“Babe, have you ever not liked one of my surprises?” Roman said then quickly added, “Other than the Bleu Cheese Incident?”
“Other than the Bleu Cheese Incident, your surprises have always been very thoughtful, though still very shocking.”
“Then trust me that you’re going to like this one too.” Roman fingered the velvet box inside his pants pocket. He didn’t want to overwhelm Ezra, but time was of the essence. “You look very handsome,” Roman said, turning Ezra toward him and touching the soft tips of his styled hair. “How did I manage to land such a sexy boyfriend?”
“You hired me as your housekeeper and then you seduced me with your handsome face and well-defined torso.”
“I think it was you who seduced me with your tight, booty shorts and scandalous midriffs.”
“You gave me that uniform,” Ezra protested, looking both angelic and guilty at the same time.
“Do you know that when you bend over, I can see practically your whole ass?”
Ezra shook his head, pink-cheeked with embarrassment. “You always know when the floors have been cleaned.”
“Because I watch you down there on your hands and knees with your little butt wiggling every which way.”
“Roman, you’re terrible,” Ezra said and swatted his chest.
“I know. Give me a kiss, you little tease.” Roman drew him up into his arms and kissed Ezra’s soft, open mouth. He had to practically carry him because of the height difference, but Ezra weighed far less than he could lift.
“Roman,” Ezra mewled, eyelids dipping low and with his mouth still open. “You’re going to wrinkle my shirt.”
And maybe make him cream his underwear too, Roman thought, judging from the insistent poke at his thigh. “Sorry, babe, you’re just too cute sometimes.” Roman set him back on his feet and straightened his tie. With his new sweater vest and smart dress slacks, he looked good enough to eat.
“Should we go now?” Ezra checked his watch. “You said we were supposed to be there at 7 p.m. and it’s already 6:55.”
“One more thing.” Roman pulled out his phone, wanting a “before” picture of Ezra to commemorate the night. Ezra stared at him with the hint of a smile on his lips, like he was keeping a wonderful secret. Maybe they both were.
* * *
Roman ledEzra a few blocks down the street to a place he was very familiar with by now, only it had been more than a week since Ezra had last visited, which had been no easy feat with Roman having to make up excuses as to why Ezra couldn’t go there to work. But now that they were here, Ezra stalled on the sidewalk and stared at the purple illuminated sign in wonder.
“Ezra’s Place,” he repeated softly, head tilted in confusion. “Roman, did you name your new restaurant after me?”
“I did, babe. You were my inspiration.”
Ezra’s eyes were wide as saucers as he glanced between Roman and the sign. Roman opened the door to usher him inside. “Come on and see what you’ve inspired.”
The interior had turned out quite nicely. Originally, Roman had thought of decorating each area of the restaurant with different themes according to all of Ezra’s favorite things, but that would make the environment too messy and chaotic, so he’d decided instead to go with a more generalized space concept with the Hubble telescope floor and the ceiling lit up like the Milky Way with a few well-placed track lights shining down on the eating areas.
“Oh, my goodness,” Ezra said, one hand covering his open mouth. “Roman, look at that.” He gripped Roman’s forearm and dragged him toward the mural of Mars, complete with the Exploration Rover rendered with scientific precision. Ezra placed his fingertips against the wall with reverence.
“Do you like it?” Roman asked. Ezra nodded, biting on his lower lip so that he might not cry, though tears were probably inevitable tonight. “Come this way,” Roman said.
The restaurant was lightly staffed, still about two weeks away from its grand opening. Roman and Ezra were its only customers, so there was only one server and Darian, who was in charge of the kitchen. Roman led Ezra to a circular booth with a round table and waited for him to identify the planet.
“Jupiter,” Ezra marveled and touched the table’s glossy surface. “Here’s its Great Red Spot. Did you know it’s an anticyclonic storm and the largest in the solar system?”
“I thought it was a pimple.”
Ezra smiled, eyes darting up to meet Roman’s. “You’re teasing me,” he said and Roman nodded with a grin.
“Take a look at this.” Roman gestured to a tablet on a swivel stand that could be tilted toward each person or laid flat like a board game between guests.
“It’s loaded with games,” Ezra said, scrolling through some of the options.
“Customers can order from here too, for those who are a little shy around people. And there are a lot of ways to customize the menu for those diners who are a little bit particular.”
