Novels by Esther Ernest

RileyI didn’t think before throwing the next question to her.“Do you think Carl had changed since you first met?” I asked.I wanted to know if Carl gives he the silent treatment, if he cared less for her now that I was here, if he barely calls her, if he barely made time to hang out with her, I just want her to say he had become cold and distant. I needed to know if my plan to seduce Carl was working.“No, he hasn’t changed.” Nora answered with surprising patience, holding out a yellow dress to me. “This would be perfect for you.” She said.I looked at the yellow dress in anger. I had also thought of wearing this one, this was the dress I had picked out and she likes it too, but would Carl love me in it? “You ask a lot of questions,” Nora added, finally amused.I looked at her bright smile, she look stunning even dressed with just her nightwear.Should I dress completely like Nora? Should I come into Carl’s room unannounced? Should I kiss him abruptly in front of Nora? “I’m just c

RileyNora blinked. “Is that a problem?” she asked me.My brains scrambled for an excuse. “Well… I just thought…” I paused, searching for the right word before quickly continuing. “Since you’re a guest and everything… maybe you’d be more comfortable in my room.”Both Carl and Nora stared at me. “Your room?” they said at once.I nodded. “Yes, it’s bigger.” I said quickly.That was a lie and everyone knows. Carl scoffed, turning away from me, and Nora seem not to take me seriously either.Immediately, I searched for another proper excuse.“And we could, you know… talk.” I pointed at Nora, and back to myself.Nora looked at me amused. “You want a girl’s night?”I clapped my hand, eyes glistening. “Exactly.” smiles spread through my lips.Carl’s brows slowly pulled together, but I ignored him.Nora glanced between us, clearly trying to read the situation, but she laughed softly.“That’s sweet, Riley, but I actually planned on spending time with my fiancé tonight.”My smiles disappeared in

RileyWhen we arrived, dinner was already prepared, the smell of roasted chicken filled the kitchen, it was clear that he had already returned home, made dinner like he usually did, before coming to school to pick me up.I dropped my bag on the chair. “You didn’t have to cook.”Carl opened the oven without looking at me. “You need to eat.”I scoffed. “You say that like I’m a stray cat.”He placed the tray on the counter. “For someone who ‘doesn’t care,’ you complain a lot.”I bit down my lower lips so hard that it hurt. “Oh, I’m sorry, are we speaking again now?”I remembered the last three days he wouldn’t even let me see him, always disappearing before I wake up and returning late at night.He wiped his hands on a towel. “Riley…”“No, go ahead.” I snapped. “Keep doing what you’ve been doing, pretend I don’t exist, it’s working great.”Finally he looked at me and for a brief moment, something tense crossed his expression, but they disappeared again.“I’m trying to avoid another argum

RileyThe second morning, I rushed downstairs as soon as I woke up, but there was nothing, no Carl, just warm food and no note.He was home last night, perhaps he returned late not to run into me and also left early before I woke up.I stared at the plate, irritation curled in my chest. “Wow,” I muttered under my breath. “How generous of him,”Going out to check if his car was in the parking lot would be a waste of time, so I ate the food anyway.I must admit, Carl was good at cooking, the meal I ate last night was delicious, like he had cared too much about the details.And I couldn’t throw this away because part of me hated that he could be thoughtful without actually speaking to me.Two days, it was two entire days since our argument in the living room, and now he had preferred avoidance because I had accused him of treating me like a child.I have been eating alone, and it was infuriating, too humiliating just because I chose to show him my feelings.I shut the door behind me with

RileyI thought it was all a bad dream, getting scold by Carl, it had been the first, but when I woke up the next day, it all came back to me.Coming home with Neil, wearing Carl’s shirt even when Neil had asked me to take it off, it was all just to get Carl’s attention, to get a reaction from him, to pass the message that I was in love with him.But it ended badly last night, Carl had raised his voice at me, he had clearly told me that none of my tactics were going to work on him, and I was only fooling myself with the thought that he would be moved by it.I wiped the tears that rolled down my cheek and rolled out of bed.Dressing up for school, I left my room and headed downstairs, the smell of coffee drifting through the hallway, but there was no sound, no clatter of dishes being washed downstairs, and no Carl.I glanced around, and walked into the kitchen only to find a plate on the counter.A toast, scrambled eggs, a slice of orange arranged neatly, and beside it was a mug of war

CarlI paced the living room, running my fingers through my hair unable to ignore the scene I had just witnessed. My heart thumped in my chest, and I couldn’t sit, I could not think straight.If I had been a minute late, if I hadn’t come home as fast as I could, perhaps she would have been up there fucking him, I just don’t get how she could do something like that under my roof, and all the signals she gave me where all joke to her.How can she be with someone else, how can she laugh so loud and let him touch her like that, how can she kiss him, and stay half naked with him.What the hell am I even doing?I cursed myself under my breath, I should be angry that she was doing that, not angry because she had wanted me but lied about it.What was she thinking? What the fuck was she doing?My attention snapped to the stair when I heard he coming down, she stopped at the foot of the stairs, her gaze lowered, her face pale, she looked ashamed for the first time.I looked at her pale face and