some more.
All three of us look over at her, wide-eyed.
She looks between us three, staring at her. “What?”
Ezra shakes his head and then looks back over the menu, followed by Zay ignoring her.
“Is everything okay, Rya?” I ask. The way she said, Oh right, you thought Vi and Ez were sleeping together sounded as if she was trying to make a point to something.
A point to what?
She grabs her menu. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
I decide to stay quiet. I don’t want this to escalate even more.
More of what? I don’t know. But it seems as if she’s on one today.
Ezra and Zayn are both ignoring her, staring down at their menus.
The energy between us all shifted quickly.
It feels like there’s something unspoken going on.
I sip from my glass of wine, hoping it eases my nerves.
Was it not a good idea to invite them? Was it too soon?
“Okay, so what’s everyone ordering?” I say, trying to shift the mood.
Zayn says, “Mmm, I think I’m going with the steak.” He lifts his head, glancing at me.
“I think I’ll have the same,” Rya says, closing her menu.
Ezra’s gaze remains on the menu like he’s in a daze, ignoring my question.
Rya flips her hair over her shoulders, letting her bouncy waves fall. “Ezra, you’re being rude,”
He lifts his head, face blank. “How?”
“The bread’s really good,” I quickly blurt out while pulling a piece apart from the loaf, trying to avoid their tension escalating.
Ezra looks at me, but I shift my gaze over to Zayn because I’m thinking their tension might have something to do with what Zayn accused us of.
Zayn’s expression shifts, his lips tightening. I hate that this is how tonight’s going. Inviting Ezra and Rya was supposed to help ease things, not make them worse.
Ezra sets down his menu and says, “I’m going to get the porterhouse.”
“What?” Rya snaps, her voice sharp, making both me and Zay glance over at her. “That’s expensive, Ez.”
He exhales slowly, his nostrils flaring. “Not as expensive as the shit you keep buying.”
Oh no. Now I know what’s going on. Did she buy more stuff? She must have purchased something expensive if that set him over the edge. He’s not one to lay out all their problems in front of people. Not even us.
“Oh, come on, Ezra,” she shoots back.
Zayn shifts uncomfortably in his seat and clears his throat. “Uh, maybe we should?—”
“No. Don’t come on, Ez,” Ezra snaps. “How could you pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of high heels?” He raises his voice, glaring at her. “For God’s sake, you could have painted red on any pair of your shoes yourself.”
“Ezra, this isn’t the place or time to do this,” Rya snaps, her voice low.
I glance around to see if we’ve gotten anyone’s attention. Thankfully, we haven’t.
Ezra is quiet for a moment, but then he says, “Who the hell pays that much money for a pair of heels? All because the bottom of them is red.” He says red sarcastically.
Ezra lets out a bitter laugh and shakes his head, leaning back in his chair and rubbing a hand over his face.
My mouth drops and I look down at the heels Rya is wearing. Her ankles are crossed, showing the red beneath the shoes.
Zayn looks at me, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“Ez, stop. You’re embarrassing me,” she whispers, leaning her head more toward him.
“Embarrassed?” Ezra scoffs. “You should be embarrassed by the amount of money you spend on stupid shit.”
Rya looks at him sharply. Then she scoots her chair out and storms off with her brand-new heels clinking against the floor.
Anger crosses Ezra’s face as he watches her leave. What the hell is happening?
The server approaches with a nervous smile, breaking the tension. “Are we ready to order?”
We all glance at each other, and for a moment, no one says a word. Are we supposed to continue our dinner like nothing happened?
Zayn breaks the silence, nods and hands over his menu. “Yeah, I think we’re ready.”
My lips go tight at the thought of Zay continuing this dinner like nothing happened.
As Rya’s best friend, I should go after her. But I’m pulled to stay here with these two. Because I’m not sure if their problems have subsided or not.