Love to Hate You

Chapter 33

JASPER'S POV
I was happy sleeping peacefully. Then Ezra calls me drunk and my day has been a roller coaster ever since. Don't even get me started on seeing him naked today. He's been making it difficult to stay away. I don't want him back. I love him. He is definitely attractive and makes me think sinful thoughts. I just can't be with him. I knock on Emilia's door.
"Emmie, open the door."
She opens the door. I enter her room and close the door behind me.
"What happpened??" I asked. I want to know her side of the story. She looks at me saddened.
"Ezra was being an asshole towards me. So, I walked away." She said. I nod my head slowly.
"What did you do to provoke him?? Because it's obvious to me that you did provoke him. He's a very calm guy. I've never seen him just attack someone for no reason. So, cut the shit." I said. She was taken aback by my tone with her. I don't have any patience left. I need her to be straight with me.
"I asked him how does he feel being your ex." She said in a soft voice.
"Well, that's a stupid question. Considering you know exactly how it feels. Since you're my ex." I said, pointing at her.
"He didn't know that." She said, while crossing her arms.
"I'm trying to be friends with both of you. Don't complicate things by being petty, Em." I said, as I sat on her bed.
"Well, you can't be friends with both of us. It's me or him. Take your pick." She said. She's making me choose?? What the fuck?? I can't choose. Ezra is my best friend. He knows everything about me. I love him. Emilia has been there for me. She helped me cope with my break up. I care about her deeply. I can't choose between them.
"Emmie, you know I can't choose between you. I love him and I care about you. Don't make me choose." I said in a low voice.
"You heard me, Jasper. ME OR HIM?!" She's not letting this go. I can almost hear my heart crack all over again. A single tear escapes my eye.
"Him." I whisper. She stands there, stunned into silence. I walk out of the room. I find Ezra in the kitchen still.
"Let's go, E." I said, my voice cracked. He immediately got up and cupped my face in his hands.
"Whoa. What's wrong?? Why are you so upset??" His concerned voice asked. His rough hands were warm and comforting. I really wanted them to embrace me.
"Get out of my house!! I don't want to see that gay bastard all over you!! Get out!!" Emilia screamed. I was really shocked by her behavior. Ezra clenched his jaw and if looks could kill, she would have been dead already. He wrapped his arms around me protectively and walked me out of her house. She just kept screaming and then she started throwing plates. They shattered into pieces. Her aim was trash but her intentions were enough to hurt me. Ezra took my car keys from my hands and sat me in the passenger seat. He walked around the car and sat in the driver's seat. He started the ignition and peeled out of there.
"Crazy bitch." He muttered under his breath but I heard it. I couldn't come to her defense because she was acting like a lunatic. I'm still so shocked. That was not the Emilia that I know. Did I know her at all?? Ezra rests his hand on my thigh.
"I'm not going to rub salt in your wounds but I do expect an explanation." He said, his eyes on the road.
"Explanation??"
"Yeah, like why you came out of that room upset and your girlfriend suddenly went psycho on us." He glanced at me. I should probably tell him that she's not my girlfriend. I just know that once I do, he's going to pursue me and I'm not ready for Ezra to try and win me back.
"Firstly, I didn't know that Emilia had crazy in her. Secondly, I don't want to talk about what happened. All that you need to know is that I'm sorry I called you a liar." I said, while watching the world blurr by out the window.
"You fought because of me?? Jasper, I'm sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. She was just irking my soul. I couldn't help myself. I should—"
"Stop. Just stop. I don't want to talk about it anymore." God, everything is frustrating me right now. Every relationship I try to build, just falls apart. I am destined to be alone, it seems. Honestly, I just want to drink my problems away. I haven't drank in a long while. Ezra's voice breaks me out of my thoughts.
"I know what will cheer you up." He smirked.
"Oh, noooo.. not one of your bright ideas. Just take me home, E. I'm serious. I'm not in the mood for your shit." I groaned. But did he listen?? No, he did not. He dragged me to a trampoline park. He parks the car and smiles at me. I glare at him.
"Ready??" He said, cheerfully.
"No, Ezra. This is not home. I specifically said to take me home." I grumbled. He chuckled.
"Come on, grumpy. It'll be fun." He said, as he got out of the car. I sigh and reluctantly get out of the car to. We walk inside the amusement center, Sign a waiver, Pay for an hour of jumping around and grab the socks they give us. We take off our shoes and put them in a locker, along with our phones. I put on the special socks over my regular socks. Ezra grabs my hand and pulls me along towards the trampolines. He immediately starts jumping around. He looks so out of place. Black hair flopping around, muscles flexing, tattoos visible, pierced ears, smiling like a child at a candy store. He looks like an intimidating bad boy but I know better. A smile slowly breaks out on my face. He such an idiot. I guess I'm jumping. I run and jump in.
"I hate you." I shout with a grin. He flops and grabs his chest, dramatically pretending to be hurt.
"Ugh. You wound me!!" He shouts. I laugh and jump towards him.
"Take my hand." I said. He doesn't hesitate. He stands up and holds my hand.
"Now what??" He smirks.
"Now jump with me. As high as you can."
"Alright. One, two, three, JUMP!!" We jump, reaching higher and higher. He's smiling. I'm laughing. This is so much better than drinking. He's right. This cheered me up.
"I bet you can't do a back flip." I said. He let go of my hand and what do you know... the idiot can back flip.
