I went to look out the patio door, and saw Zeke’s Jeep was being filled up, along with a U-Haul and another truck, that Blaise was shutting its front door. He looked up, saw me, and gave a wave before heading back inside.
“Zeke.”
I was remembering back to high school. I’d told Zeke that I had watched him back then, but I was sure he didn’t realize how much. Like when I’d waited on him and his friends at Manny’s, at the restaurant, the gas station, the pizzeria, all the places. I’d noticed him, and I’d watched. I’d never really been jealous. I didn’t like to feel that way, but I had been wistful at times. But Zeke had always scared me. He was big and mean and a fuck boy. Then Blaise had come to town, and Zeke started to change. Blaise brought out another side of Zeke. The changes were little at first, then bigger and bigger until they were past high school, into their college years. And when Zeke would come into Manny’s on their holiday breaks, he was almost a different guy. I mean, still Zeke, but…not at the same time.
My throat was swelling up because I hadn’t fully processed exactly who Zeke was, and him coming into my life. Roommates. Sex. He’d been wonderful after the funeral, before the funeral, and now this? I couldn’t comprehend this.
My head was down, folding over. I said again, “Zeke…”
“Hey.” Zeke pulled me to the side, then down and into my bedroom. His voice was soft, but his whistle was short and curt to the two guys inside. “Get lost.”
They saw me and scrambled.
Zeke shut the door then stood with his back to it. “What’s going on?”
I didn’t know what to say, how to say it. “This is a lot, and I really appreciate it.” My voice was squeaking at the end, and the tears had slipped out. Gah. Tears. I hated them.
“Hey. Hey, hey, hey.” He reached for me as he sat on my bed, pulling me into his arms and onto his lap. Reaching up, he brushed some of the tears away before cupping my face in both of his hands. “I’m not sure what this is about, but it’s all good. I sent out a call, and you’ll be moved into my place by this afternoon. The lease was no problem. Swear.”
“I can’t move in with you. This is all, just so–this is all–”
He frowned. “You don’t want to move in with me?”
I opened my mouth but froze. Nothing was coming out.
What was I doing? The ride. Plap. That’d be me, but he’d gone and gotten me out of the lease. He had people here. Half my place was already emptied out. He’d done this. All of this. And Jarrod. And being there with the move and my grandmum.
I shook my head, whispering, “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”
“Oh. Ava.” He pulled me against him, smoothing a hand down my back. “You don’t have to do anything. Let me handle it. For real. I got this. I got people for this. I totally got this.” His head inclined. “And for the moving in, we can take it a day at a time? You’ll take the second floor. It’s all yours. I already called to get that cleared away for you. I mean, you’re kinda half doing this for me.”
“What?”
His grin was crooked. “I am a very lonely lonely guy.”
I started laughing. “You’re right. You are.”
“I so am. So you moving in is like doing me a favor.”
The tightness in my chest began loosening up. Just a bit. “Well, when you put it like that…” My head was clearing a bit and I could think more clearly. This was my baggage. Accepting help. I was starting to get that. I lifted my head until I could touch my forehead to his. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
His smile turned soft. “Of course. Like I said, it’s no problem.”
For him, it was no problem. He didn’t get it, didn’t know how I had grown up, but I didn’t want him to get it. That would bring extra concern for him, worrying about me, and I didn’t want to be anyone’s bother. “We’re really doing this, huh?”
His hand moved up under my shirt, spreading out over my back. “Fuck yeah, we’re doing this. I called all your workplaces and they said you could have tomorrow off too. I was thinking to celebrate, let’s do a party tonight?”
“Party?” I stiffened.
He responded right away. “How about a small one? We gotta celebrate you moving in, and my boy is here. He gets like a month off, and with how his family is, I don’t know how much time we’ll get with him.”
But a party? With all his friends?
“What’s this about?” He gestured to my face, my frown.
“I don’t know who to invite. I don’t have a lot of friends.”
Zeke started laughing.
“Hey.” I scowled at him.
“No. It’s—Ava, if only you would realize that you have a lot of friends. You don’t know they’re your friends, but they consider you a friend.”
“Oh.”
“Leave the party planning to me?”
I nodded. If anything, I could slip away and hide. That was more a me thing to do, but it was his house. Zeke wanted a party. I’d try for him. “That sounds a lot easier.”
He started eyeing my shirt, his free hand moving from my leg to pulling it down an inch. “Hmmm. What are your thoughts on quickies?”
My heart sped up. “I’ve actually never had one.”
His eyes lit, and he picked me up. “Never?”
He carried me over, locking the door.
I shook my head. “Nope.” I had a feeling that was about to change as he hit the fan. He moved me so I was sitting on top of my desk, and he stepped between my legs. His eyes were all dark, and his mouth lowered to mine.
That was when I also learned that Zeke really enjoyed making me scream when I was in a situation where I couldn’t scream. He was half laughing with his hand covering my mouth as he kept moving inside of me.
I’d say by the end, I was going to enjoy more quickies.
14
ZEKE
It was party time, and the small gathering was…more than small. I stopped counting when it hit in the fifties. Ava looked ready to faint. Which was cute to watch because her eyes had these little crinkle lines around them, and her mouth somewhat turned into fish-lips, which was fucking adorable. Her cheeks got a little pink at the top and pale in the middle. And then there was the whole thing where she didn’t know what to say or do, and she stood there, like she was frozen in the middle of oncoming traffic.
I could watch her all day long, like right now as she was on the other side of the living room. She got backed into a corner when Blaise’s woman and Blaise’s brother’s woman arrived. They made a beeline for Ava and hadn’t left her side.
There was another in that group, but I hadn’t seen Blaise’s sister show up.
Ava was drinking and kept wetting her lips, which meant she was nervous.
“She’s not a big socializer, huh?” Blaise asked, coming behind the bar and leaning against the counter with me. I’d decided to tend bar outside on the patio, with the doors pulled all the way open so the living room and kitchen was free flowing onto the backyard and pool area.