Zyan
"Get up off your ass and open this door right this second!"
Zyan heard Ava's shouting through the door, accompanied by the loud banging of her fists against wood. "Jessie and Carter are expecting us, and I'm not making them wait because of your sorry ass."
"Shut up down there!"
"You shut up, Jeffrey!" Ava yelled back.
"I have classes tomorrow!"
"Aw, I'm so sorry. No wait, I'm not, because it's only 9 fucking p.m. on a Saturday!"
"For Christ's sake, Ava, just get in here before you get us both kicked out of the building." Zyan threw open the door and pulled her into his apartment by the wrist.
"You're still a shitty liar, Jeffrey!" Ava shouted before Zyan threw the door shut.
"Was that really necessary?" Zyan asked.
Ava looked like she was about to respond when she got her first look at Zyan. "Shit, did I interrupt your shower?"
Zyan shook his head with a sigh. "Doesn't matter."
Ava crossed her arms. "Actually, you're right. You should've been ready ten minutes ago."
"I forgot to look at the time. Now sit down and let me put on something less revealing than a towel."
Ava wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sure Carter wouldn't mind you showing up like this."
Zyan had already turned his back on her and was heading for the bedroom. "You're insufferable, Ava."
"You love me!"
"You'll never hear me say it!" he called back.
"But you already did—and you didn't deny it just now!"
"That's the best you'll ever get from me!"
"Just you wait!"
*~*~*
"We're late," was the first thing Ava said as Jessica opened her door. "But in my defense, it's all Zyan's fault."
Zyan, standing behind her, didn't deny it.
"It's fine," Jessica said, smiling at them as they brushed past her. "I'm surprised he's even here at all."
"Me too," muttered Zyan.
Ava happily pressed a kiss against Jessica's lips as a form of greeting, which had Zyan shifting his attention to taking off his shoes.
"Hey, cinnamon bun," whispered Jessica.
Zyan glanced up at her, an eyebrow raised. He was ignored.
Ava grinned up at her. "Hi."
"You ready for our trip next week?" Jessica asked while she closed the door.
Ava, who was currently toeing off her shoes next to Zyan, glanced up at her and shrugged. "I'm not sure I'll ever be 'ready' for that. Homophobic mothers are not my forté, you know?"
"I doubt they're anyone's forté."
"True, that." Ava started heading for the couch while Zyan was still fighting to untie the knot in his laces. "Oh, but before we meet your lovely mother, all of you guys are gonna meet my little brother, Sebastian." Zyan's head rose. Ava looked back and forth between them with a smile. "Friday evening, 8 p.m., at my place."
Zyan frowned, finally loosening the knot without even looking at it. "Haven't I met him before?"
"No, that was Joe," Ava said.
"The lanky one with the big hair?" Ava nodded. "Huh," Zyan made a face, genuinely confused. "I could've sworn his name wasn't Joe."
"You've always been bad with names," Carter pointed out, turning on the couch to look at him over the backrest.
"That's not true,"
"Every time we changed our names, it took you months to even get your own right, never mind mine," Carter said bluntly.
"That's different." Zyan brushed past Jessica to drop onto the couch next to Carter.
"Whatever," Ava interrupted. "You're all gonna be there, right?"
Jessica and Carter nodded, while Zyan shook his head.
"Oh, come on, Zyan!" Ava called out.
"Why are you always forcing me to meet new people?" Zyan asked. "You know it makes me uncomfortable."
"He's been looking forward to meeting you," Ava said. "He wants to know the guy I'm always mentioning when I tell him about my week!"
"Do you seriously call him every week just to tell him that nothing interesting has happened?" Zyan asked.
"Hey, my life is plenty interesting!" Zyan gave her a look that conveyed his doubt. "What? It's true! And I only call him when Sheila's not available."
"Who is Sheila?" This time, Zyan was just riling her up. He did listen to what Ava told him, and Sheila had always been one of the names she mentioned the most.
Ava stared back at him. "Sheila," she repeated. "Joe's twin? My sister?"
"You have a sister?" Zyan asked, driving the spear home.
Ava looked at Jessica for help, but she only shrugged helplessly. She turned to Carter, but he didn't give her anything, either.
