[ cool rereading idea posts is dope // song is by nicole dollanganger

warnings: language, unhappy relationships, cheating, alcohol

concept: chase and ezra are unhappily married (as horrible as that sounds) and both of them are seeing someone else, pretending like the other doesn't know.

i also had an alternate idea for this so i might write it too

i'm using z in this bc i'm dumb and can't remember who i was gonna use

stay safe,
lew. ]

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Chase pretends not to notice when Ezra comes home with the smell of somebody else clinging to his skin. It's not like she actually cares, but it's still not ideal.

This has to be the second or third week in a row. It could potentially stretch on for months or even years, because hey, they'd pretended to love each other enough to get married, they could pretend to not see the obvious signs of cheating that each of them carried.

Ezra ignores the faint lipstick smudges in colors she doesn't own on her neck and shirt collar. Chase overlooks the nail marks on his back and the bruising on his throat.

Unsurprisingly, on her day off, all Chase wants to do is spend the day with someone who actually loves her. She'd much rather be somewhere other than this suffocating house, but she didn't know when Ezra would be home, so it's for the best if she just stays here.

So she calls her unofficial girlfriend (if you could call her that).

Z shows up within a half hour, and it takes all the self control Chase has to wait until they're inside before she kisses the other woman. But even then, the intimacy doesn't last too long, because she knows how dangerous Ezra can be, and she doesn't want to throw Z to the metaphorical wolf.

They're on the couch, drinking some shitty wine and just having a decent time. Then the car stops in front of the house, and it's like a switch was flipped. Chase is no longer the smiling and affectionate and confident person she'd been all morning. Suddenly, she's cold and distant.

She gets up and heads towards the door, making little adjustments to her hair and clothes. She's fully expecting it to be her husband, so the sight of the blonde man walking up the steps throws her off.

She opens the door and steps outside, arms crossed over her chest. "Can I help you?"

He seems nervous, and it almost makes her feel sorry for him. "Sorry, this is where Ezra Riley lives, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she replies simply. "He isn't home right now, though."

"I know. He told me to wait for him here. He didn't mention that anyone would be here."

"Would you mind if I called him? I'd invite you in, but I need to be sure that he sent you."

The man nods, so she gives him a gentle smile as she pulls out her phone and calls Ezra. He picks it up on the second ring, but he sounds exasperated and sarcastic when he says, "What's up, honey?"

Chase can't help rolling her eyes. "Hey, sweetheart. Did you send a guy to the house to wait on you?" The term of endearment sounds similar to a twisted mockery, almost as if it tastes like battery acid on her tongue.

"Yeah. Are you home? I thought you were going to go do something on your day off."

"I'm here. I invited a friend over, didn't really feel like going anywhere. Can the poor guy come inside to wait or were you gonna make him sit outside?"

"I don't care what you do."

"I'll see you when you get home. Bye."

And with that, she ends the call. She takes a moment to relax, then smiles again and invites the guy in. "I'm Chase. Ezra's my husband."

He notices the contempt in her voice at that, but ignores it, a charming smile on his own lips. "I'm Ronnie."

"My friend Z is here, but you're welcome to hang out with us until he gets here."

——

Things go well until about the time Ezra comes home. The three of them (but mostly Chase) work their way through more wine than they should've. Chase isn't discreet anymore with the way she interacts with her 'friend'.

Right as Chase manages to coax Z into a kiss, Ezra walks in the door.

Ronnie and Z are both somewhat terrified as Ezra calmly takes off his jacket and drapes it over the back of a chair. "A friend, huh?" He remarks, staring directly at his wife.

Chase has had entirely too much alcohol at this point to filter her words, so she's blunt when she replies, "Yeah. Friend with benefits."

"That would definitely explain the lipstick."

She stands up, wobbling on her feet a bit as she moves behind Ronnie, an arm over his shoulder and her face right next to his. "And if I'm right, this sweetheart is why you've had those marks on your back and throat."

"That's none of your business, honey," he snaps, the pure venom taking both Ronnie and Z jump.

Z takes that opportunity to get to her feet and grab Ronnie's hand. "I think it's for the best if we leave."

"Bye, baby. See ya, Ronnie," Chase tells them, but she doesn't take her eyes off Ezra.

Ezra obviously has other plans. "Ronnie, sit back down. Now."

Chase rolls her eyes as she turns and leaves the room. "If you're gonna fuck or anything, go upstairs. The last thing I want is this turnin' into a bad porno when the pizza guy shows up."

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[ that ended up shitty but oh well. the reason they didn't blow up on each other / the other two is that chase and ezra both knew that things were falling apart, but they've had to keep up appearances. why not have one source of happiness in their lives?

here's the alt concept for this song, idk if anyone would wanna read it tho:

lewis and logan really thought they loved each other enough to get married. it was a rushed thing, and when the honeymoon phase ends, neither of them are content. maybe it was a misinterpretation, because they still love each other, just maybe not in the context they thought.