Chapter 10
EZRA
Lucas proved to be a conundrum. Was he still grappling with his sexuality, or was he being as equally careful with me as I was with him? It was clear his body was on board, but his mind was a rollercoaster of sorts. Hopefully, I could flush things out at dinner, when I could focus more on him.
With the day’s work complete, we strolled hand-in-hand to my place. As we reached my door, I fished my keys out of my backpack.
Lucas stood flush behind me, his hands on my shoulders, warming my backside.
He’d been so affectionate all day with absent touches and kisses, like he was showing me his softer side, his vulnerable side. He was unlike any man I’d been with. It was heaven. I pushed the key into the lock and turned.
“Ezra.” Tate stood a few doors down at the end of the building and stomped toward us. “What are you doing with him?” With a sneer, he jabbed a finger at Lucas.
Lucas pushed me behind him. “Go inside and lock the door. I’ve got this.”
“No, I can’t do that.” It wasn’t right to let him get hurt for me. Opening the door, I threw my backpack inside and then stood beside Lucas. “Leave us alone, Tate. It’s over. I told you that.”
“Why? Because of him?” Tate jeered at Lucas.
“No, because of you.” Fisting my hands, I attempted to step toward Tate, but Lucas threw his arm out, stopping me.
“You heard Ezra. Leave him alone.” Lucas curled his upper lip.
Tate’s gaze darted from Lucas to me. “Ezra, come on, this isn’t you. This is some bullshit this guy fed you.” He stepped toward us.
Lucas held his fists to his chest.
“Yes, it is me. Now leave.” I couldn’t let them have a fistfight. My heart rumbled in my ears. How could I stop this?
“Is there a problem here?” An older woman, phone in hand, called from across the courtyard. “I guess you can tell it to the cops when they get here.” She smirked.
“No, ma’am.” Tate stumbled backward and fled. “This isn’t the end of it, Ezra,” he yelled as he left.
Taking a glance in a Tate’s direction, the woman strode across the landscaping rock between us, her short graying hair falling to her shoulders. “Is he gone?” She pushed her phone’s screen toward me. “I didn’t call anyone. Just thought I’d scare that asshole.”
Letting out a long breath, I relaxed. “Yes, thank you.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Lucas twined his fingers in mine and smiled at the woman.
“Name’s Stella.” She stopped at us, giving us a warm grin and holding her hand out.
Shaking her hand, I said, “Nice to meet you, Stella.” I hadn’t met my neighbors yet. Maybe because I worked so much?
Lucas greeted her as well.
She peeked at our hands. “Listen, you don’t have to tell me anything, but that other man’s been here before, right?”
“Yes. He’s my ex. I broke up with him yesterday and he’s not taking it well.” I frowned. The entire scene was downright embarrassing.
“Oh, I see.” She took in Lucas from head to toe. “Well, I guess you’ve got this big guy here to protect you.”
Dipping his head, Lucas’s cheeks reddened. “He does.”
Her smile waned. “Word of advice? Not that you asked for it, but a restraining order might help.” She ticked her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve dealt with an ex like that, and it wasn’t fun.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.” I glanced at Lucas, who pursed his lips.
“I have a video of what he did. You can use it for the court to get the order. If you give me your number, I can send it to you and keep an eye out, you know.” Her gaze softened as it found mine. “My son is gay. I’m an ally.”
“Oh, thank you, yes.” It would be nice to have someone here to watch my place while I was gone. Grabbing my backpack from inside, I slipped my phone out. After exchanging our phone numbers and getting the video footage, we said our goodbyes and Lucas followed me into my apartment.
With a loud exhale, Lucas sank into my couch and scrubbed his face. “Holy shit, I thought for sure Tate wouldn’t leave without a few punches.”
“No, the man’s a coward.” I strolled into my bedroom and threw the old clothing into my hamper.
Tate had a lot of bluster, but always backed down when things got too heated.
Except with me. I added new clothing to my backpack.
I needed to think of better things, like…
“Where do you want to have dinner tonight?” Throwing my bag over my back, I strode to Lucas.
He stood, brushed my hair off my shoulder, and gave me a coy grin. “Sushi? There are a few decent places in downtown Scottsdale.” He pressed a lingering kiss on my lips.
“Sushi would be nice.” There he was, being affectionate again.
And I was spending the entire night with him in his bed.
Fuck Tate. “Let’s go,” I said, taking his hand and leading him out the door.
I waved at Stella, who was standing in her window across the courtyard.
There were good people in this world. I just needed to open my eyes to see them.
Stella waved back at me with a wide grin.
