And by soon I mean tomorrow. You can look out for an album of songs (or pieces of songs) based on Austen characters.
I've been in a bit of a writing slump this year and haven't really made much progress with CAFS, so I decided to write an album for Ada. I wanted to try songwriting to understand her and my other musician characters better and I'd had little success writing songs based off my own thoughts and feelings.
So I was like, what if I tried to write songs as Austen characters? And apparently that sorta worked for my brain. But I was still sticking, so this October/November I was like, screw it...let's get these bad boys finished and recorded.
There are nine in total, but only five of them I would consider full length songs.
I was originally just going to share them with my friends, but I'm trying to make and share things even though they're not perfect, to gain joy from the process and not just the product, to remind myself that I don't have to be good at something to enjoy it. And I figured that posting on the internet was as public as one could get. (I'm low-key also hoping to empower someone else to embrace the cringe of liking stuff and making stuff about what you like).
But yh, I thought now would be as good a time as ever to share it seeing that it's almost Ms Jane Austen's birthday. So nine videos coming right up (Tumblr wouldn't let me upload M4A files so the easiest thing to do was turn them into videos). I'll include the lyrics and chords because I'm sure there's someone (very likely someones) who can make these better.
Pretty Chill Summer + ‘Nola’s Best Family Restaurant = What is sleep?
What is sleep? + Spoiled Pop Star = Recipe for Disaster
Previous | Next
Word Count: ~2500
Content Warnings: None
Chapter Summary: Some friends come to visit
Chapter 12
Ezra woke before the sun. Well, “woke” was a stretch. He wasn’t sure he’d even gotten a wink of sleep. In fact, his body felt like the opposite, like he’d had some sort of wrestling match all night.
He rolled out of bed, stretching his taut muscles before padding to the kitchen. There was no use fighting a losing battle.
Using the faint light of the street lamp outside, he moved around the room, lighting the stove and then putting on the kettle. He watched it closely, anticipating the telltale swirl of steam from the spout that preceded the whistle. He tried to focus on it, grateful for the task at hand. It was nice, forcing his eyes to remain open and focused.
Practically every time he’d closed his eyes last night he was sure he could hear the heart monitor beeping in his mom’s room and smell the hospital disinfectant.
He hadn’t really slept that night either.
They’d pulled up outside the house and found Sam sitting on the stairs. Ezra had been tired of collapsing in other people’s arms and so that was all that had prevented Sam from having to catch him.
A sad smile graced his face and warmed his heart now at the memory. His best friend had come prepared. He’d brought games and even rented a couple movies. Ezra had pretended not to notice as Sam had snuck extra chunks of pineapple onto the slices of pizza on Ezra’s plate.
The pizza had arrived soon after Ben had taken to the kitchen to figure out what they could eat. Sam had only shrugged after receiving a crushing hug of thanks from Ben and Dan, like it was only natural that he’d thought of ordering food for them. Ezra had been too tired to get up off of the stool he was sitting in but the corners of his mouth had lifted a bit at the sight. When he’d made eye contact with Sam, an attempt to convey his thanks without words, his friend had offered him a nod of understanding.
Ezra’s reminiscing was disturbed by the whistle of the kettle. He’d gotten distracted. Turning the burner off with one hand, he lifted the kettle with the other and paused in the middle of the kitchen, listening. All he could hear was the beginning of birds chirping in Ma Roberts’ yard. He put the kettle down and began preparing his tea.
The sugar container was almost empty. It was evidence of all the late nights and early mornings he'd had since Ma left. He sighed, locating the bag in the fridge and turning back towards the counter. He froze when he caught a glimpse of something moving in his periphery. He did a double take and his eyes fixed on a silhouette in the doorway.
Ezra and the open bag of sugar went in different directions. When he returned to the ground, the light had been switched on, there was sugar all over the floor and his heart was pounding a rapid rhythm against his chest.
From the looks of it, so was Ada’s, a hand clutched to her chest too. And it was likely that her scream had harmonized with his totally manly scream a minute ago.
“You can’t just…” he gulped in a breath, “walk in the room like that.”
Ada offered him a look of contempt. “Why are you always so jumpy?”
"Being the last of all the cousins does that to you," Ezra muttered as he grabbed at the bag of sugar to salvage what was left.
