“Sweet,” she drawled, suspicion lacing her voice.
“Okay, bye!”
Before I could hear her response, I was out the door, gunning it toward the car.
My breathing was erratic, my palms sweaty on the wheel. I drove to the coffee shop on autopilot, nearly rear-ending a car at a red light. I still wasn’t sure I’d be able to get the words out when the time came.
A bell rang above my head as I opened the glass door of Brews and scanned the well-lit interior for the two men I was equally eager and terrified to see.
A few groups were huddled around rectangular tables, sipping on mugs of coffee and sharing slices of chocolate cake. Two young boys were playing with toy cars in a bean-bag-covered kids’ corner. My gaze drifted until I saw the two men sitting across from each other at a small table by the window, their edgy appearances at odds with this family-friendly place. I stifled a hysterical laugh. Leave it to me to have this conversation in a pastel-colored coffee house.
I pulled my shoulders back and took a deep breath. Maybe I could just pretend this was another performance, and all I had to do was force the distressing thoughts out of my mind.
Ezra stood up once he saw me approaching and pulled his chair in, clearing the path to the cozy window nook between the two of them.
“Hey.” He smiled and planted a kiss on my cheek as I squeezed by him. “How’s it going?”
I leaned over the table to give Cole a quick hug. “Good. The weather is great today, isn’t it?”
For what must have been the first time since we’d met, we spent a good five minutes on small talk. I was enthusiastic. I was stalling.
A waitress came by our table to ask if we wanted anything. “A latte for me, please,” I said, nibbling on my lip as the guys put in their orders. Something akin to tar was slowly roiling inside my stomach.
As soon as the woman left, both of them turned to face me with curious expressions.
“So,” Ezra prodded gently, “was there a particular reason you wanted to meet with us?”
I wrung my clammy hands under the table as my anxiety became personified, screaming in a high-pitched voice inside my head.Don’t do it! You’ll ruin everything!
“Ade?” Ezra asked, his brows pulling together in mild concern.
I sucked in a breath, and nodded gravely. “Yes. I wanted to talk about something.”
They stared at me expectantly. I took another deep breath.Here goes nothing.
“Ezra, remember that walk we took in the park?” I lowered my voice, feeling my heart pound against my ribcage like a jackhammer.
“Sure.” He nodded.
I shot Cole a look, gauging his reaction. There was a small wrinkle on his forehead. “Remember what you told me about Cole and you?”
Ezra bit his lip, as if trying to figure out what I meant.
“You know.” My throat was as dry as sandpaper. “You two, your high school crush, and the shed.”
He bit his lip harder.
“Here you go!”
I jumped in my seat as the waitress returned with our drinks.
“I’ve got a cappuccino, a mint tea, and a latte. Anything else I can get for you?”
“We’re great, thanks,” Ezra answered smoothly, his focus never drifting from my face.
I was sweating in every place a human could possibly sweat, but there was no turning back now. As the waitress’s steps faded, I finally spit it out, unable to take the torture any longer. “Look, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It’s driving me nuts. And when I saw you two with the girls at the bar yesterday, I just… Ugh, fuck.”
They were staring at me, but I was too inside my own head to even attempt to read their expressions. “Will you do it with me? Both of you?”
