Ezra calls out, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not me.”
“You will meet no lady in Lauderdale-by-the-sea, only a cheeky little twink named Archie.” Ezra steps around the archway and enters, looking absolutely breathtaking. He’s wearing purple short-shorts, a purple-and-silver crop top, and his pretty, purple psychic scarf. Every inch of his creamy skin makes my cock swell harder beneath the table.
Clint’s jaw tightens. “Don’t fuck with me, bro. Not about this. Not when it comes to my internet girlfriend, Ashley.”
Ezra rolls his eyes. “Don’t get mad at me, I’m just relaying the message. Barbara says if you go down there, you’re gonna fall madly in love, and you’ll have a dick in your ass by noon.”
I choke on nothing, hacking and coughing, banging my chest. “Jesus. Ezzy.”
Ezra lifts his hands in mock surrender. “The spirits are at play, and I cannot gatekeep what they say.”
“I’d love her anyway,” Clint softly says, like he’s making some monumental decision. “Even if she’s trans. She’s still a woman.” He lifts a fist of solidarity. “In this house, we protect the dolls, and if my girlfriend has been too scared to tell me yet, that’s okay. Don’t you fuckin’ shame her for it.”
“She’s not a she. She’s literally a twink named Archie. I just said that. Were you not listening? Honestly, I don’t know what part of his story seems believable to you. We’ve all seen his pictures. You’ve shown them to us several times.”
Clint glares. “She’s a pretty girl, and I’m fuckin’ proud of her. Fuck me for showing her off to my friends.”
“Clint,” I say, giving him a nervous glance. “Ezzy is right. Her hair don’t even look believable in the pictures.”
“Bullshit.”
“He has a full beard,” Ezra points out. “In every picture you’ve shown us.”
“It’s true,” Johnny says, looking sick to his stomach, but I don’t think it’s about this. Something must have happened with Faith earlier. He looks shell-shocked. “And that wasn’t hair, it’s just vector art he put over his head in Canva.”
“It was a filter!” Clint screams, fed up, apparently. “And even if it is, they would still be woman enough for me.”
Ezra nods. “Look at you, Mr. All-Inclusive Ally. I’ve had you pegged wrong this whole time.”
“I’ve been pegged a few times,” he admits. “It felt real nice.”
Across the table, Johnny’s attention is on his phone, and when he sets it down to grab a stick of gum from his pocket, I realize he’s been looking at a picture of the three of us. It’s a picture we took out front, standing on the lake shore. In the picture, my dick print is fully visible, and Ezra is turned to the side, his back arched, his ass popped out at the perfect angle. Johnny has been staring at Ezzy’s ass and my dick in the picture for fuck knows how long.
I’ll have to break the news to Faith and Jaden tonight. I wanted a few final hours before coming out to them. A couple more hours added to the ‘before’ portion of my coming out journey. A handful of minutes where I’m still the same man as last time I saw them. I know they won’t abandon me, but I’m scared they’ll see me differently, even if it isn’t in a bad way.
Maybe it’s just me, but the tension in the room almost feels palpable, and there’s a sense of genuine hatred pouring out of Ezzy, toward my ex-wife. Is he jealous of her? He doesn’t have to be. My heart beats for my boys now, not Faith. I love her, sure, but she’s not my future. They are.
Ezra softly hums to himself, his palms upturned toward the ceiling as he bobbles his head left and right, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, fucking begging to be sucked. “These spirits aren’t just speaking, Faith. They’re screaming out a righteous song of rage.”
Faith stares at Ezra, her eyebrows meeting in the center of her head. “A righteous song of rage? Is that bad?”
“Does it sound like a good thing?” he snaps, his voice a lot shriller than the situation calls for.
“Ezzy,” I whisper, squeezing his hand. Johnny reaches for the other, but he just slaps it away, giving him the meanest look I’ve ever seen.
Closing his eyes, Ezra takes a deep breath, whispering, “Yes, I know, Barbara. No one asked for your input.” He pauses like he’s listening, scowling the whole time. “If you continue to lie directly to my face, I swear to God, I’ll hire an exorcist. I’ve had enough of your shit today, Babs.”
“Who is he talking to?” Jaden asks.
“His spirit guide, bro,” Johnny says, and Ezra jerks his head in Johnny’s direction. “Her name is Barbara. I ain’t met her yet, but Ez says she’s good people, so I know she has to be.” As Johnny stares at Ezra, there’s this strange, almost remorseful look etched across his face.
“I’ve said nothing of the sort,” Ezra says, sounding bitter.
“You have too,” I chime in, but it just earns me a mean mug. “You talk about her like she’s a second mother. You love her, baby.”
“You are humiliating me,” he growls under his breath. “In front of God and everyone. Is that how it is now? You’ll just take Johnny’s side no matter what the truth might be? Why, exactly? Because you’ve known him longer? Because he’s higher on your proverbial pecking order?”
