Page 26 of Moonflower

When I look at him, I’m equally surprised and relieved to see that his smile reaches his eyes. Fuck. I can’t think of the last time I’ve seen that.

Cora isn’t some magic cure. There’s no way Ezra’s depression is just going to vanish because we’re together now. But if it helps even a little bit, that’s a huge weight off my shoulders. I’ve tried to help him, but there’s only so much I can do. And I’m not the most patient person either.

After a while, Cora catches my gaze from across the room. She meanders over to us, a sleepy smile on her face. The party is winding down, and Brooke and Blaze already left. At this point, I’m ready to get her out of here.

Once she’s next to us, Cora yawns, leaning her head against Ezra’s chest.

He kisses the top of her head. “Time to go home, Moonflower?”

She nods, snaking her arms around Ezra’s waist. He laughs, peeling her off of him before clasping her hand in his.

We say goodbye to Cora’s friends, and then we head to my car. Ezra helps Cora into the passenger seat and buckles her in before slipping into the back. After I start driving, Cora tentatively places her hand on my thigh. It’s a foreign feeling, even though I’ve wanted her to do it every time I’ve driven her somewhere.

I cover her hand with mine, keeping my other hand on the steering wheel. We still have all of tomorrow and at least half of Sunday with her, but it already feels like it’s going by too fast. There’s no way I’m not savoring every second, every glance, every touch.

Especially since things might go south from here. At some point, I have to admit that I read Cora’s blog posts. I know Ezra will be mad I didn’t tell him everything from the start. And Cora—she wrote those posts thinking no one would read them. It was a violation of her privacy that I did.

Can’t find it in me to regret it, though. We’re all much better off now.

Once we’re inside Cora’s apartment, I sigh. The longer I wait, the worse this is gonna be. Thankfully, she gives me an excuse to wait, though.

“I’m gonna shower,” she says, looking down at herself. “And get out of this sweaty costume.”

I breathe a sigh of relief as she heads into the bathroom. My reprieve is only temporary, though, because Ezra is giving me a hard look.

“She’s gonna have questions.”

“I know.”

“I have questions.”

“Yeah, Ez, I know.” I rub my face. How the hell am I supposed to confess without blowing everything up? Man, I really didn’t think this through.

When Cora comes out of the shower, she’s beaming. She changed into sweat pants and an old T-shirt—her usual attire—and it makes me happy, seeing her this way. Relaxed and not worried that she has to perform in front of us.

First, she kisses Ezra, twisting her fingers into his hoodie. Then she kisses me, her eyes glowing with a happiness that makes me hate myself for what I’m about to do.

Just get it over with. Don’t draw this out.

“I have a confession to make,” I say tightly.

She tenses in my arms. “What?”

“I read your blog.”

Cora’s face falls, and she takes a step back from me. “You . . . you did what?”

Chapter six

Ezra

“I read your blog,” Wilder says again, holding her gaze.

“Her blog?” I ask. “What does that have to do with anything? It hasn’t been updated in years.”

“Until a couple weeks ago,” Wilder corrects. He’s still staring at Cora, who’s gone from ghostly pale to beet red in a matter of seconds.

Gently, I pull her to one of the chairs at the little table in the kitchen. She plops onto it, blinking confusedly.