Page 58 of The Need to Know

Waves of steam rose from all the plates on the table. Ezekiel hadn’t been kidding, the servings weren’t stingy as I eyed my cannelloni and then Ezekiel’s chicken.

“Hey.” His voice was tender, gentle. As I looked over, I found Ezekiel watching me, with the same concerned expression Paisley had all morning. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“When I walked into the shop you looked down, even before you noticed J,” Ezekiel went on.

I didn’t know Ezekiel any more than he knew me, but it was easy to talk to him. To fall into total honesty, and not sugarcoat the truth.

“My parents came over last night unannounced and we’ve got this rocky relationship we’re trying to repair,” I confessed.

His brows pinched together and his eyes softened. “I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “It’s on me. Like I said, I dropped out of school and I’m just now finding a rhythm. I’m my own person, but there’s still a part of me that doesn’t want to disappoint them.”

“That’s understandable,” Ezekiel said. “Do you ever see yourself finishing school?”

I cut into one of my cannelloni and took a bite, at once moaning a little at the taste. Definitely worth the perpetually crowded restaurant and five-star rating. “I’m not sure. If I do, I want to do it for me, not because I’m pressured. Did you finish school?”

“Yeah, I went to Columbus State. Pops wasn’t just gon’ let me in the door of BLVCKJVCK on complete nepotism. I had to study business and get my degree and learn a little something,” Ezekiel said.

His parents pushed and he excelled, while I’d crashed and burned. I was proud of Shéc, though, so, my journey was rough, but it paved the way for something big.

“So, if I ever need business advice, I can always come to you, huh?” I quipped.

Ezekiel cut into his chicken, the smirk on his face making him look devilishly handsome. “I gave you business advice, you didn’t take it,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Oh yes.” I groaned out. “Hém. Men’s clothing in my women’s store.”

“It’ll double your clientele,” Ezekiel pointed out. “Your profit margins would soar.”

“It’s a woman’s space,” I pointed out.

Ezekiel’s eyes studied me, measuring me out and returning to my gaze. “I like women’s spaces.”

“Perv,” I chastised as I gathered my water.

“You like it,” Ezekiel remarked.

I couldn’t deny it, because I did.

“I love this food,” I said instead. “My favorite thing to eat is Thai food, but Italian is a close second.”

“Thai food?” Ezekiel repeated. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that. I’m basic with Chinese. Japanese if I’m getting sushi.”

Almost as if we’d done this hundreds of times before, very smoothly we traded plates and I tried his chicken as he tried my cannelloni.

“We have to get together again so you can experience the wonder that is Pad Thai. And I’m paying,” I stated adamantly.

Ezekiel held his hands up and sat back in his chair. “Fine. You win on that.”

I did a little victory dance in my chair, stopping and covering my face when a waiter walked by and paused at the sight of me being silly.

“Honestly, I like how every time we link there’s food involved. At the very least, we’re food buddies, and I can live with that,” I said.

“I do enjoy watching you eat. You’re like a kid in a candy store, everything excites you.”

I threw my hands up. “This is why I joined a damn gym. I’m a glutton.”