My face goes blank as I stare at her, trying to read her facial expression, wondering what she means by that. “What do you mean?” My heart is thumping against my chest.
She shifts her body, sitting up straighter. “I talked to him about you.” She pauses, narrowing her gaze at me and then shifting it down. “But he said he didn’t feel the same for you as you did for him.” Her eyes lift slightly.
I swallow the lump in my throat as it hits the pit of my stomach. “I saw you two.”
Her head shoots up, eyes wide and brows raised. “What do you mean?” Her words come out rushed.
I thought she knew I knew, so why this reaction? Was she trying to hide it from me?
“I walked in on you and Ez,” I mumble.
She shifts her body nervously, as if she’s been caught doing something bad. She smiles. “We were just talking,” she says, grabbing the brush from the bottle.
“No, you weren’t.” Her body goes still. “You guys were fucking.”
Her mouth drops and the colors of her face drain. She clears her throat. “I… I don’t know what to say,” she stutters.
Beads of sweat now drip from my hairline from the nerves coursing through my body. “Tell me the truth, Rya. Did you always have feelings for him?”
“Um, yes.”
My shoulder slumps. “Why didn’t you tell me?” The room falls silent as her eyes shift with uneasiness. “Did you like him when I told you how I felt about him?” I told her a few weeks before graduation. Did she even ask him if he liked me?
“Yes,” she says, gazing down.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her shoulder shrugs, and her head hangs low.
“Does he like you?” I ask, holding my breath in, waiting for the answer. But I already know the answer because they were sleeping together. Of course, he likes her.
She nods her head. “He told me he liked me when I went to talk to him about you.”
“Oh,” I mutter.
She reaches for my hand. “Are you mad at me?”
A slight smile forms. “No. I’m not. If you both like each other, I can’t stand in the way of that.”
She smiles. “Thanks, Vi. I knew you would understand.” She squeezes my hand and releases it. “Plus, you and Zay make a cute couple.”
My stomach drops and I swallow the lump in my throat. What does she mean by that? Does she know? I haven’t told anyone about our night together.
She reaches down for the brush, lifting it from the bottle, and swipes it on her toenail. “Ez told me.”
My eyes widen in disbelief and my mouth goes dry.
Ez knows.
Why should I care, though? He doesn’t like me. He even said so to Rya.
“Vi.” I glance up. “You look like you’re going to be sick.” My head drops, and I feel dizzy. “Vi, it’s okay.”
It’s bro code not to sleep with your friend’s girl. Ezra is so nice. There is no way he would ever be with me after I’ve been with Zayn. Whatever chances I ever thought I had with Ezra are now officially gone.
What ifsalwayssurface in my mind just like they would for anyone in a situation like this. As time passed, I pushed the what ifs deep down, and my and Zayn’s relationship grew. Our relationship felt easy since we knew everything about each other. We simply shifted from best friends to husband and wife. Even though we are married, I still cherish him as one of my best friends.
I tilt my head to the side, taking a bite of my taco. “I forgot how good these are.”
