Roman set Ezra’s towel aside so he could pull him into his arms. He touched the hair framing his lover’s face and tucked a loose strand behind his ear. “What is it, babe?”
Ezra glanced up at him and blinked slowly, definitely tears. “There are a lot of remote positions as well, ones that would allow me to stay in New Orleans.”
Roman smiled. “I’d love for you to stay here with me, Ezra, obviously, but why don’t you check out all of your options for now? When are you thinking of applying?”
“Over Spring Break.”
It was a tight timeline, but Roman would make it work. He pulled Ezra close and rubbed his back in a soothing motion. “Before you make any big decisions, let’s talk again, okay? For now, I just want you to focus on school and this really cool project you’ve got going. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Ezra pulled back to peer up at him with the beginnings of a sly grin. “There is one thing.”
“Oh yeah?” Roman’s hands slid down to Ezra’s ass where they squeezed his cheeks through the thin fabric of his gym shorts. “Is it folding laundry?” Ezra shook his head slowly. “Is it making you lunch?” Another shake of his head. “Is it bending you over the dryer and eating out your pleasure hole while you moan and groan like a needy little ho.” Ezra grinned, then nodded. “A Rusty Trombone, perhaps?” This prompted Ezra to giggle and nod even more enthusiastically. “Then you’d better get out of those clothes, babe, and let me get a good look at my instrument.”
Ezra happily complied, standing naked in the laundry room with his feet spread and his bubble butt raised high in the air. Roman used two neatly folded towels to cushion his knees while he went to town on his lover’s ass. As it turned out, Ezra’s trombone wasn’t rusty at all, and Roman was able to make it play a lovely tune.
19
Too Much
There was simply too much for Ezra to think about—his future, his career, graduation, this Really Big Project worth his entire semester grade. Somehow Ezra had become the defacto leader, which meant he was not only scrubbing his classmates’ messy code, but he was also the one everybody came to with questions. And there were a lot of decisions that needed to be made, from the criteria of the restaurant and retail ratings to the design of the user-interface to the vetting process for data collectors. That, combined with his other classes and the ongoing search for employment, meant that Ezra didn’t have nearly enough time for his housekeeping duties or sexy times with Roman. Most nights he stayed up way past his bedtime coding or else answering emails and texts, falling asleep in his ergonomic chair only to be startled awake by his alarm, and then off to class before Roman was even out of bed.
He missed sleeping in Roman’s bed. He missed cuddling. He missed his boyfriend.
He also spent time, when he was able, working at the new restaurant, bringing along his laptop so that he could consult with Darian while working on his Really Big Project. The dining area was coming along nicely but Ezra’s real pride and joy was the kitchen, which was both well-ordered and easy to maneuver. Everything accounted for and in its proper place, it was truly his best work yet.
Ezra knew that his current schedule wasn’t sustainable, but he didn’t know how to get it under control, not with so many people relying on his guidance as well as all of the deadlines that needed to be met. It finally reached a breaking point one Friday evening at the beginning of March. Ezra was so stressed that he took to pacing the floor of his bedroom, humming with anxiety and unable to focus or concentrate. He left the confines of his room to search the house for Roman and found him at the kitchen counter, poring over inventory lists for his new restaurant. Ezra came right up to him, tapped his shoulder, and burst into tears.
“Ezra.” Roman removed his ear buds and pulled him into a good, long hug. He missed those too. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“It’s too much,” Ezra said. “They keep asking me for things, answers to all of their questions, at all times of the day. They wake me up at night and I don’t know all the answers, Roman. I’ve never done this before either.”
“Ezra, when’s the last time you’ve eaten a proper meal?” Ezra shrugged. He honestly couldn’t remember. “This morning? Yesterday?” Roman prompted.
“I don’t know.”
“Babe, give me your phone.”
Ezra went to his bedroom and brought it back to Roman. Just handing it over gave him an immediate sense of relief. “You’re taking the weekend off,” Roman said. “I’m texting your classmates right now and telling them to make a list of their questions and send them to you Monday morning, that you won’t be available until then. Okay?”
Ezra nodded. He felt a little bad about it, but Roman was right. He needed a break. Roman turned off the phone and set it aside. “I’ll check it later to make sure your mom hasn’t called, but the rest can wait until Monday, okay?”
“Yes. Okay.”
“You’re not doing any chores this weekend either. All we’re going to do for the next two days is take care of Ezra. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Ezra hadn’t addressed Roman as “sir” in months, but it felt right to do it, to know that someone else was in charge. Roman then wrapped him in a blanket burrito and gave him some juice to sip until dinner was ready. He watched an old episode ofDr. Whowhile Roman made his favorite meal—homemade chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, and biscuits with a side of frozen peas. Ezra ate it on the couch, then dozed off during the next episode.
He awoke the next morning in Roman’s bed. His pants and belt had been removed so that he wore only a t-shirt and underpants. He rolled over to his big, warm boyfriend and snuggled into his arms. He’d missed the scent of his skin too.
“Morning, baby,” Roman murmured.
“Morning,” Ezra said sleepily, but as soon as he was coherent, he began thinking about all of the things he had to do. The tasks piled up in his mind like dirty dishes while his panic started bubbling up as well.
“None of that.” Roman swiped the center of his eyebrows in what he called his Jedi mind wipe, the purpose of which was to clear all of the stressful thoughts from Ezra’s head. Even though it had no scientific basis, it kind of worked. “There is only one item on the list today and what is it?”
“Take care of Ezra,” he repeated.
