Forbidden Cravings

The cold afternoon breeze swept across the path in front of our house, making Aeri’s long hair dance around her face. She stood close to the edge, hands wrapped around the paper grocery bag, staring at me and taking my face and expression that were just starting to flicker on. Sonny stood a few steps behind us, watching everything like he belongs there.

"Ezra..." Aeri said my name softly, almost like a whisper. She turned to me and looked straight into my eyes. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Just the sound of the wind and distant traffic.

"Ezra, I—" she started again, but her voice cracked a little.

I cut her off gently. "Are you okay?"

She blinked, surprised. "Umm...?"

"You look tired," I said, stepping closer. I reached out and placed my hand on her cheek, then slid it down to the side of her neck. Her skin felt warm—too warm for how chilly it was outside. There was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead even though the breeze was freezing.

"Hmm... No, I’m all okay," she said quickly, forcing the words out with a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"Is that so?" I asked, studying her face properly now. I could see the shadows under her eyes, the way her lips were pressed together like she was holding something back.

"Yeah, don’t worry about me," she said. She gently took my hand and brought it down from her face, squeezing my fingers once before letting go. "What about you? Where were you? Coming home now? Working all night again?"

I nodded, keeping my voice flat. "Yeah... just work. Same as always."

She tilted her head, giving me that soft, comforting look she always did when she knew I was tired. "You should rest more, you know. You look like you haven’t slept properly in days."

I gave a small shrug. "I’m fine." Then I glanced down at the plastic bag in her hand. "And you? Where were you? You said you were just going out for groceries. No calls, no messages... nothing."

Her smile faded. She looked down at the bag, then away from me, toward the city. Her fingers tightened around the handles.

"Aeri?" I said quietly.

She didn’t answer right away. Just kept staring at the ground like the concrete tiles were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Hey," I tried again, softer this time. I took a small step closer. "What’s going on?"

She swallowed hard. I could see her throat move. Still no words.

Sonny let out a small whine from behind us, like he could feel the tension too.

"Aeri," I said, reaching out to touch her arm. "Talk to me.."

She finally looked up, but only halfway. Her eyes were shiny, like she was fighting back tears or maybe just the cold wind. The grocery bag crinkled in her grip.

"I... I don’t know how to say it," she whispered.

My stomach dropped a little. "Say what?"

She took a shaky breath. "I went somewhere else too. Not just the store."

I waited. Didn’t push. Just waited and she still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

The wind picked up again, colder now that the sun was at the top. It cut right through my shirt, but the heat rising inside my chest was stronger than any winter chill.

"Aeri was with me," Sonny said suddenly from behind us. His voice was casual, like he was just joining a normal conversation. I hadn’t even asked him anything.

I didn’t move at first. Just stood there, staring straight at the moving cars, behind Aeri. The winter sun was weak, its light pale and fragile, nothing like the burning feeling spreading through my veins.

Slowly, I turned my head toward him. My face was blank—no expression, no anger showing. Just empty.

Sonny was standing straight with his one hand inside his coats pocket, smiling like we were old buddies.

"We met at the coffee shop," he went on, easy and relaxed. "Then we went out for a drink together. Talked for hours. And then this morning I thought, hey, I should drop her back home safely, right?"

He grinned wider, like he expected me to laugh or thank him or something.

My hands curled into fists inside my pockets. I wanted to walk over and smash that smile off his face. Hard. I wasn’t his friend. I would never be his friend.

"Ohh..." I said slowly, dragging the word out. "So the whole night... you guys were together?"

I turned my face toward Aeri now, moving like I was in slow motion.

She was looking straight down at the ground. Her cheeks were bright red, sweat shining on her forehead even though the air was freezing. One hand was pressed flat against her chest, like she was trying to hold her heart in place. Her breathing came fast and shallow, little puffs of white in the cold.

No one said anything for a long second.

"You can leave now," I said quietly, still looking at Aeri. My voice came out flat.

She lifted her head just a little, eyes wide and shiny, but she didn’t move.

"I don’t think she can go anywhere right now—" Sonny started, stepping forward like he was going to help her or something.

I cut him off without even turning around. "I said that to you."

My words landed hard. I made sure he heard every one.

Sonny paused. Then, he went quieter, almost embarrassed.

"Ohh..." His voice dropped, trailing off into nothing.

The road went silent again except for the wind and Aeri’s quick, shaky breaths. I kept my eyes on her, waiting. She still wouldn’t look up.

Sonny shifted behind me. I could hear his shoes scrape the concrete like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

And me? I just stood there, feeling the cold air on my face and the fire inside getting hotter by the second.