To truly see and revel in Andie’s beauty, you must take a closer look, giving her your undivided attention. Her beauty creeps up on you, surprises you, and makes you realize how the fuck you never saw how strikingly stunning she is.
All my thoughts about her and feet come to a screeching halt in the corridor the moment Ezra materializes in front of me.
He’s leaving Kaeli’s office, his face in a pout you’d never have seen before Kaeli came into his life. Kaeli follows him to the door, pushing him out, she whisper-yells, “Let me work, Ezra!”
They haven’t taken note of my presence, too lost in each other. He points to his lips, begging for a kiss. Kaeli rolls her eyes at him, but a smile sneaks up her lips as she grants him the wish.
She melts into him the second their lips touch. At their affection and the love shining in their eyes, an ache blossoms in my chest—unbidden.
I wish I had love as they have, a partner to lose myself in.
Just as that thought pops into my heart, my mind’s noise threatens to drown them out with its scream.
Unworthy. Messed Up. Depressed. Useless. Waste of space.
My vision starts to get blurry, and the voice at the back of my mind begins to consume me. I lose my hold on reality, getting sucked into the dark vortex of misery and doom.
My head spins, balance becoming unstable as my hold on the bag tightens.
It’s Ezra’s voice that pulls me out of the impending spiral.
And for that I’m grateful.
“Hey man, what’s up?” He looks at me with a concerned expression, his arms wrapped around Kaeli’s waist.
The fog clears from my eyes, and I can see them again. With a gulp and an internal shake of my head, I greet him. “Hmm,” I hum. My eyes shift to Kaeli, who looks at me with a smile. Looking at her, you wouldn’t be able to tell that she was kidnapped. However, she has visibly lost weight and is only now returning to work daily. “Hey, Kaeli,” I say, happy to see she’s safe and sounds.
My best friend went ballistic when she was kidnapped. He wanted to obliterate everything in his path to find her, and for a second, we all thought we lost her. Gladly, we didn’t.
I’d never seen a grown man cry, not until Ezra, when he thought he’d lost her. Even Andie was shaken, barely hanging onto her cool when we went to track down Kaeli.
She had hugged Ezra, seeking a semblance of comfort, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be the one she came to.
Ezra plants one final kiss on Kaeli’s lips and forehead and strides toward me. “See you later,Feather,” he winks at her as we both make our way to the locker room.
His playful expression dissolves, and he looks at me. “You alright?”
“Hmm,” I respond.
“Okay, grumpy man,” he scoffs, shaking his head.
He knows I’m a broody fucking asshole and is accustomed to my monosyllabic responses.
“Where were you yesterday, dude? The guys and I tried calling you a couple times, but the call went straight to voicemail,” he asks, sliding his hands in his sweatpants.
“Went to sleep early,” I grumble, lying through my teeth, which he’d punch in if I uttered the truth.
He sighs in relief, raking a hand through his hair. “Oh, that’s good. Had me worried there for a second,” he bumps his shoulder into mine.
I can’t even look at Ezra as the guilt slams into me like a sledgehammer. I’m the worst fucking friend for being sexually involved with his sister, when he explicitly mentioned that she’s off-limits to the team in the past.
What’s more messed up is that I can’t even bring myself to care. I don’t regret a singlesecond of yesterday.
That makes me feel even worse. Ezra has been a lifesaver, and this is how I repay his kindness.
Liar. Selfish.
My mind pipes in, but I shoo the voice away.