CHAPTER TWO || II || EZEKIEL

Ezekiel (Ziggy)

II.

***

"You're such a flirt, Zig." Aurelia cooed with burgeoning excitement and leaned into me. I stiffened 'cause I knew Heidi was watchin'. I hated hurting her but it was tough. I did like Aurelia.

"Oh, did you want me to stop?" I swaggered and sat up, flipping open the chunky gold ring on my index finger. I lifted it to my nose and inhaled deeply. My throat began to tingle before I could even shut the ring. I looked back toward Heidi. She was propped up on a bar stool with a martini in her hand. A smile was pressed onto her lips but her eyes pleaded for me to come over there.

***

Dozens of beautiful women littered each level of the nightclub. The deep blue strobe lights were pulsing as they synced to the beat and the bass boomed throughout the club. I snaked across the dance floor, a beer in hand. Tall pillars stretched from the black and blue tile floors up into the ceiling, outlining the raised stage's perimeter that held the DJ booth and VIP area. Large black speakers were placed perfectly beside each pillar and a popular track filled the room. No more than 5'5, a fit blonde came spinning onto the dance floor. She was sweaty, and her hair clung to her neck and her back but she kept dancing. Her eyes met mine. I licked my lips and grinned. She pushed her hair from her face but my eyes moved to her top that fit snugly around her breasts and exposed her stomach then down to her denim shorts that sat directly above her mid-thigh. She was petite. A waitress with a skimpy outfit and a glow-in-the-dark drink tray strolled into my field of vision. I chugged my drink and placed it on her tray then pushed through the crowd. I gave the blonde a sideways glance and she flashed a smile and a nod. I returned one and walked up to her then whispered into her ear. "You wanna dance?" I asked as I leaned forward.

"Do I dance?" She repeated, misunderstanding what I said. I wanted to laugh but I kept my composure. "Yes," I nodded towards the center of the dance floor, "in there." She raised her head back and touched her nose with her fingertip, pursing her lips and hesitating. I smiled again and a moment passed as she seemed to contemplate it. She finally shook her head, then grabbed my arm, and pulled me toward the center of the room. The second we stepped into the middle of the crowd, her body took over and her hips moved in a way that words couldn't properly describe. I draped my arms around her and spun her around. We were locked at the hips, intimately swaying and grinding to the dubstep mix the DJ had just dropped. I was sober, yet intoxicated with every second. A couple of shouts and whistles punctured the deafening music. The music shifted abruptly and she turned away from me and then backed up, winding her hips to the beat. We stayed on the dance floor for what felt like hours. Eventually, she got thirsty so we made our way to the bar. After an introduction, a few shots, and a couple of lines, we took our conversation to the bathrooms. I did like her though, she was enticing and sweet. Perfect, even.

Nevertheless, I left the club shortly after and headed for the bus stop. The bus ride consisted of the hypnotizing sounds of bells and a random old couple. I peeked out of the window, watching the lights pass and my reflection smudge on the glass. Loneliness was my default. I laid my head on the metal bar to think. It felt like the week was passing by too fast. I looked down as my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Aurelia, calling to see how I was doing. I slid my finger across the screen and Terry, a member of McCray’s conspiracy crew, had texted me. I figured I had done something wrong but I texted back anyway. He quickly started explaining how he knew the owners of Big Pink, one of the local diners that had the best breakfast I ever tasted. I was immediately intrigued. Terry said it was owned by a wealthy family who was looking for a cook. He was certain something suspicious was going on, however, and he wanted my help to investigate. I looked up from my phone and watched the lights speed by. I had a hunch that I was in for something big, and I might just be the one who could uncover it.

***

"I'll be back, darlin'," I said to Aurelia.