He hadn't thought she'd heard when she headed over to the tallest cabinet for the dust pan and broom. She swept while he refilled the sugar container.
"What was that like?"
"Hmmm?" He asked, still focused on his task but not quite understanding her question.
"Cousins. What was that like?"
Ezra offered a noncommittal sound and a shrug, not sure how to answer the question.
"You'd think my parents would have at least given me a sibling if they knew I wouldn't get to experience cousins."
Ezra spun around to look at her. "No cousins? Not one?" he asked, incredulous.
She dumped the dust pan contents into the open garbage bin. "Well not on my mom's side. On my dad's side they're all adults, decades older than me." She tilted her head to one side. “Or they’re literal babies.” She turned to offer him a wry smile. "My dad’s first cousins…and their kids." She paused, thinking. "I mean…I guess it could be nice, but everyone lives so far away anyway." She sighed before beginning in a wistful tone, "I never got to experience those summers of adventure by your grandma that you read about in Literature class."
"If it makes you feel any better, neither did I."
She scowled at him, though he could detect some playfulness in the expression. "No. No, it doesn't."
A comfortable silence hung between them as Ada put away her cleaning supplies and Ezra put away the sugar. After closing the fridge, he turned to find Ada pointing towards the same cupboard she'd fought with the last time.
"Is there room for small favours in our truce?"
Ezra furrowed his brow.
"Tea and biscuits," she answered his unvoiced question.
"Ahhh!" He smiled, understanding her request and somewhat relieved at the change in conversation. Without another word, he reached for the door of a lower cabinet and pointed towards its contents. The tea bags and the disgusting cardboard she liked to call 'tea biscuits' were sitting on the shelf.
Ezra didn't miss the look of pleasant surprise on her face and he couldn't tamp down the feeling of satisfaction blooming in his chest either.
The feeling persisted throughout the morning. He listened quietly as she chatted about the different methods Francis had been teaching her to cook an egg. He noted that scrambled eggs were still her favourite and hid a smile when she promised to make breakfast one morning over the weekend.
Their conversation only dwindled at the gym, their harsh breathing making it difficult to keep up a steady flow, but the resulting silences were comfortable. They'd finally found their rhythm.
Honestly, Ezra should have known better, though. He’d grown so good at expecting the worst, he should have seen it coming. He usually lived and breathed by Murphy’s Law, but he’d gotten too comfortable.
He came out to the dining hall to go over some last minute _Rush_ scheduling details with Jessie for Adalia and Gem’s shifts when he spotted a strange interaction. Ada was in the dining hall in her apron, chatting with a customer.
He almost ignored it. It was still early enough in the season that she could get away with not being recognized, especially with her new haircut. But something the customer said caught his attention.
“I haven’t seen you around here before, Sweetheart.”
Ezra couldn’t tell if that was a genuine smile or a grimace from Ada, but he was not about to take any chances. He stalked up to the booth without thinking. Purposefully ignoring the customer, he spoke to Ada first.
“What are you doing out here, Ba–”
The endearment was half out of his mouth when he was interrupted by the sound of his name. He spun around to see Sam hurrying towards them.
“Sam! What are you doing here?” He blurted the words out in a mix of confusion and delight at seeing his friend.
Sam’s eyes traveled towards Ada who’d also turned to see who’d spoken. Sam’s eyes lit up as soon as he recognized her. He’d been moving fast before, but now he was practically running.
“Addy!” he squealed, launching himself at her as she let out her own excited shriek.
Ezra rolled his eyes at their antics, relieved that they weren’t disturbing anyone. It was a quiet afternoon, except for the customer behind him. He’d forgotten about the creep in all the excitement. Turning around, he braced himself for a fight. He didn’t tolerate customers who harassed his waiting staff.
Expecting an annoyed customer, Ezra was graced with a knowing smile.
“Adam?”
“It’s good to see you too, Ezra.”
Something about Adam’s tone put Ezra on edge. He felt like his friend had uncovered one of his deepest darkest secrets, maybe even one Ezra hadn’t discovered about himself yet. He swallowed, trying to compose himself.
Eyeing Adam and then turning to Sam who was still somewhat entangled with Ada, he asked the pair, “What are you guys doing here?”
