Resurfacing

Chapter 18:

"We would never do that." Ezra sheepishly smiled and took a drink from his own cup. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. He pulled up the corner of his mouth when he saw my reaction.

Brynn looked between us and turned her head in amusement. She noticed the little moment between us.

"So, Riley, do you have any plans today?" She asked me, changing the subject.

"I've got to go to my parent's house. JD and Anna are coming over." I didn't add Aiden's name into the conversation. I shouldn't have kept his presence a secret, but I was not ready to discuss him with either of them.

"Ezra, do you want me to take you back to your place?"  I asked. It was not really what I wanted. I could keep a better eye on him if he stayed here. I quickly added before he could answer the first question, "Or you could stay here another night if you want?"

"You wouldn't mind if I stayed?"  He asked eagerly. "My roommate is nice enough, but he keeps a lot of stuff at the house. I won't be able to stay clean if I go back home. I need another day to clear my head before I go back."

"Brynn, do you care if Ezra hangs out here while I'm gone tonight?"

"As long as he promises not to punch any more walls for fun." She said, winking at him.

"I promise." He said, raising his cup to his lips again. He reached up to push the hair off his forehead. The air in the room had lightened since I had stepped foot in the kitchen. It was borderline playful between us. I was grateful for the atmosphere change.

"Brynn, do you have clothes in your conquest drawer that might fit him? I will throw his in the wash before I leave." Ezra looked amazing shirtless in just his tight boxers in my kitchen, but I did have a roommate. Not that nudity ever made Brynn uneasy, but I was uncomfortable at the thought of her watching my half-naked, not boyfriend walking through the house, leaving very little to the imagination.

"I can find something."

She left the kitchen and headed to her room. Ezra and I just stood there, trying not to stare at each other. I would look over at him and he would move his eyes to the other side of the room. He would look back at me and I would look at my feet. It was like we were having an anti-staring contest. The first one who got caught looking loses.

Brynn came back five, very silent and awkward, minutes later with some dark blue shorts and a white t-shirt. When Ezra came out of the bathroom after changing, I could see he had to tie the shorts pretty tight to keep them on. The white shirt was a little snug across his chest, but it only accentuated his broad shoulders. I wanted to run my hands over those shoulders to feel them move and flex under my fingertips. Ezra was always breathtaking.

I noticed him staring at his hands, moving them like he was trying to get them to work. I looked down at them to see the violent tremors he was trying to suppress. I hadn't really thought about him coming down off whatever he had been taking. He closed his eyes and took a deep strained breath.

"Are you going to be ok while I'm gone?" I asked him and motioned towards his hands. He looked down, fighting hard to try to steady them without any success.

"Just a side effect from the withdrawal. The headaches and nausea will be worse. I'm probably going to go lay down while you're gone if you don't mind. It's going to be a really long night."

"Not at all. You can sleep in my bed again." I offered to him and then immediately began cursing myself out for the tingles that came at the thought of him being in my bed when I came home. I imagined him moaning my name and then telling me I was beautiful as he pulled me on top of him.