Page 23 of 518 Hope Ave
"Fuck it," I mumble, making a snap decision before I can talk myself out of it. "Weather be damned, I’m going to him now."
I place my unfinished bowl of pasta on the kitchen counter and grab my purse, rushing my way to the front door. I check my hair and makeup through the full-frame mirror by the entrance, rolling my eyes the moment I do.
You look fine…Besides, you might just look worseafterward, so it doesn't really matter how you look now...
Shaking the first of my over-thinking worries away, I grab my keys off of the shelf, put on my raincoat, and open the front door, rushing downstairs to the vestibule, only to find a tall, wiry man with short, black hair pushing through the building’s main door and walking out into the pouring rain.
A pang of familiarity hits me. Excitement and fear mingle across my body as I recognize the shape of the body walkingawayfrom me.
I step into the night after him. "E-Ezra?"
20
Ezra
I'm drenched, I'm cold, and I was definitely chickening out before Quinn caught me.
"Ezra?" I hear her voice call as if she couldn't believe I was there.
I freeze, then turn toward her, my shoulders hunched forward in the pouring rain. "H-hi, Quinn," I say through chattering teeth.
She doesn't move from the doorway, her eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I-uh..." The words escape me now. The ones I had practiced over and over on my way here.
She crosses her arms across her chest. "You what?"
"I-I…"
Oh, forfuck'ssake, mouth, you seemed so quick to get angry at her the other night. Just say the damn words!
I sigh to myself, and I walk back to the front door, pushing the water off my face before meeting her eyes. "There will be struggles and compromises to make, but you will get through them if you truly believe in one another.Do you remember that?"
Her sweet mouth curves into a smile and she nods. "Madame Lovehart…I remember."
"I’d kind of forgotten it, but I remembered it when you walked past the diner tonight. And that's why I'm here." I sigh, then I take her hands. "I'm here to make those compromises with you because Idobelieve in you…I believe inus, Quinn. And I'm so sorry I said those things to you. I was an asshole who had no right to treat you that way or accuse you of doing anything other than being the amazing woman you are. When I was growing up, my dad always told me that being a man meant you did what you had to do and you took care of the people you love. And I thought that’s what I was doing. But I let my pride blind me to what I was really doing, and that’s hurting you—all of that. Every single shitty word uttered was on me. I’m trying to man up and own my failure because that’s what my father really meant when he said all those things. He was trying to tell me that working hard is only part of it. It’s being there and admitting when you need help that truly makes a man a man. I had it all wrong, and I’m so incredibly sorry I acted like a dumb kid when all I really want is to be a man—your man—for you."
She furrows her brow, her eyes shining as a heartbeat or two passes and she finally steps aside. "Come in then, let's get you out of the rain."
I follow her upstairs, then she disappears for a moment, returning with a bundle of towels and hands them to me. "Thank you," I say as graciously as I can. She leads me to her living room.
I pat myself dry as I look around the state of things. Her living room looks like a storm passed through—hoodies on the couch, pillows on the floor, an empty tub of Ben & Jerry's on the coffee table. I've never seen her place in such a state of disarray before.
The guilt eats its way at my heart.
Quinn quickly clears off the couch. "I'm sorry about the mess…"
I grab her hands again and bring her down to the couch. "I don't care about the state of your house, Quinn. All I care about is you."
Her eyes immediately start to water, and she puts the mess in her arms in a pile next to her. "You hurt me," she manages, her bright eyes landing on mine. Her words slam hard into my chest as I nod.
“I know I did, and I’m so, so sorry. I got it in my head that you were just helping because you felt sorry for me. And… And I really hated thinking that I was just some charity case to you. I hated feeling like that was all I was. I know it’s not how it is. But it’s what got me all fucked up in here." I tap my head and swallow hard.
"Don't be silly." A tear rolls down her face. "Ezra, I told you that night in front of the diner about how I grew up. It was just me and Nanna, surviving day to day on barely anything. I was empathizing with you because Iknowhow it feels to be in your position…" She blinks and her tears roll down her round face. "I lived it firsthand, and Iknowhow hard it is to lose your parents. I know how much you must feel like you're alone in this world."
My eyes sting, and as hard as I try, I can’t stop my own tears from falling. "Quinn…"
She squeezes my hand. "Let me finish." I nod for her to continue. "I just wanted to help you, Ezra. I could see how much you were struggling. And ithurtme to see you like that. I…" She trails off, biting her lower lip, and wipes the tears off of her cheeks with the edge of her sleeve. "I just wanted to make things a bit easier on you and give you someone to lean on—someone you canrelyon."
