Skin Deep ✔️

Chapter Twenty - Seven

I've been ignoring Ezra for days now and trying to focus on my photography work. In secret I snap photos of every person I know and even those I don't know, Katie and Cecilia included.

Its after school and I'm the only person in the library. I enjoy the quiet and hum to myself as I look through all my photographs.

My phone rings and I quickly glance at the caller ID before answering.

"Hey Charlie." I answer. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" She asks.

"I'm at the library." I tell her. There's a noise behind me and I turn around sighing as I see Ezra. "I'll call you back." I mutter to Charlie and hang up.

"What?" I snap at Ezra, throwing my phone down at the table.

"You've been ignoring me." He says, gesturing loosely in my direction as he drapes his boneless body over one of the chairs. "What is all this?"

He picks up a bunch of photos in his hands and flicks through them.

"Homework." I answer, focusing on the work in front of me.

He cracks a single green eye up and turns his head to look at me. "You've been ignoring me."

I groan, slamming my hands down on the table. "So fucking what?"

"So fucking what? So fucking what?" He shouts and I silently thank the lord that no one else is here. "What happened to us?"

I get up and back up against the bookshelf, putting as much space between us as I can. "Get out!"

Ezra begins groan in frustration and he's panting from all the shouting. "You won't even tell me what happened that day!" He yells at me as he rakes a hand through his hair and stalks towards me.

"It's none of your business!" I yell back.

"Of course its my business! EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU IS MY BUSINESS!"

It's quiet for a moment and the only thing I can hear is the pounding of my own chest. He stares at me with tears in his eyes and I stare back.

Ezra closes his eyes, but he's still panting, fingers curled around the edges of the shelves behind me. I reach up and put a hand over his chest, closing my own eyes and feeling the frantic beating of his heart.

I think about the last time we were in the library together and how he said the poem reminded him of us.

God. He's so confusing.

The lack of space between us is intoxicating and it makes me shiver. He covers my hand with his own, stroking my fingers with his thumb. He sighs and draws away from me, pacing the library,

"What do you think about me and Katie?" Ezra asks carefully, his voice is smooth like butter and he smells like toffee apples.

"What do you mean?" I whisper.

"Do you like that I'm dating her? For some weird reason do you want us together? Because I swear it feels like that." His laziness from the past couple of days is gone and he's staring at me so hard that all of my inhibitions fade away. "How does us being together make you feel?"

"Nothing I-" He flinches like I just hit him and I sigh. The tension is making me crazy and I frown because I don't know what he wants me to say. "I don't know what you want from me."

Ezra groans walking towards me again, resting his hands on the bookshelf like he's too afraid to touch me. "You drive me crazy Tonoya Johnson."

"I don't like that you're together." I admit, wetting my lips and Ezra's eyes follow my actions before returning to my eyes.

"So what the fuck is it?" He grabs my face with both his hands, forcing me to look at him. "You're killing me here."

My jaw drops and he takes the opportunity to kiss me. It's soft and tender, filled with so much passion that it almost makes me cry.

He pulls back and it's silent as I watch his chest rise and fall.

"I said no. You told me you loved me and I said no." I look at the scruff on my shoes. "It was a good decision because I couldn't date you when I thought all those horrible things about myself but-"

"You told me to go out with her." He reminds me and it's impossible to breathe in without also breathing in Ezra. Breathing in his cologne.

"I know that." I suck in a breath. "I know I did that but even still I wanted you to choose me." I'm whispering now and I don't even know if he can still hear me. "That's all... I was just waiting to see if you still wanted me."

Ezra laughs and takes a hand through his hair. "What if I wanted you to do the same?"

"You were waiting for me ..." I start as he looks up at the roof above us.

"I was waiting for you to fight for me." He says.

I bite my lip. "How was I supposed to know that?"

"Tonoya." He sighs, dragging a hand down his face.

"So what now?"

He begins to walk away from me. "I have to go."

"Go where?" I shout after him.

He pauses and turns back to me."I have to break up with Katie before we can even talk about this."

"Oh, right." I nod. "Because I hope you understand that I will not be anyones mistress because-"

"Tonoya." He sighs walking towards me.

"It's demeaning and-" I ignore him and continue to ramble.

"Tonoya." He places a hand my shoulder and I look at it in horror.

"What are we doing?" I exclaim. "This is is a bad idea. We're a bad bad ba-"

He cuts me off and presses his lips against mine once more. I unconsciously kiss him back and he pulls away with a smirk.

"Stop kissing me!" I glare at him, hitting his chest. "We need to talk ab-"

Ezra once again presses his lips to mine and I smile into it. He pulls away again with a wink and I fold my arms across my chest.

I glare harder at him. "Stop that."

"But it's fun!" He smiles, peppering kisses all over my face.

"What does this mean?" I look up at him.

"It means I enjoy kissing you." Ezra raises an eyebrow, pecking my lips.

"No, Ezra. I'm serious." I frown.

"God you are both infuriating and adorable." He shakes his head with a laugh. "Tonoya, I love you."

"You love me?" I repeat.

"That's what I said." He smirks.

"Well, I love you too." I roll my eyes.

Ezra bends down once more and kisses my lips again. "I know."