Ezra played with the cards still in front of him, shuffling them absently and tapping them on the chipped kitchen table. He hadn’t thought about Mike in years. Definitely not since his dad had died and he’d left the sanctuary.
It made sense that Mike had left. He was moving on, starting a new life. He’d be married to Rachel by now, probably.
If that meant he was happy, then Ezra was happy for him. Mike’s happiness meant more to him than the possibility of a relationship.
Still strange to think of him after all this time, though. He owed Mike one for cluing him in on the idea that boys could be a lot of fun. Maybe he’d get a chance to say so at the wedding. Maybe it was time to both come clean and get a little closure, now that so much time had passed.
Mike would laugh, he thought. He’d laugh, and he’d give Ezra a hug, and ruffle his hair, and tell him it was okay. That it was good to catch up.
And then he’d walk away all over again.
Which was fine. They’d both moved on.
“We need ice cream,” Nolan announced, standing up from the table. “And you’re in luck, because I need to walk for a while to work some feeling back into my ass.”
Oscar chuckled beside Ezra, finally taking his hand away. The warmth lingered, though, a reminder that Ezra’s life was good right now. That he had a great family who took care of him, and he washappy. Mostly, anyway.
“If we’re going on an ice cream run, I’m coming too,” Ezra said. “I also can’t feel my ass.”
“We’ll find someone in the supermarket to feel it for you,” Oscar teased, standing as well. “I think we deserve a break. I can’t thank you guys enough for helping me out with this, by the way.”
“That's what friends are for,” Ezra said, rising as well as Nolan shrugged his jacket on. “I want this wedding to be perfect for you. You deserve it.”
“Yeah,” Nolan agreed. “You've always looked out for me. I'm honored to be able to help you out.”
“You two are gonna make me blush,” Oscar said, beaming.
It was good to see him happy. Ezra didn't care about having to see an old acquaintance he still had complicated feelings about if it made Oscar glow like this. Oscar deserved the nicest, happiest wedding of the century, and Ezra planned to do everything in his power to make it happen.
“There'll be plenty of young, free, and single people at the wedding, judging by the yes list,” Oscar said. “Maybe you'll meet your soulmate there.”
“I'm gonna know almost all of them,” Ezra objected, trailing after Oscar and Nolan as they all headed to Nolan's car. “I think I would have noticed if any of them were my soulmate.”