“Can’t a bunch of ‘Norians visit their ‘Nolan friend?”
Ezra turned back to Adam with an unexplained fear. He couldn’t miss the twinkle in his friend’s eyes, though he barely noticed Sam's protest in the background at being referred to as a 'Norian. Instead, Ezra kept his focus on his other friend's growing grin as Adam gestured to Ada with his eyes and then waggled his eyebrows. Ezra shook his head firmly, but his friend’s grin only widened.
“Addy!” Sam interrupted the silent conversation. “I don’t think you’ve met Adam.”
Ezra watched carefully as Adam stood from his seat and held out a hand. “We were just getting to know each other when Ezra came by.”
He flashed her his most charming smile and that was Ezra’s cue to step in. Eyes narrowed at his friend, he didn’t wait for Ada to introduce herself, “This is Aunt Misha’s daughter.”
Adam’s eyes lit with understanding. “So you’re Ezra’s cousin.”
Ezra’s head tilted to the side, weighing the truth of Adam’s statement as Ada practically recoiled at the sentence.
“Ewww! No! I’m not related to him.”
Ezra’s eyes snapped to Ada as his mouth fell open. He could hear Sam trying and failing to stifle his laughter, which he had to give him credit for, at least he was attempting to hide his amusement. Adam was grinning from ear to ear.
Ada finally turned to look at the speechless Ezra.
“What?”
Ezra’s mouth opened and all that came out was an offended gasp.
“It’s true!” Ada defended.
“Yeah! But you didn’t have to say it with so much disgust!”
“Are you always this sensitive?”
“Sensitive! I’m not—” Ezra started to argue, but he caught a glimpse of his two friends exchanging meaningful looks.
He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a second. “Whatever. Ada–” He opened his eyes to stare right back at Adalia. She was watching the whole exchange with great interest from a few tables away. Ezra immediately panicked. How long had she been there? Had he said anything that could have blown Ada’s cover. No. He didn’t think so.
Clearing his throat, he continued, “Adaline and I aren’t related. Aunt Misha and Ma are best friends.”
Adam nodded, something about his look still setting Ezra on edge. Aiming to distract him, Ezra gestured to the seats behind them.
“Why don’t you guys have a seat and I’ll bring you some drinks while we make your usual and then we can catch up?”
Adam’s smile dropped. “Actually…” He met Ezra’s eyes. It was amazing how he could make a sudden switch like that, how he could change to such a serious tone. It was the reason Sam insisted that Adam should have studied law, Sam and Adam's mom both.
"I have some new information for you," his friend continued.
Ezra nodded his understanding. He gestured for Adam to precede him to his office as, to his relief, Ada sat down across from Sam at the table. He didn't want to damage the little balance they'd developed. He smiled as he caught a bit of her chatter.
“Sammy! It’s been too long. What have you been up to? You have to tell me everything!”
Ezra caught another glimpse of Adalia on his way out. She was typing furiously on her phone, forehead wrinkled in concentration. She looked up, a pensive expression on her face before their eyes met. Blindly, she tucked her phone into her apron before she offered him a weak smile and a wave. Panic clear in her eyes, she dipped out of the room and headed towards the kitchen. He hesitated for a minute. Could it be? He mulled over the possibility for a second. Nah! He shook his head. Adalia was just being weird and honestly, he didn’t want to know why.
A smile spread on his face at the antics of his employees, but soon slipped away when he caught a glimpse of Adam’s concerned look. His friend leaned against his desk with his arms crossed and just by the look on his face, Ezra could tell that things were bleak. He closed the door behind him and braced himself for the worst.
“So there’s good news and bad news.”
Ezra slumped into the couch next to the door with a weary sigh. “Hit me with it.”
“So my sources tell me that the Inland Revenue Department received an anonymous tip about some 'All For One' transactions this year."
Ezra nodded. That made sense.
"Ms Volney…" Ezra started at the name. He was so unaccustomed to hearing Ada's government name. Adam continued, "...donated an unknown sum of money to the charity that was…”. He paused as he chose his words. Adam sighed. “Ezra?”
Ezra’s eyes snapped up to meet Adam’s.
"Are you sure?"
"Huh?"