Ava looked back at Zyan. "I've told you about her hundreds of times! You even accompanied me to the airport when she left for Europe with her husband."
Zyan frowned, feigning confusion. "I thought that was one of your exes or something."
Ava shook her head and dropped onto the couch, leaving as much space as possible between them. "I'm done here. You're right, Jessica—he's a terrible friend."
Zyan let his amusement show as he scooted closer to her and knocked their shoulders together. "Aw, come on. I'm just teasing. I couldn't forget her if I wanted to. I think she cracked some of my ribs when she said her goodbyes. Her hugs are intense."
Ava sunk deeper into the cushions as she leaned against him. "Oh, thank god."
"But seriously, does she lift weights?"
"She did jiu-jitsu for five years before she left."
"Maybe she was going in for the kill, then, not a hug," Carter teased.
"Well," Jessica started. "That's my cue to start playing host. Anyone hungry? Thirsty?"
*~*~*
It was weird to have his ex-husband so close again. Their shoulders were pressed together as they all squeezed themselves onto the couch so they could fit somewhat comfortably. The Two Towers was currently playing, but Ava and Jessica were mostly joking around or speaking along with the actors in ridiculous voices while Zyan tried to find a comfortable way to sit after Jessica yelled at him when he'd tried to put his feet on the coffee table.
"Have you seen this movie before?" Carter asked him.
"Hm?" Zyan glanced up at him and then back at the TV. "Oh, yes, I have, but not since it came out."
He could see Carter nod out of the corner of his eye. There seemed to be a tension in his shoulders, like he didn't feel comfortable. Whether that was because of their proximity or the entire situation, Zyan didn't know.
"You?" Zyan asked.
"Um. No."
"You still aren't that big on movies, huh?"
Carter shook his head. "Nope. That has always been more your thing."
"Oh, come on! You always enjoyed the ones I showed you."
"That's just because you never showed me the bad ones, and I know you've seen a shit-ton of those, so don't even lie to me."
Zyan chuckled. "Well, it's bound to happen, and it's not like you'd be forced to finish them. It's dumb to just not watch anything because there's a chance it might be bad."
Carter shrugged. "I just prefer to create the worlds in my mind, instead of having it dictated to me how everything and everyone looks."
"I'm not saying you should stop reading, I'm just saying that watching movies is a lot less exhausting and a nice way to pass the time when you're trying to relax and unwind at the end of a day."
"I'm watching one right now, aren't I?"
"Just because the girls wanted to," Zyan pointed out.
"Well, next week, they won't be here," Carter said.
His tone made Zyan glance over at him. Their faces were so close together, Zyan could've sworn he felt Carter's breath on his skin. "Oh. Yeah. Right." He cleared his throat and looked back at the screen.
"So…did you have any plans?"
Zyan wet his lips. There was a tug in his chest when he realized where this might be heading. "No. You?"
"No."
Zyan ducked his head as his gaze darted restlessly from his hands to the coffee table and over to Ava who was fiddling with Jessica's fingers. They seemed absorbed in their own bubble.
"Would you like to meet up?" Carter blurted out. "You could, you know, show me some of the movies I've missed over the last few years."
Zyan froze as he tried to hide his honest reaction and school his expression. His heart rate picked up as he rubbed his palms on his jeans. He knew there was only one possible answer for him, but his brain and mouth wouldn't cooperate to express it. How could he still feel so overwhelmed?
When he finally looked up to meet Carter's eyes, the tension between them thickened. Zyan could see Carter's jaw move, and knew it was because he was biting the inside of his lips. His gaze kept flickering from Zyan's eyes to his mouth and nose and back. He was nervous. As if he didn't already know what the answer would be. As if it wasn't the thousandth time he'd asked Zyan out.
"Sure," Zyan finally got out. If his voice sounded off, Carter didn't mention it. "You still have my address, correct?"
Carter nodded, letting go of the breath he'd been holding.
Not very subtle, Zyan thought. But it was endearing. Even after all this time, Carter was still incapable of playing it cool. He was back to being as easy to read as an open book, at least to Zyan. And when their eye contact lingered for another moment, Zyan could sense the words left unsaid. The contained excitement and nerves, the implications of what this could mean for their future.
Zyan gave Carter a small, soft smile and turned back to face the screen as if nothing had happened.