The Assassins Kiss

Chapter 33

Ezra's POV

I'm sitting on the couch in the living room with Iris. The soft hum of the TV is the only noise, but the tension between us is palpable. She's clearly not holding back.

"Ok?" Iris scoffs, her tone sharp. "Ok? That's all you have to say?" She crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes at me. "Yes," I respond, trying to keep my voice level.

"We both know you'll be running back soon enough—" I cut her off before she can finish. "No, I won't," I say, a little more firmly than I intend.

She raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Sure." The sarcasm drips from her voice as she nods slowly.

"I'm serious," I add, though the doubt in her expression is hard to ignore.

"Okay," she says, her voice softer now, though there's still a hint of skepticism. I let out a sigh, frustrated. "I'm not kidding."

"I believe you," she finally says, though I can tell she's still not fully on board.

There's a pause before I drop the bombshell. "I have a date."

Iris freezes for a second, her eyes wide with confusion. "Ezra, I said—wait, what?" she stammers, clearly caught off guard.

"You? You have a date?" She repeats the words slowly, as if trying to make sense of them. "I missed something... since when do you have a date?" She tilts her head to the side, blinking at me like I've grown another head. "You, Ezra, have a date?"

"Yeah," I nod, trying not to let her amusement get to me.

"With who?" She asks, her voice a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "I didn't know you were even looking for someone—what's going on?" Her confusion is obvious as she tilts her head again.

"Well, it's called a dating app," I reply nonchalantly, shrugging.

Her eyes widen even more. "Since when were you using one of those?" she asks, her voice almost incredulous. "Since this morning," I say casually, hoping she doesn't overthink it.

"And you already found a match?" she raises an eyebrow, still processing. "That was fast." I can't help but smirk.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hot," I say, my tone playful. "What did you expect?"

She laughs, shaking her head. "Okay, but seriously... who is this guy?"

"Armando," I answer, not even blinking.

At that, Iris bursts out laughing, her shoulders shaking with amusement. "Armando? You're going out with someone named Armando?" She's practically in tears. "I'm sorry, that's hilarious."

"If he's got a nice personality, I don't really care about the name," I reply, shrugging again, trying to brush it off.

Iris smirks at me. "That's real beautiful, Ezra. Very wholesome." She pauses, then leans forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But what's his last name?"

I stand up, trying to avoid her gaze. "I'm not telling you his last name."

She grins, teasing. "It can't be as bad as Armando." She gives a playful shrug. "You could have a hot last name. Like... Vincenzo." She pauses, as if imagining it.

"Or, you know, I can keep my last name... Ferrari." I wink.

I can't help but smile at her joke, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, sure."

"I won't be here for dinner," I say, already heading for the door. "I'll be with..." I pause, giving her a dramatic look. "Armando," I say, dragging out the name with a ridiculous accent.