Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
“This is insane.”
“But?” He looked up, his eyes were dancing. “We can even give the house a name. Aveke. Ava and Zeke together. How about it?”
“But.” Oh God. I just moved in. “You have to help me move my stuff.”
“I know some people.” And as soon as he said those words, his mouth was on mine.
My eyes opened. 3:33 a.m. Zeke had fallen asleep next to me.
I had absolutely no idea what we were doing. I curled up next to Zeke, and he reached for me in his sleep. He tucked me into his side. Sex? Roommates? Were we dating? I hadn’t a clue, but I smiled, and my chest felt lighter, and for the first time in a while, I felt the first stirrings of being okay.
I could start to like this a whole lot. I’d worry later if this was either going to shatter me or heal me.
13
AVA
The next morning, he was gone, and I suddenly needed to do something. Anything. I half contemplated running, but I wasn’t an exerciser. I was a worker. I worked. That’s almost all I did, which was very, very sad now that I was thinking about it.
Getting up, showering, I got ready for the day and headed to the kitchen.
The door was on, and it looked attached, but there was definite damage to it. Zeke had said he’d take care of it, so I wasn’t going to stress about it. Yet. Instead, I was going to stress about how he said he wanted me to move in with him.
I couldn’t believe he actually meant it. He hadn’t. He’d been lying. Just saying things.
God.
Zeke hadn’t been lying. He hadn’t been saying things. He meant it.
I was going to move in with him.
I was scared if I thought about it, I’d pop like a balloon. A giant Ava-sized balloon. It was starting to rise, looking for the sunshine, smiling, feeling the warmth, and some eight-year-old would come running up and not just to prick the balloon. He’d yank me down, and squeeze, squeeze, squeeeeeze until I popped. Then he’d discard me and run off, laughing because he’d given the world some of his destruction. Joy.
That would happen. I was just waiting for it, but on the bright side, I could enjoy the ride until that happened.
Right?
I wasn’t the type to “enjoy the ride.” I was the type that if someone was going on a ride, and if their ride went off the rails, I was the bystander that would get hit by the ride. Not them, whoever was in the ride. They’d be fine and dandy. I’d be dead. That was me. That’s what would happen. So if it was my ride?
I shuddered at the thought of what I couldn’t imagine would happen.
That did it. I couldn’t move in with him. I’d have to tell him.
He wasn’t in the living room or in the kitchen when I left the bedroom, so okay. I checked my phone. No text or message. I looked around. No note left behind.
I brewed coffee. I made toast, ate some fruit, and after that, I waited.
Zeke would come back, maybe expect me to be packing, but I’d tell him then. That I wasn’t moving in with him. That it was foolish for me to do that.
I was unpacking the hallway closet when the front door burst open.
“We’re here, and tadaa!” Something thumped on the table.
I moved my head, peaking around the pile of blankets. “Zeke?”
“Hey. Yeah. What are you—hold on.” He took the pile from me, and glancing around, began to put them on one of the stacks of boxes. As he was doing this, a bunch of guys were filing into my apartment behind him.
One guy walked in, calling out, “Allen—”
Zeke pushed the pile of blankets into the guy’s arms. “Here.”
“What?” The guy’s head popped around them.
“Take those downstairs.”
“Zeke—”
But Zeke was already turning and heading my way, some papers in his hands. He held them up for me. “Got you out of your lease.”
My lease?
But, I was distracted. Some guys began grabbing boxes and carrying them right back downstairs. One guy stopped and flashed me a smile. “Hey, Ava.”
Swear, my knees went weak, but it was Blaise DeVroe. Millions of female knees went weak at just the sight of him. He went into the kitchen, and I heard cupboards being opened.
I was gawking, totally gawking. “What—who are all these people?”
Zeke was giving me a patient but also indulgent smile. “I saw that.”
“Saw what?”
“My best friend.” He pointed to my stomach. “Did he make your little tummy all fluttery?”
“Oh, my God.” I groaned.
He laughed, putting his arm around my shoulders, his side touching right next to my side. “Don’t worry. I’m not jealous. I’m very secure in my man-bromances with Blaise and Mason Kade. I’m aware of what a stud my best friend is.”