Metanoia // George Ezra Fanfic

The Blanket

Around 11:00 PM, I finally kick everyone out of my apartment. 

Well, I say "kick everyone out," but really I just told everyone that I was exhausted, and invited them to leave.

Cassandra already left around 10:30, since she was supposed to open Smoothie King the following morning. Blaze left pretty quickly as well, giving me a big hug and telling me that we would have to have another game night soon to play Cards Against Humanity - the game that he'd given me for my birthday. Emma probably would have stayed longer than she did, but when she realized that she, George, and I were the only ones left in the apartment, she conveniently remembered that she had to rush home and turn in an assignment that was due at midnight.  

As she makes her way to the door, she waves and says, "Text me tomorrow if you need anything, okay? Goodnight, George! Happy birthday, Everly!"

She winks at me before she steps out the door. 

George, who is still laying on the couch, seemingly half asleep looks over at me, "I suppose I should leave too, eh?"

I smile, feeling a little squeamish now that he and I were all alone in the same room, "Yeah, probably. I've got plans tomorrow, so I need a good night's sleep."

Groaning, George sits up and stretches, "Well, I'll get out of your hair. Besides, the later it gets, the less filtered I get."

I raise an eyebrow curiously, "Really? I wonder What George Ezra Barnett sounds like without a filter."

"Utterly ridiculous." George says with a decisive nod and a quick chuckle, "Thank goodness for Ollie and Miguel. Best friends, right? They're about 90% of my impulse control."

A perplexed and mildly amused expression crosses my face, "And what impulses do you need to cover up?"

George shrugs, lacing up his shoes, "Some things should just go unsaid. Some things shouldn't be done. Especially after a couple of English lagers."

"You are a fascinating person, George Ezra." I hum, leaning against the wall and watching as he shrugs his coat on.

He smiles, "And why is that?"

"I haven't decided why yet."

He steps over to me, spreading out his arms for a hug. I step into his arms, and allow them to envelope me into his chest. The smell of strawberries and cream engulfs me once again. George is stronger and more muscular to touch than I thought he would have been. To me, George is a friendly giant. Intimidating only because of his sweet, teddy-bearish personality. I don't ever want to leave the embrace, where it feels warm, safe, and caring.

He whispers to me, "Happy birthday, Everly."

Then he pulls away, mumbling, "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Yeah." I say, immediately missing how warm he was, "I'll text you."

He offers me a thin smile and mumbles, "Night," as he steps out the door.

After I've taken a quick shower, I open my presents in my bedroom. The shower gave me a lot of time to think about the evening. I was blessed. Even though I didn't have the best roommates, and I had trouble with my family from time to time, I had people who cared about me. Feeling like I had people who cared about me was something I'd been struggling with for the past several weeks. Cheating does that to you, I guess. I cared for Samson more than I let on, but I didn't show it. Upon reflection, I think I knew he couldn't handle it. 

Even though it was hard to go through, it was good that Samson and I were over. The breakup was a blessing too. It was time for me to stop pouring myself into hands that couldn't hold me.