Page 72 of Friends That Heal Us
Both of our heads shift over to the sound of the chimes jiggling from the front door.
“I’ll get that,” she says, taking her gloves off and setting them on the counter.
She comes walking back in slowly with a bashful smile on her face. “There’s a guy here for you,” she whispers, followed by a gasp. “Wait! If it’s your ex, I’ll tell him you’re not here.”
My brows furrow because I don’t think it would be Zayn. I hope it’s not him. “Did he tell you who he was?”
“Ezra,” she whispers.
A smile tugs at my face, and my heart thuds against my chest a little faster. “It’s not my ex,” I say, looking down at my greasy hands. “Can you tell him to come back here?”
Her lips curl inward, nodding her head.
“She’s right here,” Liv says, with him following behind her.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I say over my shoulder as I finish washing my hands.
He lifts a box of pizza up. “I thought I would bring you ladies some dinner.”
I grab a towel and finish wiping off my hands. This moment seems like the moment I would take to go up to him and give him a kiss. But I don’t know what to do. We’ve had sex, so why am I overthinking this?
“Thank you. That’s so sweet of you,” I say, shifting my focus to Liv. “Liv, this is Ezra. Ezra, this is Liv.”
“Hi,” Liv says, with a small wave.
“Nice to meet you,” Ezra says, tilting his head down a little.
She grabs the bread that is ready to be set out front. “I’ll go set these out front.”
“She’s nice,” Ezra says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“She is, and she’s been so helpful. She’ll do great working here.”
The sound of the jingle catches me off guard again, followed by a loud, “Hello.”
My brows furrow again, wondering what she’s doing here.
Ezra shifts his body, letting me walk past him. He follows behind me as we head to the front.
Haley stops mid-step, the balloons in her hand swaying wildly from the sudden halt as she freezes just before reaching the kitchen. “Hey,” she says, her eyes shining bright.
Ezra comes around me and stops at my side.
“Oh, hi,” she says, eyeing him, surprised. “I came to drop off these balloons for tomorrow.”
“Haley, this is Ezra. Ezra, this is Haley.” I hurry and introduce them before Haley thinks he might be my ex.
“Oh, hi.”
“Hi,” Ezra says, reaching his hand out. He softly takes her hand in his and shakes it.
“I’ve heard so much about you.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, and my face heats up.
“Well, I hope it’s all good,” he says, releasing her hand.
“Of course it is.”
