Jake was almost afraid to ask. “It’s not illegal, is it? I can’t do anything illegal. I work at the country club.”
“You sit next to Sean Campbell, don’t you? In the bass section?”
“Yeah, why?”
Ezra suddenly looked bashful. He bowed his head a little and looked away for a second. “Do you think you could… help me get a date with him?”
Jake was taken aback. “Say what?”
Ezra rolled his eyes. “If you’re some kind of homophobe or whatever—”
“No, no, I’m not,” Jake interjected. “One of my cousins is gay, actually. I guess I just wasn’t expecting that.” He paused, tilting his head. “You’re into Sean Campbell?”
Jake often thought—but not too often, of course, because that would be weird—that if the LHU Men’s Choir gave out an award for the Best Looking, it would be between him and Sean.
Sean looked like he belonged in a boy band with his soft curls and big blue eyes, but Jake thought his own jawline was better. More square. And Jake was taller. And Jake thought he had a better smile. Andblue eyes, schlmueeyes, Jake had been told by many a young lady that his brown eyes weredeep and soulful.So—hypothetically speaking, of course—if there were ever such an award, Sean would be Jake’s competition. And Sean sat right next to Jake in the bass section and on stage they were nearly dead center, the two most good-looking guys in the choir. Jakewondered if Dr. Martin had done that on purpose. But not that Jake had really been thinking about it all that much or anything.
So, Sean was okay. He was openly gay and seemed cool, although Jake had only been sitting next to Sean for one semester because some seniors graduated. So, Jake didn’t know Sean that well. He supposed Ezra could do worse.
Or maybe better?
“Why Sean?” Jake asked, genuinely curious.
Ezra shrugged. “I think he’s attractive. And we both like singing and music. So, we’ve got that in common.”
“Have you ever talked to him?”
Ezra thought about that for a second. “A couple months ago when we were moving all those music stands into the storage room, he walked past me and said, ‘excuse me.’ And then last week, he kinda winked at me after rehearsal.”
“Really?”
Ezra brushed a lock of frizzy hair from his face. “Well, it might have just been his contact lens or something.”
“I see.” Jake paused, thinking. “So, how much of a deal are we talking about here?”
“If you help me get a date with him, I’ll tutor you for free, and you’ll ace your Stats class,” Ezra said confidently.
“Hmmm…” Jake considered, tapping his chin. Then he shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I don’t really know Sean that well. And I don’t think he usually dates…” Jake gestured to Ezra, not wanting to say it, so Ezra said it for him.
“Dorks like me?”
Jake shrugged.
“Well.” Ezra scooted his chair closer. “What if I wasn’t a dork?”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Ezra looked at him for a few seconds, then around the café. There wasn’t anyone sitting near them. Ezra leaned in andlowered his voice. “Maybe Sean would like me if I was a little bit… cooler.”
“Do what?”
Ezra rolled his eyes. “I know what I look like, Jake. And I know what people think of me.” He sat back in the chair and picked at a fingernail. “I just don’t know how guys like you do it. Be all suave and easygoing and look good at the same time. I’ve just never been able to be that way, you know? And I thought maybe you could help me, since everybody seems to like you. And you’re one of the better-looking guys in the choir.”
“Really?” Jake beamed like a headlight.
“Well, besides Sean.”
“Oh.” Jake frowned.