"Are you sure she's innocent?"
Ezra rubbed a calloused hand over his eyes, sending the fine hairs of his eyebrows in all different directions. He took a deep breath before removing his hand to look Adam in the eye.
"Look, Ada has never been my favourite person. In my opinion, she's spoiled and entitled…" Ezra paused, wincing at how his usual spiel sounded, even to his ears. He sighed. "But…" he shot Adam the most earnest look he could muster, "... she'd never do anything that she thought would jeopardize her career. Music, writing it, performing it, meeting her fans, that's her life. She wouldn't give that up for some extra cash."
Adam looked at him in silence, some disbelief playing on his features with…something else. Ezra thought it looked like curiosity. He was proven right with Adam's next question.
"Why do you care?"
Ezra sighed. It was a question he'd asked himself from day one. There was only one answer. "Because…my personal feelings aside and nevermind our lack of blood relation, Ada is family." It was as simple as that.
Adam studied his friend for a second longer and Ezra fought the impulse to squirm in his seat. Instead, he forced a wry smile to his face and motioned to himself with two fists, "So…you can hit me with the good news now." His smile turned genuine, "Honestly, that bad news wasn't as bad as I'd been expecting." He broke into a full grin, though it dimmed with his next statement, "I'd already suspected that someone had set her up."
Adam's brows furrowed in a look of confusion that soon morphed into a grimace. Ezra watched as he hesitated, raising a hand to the back of his neck and rubbing, before looking away.
"Actually…" he looked at Ezra again and his face was pinched like he was in pain, "that was the good news."
Ezra physically deflated at the words. He should have known.
Pretty Chill Summer + ‘Nola’s Best Family Restaurant = What is sleep?
What is sleep? + Spoiled Pop Star = Recipe for Disaster
Previous | Next
Word Count: ~2800
Content Warnings: Panic attack symptoms, hospital visit, hospitalization of family member
Chapter Summary: Ezra relives the worst night of his life.
Chapter 11
Ada had kept her eyes closed the entire ride. Ezra had assumed she’d fallen asleep, until they pulled into the ‘Nola’s Best parking lot.
“What are we doing here?” she mumbled. Maya had been distracted too apparently, because she soon joined the chorus.
“What are we doing here?”
“Thought this would be the fastest and cheapest way to get something to eat.” Ezra was already climbing out of the vehicle. He headed to the front door without bothering to look back at the girls still in the car. Instead he threw a “lock up once y’all get in” over his shoulder.
He made his way through the restaurant, flipping light switches on as he passed through to the kitchen. He stepped into the pantry and glanced around. Footsteps behind him made him look over his shoulder.
Maya stood in the doorway, a cheerful smile on her face. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“What’s for dinner, Chef?”
Ezra smiled, picking up the container of flour. He turned to her, his grin widening. “I was thinking waffles.”
Maya’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Your grandpa’s recipe?”
Ezra scoffed. “Is there anything else worth eating?” He couldn’t help but laugh as she practically jumped into the air with glee.
The two of them fell into an easy rhythm, moving around each other in the kitchen, dumping ingredients in the mixing bowl and heating up the waffle iron. They chatted about Ezra’s experience at the party tonight and Emma’s engagement. Maya had not been surprised at all. Emma had been voted most likely to marry rich by their class.
“Where was I when that happened?” He paused with the ladle in midair to look at Maya. She was at the opposite counter, her back to him. All he could hear was the steady rhythm of her knife slicing through the fruit and then hitting the chopping board. She remained quiet, but he got all the information he needed from the tension in her shoulders.
“Oh.” He let out an awkward chuckle, turning back to find batter dripping onto the counter. “The night of the graduation banquet.” He moved the ladle over to the waffle iron and emptied the remaining batter onto it, nodding his understanding even though he was sure Maya hadn’t turned around to look at him. Her chopping continued.
He scraped the last of the batter in the mixing bowl onto the waffle iron and closed the lid, then grabbed a paper towel and wiped at the batter on the counter.
“You can talk about it, you know.” Maya’s chopping stopped. “Yeah, it was probably the worst night of my life, but it’s not like it…” he paused. Turning around and leaning back against the counter in a deliberate show of nonchalance, he crumpled the soiled paper towel in one hand before tossing it to the other. “It’s not like it makes me freak out or anything.”
