AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ZEKE
Ava: Wanna come over?
“Dude.” Blaise sat down in the chair next to me, spying my phone. “Who’s that? You got a new girl?”
I shot him a grin but responded to Ava first.
Me: What’s up?
I was very aware of my best friend watching me while I was waiting for her response. He didn’t get back that often. His schedule playing for one of Hungary’s football clubs didn’t give him a lot of time in the off-season. But he was here, and I got to hang out with him, so we were making the most of it. A night at the house, drinking, playing FIFA, and planning on doing whatever. I loved my boy. Any time spent with him was good for my bro-soul.
But this was Ava.
Ava: Nothing. It’s cool. I’ll see you at Manny’s later.
I frowned because Ava didn’t call or text. She didn’t ask me to come over.
Pushing up from the chair, I hit dial on my phone and went into the other room.
Her dial tone sounded before it went to voicemail.
“It’s Zeke. Tell me what’s going on. Call me back.”
“Holy shit.” Blaise stood in the doorway to the living room, his thirty-two ouncer in hand. “I have never heard you talk to anyone like that, with that tone of voice. Who the fuck are you and what have you done to my best friend?”
I shot him a grin, but I knew it was distracted, and I hit re-dial.
It went straight to voicemail.
Something was wrong. I felt it in my gut.
“Can you do me a favor?”
Blaise took a step backward. “Now I’m even more alarmed. You look concerned, and I swear, the last time I saw this look on your face was when you thought I was going to do something to land both of us in prison.”
I grunted.
My best friend was smart and had hawk-like observation. He’d already deduced someone on the phone was important to me, and he’d know within one phone call who it was. That could blow me up or Ava up, and I didn’t know if she wanted that. We’d had sex once. The next morning, her life had shattered and well… Why the fuck was I still standing here?
“I gotta go.”
“About time you make that decision.”
I ignored him, looking for my wallet and keys. We’d just started drinking, so I was still good to drive. “That was…uh—” Where were my keys?
I heard them jangling as Blaise held them up in the air. He dropped his act, getting all serious. “I know who that was. I know what’s been happening in her life, and yeah, you dumbfuck, get your ass over there.” He tossed them my way and I caught them, but I half-glared at him.
I started for the door.
“Zeke.”
I turned back.
He said, a somewhat sad smile on his face, “People care about her.”
I reached for the doorknob, and my hand squeezed it tight. “She doesn’t think anyone cares about her.”
“Then you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
