Skin Deep ✔️

Chapter Twenty - Three

Charlie flicks me in the head and I groan, rubbing the spot on my forehead. "Ow."

"He invited you over?" She points a potato in my direction. "Are you gonna go?"

"She has to go." Isaac says, coming back to our table with an ice cream sundae in his hand. "She has to make sure, that tramp doesn't hurt my bestie."

"What tramp?" Katie's voice calls out from behind me and I mouth 'kill me' to Charlie, causing her to giggle.

Isaac sighs dramatically, picking up his spoon. "You. You are the tramp."

"He's joking." Charlie nudges him in the chest but Isaac doesn't even blink at it.

"I'm not joking."

Katie ignores him and squints at Charlie. "Who are you?"

"Charlotte Winsloe. My friends call me Charlie." She rolls her eyes. "You may call me Charlotte."

"Why are you here?" I ask Katie, picking at my food and moving peas around.

She smirks at me and holds up a to-go bag of food. "Ezra's never been to Toby Carvery, so I'm picking some food up for us."

"Aren't you a sweetheart." Isaac huffs and points to his ice cream. "You're melting my ice cream with your evil looks."

Katie laughs all dramatic and over the top as if it's 2012 and someone has just told her, her first 'your mama' joke. "Oh Isaac you're hilarious."

"Comedic genius." He mumbles under his breath.

She sashays out the restaurant as quickly as she came and I watch her go out the door.

"Well she seems like a bloody wanker." Charlie groans. "We're all going over to Ezra's so I can kick his ass."

After we finish eating we take a taxi to Ezra's. We get out the car and I sigh. "You think they're fucking?" I ask nobody in particular.

Isaac rolls his eyes. "Ezra doesn't have sex with animals."

I laugh and knock on the door. It swings open and Ezra invites us in. We walk into the living room and I pause to find Katie curled up in the armchair that I always sit in with her back to me.

Charlie and Isaac have already moved past me and Ezra stands behind me. His breath prickles the back of my neck and I tense as he rests his chin on my shoulder. I just barely resit the urge to stroke his hair.

"I can tell her to move if you want." He whispers and I turn around to face him.

Our faces are so close that if either one of us were to move an inch we would be kissing. I don't want to test that theory so I take a step back. "Ezra, go sit with your girlfriend."

His jaw tenses at the word 'girlfriend' and he narrows his eyes at me. "If that's what you want, Tonoya."

He walks past me and lifts Katie out of the seat. She squeals as he sits himself down and positions her on his lap. He just stares at me with pleading eyes like he's begging me to do something but I know in my heart that Ezra will see that he and Katie aren't a good fit and it'll work itself out from there.

I sit with Charlie and Isaac and look over at Ezra. "So? What are we doing?"

Katie squeals and jumps up an evil smirk playing at her lips. "I was thinking we could watch 12 Feet Deep."

Bitch.

"What's that about?" Ezra asks and I suck in a breath as I look from him to Katie.

"These girls get stuck under a pool cover." I get up from my space between Charlie and Isaac and head to the kitchen. "I'll make popcorn."

I switch on the stove overhead light and get the bag of popcorn kernels from the cupboard. As I'm pouring the kernels in to the pot when a shadow comes by the doorway.

I look up and see Ezra. He smiles lazily at me and yawns as he takes a seat on the counter.

"I didn't ask you about your mom's friend you went to talk with." He states and I return my gaze to the pot. "What happened?"

"I met my mom's friend Simone and we had a conversation. She gave me a book. It's been really helpful."

Ezra moves to stand in front of me, lifting a hand as if he's going to brush my braids back ... and then changes his mind at the last minute. "That's good. Great."

"How was the date with Katie?" I ask him and his expression sours. "Obviously it was really good if you're still seeing her."

"Tonoya we don't have to talk about that."

"Ezra, relax. I was just making conversation." I sigh. "If Katie is gonna be apart of the group then this shouldn't be awkward."

"So you want me to date her?" He takes a few steps back.

"I didn't say that." I sigh, focusing my attention back on the popcorn.

I move them from the pot and into two large bowls so that Charlie, Isaac and I can share one and vice verse for Ezra and Katie.

"So what is it?" Ezra asks taking the bowls from me and putting them on the counter. "What do you want from me?"

"Did you kiss her?" I ask him.

He frowns. "Does that matter?"

"Did you kiss her?"

"Yes."

I plaster on a smile and pick up the bowls again, striding into the living room. Ezra calls after me but I don't answer, handing a bowl to Katie and one to Isaac.

He takes it from me graciously and I laugh as grabs a handful and shoves it into Charlie's mouth.

After a couple of minutes Ezra returns and he tries really hard to catch my attention the entire movie but I ignore him.

It's better that way.