I turned and walked towards Heidi. Her smile widened but she looked away and set her martini down on the bar. I leaned against the wall and looked down at her. A hungry smirk spread across my face. She returned the devious grin and stood, tracing a finger down my jawline. "What are you doin', hm?" She questioned and looked me directly in the eyes. Her pupils were huge. God, I hope I'm not getting her addicted to this shit. When I met Heidi, I thought she looked gorgeous. I wanted her to know who I was. I didn't want to make her an addict. I didn't want to hurt her either so of course, I told her to distance herself for her own sake. Weirdly like all the others, it drew her into me more but I was fucking her "bestie" still. I decided I didn't care much anymore when her lips smashed into mine. She loved to make it known we were together. I found it sexy that she wanted to be seen with me. We wrestled each other's tongues for a few seconds then pulled away to catch our breath. Her lipstick was smeared down to her chin.

"You might wanna go clean up princess." I winked and her doe eyes widened.

Her hands flew up to where my eyes were settled. "I'll be back Ziggy. And don't move 'cause we're runnin' low and need more, so we gotta go." She threw me a distrustful gaze before hurrying off to the ladies' room located at the far end of the club. That was a problem. I turned around to look for Aurelia but she was already staring directly at me, her bottom lip trembling. I shook my head. She slammed her drink down on the bar and then ran towards the door, pushing through the crowd full of sweaty bodies and dirty dancing. Ah, fuck. Now I gotta go talk to this girl, I grumbled to myself. I felt a sense of entitlement emerging. I didn't understand why it was my job to comfort these girls when they hurt themselves. I never promised them a thing. I shook the thought and squeezed through the crowd, looking for Aurelia's long black hair and thick thighs. I knew her body as well as I knew Heidi's. Albeit, they're nothing alike. Heidi was toned and her body was tight. Aurelia had more weight to her but it gathered nicely at her hips and chest. "Aurelia!" I called out but my voice was drowned by the countless voices singing along with the music. I snaked through the dance floor and finally reached the exit. I opened the metal door. Aurelia was standing there, crying, and her mascara was smeared across her cheeks.

"Aw no, why are you cryin'?" I asked, hoping concern rang through my tone.

"You said you were done with her, Ezekiel," Aurelia whined. Her shoulders bounced with each sob.

"Aurelia... You both know how this happened and how much you both mean to me..." I placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and punched me in the chest. It didn't hurt but I did stumble a little.

"You're a fucking liar!" She yelled.

I felt my patience thinning but I didn't wanna do more damage. "Aurelia, please." I pleaded.

"No! No, stop fucking lying to me already. You've been fucking her this whole time, haven't you? After everything? You keep doing this to me Ziggy! I let you in and you ruin us over and over again. You just don't care!" She rambled, her sobs turning into wails. "I want you to choose. It's me or her Ziggy. Me or her!" As if it were on cue, the music spilled out into the streets as Heidi pushed open the metal door and stepped out. She looked at me and then at Aurelia.

"What's going on?" She said dryly.

"You know exactly what the fuck is going on Heidi." Aurelia huffed and wiped her cheek again, smearing black the opposite way this time.

Heidi paused for a moment and fumbled with her neon bracelets then murmured, "I just don't get why this is so hard for you Aurelia." She stared at me and continued confidently, her tone cool, "He sees more for us if he keeps doing this to you."

Aurelia drew in a sharp breath and shook her head, locking eyes with Heidi for the first time in the conversation. "You keep acting like you're above me because he keeps coming back to you!" She stepped towards Heidi, sizing her up, "I don't know if you realize bitch but he comes back to me too."

Heidi shoved Aurelia, "You're just fucking jealous!"

The bickering continued but I gripped the bridge of my nose in frustration and drowned them both out. This is pointless because I won't be settling with one. They know this already and they know who I am. I knew Heidi wouldn't take it well. I'd promised to choose her a few times but now that I'm forced to make a choice, I really can't decide. I stepped between the two ladies fighting over me. "I need you both to stop, for fucks sake," I barked. They both jumped and glared at me. "You two need to accept the situation as it is or I won't see either of you anymore." Aurelia's brows furrowed but I insisted, "I-I want you both. And constantly fighting is getting fuckin' ridiculous so if I can't have you both, I'm done." I noticed the disgust on Heidi's face. I just set off a bomb. I'm way too high for this.

