Good Girl And The Seven Bad Boys

Ezra’s POV.

“HEY, are you okay?”

I gasped when Kiana asked the most difficult question to answer on the other end of the line. Silence filled the call for the next five minutes. The only sound I could hear was my constant breathing.

How am I able to respond to a question I don’t know the answer to?

I’ve been imprisoning myself inside the guest room for several days. Ever since the day I found out about their real identities, I haven’t been out of the room yet.

Except for Hyde, the six were bringing me food every day as a form of compensation. I was moved to tears. Of course, I didn’t remain stubborn. I ate what they gave me because they made an effort to cook for me despite not knowing how to cook.

When they do that, I only feel so guilty. They didn’t have to apologize or explain their side to me. I’m nobody to them. I have no say in their personal lives, and they have done nothing wrong to me.

I was never mad at them, even after I discovered they were bad boys.

What does it matter if they are? Whatever or whoever they are, I don’t have the right to judge them. What I see and feel is what I believe. The only reason I didn’t talk to them was because I was pondering Hyde’s question to me.

“After everything you know and have heard about us, do you want to leave us now?”

To this day, his sentimental words replayed inside my head over and over again like a broken plaque. I couldn’t sleep for days because I was unable to choose what decision to make.

Where do I belong?

To the safer or to the more dangerous? To go home and continue the marriage or to stay with these bad boys who fight almost every day and have lots of enemies?

I was devastated. I couldn’t pick in between. Because even if they told me they were bad boys, a part of me didn’t believe it. If that were true, they should not have allowed me to stay here in the first place. If they are capable of doing such a thing, I would not have felt at ease with them.

“Ezra? Are you there?”

When I heard my best friend talk for the nth time, I snapped back to reality. I shook my head to get rid of everything that had been bothering me lately.

“Uh… yeah.”

“Tell me, what’s the problem? I’ve been asking you for a while, but you've never responded. Why are you drowning in your own thoughts?”

Oh, crap! I remembered Kiana was unaware of the revelation. I have no plans to tell her, and I’m sure she’ll just make me come back home.

“Perhaps I just don’t get enough sleep.”

“Hey, Ezra! Report to me if they do something bad to you! I won’t let them hurt you, no matter how attractive they are!”

“You’re at it again. Stop it, Kiana. They’re not doing anything bad to me,” I laughed. “I’m sleep deprived because–”

I sealed my mouth. I must not tell Kiana about this. I know we swore we wouldn’t keep secrets from each other, but I needed to. I didn’t want to put her into trouble.

“Because of what?”

“Wait, what was it again? Oh, my bad. My signal is poor. I can’t hear you well, Kiana.” I pretended to stop speaking in the middle of every word I said in order to change the subject of our conversation. “By the way, how are you?”

“You know, the usual. I stop by your house every now and then to catch up on the news.”

“So, what’s the latest news I have to hear?”

“Your Mom continues to look for you,” she mentioned. “So, please, don’t come out of your hideout for the time being. Be extra careful.”

I heaved a burdensome sigh. I’m not sure whether I want to leave this house and the boys or stay.

“Got it,” I said as I hung up the phone.

I laid down on the bed and rolled over. I must be going insane. I froze when I heard a sudden knock on the door and Iñigo walked in.

“U-Uh, Ezra… Won’t you join us for lunch?” He asked.

He’d witnessed me acting crazy. I bit my lower lip in humiliation. Instead of being embarrassed, I mustered the courage to keep a poker face and respond to him with a steady tone.

“I will.”

The look of surprise on his face was evident. Perhaps he didn’t expect I’d agree with him because I hadn’t eaten with them in a few days.

“Do you have anything else to say?” I cocked my brow, intimidating him.

He shook his head. “There is nothing else. We’ll be waiting for you in the dining room,” he said as he exited the room.

I caught a glimpse of his hidden smile. He must be pleased that I am now speaking to him. How can I be angry with them if they are soft when it comes to me?

After getting ready to face them as if I hadn’t seen them in years, I went straight to the dining area. They were taken aback because I had finally escaped from my own prison. I casted a glance at Hyde, who was gazing at me. I sat down and cleared my throat to avoid his stare.

I felt uneasy when I noticed that I was in the center and they hadn’t finished their food because their gaze was fixed on me.

“What are you staring at?” I asked, self-conscious.

They appeared to have seen a ghost or a dead person who had resurrected. They immediately averted their gaze and resumed eating.

The vicinity fell silent. None of us attempted to speak or initiate a conversation in order to improve the mood. I’m not used to these morons keeping quiet. I’m missing their noises and silliness.

When I finished eating, I offered to wash the dishes without saying anything. It’s embarrassing for them that I’m not doing any chores in this house after begging them to let me stay with them for a short time. At the very least, I need to save my face.

I was on my way back to the guest room when I sensed someone watching me as I entered, but I ignored it. The six missed their chance to have a word with me when I came inside. I was about to close the door and lie down on the bed when I heard them talking.

“Do you think Ezra is still upset with us?” Clarence asked.