Maya put down the knife and he sensed rather than saw her turn around to face him. He kept tossing the paper towel back and forth.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
The paper towel dropped to the ground. His eyes traveled up to the general area of Maya’s face but he seemed to be looking past her as he offered a tight smile. He offered another peal of humourless laughter. He never expected to be on this side of the conversation, to be the one being reassured. He lifted off the counter.
“I think the waffles are done. And that looks like more than enough fruit.” He made eye contact with Maya and now she was offering him a sympathetic look. He cleared his throat, averting his eyes again. “I’ll go get Ada.” He gestured to the door before shuffling out of the room.
Once he was sure that he was out of earshot, he stopped in the hall. Resting his head against the wall, he took a deep breath. It was true. Thinking about it didn’t make him freak out anymore. He only felt this warm because he’d been so close to the waffle maker and he was totally making his hands shake like that on purpose. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. Who was he kidding?
That night was a crisp, high resolution slow motion video, filed away in the top right hand corner of his memories. He couldn’t help but replay it as he searched for Ada. He went straight to his office as his brain retrieved the video and pressed play.
He’d just been about to leave the house when his phone rang. Dan was breathing heavily and before he could even say a word, every muscle in Ezra’s body had tensed.
“Who?” he’d asked. “Who is it?”
Dan had let out a shaky breath before dropping the bomb. “Mom.”
Ezra knocked on the door to his office to no answer. He opened it and flicked on the light to look in anyway. No sign of Ada.
He made his way out to the dining hall. The lights were off except for a faint orange gleam coming from the back corner. It looked like the one to the staircase in the back. Ada might be upstairs. He took a deep breath before climbing the first step. It didn’t prevent him from reliving that night from hell.
Ezra raced up the stairs, two at a time, bursting through the doors, frazzled and breathless. Drew had been there waiting for him. Dan hadn’t gotten to the hospital yet, so he hadn’t known what to expect, but Ezra had learnt to always expect the worst. He almost ran into his brother, but before he could open his mouth, Drew had grabbed him by the arms.
"It's okay. You're okay. Mom's okay."
The somber memory was interrupted by a curious sound traveling down the narrow stairwell. Ezra climbed faster. It sounded like…music. The notes sounded more tinny than he remembered, but someone was definitely playing the piano.
The sight that greeted him at the top of the stairs left him without words for a second. Ada sat at the old, dusty piano, her fingers flying over the keys with dexterity and efficiency. And the melody! It was beautiful. Ezra stepped closer, his mouth opening without his permission.
“I didn’t know you played.”
The music stopped with a dissonant smash of notes. Ada looked visibly shaken, her hand clutched at her chest as she spun around towards Ezra.
He stepped back. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to make you jump.”
Ada shook her head, a look of apology on her face. “I’m sorry. I should have asked.”
“No! No!” Ezra moved towards the instrument. “It’s fine. I would have offered.” He glanced towards her with a smile. Then he pressed a single key. “I’d have offered a long time ago, if I knew you played.” He pressed another note, a black key this time.
He could feel her eyes on him, intent and maybe curious. He pulled his hand away and moved towards the railing. He felt disappointment settle in his stomach as she gently placed the fall board over the keys.
“The label thought it would be a good idea for me to learn…thought it would add some pizzazz to my songwriting.” She twisted on the stool until she was facing him.
Ezra turned to look at her with furrowed brows. “Doesn’t Sean play?” Too late, he recognized his mistake. “Sorry.”
She offered him a tight smile and a dismissive wave of the hand. “He did.” She swallowed. “He does.” Her shoulders slumped with the sigh she let out. “I had to learn after I left the band.” Ezra’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “It wasn’t that hard. Sean had already started teaching me.”
Ezra nodded, not quite sure how to respond. He turned back to look out at the village lights below and the moon reflecting on the sea in the distance, when a thought struck him.
“About tonight…”
Ada let out another weary sigh.
“Please don’t hold it against Maya.” He turned towards her, a pleading look on his face.
“What?”
He was so intent on getting his point across he barely registered her confusion. “She wasn’t the first person to mix Sean and me up tonight. It was an honest mistake. And these kinds of things usually eat her up inside. So it would really help if you didn’t hold it against her.”