After dropping my things off in Lucas’s apartment, I strolled with him along Scottsdale Road in Old Town.
People strolled by and cars crawled along the street in the heavy Saturday night traffic.
This area was quaint and touristy, with its one and two-story buildings, some in brick and all with overhangs over the sidewalks held up by hand-hewn logs.
“So, I’ve heard this place is popular, but I think it’s a chain restaurant.” Lucas swung our hands between us. “So, it’s not as fancy as—”
“It’s fine, Lucas.” With a shake of my head, a smile grew on my lips. He better not worry about keeping up with Tate. It was a non-contest.
“Here we are.” He held his arm out to a corner building with long windows. He held the glass doors open for me and I stepped inside.
The place was warm, with dark woods and red lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Four-top tables littered the center of the room while long bench seating rested along the brick wall. After meeting with a hostess, we took a table along the wall with me sitting on the bench seat.
Lucas perused his menu.
We needed to discuss what was going on between us. “Lucas, I’ll work to get an order of protection against Tate.” Then maybe Lucas wouldn’t feel the need to be at my side constantly and he could relax. He needed to focus on hockey.
“You will?” He lifted his gaze over his menu. “I think it’s a good idea.”
I shrugged. “It can’t hurt, right?” I’d never expected having to get a protection order with Tate. “What do you want to eat?”
“How about we share a few rolls and some sashimi?” He buried his nose in the menu. “Look, they have a lobster filet mignon roll.” He flicked his tongue around his lips.
Sometimes, it was all about food with him. I chuckled softly. “That sounds fantastic. Is there anything you don’t like?” I looked over the craft rolls.
“Nope. Okay, maybe Uni, but I’ve never tried it.” He scrunched his nose. “Not sure I want to, either. It’s the thought of it.”
“I haven’t tried it either. When it comes to food, I’m not very daring. I usually pick the standards.” But some of these rolls looked delicious. My gaze landed on the drink menu. “Hey, want to share the Blue Samurai Punchbowl?” It was a huge mixed cocktail, and we were walking home, after all.
“Sure.” He set his menu down and gazed at me. “Ezra, this is the most I’ve seen you smile all week.”
“It’s you. You make me smile.” Warmth enveloped my heart. He’d unlocked something inside me.
The server stopped at our table, and we ordered.
Lucas planted his elbows on the table and tented his fingers, eyeing me. “What boyfriends have you had besides Tate?”
That came out of nowhere. “None.” I stirred my water with the straw. “Before Tate, I dated, but guys never stayed.” Could that be the reason I tolerated his shitty behavior for so long?
Wrinkling his brows, Lucas shifted. “How old are you?”
I couldn’t believe we’d never talked about this. “Twenty-six.” My gaze met his. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-two.” He blushed. “I’m dating an older man.” A grin grazed his lips. “But I’ll be twenty-three in a few months.”
Nodding, I said, “Oh, that makes a huge difference.”
The server set our drink on the table, a blue bowl with two straws, a few orange slices wedged on the lip, and an edible purple flower in the middle.
“Wow, that looks amazing.” Leaning forward, I sipped the sweet drink.
As Lucas took a sip, his gaze met mine. “This is fun, isn’t it?” A wide smile swept his lips.
“It is. I can’t remember the last time I relaxed like this.” Certainly not with Tate. It was time to stop thinking about him. I needed to know more about Lucas. “Hey, so tell me, what sort of relationships have you had?” I’d start there.
Tilting his head, he rimmed the bottom of the glass with his finger. “I’ve dated a lot, but never anything serious. Except for high school.” His gaze swung to mine. “I dated a girl for a whole six months at the start of my senior year.”
“Yeah? What happened?” I narrowed my eyes. Had he been in love?
“Hockey happened.” He winced. “About four months in, she was making me choose between extra time in the rink and in the gym or her. I picked the former, and she finally broke it off with me.”
“When you have a passion for something, the person you’re with needs to be on board or it’ll never work.” Even though Tate complained about my long hours and lately, the subject of my photo shoots, I never let him take away my dream. Once more, that fucker was on my mind.
“You’re right,” he said, eyes widening. “We understand each other, right?” He sipped more of the blue drink.
“We do.” I thought about next week. While he’d travel, I’d work as much as possible. Then when he was home, we’d have time for each other. God damn, I was outlining a life with him already and we’d just started. Unwrapping my chopsticks, I asked, “Lucas, how are you feeling about being bisexual?”
He ticked his brows. “Fine. I’ve accepted it.” He laid his napkin in his lap. “I spoke with my brother again today.” Pink flamed across his cheeks.