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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ezra
I wipe the sweat off my forehead, push my hair out of my eyes, and groan. “How much longer does this torture go on for? You better be making dinner.”
“You’re such a whiner,” Sawyer jests. We’re at the gym, and I swear he’s a sadist. But sadists make for good personal trainers, I guess. I’d be madder if he wasn’t doing all this shit with me... and making it look easy.Bastard.
“Is that a yes? We can meet Harlow on the way back,” I say between breaths.
“Maybe,” he says pensively.
“Maybe?”
“I’m not in her good books.” He throws me a towel as he guzzles some water.
“Why not?” I ask. Just then, Nico enters, and I’m distracted. “Hey, thanks for picking Harlow up last night,” I say.
“Yeah, where the fuck were you two?” he seethes, throwing his arms out and walking over to us.
“What the hell, man? What’s your problem?”
He points a finger in my direction. “Whenyourgirl is trapped with the Guards, I thought you’d want to help her out.”The Guards?What the fuck?
“What? She didn’t tell me that. I spoke to her and she was fine.”
“And what’s your excuse?” he throws at Sawyer. To his credit, Sawyer looks gutted.
“I didn’t answer because I was with a girl... trying to forget about her.” He runs his hand through his hair and pulls at the end. “Fuck. I’m a dick. I harp on about being there for her, and as soon as she gets a boyfriend, I abandon her.Fuck.” As he paces the room, it’s clear he’s beating himself up over this, and I completely understand why.
“Fuck, man. That’s messed up.”
“What is your issue?” Nico asks him, although we could ask Nico the same thing.
“Sawyer thinks Harlow needs him as a big brother, a constant in her life that doesn’t want to get into her pants,” I explain.
“Can’t you be her brotherandher boyfriend?”
“That’s a really fucking creepy way to put it,” Sawyer says, “but she doesn’t want me like that. I’m glad I didn’t ruin what we do have by being just another guy who wants her body over what she needs, but pulling away because she wants someone else is a dick move. I need to get my shit together.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, not able to make any sense of what he’s just said.
“I fucked up. God, I fucked up, but I tried, okay? I tried foryears, but I can’t seem to hide it anymore. It seeps out in the way I touch her, the way I look at her. I’m not trying to make her uncomfortable, but I know I am. I’ve seen it.” He sounds so defeated that I can’t hold it back any longer.
“Then what is your problem? She told me she told you how she felt.” Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this without her, but I think it’s time all this came out into the open.
“Yeah, she told me she was pursuing things with you so I had to be put to the side. And I agree—she needs to see if you can make her happy—and fucking hell, Ezra, you’d better make her happy, because if you don’t...”
“What did she say?” Nico asks before I can answer.
Sawyer runs a hand over his face. “She said she’d met someone else who makes her feel like I do, and it was weird, because she always thought she’d be mine.” There’s silence as Nico and I both look at Sawyer, waiting for the penny to drop. “What?” he asks when neither of us react any further.
“Nico, you’re up, I can’t.” I turn away, taking the time to wipe down the machine as I try to wrap my head around this. No wonder she’s seemed out of sorts. I can’t believe he took that the way he did. Clearly these two have some massive communication issues.
“So Harlow told you she realized she always wantedyouto be who she ended up with,” Nico spells out for Sawyer.
“No, she said guilt had her thinking she owed me loyalty when she wanted to be with Ezra,” Sawyer says, but his tone sounds less confident. “Didn’t she?” We stare at him as if he’s just grown another head. “Fuck,” he breathes when he’s had some time to process. “I told her to choose you,” he says, gesturing to me.
“Not that I’m complaining, but I don’t think she got the best impression from that,” I deadpan.
“Shit.Shit, shit, shit.I need to see her.”
“You know where she is, asshole,” I say as he grabs his phone and his keys. “Just know I’m still her favorite.”
Sawyer huffs a laugh as he runs out the door, off to declare his feelings to my girl. Is it kind of weird that I’m excited for her? No matter what happens, I want her to be happy, and if Sawyer’s what it takes for her to be happy, then so be it.
I turn back to Nico, who is staring confusedly between the door and my grin. I raise a brow at his obvious questions, but he raises his hands instead. “None of my business,” he says, shaking his head.
“Sure.”Yet, I think. By the time I next see my girl, she’ll have gotten over this whole miscommunication with Sawyer. Maybe I should be worried—they’ve known each other for most of their lives, after all—but I’m pretty secure in our relationship. Harlow and I are endgame. Whether it’ll bejustus or not, now that’s another question.
