𝙁𝙄𝙉𝙀 𝙅𝙀𝙒𝙀𝙇𝙍𝙔, 𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤

"I feel like we haven't formally been introduced," Debbie says, filling the comfortable silence in the car. You catch her eye in the rearview mirror. You sat in the backseat, behind the driver's seat, and Lou sat in the passenger seat beside the brunette. "Quite the talkers you too are," she sarcastically quips.

A small smile forms on your face. "Well, I'm (y/n) (y/l/n). I'm twenty-two years old, a Taurus," you pause, trying to think of another interesting fact about yourself.

"This feels like one of those ridiculous icebreakers they make kids do in school," Lou huffs, rolling her eyes and glancing out the window.

"And I'm a little nervous that you both might be serial killers, taking me to a second location," you swiftly finish with a satisfied smile.

Lou turns around with a slight smirk. "Trust me, babe. If we wanted you dead, we would've let that psycho of an ex-boyfriend take you."

Debbie chuckled, glancing over at Lou while tapping her fingers on the wheel. "We've got better things to do than get into all that murdering mess. Let's just say tonight was us being good samaritans, hm?"

"If we did have darker intentions, I can guarantee that boy wouldn't have made it out of the bar standing," Lou adds. "I wouldn't pick someone as sweet as you either. Too much guilt."

"Well," you reply, "good to know I'm in safe hands... I think?"

Debbie grinned, making a sharp right onto a less populated street. "Safe-ish," she teased.  "You can relax. Lou and I might be a little unconventional, but we're not exactly axe-murderer material." She shot Lou a quick look again with a slight smile. "Most of the time."

Glancing out the car window, you realize you've never been to this part of town. For the most part, you were a homebody. Ezra barely let you leave. When you did, it just brought out a whole array of problems. Cheating accusations, jealousy, rage, all the fun things you try to avoid.

"You're going to crash at my place since it's bigger than Lou's," Debbie continues, drawing your attention. "And it's not like Lou ever goes to her own place anyways; she's constantly over at mine. She's got a room and everything."

"And you love every second of it, don't you, Ocean?" Lou grins.

"It's borderline harassment at this point." Debbie forces a laugh before glancing at you in the mirror again. "Anyways, I'm Debbie. Debbie Ocean. That's Lou, as I'm sure you've gathered through context clues."

"Lovely to meet you both," you reply.

"So, what's your story, (y/n)?" Lou asks. "We've met the boyfriend, but what about the parents and occupation?"

"Jesus, Lou. Must you always be so nosey?" Debbie shakes her head.

You grin at the light-hearted bickering. It was refreshing. There was a time when you and Ezra could have conversations like this. You missed it. "It's alright," you interject. "You have a right to know about the person you're letting stay with you."

"See," Lou raises her eyebrows at Debbie.

You watch the darkened outlines of trees blur as Debbie drives. "I met Ezra when I was in school, studying journalism. He was studying communications. We had an overlapping English class. About three weeks in, he asked me out. We dated throughout college until he got his degree two years later when he told me about his plans to move here to New York. I don't know why I agreed to go with him. I think I was afraid of being alone again. My parents were detached growing up—all that mattered was getting good grades and staying out of their way. So, when I was eighteen, I was all on my own. I lived in the dorms and worked full-time. The idea of having a life with someone who wanted to be with me was more than I could ever ask for." You press your lips together and turn your head away from the window. "I pick up a couple shifts at a café for some extra cash, but besides that, Ezra took care of the expenses."