"Your turn." He said. Damn it. I jump and flop on my back. He starts laughing at me. He lays down next to me. He's looking at me, I'm looking at him.
"You're beautiful. It's not fair." He said. I look away.
"Shut up." I said, my heart beating erratically in my chest.
"It's true. Your blue eyes are so pretty. Your lips are plump and kissable. Your face... just one look from you and you can have whoever you want." He said, almost dreamily. My face heats up. I must resemble a tomato right now.
"Yeah. Well, you're not so bad looking yourself." I said.
"My eyes are a shitty brown." He chuckles. I frown at that statement.
"Your eyes are not a shitty brown. When you first open your eyes in the morning and the sun catches them, they're like pools of honey. Your eyes have an intensity to them. They are worth getting lost in them. And your lips are just as plump as mine. They are soft, warm and inviting." I said, truthfully. I can't even blame Liam for wanting to kiss Ezra's lips. I want to kiss Ezra right now. I can't allow myself to do that though. I stand up and walk off the trampoline. I glance over my shoulder. He's sitting up. He runs a hand through his hair and looks lost in thought. I leave him behind. I walk into the bathroom and throw cold water on my face. I look at my reflection in the mirror for a few seconds.
"Come on, Jasper. Snap out of it." I tell myself. I grab a paper towel and dry my face. I hear someone else enter the restroom. Suddenly I feel a hand turn me around. Ezra backs me up against the wall. His body pressed firmly against mine, hands on my waist. He leans in but I cover his mouth with my hand before he kisses me.
"We're just friends." I said, shakily. Ezra removes my hand and interwines our fingers together. He smirks.
"Friends don't stare in each other's eyes the way that we do." He said.
"Whatever stopped you from kissing me earlier, use it now." I said, while trying to push him off of me. He didn't budge. He grinded his lower half into mine. I bit my lip to prevent myself from moaning.
"She's not a good enough reason anymore. She doesn't deserve you." He whispered into my ear.
"Oh, and you do??" I asked, enjoying his light kisses on my neck.
"I probably don't but I'm selfish and I want you all to myself. You're mine. You said so yourself."  He said, then he sucked on my neck. Fuck.
"Mmm." I moaned. I shut my eyes and gave him more access to my neck. He kissed, suck and licked all the way down to my collarbone. I'm ridiculously hard right now. My mind is intoxicated with Ezra. We hear someone else enter the restroom and we quickly pulled apart. The man gave us a weird look. Ezra grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the  restroom. A smug smirk on his face. We grab our personal belongings from the locker and leave. I unlock the car from a distance with a push of a button. Before I open the car door, I catch my reflection in the window. I gasp. I touch my neck.
"Ezra!! What the fuck?!" I groan. He just grins.
"You wouldn't let me kiss your lips. I had to taste something." He said, as he sat in the car. I sat in the driver's seat.
"You left like a million hickies. How am I supposed to cover this up?!"
"But you look so beautiful with my mark." He pretended to pout. I start up the car and drive out of the parking lot.
"I work at weddings. No bride wants her bartender to look like they've been attacked." I explained.
"If it makes you feel better, you can give me some hickies. Fair is fair." He offered, a little too happily. Suddenly I had the mental image of my lips and tongue devouring Ezra's skin while he moaned in my ear. I shake the thought away. That would quickly escalate to fucking and I can't allow that to happen. Shit, the tent in my pants is uncomfortable. I keep my eyes on the road and try to focus on driving.
"Oh, that's NEVER happening again. You are back in the friend zone. Nothing more will happen between us." I clarified. Every word felt like acid on my tongue. How can you just be friends with someone you're in love with?? How can you just be friends with someone who looks so delicious and sexy all of the damn time?? I have to be careful or I'll be eating my words. I sneak a glance at him at the stop light.
"We've been just friends before. We can start over. You'll end up in my bed just like before and gradually we'll start right where we left off. I'm in no rush. You're mine. It's just a matter of time." He said, with a smirk.
"Things have changed, Ezra. You aren't who I thought you were." The light turned green and I remove my foot off the break. He groaned.
"You're talking about Liam again. I really don't want to discuss that anymore. He's a mistake that I regret deeply. I don't want to relive it every time that I'm with you, Jas. I'm human. I'm not perfect. I apologized and I swore that would never happen again." He said, his eyes staring at me intensely. I park the car in front of his place. I turn to look at him.
"You were perfect to me. You said the perfect things at the perfect time. You never lost your temper. Always spoke respectfully. Never once made me feel unloved. You were a tiny bit jealous but I never minded it because it was cute as hell. Then you kissed Liam and everything felt like a lie. So, now we can only be friends because I don't want to be the dumbass that goes back to his cheating ex and looks stupid the whole time."
"Jas, I love you. I won't ever jeopardize what we have together again. All this time without you has been hell. I have completely lost my mind. Please, just give me a chance, Baby." Ah, fuck. He called me Baby. I need to stay strong. I can't just go back running into his arms.
"Ezra...Go home. It's been a long day." He grabs the back of my neck and pulls me forward. Our faces are so close. He looks at my lips then my eyes. He kisses my cheek then the other cheek and then my forehead down to my nose until his lips hover over mine. It's so tempting to lean forward and close the gap. My throat is so dry suddenly. I put a hand on his firm chest and almost wish I didn't because I can feel the muscles just beneath the fabric of his shirt. I push him away.
"Bye." He said, then left my car.