Forbidden Cravings

The winter afternoon sun hung low, pale and cold, throwing long shadows across the quiet street. My boots crunched on the thin layer of frost that still clung to the sidewalk. I turned the final corner toward our small house, hands shoved deep in my pockets, breath puffing out in white clouds.

And then my legs—and my heart—both stopped at the exact same second.

Aeri was standing in front of our gate.

She wore her usual long coat, the one with the soft fur collar. Her dark hair caught the weak sunlight, and she was smiling—really smiling—as she talked to the man beside her. They were both stepping out of a sleek car parked half on the curb. Plastic grocery bags hung from her hand, swinging gently.

The man was tall, maybe in his early thirties, wearing a neat coat and dark jeans. He had dark long hair, a friendly smile, and he was standing close—too close—his shoulder almost brushing hers as they laughed about something.

"Huhh!?" The sound slipped out of me before I could stop it.

Who the hell was that? I had never seen Aeri with any other man like this. Not once. Not even close. My stomach twisted. Did he just give her a ride home? But why would she sit in some random guy’s car? Why was she smiling like that? Why was he looking at her like... like she was his?

The questions crashed through my head like a storm, but they all froze when Aeri’s eyes landed on me.

"Ezra..." she said softly, surprise flashing across her face. Her smile faltered for a second, eyes widening.

"Aeri..." I answered, voice barely above a whisper. My hands stayed buried in my pockets, fingers curling into fists.

We stood there, maybe ten feet apart, staring at each other in the middle of the empty street. The cold wind tugged at her scarf. The grocery bags rustled in her hand.

The man noticed me too. He stepped forward, tilting his head toward Aeri for a second like he was checking with her then smiled politely.

"Is that your son?" he asked.

Aeri blinked, swallowed, then nodded quickly. "Y-yeah... Sonny, that’s my s-stepson, Ezra." She turned to me, voice a little shaky. "Ezra... meet Sonny."

I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just kept staring at her, questions burning in my chest, heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.

Sonny gave a friendly nod, stepping even closer to Aeri. Too close. His shoulder brushed hers again. "Hey, Ezra. Nice to meet you, man."

The afternoon sun watched us in silence, cold and indifferent, while the three of us stood there me frozen on the sidewalk, Aeri holding groceries and looking guilty, and this stranger named Sonny standing way too close to the only woman I’d ever loved.

The winter afternoon sun hung low and pale, casting long, cold shadows across our small street. The gate in front of our house looked the same as always, blue paint, a few rust spots but everything else felt wrong the second I turned the corner.

Aeri stood there, right in front of the gate, holding two plastic grocery bags that swung gently from her fingers. She looked tired—really tired. Her eyes were heavy, a little glassy, like she hadn’t slept much. Sweat shone faintly on her forehead even though the air was freezing.

And she wasn’t alone.

A tall man stood beside her, close enough that his shoulder almost brushed hers. He wore a neat grey coat, dark jeans, and a friendly smile. He looked comfortable there, like he belonged.

My legs stopped moving. My heart slammed once, hard, then seemed to freeze in my chest.

Aeri’s eyes found mine first. They widened slightly, surprise flashing across her face. Her smile faltered, lips parting like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

The man stepped forward with an easy, open smile and extended his hand. "Hey hi, I’m Sonny," he said, voice warm and friendly.

I didn’t move. My hands stayed buried deep in my pockets, fingers curling into fists. My eyes flicked to him for half a second, then went right back to Aeri. She looked exhausted—dark circles under her eyes, cheeks a little pale, breathing a tiny bit too fast.

"Ahhumm..." Sonny let out an awkward sound, his hand hanging in the air for a moment before he lowered it slowly. He cleared his throat, smile turning a little tight. "Okay... no handshake, got it."

"Who are you?" I asked, voice flat and serious. My gaze shifted to him fully now, eyes narrowing.

He didn’t lose the smile. "Ughh... I’m Sonny. I own a web development agency. Just like you work as a designer, right?"

"Ohh..." I replied, tone empty. My stare bored into him, trying to read every tiny movement—his relaxed shoulders, the easy way he stood, the way his eyes flicked to Aeri every few seconds.

"So which agency do you work for?" he asked, still smiling. "I know almost all of them around here."

I didn’t answer. I knew exactly what he was doing—pushing, testing, trying to act like we were all friends. In my head, I thought: *This fucker is purposely pushing it.*

Without a word, I shifted my gaze back to Aeri and started walking toward her.

*Tap... tap... tap...*

My boots sounded loud on the pavement. Aeri’s breathing got faster the closer I got. Sweat shone on her forehead, and her eyes looked even more tired up close—sleepy, almost drugged.

"Ughh... no answer..." Sonny muttered behind me, lips tightening in embarrassment and disappointment.

I stopped right in front of Aeri. Close enough to smell her familiar perfume mixed with the faint scent of groceries—bread, vegetables, something sweet.

"Ezra..." she said slowly, voice soft and careful. Her eyes searched mine, wide and uncertain, like she was waiting for me to explode or disappear.

I didn’t say anything. Just stood there, staring at her, questions burning in my chest while the cold afternoon sun watched us in silence.