|◁ II ▷|

wens — romantic.

THEIR TENSION COULDN'T have been cut with a knife, as Ezra's eyes were again cast on the woman responsible for the end of the on and off relationship she endured with Ebén... for six whole years.

Six years — she'd lost, because of him.

Six years she had tirelessly spent trying to turn his heart of stone into something... softer that would allow her to be loved back in return. She had thought she was finally breaking ground with him, but again, she had gullibly soaked up his words like a sponge.

If she had the time back...

She wouldn't have been so emotionally open to him but bided her time, as she knew that Ebén was notorious for buttering her up, then letting her down with his usual, lax one-liners — Well, you knew exactly what this was, Ezra.

But now, was staring down the eyes of Ebén and his new woman with angry regret — that she had bought into words like a foolish, dumb prick.

"Sorry... Can I just?" said Maya, as Ezra stood standing in the way, in a last-ditch attempt to save her relationship with Ebén from completely crumbling.

She knew that if she demanded an ultimatum, and forced him to choose between her or the other woman, Ebén wouldn't hesitate to send her packing. So, this attempt to block her off came out of a moment of pure desperation, with hopes that Ebén would choose their long six-year history.

"Can I just what?" Ezra had a face full of thunder.

"Scoot past you," Maya didn't flinch as she faced off against Ezra, stuck with wanting to be respectful to a very delicate situation but also, not really giving a damn if she was the reason trouble was a-brewing.

There was a silence shared between the two women, Ebén's past and potentially his future, ambushed into one boxed room, vying for complete, unrestricted access to his once, dark-hearted heart.

But Ebén wasn't looking to be fought over.

He just wanted her.

Ezra reluctantly shifted to make way, with her hawkish eyes carefully patrolling the two, in case — they ended up doing something that they shouldn't.

Maya slowly caressed the bump of Ebén's cheek, falling deeper and deeper into the pits of love as his gorgeous-brown orbs were looking up at her like she was and would forever be the only one standing in front of him, "Maya... I think I lo — "

She ran her fingers through her hair, all tense with worry, "Hey. Can you give us a minute?"

Us?

Ezra would have belted out a scream if she hadn't been the meditating type and calmed her chakras on the drive down here, "Bitch, don't play with me. Say your little goodbyes and be goin' please"

"No one's playing you. I just came to s — "

Ezra knew and was absolutely and fundamentally sure that she had not come under the guise of checking in, "No, you came to steal my man."

"Your man?" Things had now become interesting.

"Yes, my boyfriend" she firmed, "I didn't stutter."

Maya's body slowly swivelled, her facial expressions were locked onto Ebén as she clawed at him for answers, "Ebén, you... have a girlfriend?"

Ebén tried to form a defence as four sets of female, riled eyes were centred on him, "Had."

Maya shook her head, aghast, that she believed that he had one ounce of morality inside him. She knew what it felt like to stand face-to-face with the woman who was a recipient to the very thing that was half of hers, "Had you two even broken up when we slept together?"

"Oh, you two slept together?"

"Yeah, eight times" Though Ezra had been grateful that she now knew the truth, the twisting of the knife in her stomach didn't hurt any less.

"Eight?" She shrieked at the sound of the number, "I don't think he's fucked me more than twice in a row"

"I don't know why I expected any different," Maya wished she had kept her cynical lenses on, and not the one she had on. Maybe, she would have been less likely to believe that he was this upstanding guy.

"Babe, it's the charm. We've all fallen for it, you're just the latest victim" Ezra added, twisting her own figurative knife into Maya's skin.

"Ezra, shut up" Ebén lambasted at her, with clenched teeth, warning her to stop adding her off-handed comments when ultimately there was no need.

"Make me," Ezra said, defiant.

He was not in the mood for this angry sex roleplay that she was donning, especially with her.

"Maya, we ended things. It's ov — "

"Ebén, don't you dare lie or so help me God, I'll..."

"Or, you'll what?" The morphine didn't put a halt to Ebén's goads but Maya couldn't stand there and watch the two of them have at it.

"I think I'm gonna go" Maya's feet were already at the door, Ezra and Ebén's bickering had unintentionally given her a head start but Ebén wasn't ready to see the back of her — not now, or ever.

He hobbled to her in a haste, "Hey hey, please don't. You want me to tell her to go?"

Ezra watched on as Ebén asked his concubine whether she wanted Ebén to forcibly eject her from their presence, and right there, she lost it.

"Ebén? What the fuck... are you doing?"

"Sorry, Ezra but it's over," said Ebén, with no feeling and no remorse for her hurt feelings.

She had unconsciously known that it was, but she couldn't believe that he had arrived at the decision, so quick, because a black woman had put out.

"It's what?" She was screaming hard at him now.

"Over," She hadn't misheard him, hearing him loud and clear, but wanted a second longer to ponder how she was about to kill him. In cold blood.

She didn't kill him with her words, trying to hold in her cry, "I've been there from the jump? When you had nothin but your dreams?"

"So, you were there from the beginnin'. So what?"

"I would think that you wouldn't throw away six years of our relationship for... her?"

"Things changed, Ezra" shrugged Ebén, whose nonchalant body language was only riling her up further that he could be so dismissive towards her.

After everything.

There was disgust in her tone as her tongue slashed at the word her, "In the space of forty-eight hours?!"

Ebén rubbed his nose, smiling — "Yeah."

Tears were daring to fall from her eyes but the last thing she wanted was to cry in front of him and have him make a mockery of her tears, "After everything?"

Maya still stood as an uncomfortable witness and wanted to flee through the ajar door but Ebén glances at her stopped her from doing so.

"Ezra, listen... I'm sorry but things have changed. I know your feelings were hurt at the expense of what I did, but I don't regret it. At all."

With that, she blew a final warning — "Listen to me well 'cus I won't repeat myself. I knew you when you had nothing. And when you were nothing. And... you end six years of our relationship for the first piece of chocolate pussy you see?"

Ebén's lack of hesitation to her rhetorical question irked her, "Well, yeah. I'm in love with her."

Love?

Maya felt herself choke at the word and Ezra knew then, that she'd lost him. But she was too proud to admit that her money nor the importance of her name could stop Ebén from ending this.

Though the odds were against her — she wasn't about to give up the love of her life without a fight.

She continued to lay down her threat, "Whatever... you two think that you've got, won't last. And I know, you'll call me when it ends 'cus you always do. I'll pick up. And we'll continue from where we left off"

She didn't allow her words to settle as she stormed off, leaving Maya and Ebén, finally alone with each other again, but Maya had one question.

"You love me?"

Ebén was sure, "I do. Fell in love with you from the moment I laid my eyes on you and you gave me lip"

Maya's lips smiled at his, "You needed the tellin' off"

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A/N: These two. Ugh.

So, I was listening to Beyoncé's Resentment whilst writing this & absolutely loved it. Think it perfectly encapsulates how Ezra felt. If you haven't heard, make sure you do.

Bey is the GOAT.