“Of course not! It wasn’t her fault…It wasn’t…anyone’s fault.”
Ezra let out a sigh of relief. “Great! Thanks!” He offered her a grateful smile, before turning back to look at the sea.
Ada was quiet for a beat. “You’re not even going to ask?”
“Ask about what?” He shot her a look of confusion. She stared back at him with disbelief written on every feature. He was about to ask again, when she virtually deflated.
“Nothing.”
Ezra shot her a curious look as her eyes fluttered closed.
“Is food ready yet?” She sounded tired.
“Yeah! Sorry!” He gestured towards the staircase as Ada began to stand. “I actually came to get you.” He started towards the stairs. “Maya must be so hangry. She probably started eating with–”
The stool shuffled and Ezra whipped around to find Ada sitting on it looking like she’d just stumbled back into it.
“You okay?”
“Fine…I’m fine.” She waved a hand towards the staircase. “You go ahead.” Ezra hesitated. “I’m right behind you,” she assured him.
That was all it took for him to leave. He met Maya coming out of the kitchen with a platter of fruit that she placed in the centre of one of the front tables. She’d also set three places and put down a tiny jug of syrup and a stack of crispy waffles.
She looked up at him, an apology already in her eyes. “Hey. I’m sorry about–”
“It’s fine.” He interrupted her with a shake of his head.
“But–”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Ezra.” The single word sounded like a warning, but he really didn’t want to talk about it. Thankfully, Ada showed up at that exact moment. She looked a little shaky, but to be fair, it’d been a long day.
Ezra clapped his hands together as the young ladies sat at the table. He pulled out his chair and joined them before offering a cheerful, “Bon appetit!”
The three ate in uncomfortable silence, though Ezra did his best to try to fuel a conversation. Five minutes in, he gave up. It wasn’t too bad since it meant they were done eating in another ten minutes. Since Maya had already done most of the cleaning up, they were out of there in another fifteen.
Maya had called Jay to pick her up earlier and they left as soon as he showed up. The ride home was quiet too. Ada seemed more tired than anything so he didn’t bother making conversation.
He couldn’t deal with the quiet in his room though. He lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling fan, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. He was back at the hospital, meeting Drew seven years ago.
"It's okay. You're okay. Mom's okay."
Ezra froze. "Wha–" he choked.
"Breathe…I need you to breathe with me, Ezra." He motioned for him to inhale.
Ezra gasped, but couldn't get enough air in.
"Slower. Slower. You're okay."
Ezra was sitting now. He didn't know at what point it had happened or when he'd started crying.
"Can I see her?" He managed to get the question out between sobs.
"Of course." His hand was clasped in Drew’s but somehow still shaking. “I just need you to calm down a bit, because we don’t want to scare her.”
Eyes shut tight, Ezra nodded his understanding. He didn’t think anything other than another sob would leave his mouth if he opened it now.
As his breathing steadied and the blood rushing in his ears slowed, sound began to filter in. He could hear the phone at the front desk ringing and the receptionist’s long nails clacking against the keyboard in front of her. Someone coughed a few feet away from him while a chorus of laughter sounded from an unidentifiable source.
He opened his eyes to Drew’s sympathetic look and took a shaky breath. His brother offered him a tentative smile. “You good?”
He nodded, taking another deep breath.
Drew’s smile turned into one of relief as he stood, hefting Ezra up with him. Putting a reassuring hand on his back, he ushered them towards the washrooms. “Let’s get you cleaned up so it isn’t obvious you’ve been crying.”
Ezra’s first thought on entering the hospital room was that Ma looked haggard. There was no other way to describe it. Her pale skin made the dark circles under her eyes even more prominent. He shrank away from the door to…run? Catch his breath for a moment? He didn’t even know. Whatever it was, he didn’t get a chance to do it. The movement had caught her attention.
“Ezzy!” she sighed as he walked in, hand held out towards him in an invitation to draw closer.
Drew’s hand pressed against his back again and he practically stumbled forward. She didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy reaching up to his face and running a shaky hand against his cheek.
“How was the banquet?”
