“Babe, just trust me. Dev sees how brilliant and sweet you are, and he wants you for himself, but that’s not going to happen because you’re mine now.”
“All yours,” Ezra happily agreed.
Roman kissed the center of his forehead and then the tip of his nose, which caused Ezra to go cross-eyed. “Now, what are you smiling about?”
“I just can’t believe you’re my boyfriend!” Ezra exclaimed.
“Believe it, cutie, because it’s true.”
15
First Christmas
Ezra had a boyfriend. Roman Reynolds was his boyfriend. Ezra was having sexual relations with Roman Reynolds, who wasalsohis boyfriend. He’d asked Roman on Sunday morning if it were still true and Roman confirmed it. And all day long, Roman called Ezra not by his name, but by his title.
“Boyfriend, would you like chocolate milk with your French toast?”
“Boyfriend, what are your plans for the day?”
“Come over here, boyfriend, and lay some sugar on me.”
Ezra didn’t think he’d ever get tired of it. Naturally, Ezra told his mother all about it. Well, not theprivatethings. But everything else.
“And he was jealous of Dev Kumar,” Ezra told her because that was the only conclusion Ezra could draw from the evidence that had presented itself.
“Ezra, did you make him jealous on purpose?” his mother asked.
“No! He got jealous on his own because he thought we didn’t have enough things in common, but we do.” Ezra could think of at least a dozen things they both liked, and that list was growing every day. “And he’s making me try all of these foods for a new restaurant he’s opening.”
“Really?” his mother asked.
“Yes, I drink smoothies now to get my fruits and vegetables. And he’s going to let me organize the kitchen in his new restaurant because I’m so good at it.”
“Is he paying you to do it?”
“Yes. A lot of money. I’m going to be a consultant.”
“Well, good for you, Ezra. Remember that just because he’s your boyfriend doesn’t mean he shouldn’t pay you for your time.”
“I know that,” Ezra grumbled, though truthfully, he would have done it for free. Their conversation shifted to Ezra’s classes and workload, and though his mother didn’t care to know the intricacies of his programming projects, she did like updates in a more general sense.
“Now that you’re heading into your last semester, I suppose it’s time you start looking for a job.”
Ezra frowned. Looking for a job meant potentially leaving his current situation with Roman. “I still have a few more months before I have to think about that.”
“But you’ll need to do a lot of research, won’t you? Have you thought about where you’d like to live?” she persisted.
“No.” The answer was that Ezra would like to live precisely where he was currently living. With Roman.
“California sounds nice. There are a lot of tech jobs out there and the weather is mild. I’d love to visit you on the West Coast.”
“California is expensive. And there are earthquakes and wildfires.”
“What about the hurricanes in New Orleans?”
“What about them?” Ezra asked, getting agitated for no good reason.
“Okay,” his mother said. “It sounds like you might not be ready to discuss your future just yet.”