Aurelia yelled weakly, "Are you fucking serious right now Ezekiel?" her voice cracked.

Heidi stormed past me and unlocked her car door then yanked it open. "Fuck you Ziggy." She got in and started the car and then sped off. Aurelia stared expectantly at my back as the tires screeched around the corner. I sighed in defeat.

"What's so hard Ziggy? Just let her go... she's ruining us." She begged and slipped her hand into mine. She leaned her head onto my shoulder.

"Aurelia, I feel like I'm being made out to be a villain when you both knew before I did." I shrugged her off of me. She threw her hands into the air.

"Do you expect me to be happy?" She laughed sarcastically, "You thought I was just gonna say yeah, why not, fuck my best friend while you're promising to marry me one day?" That was a fair point.

"No, Auri, that isn't what I expected. I expected things to be handled like adults!" I screamed.

"Like adults!" She stormed up to me. Fuck, am I gonna get a slap to the face? I hope she's not gonna slap me in the face. She got close to my face, "I expected you to keep your dick in your pants, Ezekiel." Her voice was close to a whisper. Okay, I think I'd rather have a smack to the face. Is she gonna cut my dick off? McCray, my friend, if I die, avenge me. "You can't even do that." She deflated and backed up.

"Aurelia please -" A gunshot echoed from a distance. "Let's go, they're shooting again." I took her hand. Whatever was happening in the city, wasn't good. I still needed to figure out what was going on, and if it was connected to the crew. I looked at Aurelia and swore to keep her safe, no matter what. We made our way down the street to her apartment.

"So we're just gonna go back to my place without an apology?" She ripped her hand from my grip.

"Aurelia, please, we'll talk when we get there. They're fuckin' shooting, what are you, crazy?" If I was gonna fix anything, I wanted to feel safe first. I grabbed her hand and kept walking.

"It's downtown, they're always fucking shooting!" She dug through her pocket with her free hand and pulled out her keys. Her apartment complex was small and each unit had a number on the front door. A playground sat in the middle of the complex. Orange and yellow leaves decorated the pavement and the trees were almost completely bare. Pumpkins carved with creepy faces sat at each doorstep. Halloween was a few weeks away and they were already decorating. We reached her unit and she stuck her key in the door. The distant echoes of gunshots grew louder before I shut the door behind me. The living room was dominated by a red couch and a TV attached to the wall. She tossed her keys onto the table, then plopped onto the couch and grabbed a pillow, placing it up against her face. I kicked my shoes off and followed suit.

I cautiously wrapped my arm around her shoulders, "I’m sorry," I murmured.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, pressing her back into my chest. We stayed in that position for a few moments before turning to face each other. Her face had returned to normal. I felt my skin heat against hers and our lips met softly. I savored every second. Our tongues met tentatively as models for future romances. I pulled away enough to kiss her forehead and she twirled her thumb between my own.

"Fix this, Ziggy," She exhaled. Her voice was almost hypnotizing. I promised silently that I would. That's when I realized I truly wanted both. I wanted to love them both the same and the only way to do that was to stay away from them. I wanted Aurelia to be free, free to find someone else even if I'm not the one she’ll be with, and I wanted Heidi to be content with her choices no matter how impulsive they were. I knew it sounded crazy, even to me. But I wasn't happy with having to choose between them either.

"I want us all to be happy," I responded. A faint smile crossed my face. A solution had come to mind.

"We'll see," she whispered, exhaustion lacing her words as she rested her head on my chest.

I held her tighter and murmured, "We'll see." I glanced up at the window and the moonlight illuminated a large drawing that hung on her wall. "Empire of Bones", I read the title and noticed the drawing of a large tower made of human bones. So this is what she’s been working on for the crew? My mind left the conversation entirely and my thoughts faded into a distant world. One so mysterious and full of secrets that no one else knew about but the crew. It was a world of wealthy families and corrupt decisions, paths of darkness and secrets untold. Aurelia was the only one who understood that this stuff was serious to me. In my mind, I was back at square one. I have no solution, I can’t choose.