Page 100 of Friends That Heal Us
“But it is your fault for missing work.”
“I have been here since high school,” I say, stepping closer to his desk. “You can’t do this to me.”
He stands up, towering over his desk. “I should’ve fired you a long time ago. But because you have been one of my longest employees, I didn’t. Now you’re done.”
My chest heaves. Before I even register it happening, I spin and slam my fist into the wall beside the door. My hand goes right through the wall, sending a hot sting up my arm.
“That’s coming out of your paycheck,” he mutters, not even flinching.
I rip my hand free of the hole and storm out, my whole body fired up in anger.
As soon as I step outside, the sound of metal grinding against metal makes my stomach drop. I whip my head around just in time to see the semi that delivers our tires pulling forward after backing up. As it inches ahead, a horrible screeching noise erupts behind it, like metal being torn apart.
Once the truck finally clears the space, I throw my head back and groan. He backed straight into my truck, crushing the cab and shoving the front end into the cement wall. It looks like my truck is half the length it used to be.
Fuck my life.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
VIOLET
The clear bluewater matches the cloudless sky, stretching along the horizon. The sun warms our skin as a light breeze carries the salty air; the sound of waves crashing against the sand echoes throughout the beach, giving such a calm atmosphere.
“Would you two like another piña colada?” the waiter asks as he grabs our empty glasses.
“Yes,” we both say.
He nods. “I’ll be right back with those.”
“Thank you.”
Ezra reaches his arm over to me and intertwines our hands together. “This is nice.”
It’s May, our birthday month. If you had told me last May that I would be cheated on, lose two friends, and get divorced, I would have laughed and never believed it. But yet, every time I look back at the year I had, I still can’t believe it. I can’t believe what I went through and where I’m at today. When it all happened, I never thought I would get to where I am today, ina happy relationship, and living life to the fullest. I thought that life for me was over. I thought everything was over, to be honest.
“I’m glad we finally could get away for our birthdays,” I say.
“Me too. I know this is what you wanted to do last year.”
“Yeah. But I’m glad we didn’t then.” He shifts his head over to me, and I catch his gaze. “Because then it wouldn’t have led me to you.”
He kisses me on the top of my hand with a beaming smile.
Surprisingly, Zayn left me alone after he called my parents and told them I was cheating on him. I still don’t know what stopped him from bugging me. I wonder if he knew he went too far telling my parents that. I served him divorce papers, and he complied with everything. All I asked for was the equity in the house, and he didn’t fight me. We had hardly anything combined, so it was easy. When I moved in with Ez, he came and moved all his stuff out, and then I moved all my stuff out and sold the house. Ezra’s divorce was easy too; Rya never complied with the divorce papers, so the judge granted it.
“Have you heard any updates about the house?” I ask.
He pulls out his phone and goes to his email and reads off the most recent updates. “If all goes well, we should be in there in six months.”
Giving Ezra and I a chance was the best decision I ever made. He makes me feel safe, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. With him, I feel seen and deeply loved, and that safety has allowed my trust to open again. He brings me a sense of peace, with myself and with us, something I never realized was missing until him.
I never went back to my house after showing up at his doorstep. The house I shared with my ex was something I wanted nothing to do with. Ezra was right; I needed to start fresh somewhere new. I didn’t realize how much that house was causing me anxiety until I got out of it. It was as if the bad energyin there was causing harm to me, and I couldn’t even see it. The first night I slept at our apartment, I woke up feeling refreshed. More than I had in a long time. It was a weird feeling. It felt as if the dark cloud that was hovering over me, over us, was finally lifted and the sun was shining down on us, helping us move forward. Everything felt so right in that tiny apartment with a mattress on the floor, just the three of us.
We learned right away that Ashur was going to need more space to run around. He grew so big so fast, and he’s not even a year old yet. He’s at Ezra’s parents’ house right now while we’re away. They fell in love with him right away and call him their grandpup. He even goes over there sometimes so they can spend time with him.
“I can’t wait for our house to be done,” I say.
The waiter comes back around, handing our drinks to us. “Here you two go.”
