"What the...?"

I woke up to pointy fingers jabbing and pinching at me. I looked up through sleepy eyes and almost screamed. Brynn was standing in front of me, looking like she got hit by a bus. Her hair was disheveled, and her dress wasn't on quite right. Her thick black eyeliner was smeared under her eyes. She looked terrible.

"We have to go. Our shift starts in an hour." She whined at me.

I groaned back at her. I did not want to work today. We both worked at a local pizza place in town. It was a crappy job with lots of complaining customers. After the night I had last night, I didn't have the energy for it today.

"Do we have to?" I groaned at her as I snuggled back into Aiden's lap.

"You know I can't be late. I'll get fired if I'm late again."

"Fine." It took me a second to collect my thoughts.

I must have slid down on Aiden at some point during the night because my head was resting gently in his lap. Brynn pulled the blanket off me and busted out in laughter. Aiden had his arm around me, and in his sleep, his hand had slid just inside my shorts and was resting comfortably on my butt.

"What's this?" She smiled from ear to ear.

"Shut up Brynn." I said, jumping up and untangling myself from him. "You'll wake him up."

"Oh, he's already awake." She said, pointing down to where my head was just in his lap. I could see a bulge through his jeans. My cheeks flushed at the thought of my head being so close to it.

"It's a morning thing. Leave it alone." Aiden shifted on the couch and started lightly snoring.

"He's adorable when he's sleeping." She grinned from ear to ear.

I shook my head as my best friend stood staring at the bulge in Aiden's pants.  It was extremely awkward watching her watch him. 

I looked over to the chair where Ezra was the night before and he was gone. Good. I didn't need another set of eyes in here mocking me. Hopefully, he would take his tall self somewhere and bother someone else. I imagined what would have happened if Brynn would have seen him last night. She would have found a way to sink her claws into him for sure.

I was suddenly very jealous at the thought of gorgeous and tall Brynn with beautiful dark Ezra on top of her. Why was I jealous? I didn't like him, anyway. Maybe if she was with him, then he wouldn't have bothered me all last night. That thought didn't make me want to run upstairs to introduce them either.

I took off up the stairs to Aiden's room to grab my stuff and change into my uniform. I had packed my work uniform in case I was stuck out all night. I knew with Brynn that I always needed a backup plan. As I was shoving my clothes into a bag, I felt like I was being watched and noticed Ezra standing in the door frame. I leaped high in the air and he snickered, looking down at me.

"I don't have time for this." I hurried to slip my sneakers on. I straightened back up while removing my hair from the bun and refastened it in place. I quickly pulled on my hat for work and guided the ponytail through the back opening.

"Cute." He said with a small smile forming on his face. He was wearing black gym shorts and a tight thin white tank top. With his arms exposed, I could see the definition of the hard muscles in his arms. He looked intimidating and mouthwatering with his arms crossed over him. He filled the whole doorway, blocking me in.

"Don't you have someone else to bother this morning?" I asked him while I continued to rush around and collect my things.

"What, afraid I'll make your boyfriend jealous?" He reached to his eyebrow and fiddled with the rings before running his hand through his hair to push it back from his eyes.

"What are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend."

"I think Aiden would say otherwise." He gave me a knowing smile with a small glint of something sinister lurking below.

"That's sick. I've known him since I was a kid. It is not like that."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Sure, whatever you say."

"Come on, Riley, we're going to be late." Brynn called from downstairs.

She broke me out of my thoughts and away from Ezra. I finished tucking my clothes into my bag and threw my bag over my shoulder. I got closer to the door expecting him to move aside. Of course, he didn't attempt to move. Ezra wasn't going to make anything easy for me.

"I have to go."

"What, no kiss goodbye?" His eyes smoldered down at me and he pulled one eyebrow up at me. I bit my lip and my insides fluttered with his breath on me again.

"Will you just move?" I sighed.  I almost had half a mind to push him out of my way.

He shifted to the side just enough for me to squeeze by and motioned for me to pass. His arm was raised in the door frame and I had to duck under it to get by. I brushed by him slightly and it sent goosebumps down my body.

"Goodbye, Riley."  Ezra chuckled behind me. I flew down the stairs as fast as I could, hoping he would not follow me.

Brynn took one look at me and turned her head. I must look as crazy as I felt.

"Everything ok?" She asked, concerned.

"Let's get out of here."  I grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the front door.

We made it to work a few minutes late. Our manager was furious when we ran in the door and clocked in. If this morning was any indication of how today was going to go, then I was doomed. Everything about today was wrong and I didn't have much hope it would get any better.

We were so busy that I never got to sit down and take a break. I had pizza sauce everywhere and I smelled like onions. Why did everyone have to order onions? I could wash and scrub my hands and they would smell for weeks. It got into your nailbeds and pores. I was always surprised everyone in the room didn't start crying when I walked by.  It just felt so disgusting.

To make matters worse, my manager decided to take his frustration out on me. He was barking at me all day while Brynn played at the front counter, flirting with anyone who was breathing. I'll give it to her. She was an equal opportunity flirt. I was always stuck making the pizzas. It's the most glorious and wonderful job any eighteen-year-old who just graduated high school could have and it was all mine.

It wasn't all bad, it did pay me enough to keep my car running and have a little extra spending money, but I was never going to get rich from this job. It would work for right now until after my gap year was over. I had no idea what I wanted to do long term; it wasn't fair that once you graduated high school, everyone expected you to make such big life-altering adult decisions like "What do you want to do for the rest of your life?"

I didn't have the slightest clue where my life was heading. I was lucky if I knew what I was doing tomorrow.

I was exhausted when I went to my locker after clocking out for the end of my shift. Too little sleep and nursing a hangover didn't help my energy levels. Brynn was already at her locker, reapplying her makeup in a mirror she had hung inside the door. She always beat me back to the lockers. When I opened my locker, I pulled out my phone and I had a missed text message.

Mom: "Where are you? You haven't called. I'm worried."

I quickly text her back before she called the cops and reported me missing.

Me: "Stayed at JD's last night. Had to work today."

Hopefully, that would be enough to settle her down until I got home.

"You ready?" I asked Brynn. She finished looking at herself in the mirror and slammed her locker shut.

"Let's go, girlie." She winked.