“Can’t you see? She’s ignoring us because she loathes us,” Jeremy replied.

“She spoke to me earlier!” Iñigo reacted.

“You shouldn’t have told her about our gangs,” Axle pointed out.

“Telling her the truth is the right thing to do. Besides, she needs to know who we are. We can’t always hide it from her,” Xavier lectured.

“Let’s just keep coaxing her until she starts talking to us again. This is our fault, so let’s not give up,” Joaquin suggested, to which they agreed.

To be honest, I was touched because they value me. They treated me differently, despite the fact that we had only been together for a month. They aren’t bad boys to me. They are far too delicate.

***

I slept the entire day because I had been awake for about a week. I had just awoken when I heard a knock on the door. I got to my feet to find out who it was.

“Did I disturb your sleep?” Clarence asked as I pushed open the door.

“No, not really,” I lied. “Why? Do you want to say anything?”

“A-Are you in for a movie marathon?” he stammered in nervousness as he invited me to watch a movie with them.

“All right,” I agreed.

His face lit up. “Really? Let’s go!”

We went into the living room together. The other five men were there, chit-chatting on the sofa, but Hyde was nowhere to be seen.

Why am I looking for him in the first place?

I sat with them and took the snacks Axle passed to me. We watched a scary movie.

The show ended after an hour, but I hadn’t seen Hyde. I’m not sure if he’s inside his room or somewhere else.

Where else did he go?

I poked Clarence’s shoulder, who was sitting next to me. His brow furrowed when I motioned for him to come closer.

“Where is Hyde?” I whispered to him.

I had no idea if his smile was because I was talking to him, or if he was teasing me for bringing up Hyde out of nowhere, but I hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“Are you no longer mad at us?” he asked in a soft tone.

“Where is–”

I tried to amend the conversation, but Clarence cut me off before I could finish what I was going to say.

“I won’t respond to your question until you respond to mine.”

I rolled my eyes and let out a heavy gasp. I’m not going to win over him. He’s too persistent.

“Fine. I wasn’t mad at all,” I was forced to answer.

I froze in my seat when he just then hugged me tightly and summoned the five other crackheads.

“Bros, Ezra isn’t mad at us!” he exclaimed to them. “Group hug!”

Oh, no!

I was about to get up and escape before the disaster, but they rushed up to me and compressed.

“E-Enough! I can’t breathe anymore…” I struggled to say.

They smiled at me as they released the hug. I could feel my arms aching because they were too heavy.

“Going back to my question, where is Hyde?” I asked again as I straightened my messed-up hair.

They exchanged glances at each other and shrugged their shoulders at the same time. I gave them a death stare.

So they had no idea where he was? I was tricked!

“I’ll look for him.”

***

I HAD begun searching for Hyde in every space of the house. I don’t think he’s out and about because he always stays at home, except when they are clashing with other gangsters.

He was not present in the living room. He was also not in the kitchen. He wasn’t in the bathroom, the bedroom, the garden or the garage either. The only place I haven’t visited yet is the pool area. I wish he was there. I’d like to speak with him.

I went to the pool area, and I wasn’t mistaken because he was there. I was astounded to see him drinking for the first time. I exhaled a sigh before approaching him.

“Why are you here?” he asked as soon as I took a step in his direction.

How did he notice I was there the whole time?

I sat down across from him on the bench. He kept drinking from the bottle he was holding while facing the swimming pool. I paused for a few seconds and stared at his side profile before responding. I know the answer to his question now. I am now prepared to make a decision.

“I was looking for you…”

“What do you need from me?”

“You asked me last time if I would leave you and the six after everything I knew and heard about you,” I began, directing my attention to the point.

“So, what’s your answer? Are you planning on leaving? Will you choose to keep your distance from us?” His voice was as cold as ice.

“I decided to…” I paused for a moment and looked into his eyes. “Stay. I’m not going to leave just because you told me you’re bad boys. I don’t care if you told me you can kill. What I believe is that each of you has a good heart. Because if what I believe is a lie, you should have let me sleep outside that night when it was pouring buckets. You should’ve thrown me out of your house. You should’ve lied to me instead of telling me what you could all do and how honest you are. I shouldn’t have felt so happy and at ease with the seven of you. I don’t want to return to our house and force myself to marry someone I don’t love, Hyde. So, no, I’m not going to leave you. I’m sticking with the seven bad boys…”

He nodded and later bowed his head. I’m not sure if I saw his lips curved into a smile as a hallucination or if it was reality. It was the first time he had ever smiled. I could say he’s even more handsome when he’s smiling.

When he turned to face me, I pretended to be distracted by something else. Those eyes of his seemed to be implying something. Those eyes of his that will melt you in no time. Those eyes of his that you will never be able to take your gaze away from. His eyes were screaming various emotions that he never shows to anyone.

“Good, so you’re staying… Don’t you dare leave us,” he said, looking into my eyes as if he was peering into my soul. “Don’t ever leave me because I’ll find you wherever you go…”

I nodded and averted my gaze, a small smile escaping my lips. I’ll do my best to keep my promise for as long as I can.

I will never leave you…