Do It Like That

Zoe was on her way to meet Shane when her phone rang.

It was Eric. She contemplated not answering it for like two seconds, but then she knew she had to.

"Hey, baby," she greeted, hoping he couldn't decipher anything from her tone. She assured herself that it was a normal enough greeting and he couldn't read anything into it.

"We need to talk." He said it shortly.

Zoe was a bit taken aback. His attitude was so... not him.

He couldn't know. Could he?

"About what?" Zoe questioned. It was a reasonable question.

"You know what about." His answer was short, concise. Unpromising.

Oh God. He knew. He had to know. What else was there to talk about? Who could've told him? Her thoughts immediately jumped to Shane. Did he tell? Did he tell the truth? Because honeslty, there was no contest. If Eric had to pick someone to believe, it'd be his best friend over his girlfirend. Bros before hoes. Everyone knows that!

He hung up before she could ask him to elaborate further; not that she could talk at all. She stared at the phone in her hand like it was a snake that just bit her.

Chevlyn, who had been driving, looked at her when she stopped for a light, and asked concerned "What?"

Zoe couldn't breathe; her eyes started tearing up; she wanted to tear off her skin. "He knows."

***

Shane was waiting for Zoe at the appointed Starbucks, still beating himself up for his sins. He slept with his best friend's girl.

His best friend's girl.

Zoe.

He was attempting to mentally prepare himself. Because he knew, the instant she walked in, he would think of her naked. Hell, he was a guy! He couldn't not think of her naked. Her toned abs, tan stomach, small but firm-

DAMN. This could not be happening. Don't think thoughts like that, he ordered himself. BEST FRIEND'S GIRL.

Of course, he'd already slept with her twice. What was the damage with a third? And fourth? And seventy-eighth?

Shit. He was a dead man. There was no way back for him. Eric was going to bury him alive.

His phone rang in his back pocket, and he jammed his hand in to fish it out, thinking it was definitely Zoe calling to cancel or something like that.

ERIC it read.

...

Shane answered it, thinking that Zoe hadn't told him yet, hopefully, so this was a friendly call. "Hey, Eric."

"You're a dead man, Buford." Eric's tone was serious, deadly. Scary.

Shane was ashamed to admit, but he gulped. He did. He did the scared gulp thing, the loud scared gulp. "What are you talking about, dude?" He nervously laughed.

"You son of a bitch. I'm going to skin you alive. I'm going to behead you and mount your fucking head on my wall."

Shit.

He knew.