Chapter Thirteen
Ezra
Clark and our friend Valeria sat on the couch, laughing while they passed a video game console back and forth. There was a cartoon muted on the screen, and I held a hand mirror up to my face, checking my hair.
“Someone is ready for a big date,” Valeria cooed. Her hair was buzzed short, and she had long fingernails that were painted bright red. Stretched out along the couch, you would almost think she lived with Clark and I, instead of just hanging out at our place every day. Ever since breaking up with her last boyfriend, she had been avoiding being at her apartment alone.
“Almost ready,” I replied. “Thank god he’s actually late, like I told him to be.”
“What else do you have to do to get ready?” Clark asked.
I shrugged, setting the mirror down. “How the hell should I know? I haven’t been on a date in three years, and that one was a disaster.” I remembered the guy picking me up and taking me to the food court at the mall and shuddered. “I think I look cute though, right?”
Valeria cursed at the video game, then tossed it to the coffee table. She gave me a good look up and down, studying my outfit. “Flamingo shirt, good choice.”
“Yeah, classic Ezra style,” Clark agreed. “It makes you look approachable, like you don’t take yourself too seriously.”
I considered whether or not that was actually a good thing, then shrugged to dismiss it. “Anyway, I’m not so sure this guy is going to be a love match, so it’s low stakes on my end. He’s nice enough, though! We should have a fun time even if sparks don’t fly.”
Valeria took a drink from her cup of tea. “How could he possibly be your true love anyway, now that the bouncer from the bar has won your heart back?”
“Oh god,” Clark groaned, “please don’t get him started again.”
I licked my teeth, making sure they were clean, and rose to my feet. “You’re very lucky that I think I heard my date pull up, because I have had a few more thoughts on Brick’s heroism since we last spoke about the subject. Can you believe he actually took on two guys at once and basically for me?”
Clark and Valeria tossed throw pillows at me as I crossed to the front window. Sure enough, there was Irving, stepping out of his car and talking to himself as he walked in circles.
“Have a cute night!” I hollered to my friends, then skipped down the front steps to meet my date.
Irving looked up when the door banged. His face started to light up in that way I liked, then sunk back down to the ground again. He kicked at the pavement awkwardly, then greeted me.
“How’s it going, Ezra?”
When I pulled him in for a hug, I noticed that he had something in his hand. Irving held out a gorgeous iris, with blue and purple petals that seemed to drip down from the stem. “It’s nothing special, just a flower from in front of my building, but I remembered how you said you liked being outside in nature and everything.”
My heart fluttered, and I accepted the gift. It was stunning, and it did remind me of the garden at my moms’ house. When I saw that he was still looking shy, I leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you, Irving. It’s beautiful. I really love it.”
Irving’s eyelashes fluttered. “I’m glad.”
We got into the car, and I noticed that his radio was still set to that old pop station. We were facing the setting sun, so I flipped down the visor to block the glare. Against the side of the hill, the little house I shared with Clark was covered in shadows from the trees, but you could still see the flowers I grew in the window boxes.
“So what are we up to?” I asked, twirling the flower in my hand and then setting it gently on my lap. “I know you like computers, comic books, and garage sales, but I can’t imagine any of those are your date plans.” I got nervous for a moment that one of those could actually be his date plan and hurried over myself to make up for it. “Although the right comic book garage sale could be dreamy, I’m sure,” I joked.
“Not tonight,” he said, his voice a little more relaxed than usual as he focused on driving. “I think all the comic book garage sales are closed for the weekend.”
I nodded, smiling to myself. “Real off weekend for them, I get it. We’re heading downtown, so maybe something with the fish market?” It was a little touristy, but I could see having fun there.
Irving pulled up to a red light, then turned to face me. He looked a little embarrassed, and his face was still pretty flat, but there was a smile in his eyes.
“Not the fish market,” he said. “It’s a little nerdy, but…”
* * *
“I can’t believe you brought me to the Laser Dome!” I laughed, spinning in a circle and almost falling into Irving’s arms right there in the parking lot. “That’s so cool!”
He held the door open to the building as we approached, smiling awkwardly. “I’m glad you like it. They have more colors than any other laser dome in the country.”
“Cool!”
