Page 38 of Your Only Fan
That makes me freeze.
“What?” I ask, looking at him, the urgency leaving my body.
“I—” he starts when I hear the door open.
Ezra.
“Shit. What… wait… just…” I look from Linc to the hallway expecting Ezra to show up any moment now.
They broke up? Shit. That’s why he’s here. He’s probably been calling me but stupid me put my phone on silent as soon as I left the theater.
“Get in here,” I whisper-shout at my friend and push him into the bedroom.
Then I turn around and start walking towards the front room when I collide with Ezra. He’s topless with his camera around his neck and another one on a tripod in his hand.
“Hey!” he says and smiles at me. “Couldn’t wait for my—”
“Ezra, I’m sorry. I…” I start, but then remember to lower my voice. “I need to cancel tonight. My-my friend is in the other room, and he’s just been dumped, so… I need to be there for him.”
The realization strikes him and he reaches for the camera around his neck and presses something.
“I’m so sorry. I would have messaged earlier, but he turned up just now, so I didn’t know—”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I understand,” he says and cups my masked face.
Even though there is a layer of fabric between his hand and my cheek, it’s like he’s mine and I’m his and we’re in a relationship and not just sleeping around.
It’s like he knows who I am and I’m no longer hiding.
But then I crash back to reality.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeat.
His hand slides down to my neck and he leans in, planting a kiss in the middle of my forehead.
Then, he turns around and walks back to the front room. I stand at the corner of the hallway and watch him pack up and put his t-shirt back on.
He turns around just before he closes the door behind him and he winks at me. And then, he’s gone.
I take a deep breath and walk back to my bedroom.
Linc is sitting on my bed, head hanging low, shoulders slumped, and breathing heavily.
“Hey, let me just get dr—”
“Why did you say I was dumped?” he asks quietly.
“Huh?” I ask.
He lifts his head and stares at me, and I remember I’m still wearing the stupid hood so I take it off and throw it on the floor.
“You said I got dumped.”
What a strange question to ask. I’m so confused.
“You just said you broke up,” I say.
I hug my comforter tighter around my body and approach him.
