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“He was your boyfriend?” he asks, sounding slightly amazed.
“God no,” I snort. “He was a fucking loser. But he was hot.” Ian’s mouth falls open, and I let out a laugh.
“You’re bi, too?” he asks quietly, and I shake my head.
“I just like who I like, and fuck who I want. Gender doesn’t matter to me, the person does.” Ian’s eyes search mine, and some of the weight lifts from him. “It’s okay to love who you love, kid. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for being who you are.” Fresh tears well in his eyes, and I nudge him with my shoulder again. “But stop crying, yeah? You’re gonna make me cry, and I don’t think your mom will let me live it down.” He laughs softly, wiping his face as he nods. Slowly, his smile falls.
“I don’t think Enzo will speak to me ever again,” he says, looking down at his hands in his lap.
“You don’t know that,” I say. “Give him time, Ian. He’ll come around.”I hope.He nods a few times, but doesn't look like he believes me. “Hey, how about we go surfing? Your mom can go with us so she can see it’s not that dangerous, and I can teach you—”
“Not today,” he sighs, his shoulders slumping.
“Then let’s do something else.” He slides his eyes to me. “I’m not letting up. You need to get out of the house.” He chews his lip, his eyes searching mine again.
“You’ve really slept with men?” he asks, and I nod.
“I have.”
“And the guys in the club don’t make fun of you?” His voice is quiet, and I wrap my arm around him again.
“Nah,” I say, hoping he can’t see through the lie. Years ago, before Bash ever became Prez, some of the Old-Timer’s gave me hell. But after breaking a few noses and stabbing one, they stopped. “My Brothers are my family. I’d die for them, for their Old Ladies, and their kids. I know they’d do the same for me and mine. When you have that kind of bond, who you’re attracted to doesn’t really matter anymore. You’ll find your people, kid.”
He lets out a long breath, and it feels like a cleansing one. Finally, he nods and gets to his feet. My arm drops to my side as I watch him move to his dresser and yank a drawer open.
“What do I wear to surf?” he asks, his back to me. His question startles me, and I blink a few times before standing.
“Whatever you have is fine. We’ll get you a suit soon,” I say as I move toward the door. I’ll call Reid and ask him to bring me our boards. “Everything is going to be okay, Ian. I promise.” His gaze meets mine again, and he holds it for a beat before he nods.
“Thanks, Kiwi.”
“Ezra,” I say softly. “You can call me Ezra.” His lips tip up in a small smile, then he nods again.
“Ezra,” he whispers. “Thanks.”
Kennedy
“Ifucking hate the beach,” I grumble. “I get sandy and gross. I hate it.”
“Kind of hard to avoid the sand, love,” Ezra mindlessly says as he throws his arm around my shoulder. I wince and shoot him a look. “Sorry.” He presses a kiss to my cheek, then leans against the car.
I still don’t know what the fuck they talked about. Ian won’t even look at me, and I feel like I’ve done something wrong. But I don’t know what I’ve done.
“There they are,” Ezra announces, and my stomach tightens. He pushes off the car, a bright smile on his face. Ugly, angry jealousy shoots through me, and I try to stomp it down.
Turning, I force a smile as Reid and Heather pull into the spot beside us. She gets out of the car first, looking ridiculously gorgeous as usual.
“Kiwi-Boy!” she shouts, throwing her arms above her head.
“Heather-Babes,” he laughs, and I snap my head toward him, my fake smile falling.
Reid slides from the car and ignores us as he unstraps the boards from the car. Heather prances around the car and stops in front of us. Ian is instantly at Ezra’s shoulder, and I grit my teeth. Him too?Really?
“Hey, Kennedy,” she says brightly. Her eyes quickly scan my face, taking in the bruises I covered with makeup, and meets my gaze again.
“Hey.” I try to sound pleasant, but I know she can see it on my face, hear it in my voice, read it in my body language—I don’t like her.
I’ve never had an issue with Heather before. Apart from being too loud and a little bitchy, I thought she was fine. She’s a good friend to Addie and Koda, and that’s what matters to me. Those girls have been through Hell, so knowing they have a girl like Heather at their back always made me feel better.
