ETHAN
"El?" Will said, surprised.
Shit. I closed my eyes, trying to stay calm. This couldn’t get any worse. I turned to face a completely pale Miss Brown.
"Will?" She cleared her throat before stepping closer. "Hi! What are you guys doing here?" she said, trying to act casual.
Too late, Brown. Will looked back at me.
"It was her?" he asked, incredulous.
I sighed. Since when did I have to explain my sex life to my friends?
"She what?" Ellie asked.
"I'm not an idiot, El. I know what you two were doing in there," Will said, and I saw her go even paler, probably panicking.
Her gaze turned to me, seeking some kind of help.
"This isn’t any of your business, Will. We’re adults; we can handle this," I finally said.
Miss Brown seemed to get even more annoyed. What did she expect? For me to lie? Will wasn’t an idiot.
"Don’t worry, Will. This was a mistake. It won’t happen again. I need to go," she said, not even looking at me, before turning and leaving.
"Shit, Morgan! Did it have to be her?"
"This is none of your business, Will. It’s just between me and her. Don’t get involved."
"You’re completely wrong. She’s my family."
"Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to marry her."
"That’s exactly the problem. You can’t give her what she wants."
"What?"
"I know you’re just looking for someone to screw. And I’ve known El long enough to know she wants more than that. I thought you’d let go of this idea."
"Fuck! Didn’t you hear her? It’s just sex."
"What does that mean? That you’re going to keep doing this?"
"Shit! It wasn’t enough dealing with my brother, now you’re on my case too?"
"Unlike Bennett, I’ll break your face if you dare hurt her."
"And I thought you were my friend."
"I am your friend, but that woman is my wife’s best friend and part of our family. So if you do anything to hurt her, I’ll have to kick your ass even if I’m your friend. Got it?"
"Come on, Will. What do you think I’m going to do? You know me well enough to know I don’t play games."
"She deserves someone who loves and takes care of her."
"Are you kidding? Why the hell does everyone think they know what she wants?"
"I know what you’ve been through, and I know you have your own traumas, but I’ve seen her suffer enough, and you know exactly what that’s like. So if you don’t really want her, leave her alone."
"I think neither of you should get involved in this," I said before turning my back on him.
Will followed me back to the table. I wondered if I should leave without having coffee. It seemed preferable to listening to him nag me while I ate. He sat down before I did.
"Are we going to have coffee in peace, or are you going to keep bugging me?" I asked, still standing.
"Sit down," he ordered, making me think he’d let it go, so I sat down. "Why are you doing this?"
"Are you seriously going to keep this up?"
"I’ve been your friend for a long time, haven’t I?"
"Yeah, and that doesn’t explain why you’re only doing this because you’re worried about her."
"You don’t want to hurt her. I know that. I know you, and you’d never do that intentionally. But if you keep this going, it might happen, because it’ll be out of your control."
"I guess you didn’t hear the part where we said it’s just sex. And I didn’t force her into this. If you want to know, she came to my apartment. So maybe she doesn’t need your protection as much as you think. I think she’s a grown woman, Will, and she can take care of herself."
"Yeah, and you’re just a poor innocent bystander who did nothing to make this happen."
"I wanted her, and she wanted me, so it happened. I don’t know why you and my brother keep insisting that this is more than it is."
"Are you telling me it won’t happen again?" I didn’t answer. I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t want her again. "See? You can’t even say it. Was this not the first time? How long have you two been hiding this?"
"We’re not hiding anything. Since when do I have to report to you who I’m screwing?"
"Since that woman is Ellie."
"Hell! It was only the second time. Satisfied?"
"If you’ve already had what you wanted, then leave her alone. It shouldn’t be that hard."
"And if it wasn’t enough?"