SWEET SPOT

Hot Sauce 17

Ezekiel

The phone barely rang once before Aida picked up.

“Ezekiel!” she answered, her voice bright and giggly, full of that overly sweet tone she always used with me. “Oh my God, you actually called! I’ve been waiting for you to—”

I cut her off sharply, my grip tightening around the phone.

“Did you take the necklace?”

There was a brief pause on her end. The giggly energy vanished instantly.

“W-what?” she asked, suddenly cautious.

“You heard me,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Did you go into my room without my permission and take the necklace I bought?”

“Ezekiel, you don’t have to yell like that, you know,” she replied, trying to sound innocent and a little hurt. “It’s not nice.”

“Don’t piss me the f**k off, Aida,” I snapped, anger boiling over. “Answer the damn question. Did you steal it from my room?”

“Steal is such a strong word,” she said softly, almost pouting. “I just… borrowed it. It was so pretty, and it was just sitting there on your desk. I thought you wouldn’t mind. I only wanted to wear it for a little while.”

My blood was pounding in my ears. I started pacing Nyla’s room, barely able to contain my fury.

“You had no right,” I growled. “None. I’ve told you a thousand times to stay out of my room. I’ve warned you. And you still went in there and took something that wasn’t yours? Do you even hear how crazy that sounds?”

She started crying on the other end — soft, dramatic sobs that I knew too well.

“I just liked it so much,” she whimpered. “I thought if I wore it, maybe you’d finally notice me the way I notice you. I’ve always been there for you, Ezekiel. Why can’t you see that? I love—”

“Stop,” I cut her off coldly. I wasn’t moved. Not even a little. Her tears had stopped working on me a long time ago. “I don’t want to hear it. Return the necklace. Now. Or I swear I’ll come get it myself.”

Nyla suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, shaking her head. Her eyes were wide with exhaustion and something close to pity.

“Don’t bother,” she whispered. “Just… let it go.”

I stared at her for a second, jaw clenched. I hated this. I hated that Aida had created this mess between us. But Nyla looked so drained, so done with all the drama. I couldn’t keep dragging her through it.

I let out a heavy sigh and spoke into the phone again, my voice flat and final.

“You can keep the necklace.”

Aida’s crying stopped immediately. “Really? Ezekiel, I—”

“But stay the hell away from me from now on,” I continued, cutting her off again. “Don’t text me. Don’t call me. Don’t even say hi when we run into each other. We’re done. Whatever friendship you thought we had. If you come near me or my room again, I won’t be this nice next time. Do you understand?”

She was silent for a long moment.

“…Fine,” she whispered, her voice small.

I ended the call without another word and tossed my phone onto Nyla’s bed. The anger was still simmering under my skin, but when I looked at Nyla, all I felt was regret and exhaustion.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, rubbing a hand over my face. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve set better boundaries with her.”

Nyla didn’t say anything. She just watched me with those big, tired eyes that made my chest ache. I wanted to pull her into my arms and fix everything, but I knew I couldn’t. I mean, we weren't a ‘thing’ yet.

All I could do now was hope she believed me.

“I believe you,” she finally said, and I couldn’t help but smile widely.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

All she could do was give a simple nod.

“Nyla?” I called softly after a minute of silence.

She slowly lifted her gaze to meet mine, saying nothing. Her eyes were wide and vulnerable, reflecting the soft glow of the bedside lamp. My heart thudded heavily in my chest as I took in the sight of her — flushed cheeks, slightly parted lips, and that adorable way she was biting the side of her lip.

I took a small step closer, my voice dropping even lower. “Isn’t it obvious by now?” I asked gently. “We’ve been making it so obvious… that we actually like each other. I like you, Nyla. And I know you like me too.”

She swallowed hard, her throat moving visibly. For a moment, she looked like she might deny it, but she stayed quiet, just staring at me with those beautiful eyes that always made my pulse race.

“Tell me,” I continued, my tone soft and careful, “since when have you had feelings for me?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she looked down, clearly nervous. I smiled, trying to ease the tension.

“I’ll go first,” I said. “I actually started having feelings for you the day I saw you working at Subway. You were taking orders, smiling at customers, looking so joyful and kind even though you were clearly tired. Something about that moment… it hit me. That was the day my heart started beating differently for you.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and a faint blush deepened on her cheeks. It was adorable.

“And you?” I asked gently.

She was quiet for a long moment before finally whispering, “I fell in love with you at first sight… the day my brother introduced you as his best friend.”

A warm, genuine smile spread across my face. I scratched the back of my head, feeling a rare wave of awkwardness wash over me. “Well… this feels kind of awkward now that we both know how we feel, doesn’t it?”

She nodded shyly, still looking down, biting the side of her lip again. God, she was so cute when she got like this.

I moved closer. She swallowed and took a small step back, but there wasn’t much space left. I knew she was feeling extremely shy right now, but I couldn’t stop myself. I reached out and gently took her hand. She didn’t pull away.

“What is going on?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, confusion and nervousness mixing in her tone.

Instead of answering with words, I slowly pulled her toward me. My hands found her waist, and I wrapped my arms around her, drawing her close until our bodies were pressed together. She was so warm. I could feel her heart racing against mine, her soft breathing brushing against my neck.

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t push me away.

Slowly, I leaned in, my face hovering just inches from hers. Our noses nearly touched. I swallowed hard, my own heart pounding wildly in my chest. The air between us felt electric.

“Will you kiss me right this time around?” I whispered, my voice husky with emotion.

I waited, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn’t. Her gaze dropped to my lips for a second before flickering back up to my eyes.