DYSFUNCTIONAL • [ D. BOSTICK ]

| 23. | you're a bit of a whore

Two weeks.

It had been exactly two weeks since they moved in, and Nora was stressed to say the least during the last one, give or take a few days.

Sure, the apartment and everything was great, but work being more busy as they had lowered their prices and her trying to get over Devon while still trying to accept the fact that she might not ever hear from her mother ever again was stressful.

She tried compensating by doing more around the supermarket. Making almond butter as if her life depended on it, stocking items with such vigor Ezra got worried, and she also completely unpacked everything in their apartment mostly by herself.

She decorated, she did laundry, she organized the pantry as she slowly put snacks and food in there, most she got from work and others she actually went out and bought.

Devon, on the other hand, had no idea what was wrong with Nora. Sure, he helped her when they were both home but she usually hinted that she wanted to be alone, or he should go to bed or shower. They also hadn't had sex in over a week, which weirdly enough was abnormal for them since they're both horn dogs, she hadn't spoken to him if she ever was home, and she always either rode the bus or got a ride from Ezra to work now.

He then begun wondering if Ezra and her were a thing, but he didn't think Nora would ever do that to him. She still wasn't ever around much, at least not when he was. He usually only left when he had to go to work or occasionally went to a friends house for a few hours but mostly, he was home.

Nora wasn't.

He had no idea where she went, and he almost started to not care. After all, it's not as if she was his girlfriend or anything.

-

"Hey." Devon said from their couch as he heard the front door open.

"Hey. This is Ezra, Ezra this is my roommate Devon." She said.

Roommate? He thought. Sure, he didn't care for labels but he thought he deserved one better than 'roommate'.

"Nice to finally meet you, she mentions you all the time." Devon said politely, regardless of his new sudden distaste for him while standing up to go over to the kitchen with them.

"Yeah, you too." Ezra said, once he was face to face to him. Devon then took in the fact that his teeth were perfectly white, he had nice tanned skin, perfect hair, nice lips - he could continue for decades on the list.

"Are these groceries?" Devon asked, looking away from Ezra as they stood in the kitchen, Devon leaning on the doorframe as he watched Nora unpack all of the brown paper bags.

"Yeah, figured I'd make dinner so we don't have to eat out. I invited Ezra over, if that's okay?" She said, too nonchalant for Devon's liking.

"Yeah, of course." He said anyways. "Mi casa, e su casa." He added rather dryly.

Nora and Ezra then begun talking about something from work which Devon tuned out. He had went back to the couch to sit down and even turned the TV up a little bit to drown out the two who were in the kitchen.

It didn't work.

-

"So," Devon says right after he closes the door behind Ezra. "Are you two together?"

"What? No." She says, giving him a confused look. "We're just close friends."

We were close friends, he thought. Devon didn't say anything or respond, he just looked at her and went upstairs.

Nora kept her gaze on him as he went up, sighing. She was pushing him away. She knew she was, but she didn't know what else to do or how else to get over him. He kept giving her mixed signals, one minute he's jealous of anyone who talks to her and the next he won't go near her.