He shrugged. “I just want to make sure everything goes okay.”
Mindy looked at him for a few moments, sipping her drink, her head tilting and a realization crossing over her features. She set down her drink. “You know, if you want to date Ezra, you could just ask him.”
“What?” Jake made a face. “Who says I want to date him?”
She gave him a look that saidreally?
“Okay, fine. Yeah. I like him. So what?”
Mindy shrugged. “So, nothing. It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, it is a little bit.” Jake looked down at his beer. It was kind of a big deal because this meant he was gay. Or maybe bi. Probably bi. That was probably more like it. He’d liked having sex with women. He’d liked having sex with Mindy. But no one had ever made him feel the way Ezra did.
Jake fiddled with the menu as he watched Sean reach across the table for Ezra’s hand. His heart leaped in his chest.
Mindy saw it too. “You want me to go over and talk to them?”
“Huh? No.”
“I could tell you how it’s going.” She pretended to study a crack in the wooden table. “Or spill my drink on Sean.”
“Yes. Go.”
Mindy got up with her drink and sashayed on over to Ezra and Sean. Jake watched from behind the menu. He watched Ezra turn to greet her. They chatted for a couple minutes, while Sean looked bored. Then Jake watched Mindy situate herself in the booth right in between them, much to Sean’s great annoyance. Jake grinned.
She sat there for a while, but didn’t spill anything, and when she came back, Jake asked. “What happened?”
She shrugged, sitting down and sipping her drink. “It’s just a normal first date.” She tilted her head at him. “Did you know that whole Blair Witch thing isn’t real?”
“Who gives a shit! Did you hear what they were talking about?” Jake glanced over. They weren’t sitting next to each other anymore, but they were still talking. “How did they seem? Like, did Ezra seem like he was bored? Or maybe annoyed and wanting to leave?”
“Jake.” Mindy shook her head. “It’s just one date. They’re not engaged.”
“I know that. But what if they sleep together?”
Mindy lifted one corner of her mouth in thought. “Hmmm. I got the sense it was more friendly than sexy.”
“Really?” That made Jake feel a little better.
“Yeah. I mean, I obviously can’t read minds, but that’s the sense I got.” She paused, studying Jake. “You’re really into him, aren’t you?”
Jake looked down at his beer. “The only reason Sean is out with him right now is because of how he looks. That’s the only reason Sean even likes him. But I liked Ezra how he was before. He’s smart, he’s funny, and we have all this stuff in common.” Jake sighed. “But he doesn’t like me that way.”
“How do you know?” Mindy asked.
Jake didn’t really want to tell her about that stuff from the other night, and that Ezra didn’t even kiss him goodbye. Ezra would have if Ezra liked him that way. Ezra would have if he’d been Sean.
“I can just tell,” Jake said.
“Well, the only way he’s going to know is if you tell him.” Mindy took a drink. “Right? He doesn’t know how you feel.”
Jake didn’t think he could or should tell Ezra anything. What would be the point? Jake looked over at him and Sean again. Still talking, still smiling. Ezra clearly preferred Sean, and maybe Jake should just get over it.
He sighed. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Thought you were going to buy me some cheese fries.”
He rolled his eyes. “Just come on.”