He glanced at his dad across the bed. You couldn’t miss the pain on his face. Ezra forced his eyes back to his mother and offered her a forced smile with his single word answer, a lie, “Great!”
Ma broke into a radiant smile. “You’ll have to tell me all about it,” she said around a yawn.
Ezra gently took her hand off his face and placed it at her side, both of his hands, a vice around hers.
“You need to–” his dad paused to clear his throat. “You need to get some rest first though.”
Before the words were fully out of his mouth, a nurse rapped on the door frame. “Yes, she does. So I’m going to have to ask all you lovely gentlemen to leave.”
Ezra pressed a kiss to his mom’s hand before they shuffled out. As he was turning the corner to head out of the ward, he almost ran into Dan.
“Where’s Mom? How is she?” his brother blurted as soon as he recognized them.
Ezra watched as Drew ran through a similar routine with Dan as what he’d done for him.
“Mom’s fine. I need you to calm down so you can get a quick look at her before she takes her nap.”
Dan reached composure a lot sooner than Ezra had, but that wasn’t so much of a surprise. Dan had always been good at suppressing his emotions.
Drew ushered him to the room and Ezra took it as his cue to keep walking towards the waiting area. The numbness he’d felt earlier was beginning to wear off. He could tell from the vibrations running up and down his leg.
“Your phone is ringing.”
Ezra turned to find Ben walking alongside him. He’d not noticed him at all. Ben was pointing towards his pocket.
“Your phone is ringing,” he repeated.
Oh. That’s what that was. Ezra fished the device out of his pocket and glanced at the caller. Sam! He was supposed to meet him —he glanced at the time– an hour ago.
“Hey! I’m sorry,” he rushed out after answering the phone. While Sam started with, “Dude! Where are you?” at the same time.
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m at the hospital.”
The line was silent for a bit. Ezra pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it to make sure the line hadn’t gone dead.
“What? Dude! You okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine.” Ezra could feel a wave of exhaustion wash over his shoulders and he had to brace himself against a wall. He watched in silence as Ben leaned next to him. Unconsciously, Ezra slumped into his brother, who didn’t even flinch at the added weight he now had to support. “It’s not me. It’s Ma.”
“What happened?”
“I–” The realization dawned on him that he didn’t even know. He rolled his head towards Ben.
“Exhaustion,” he whispered, “She’s okay. She’ll be fine.”
Ezra let himself repeat the same words to Sam, before answering his follow up question.
“No. You don’t need to come. We’re okay. I think…I think we’re heading home soon.” He rolled his head back to Ben for confirmation, who nodded. “Yeah. We’ll be going home.”
He didn’t register the rest of the conversation. Maybe Sam had said something else, asked another question, but Ezra was done talking. He hung up the phone. It was a good thing too, because it looked like he’d used the last of his energy. Ben’s reflexes were a little too slow to catch him before he crumpled to the ground. Then, he was crying again.
A/N: This was actually a lot easier to write than I expected. So whoot whoot. It also came completely out of left field for me. This was not how this chapter was supposed to go. *shrugs* Hopefully you enjoyed getting a bit more of Ezra's back story.
Pretty Chill Summer + ‘Nola’s Best Family Restaurant = What is sleep?
What is sleep? + Spoiled Pop Star = Recipe for Disaster
Previous | Next
Word Count: ~5000
Chapter Summary: A blast from the past
Chapter 10
Ezra stepped into the living room to turn on the radio. Then he switched on the light in the kitchen and the ones on the front steps before stepping outside and locking the door. Climbing into his vehicle, he caught a glimpse of their neighbour in her spot by the window and he offered a wave. As usual, he was ignored. He shrugged and sent a quick text to Maya that he was leaving before starting the engine and backing out of the driveway.
He glanced at the empty passenger seat. It felt so strange driving alone after sharing the space with Ada for so many days now. He turned on the radio.
“Still no word from Ada Michelle or any of her representatives while her foundation ‘All For One’ is being investigated. There have been rumours that the young popstar has fled the country.”
Ezra turned off the radio with a heavy sigh. Ada’s scandal made no sense to him. The more time passed, the more he was sure that she’d been set up. He knew without a doubt that Ada wouldn’t do something that selfish…or stupid. He just couldn’t figure out who’d make it look like she did. Who wanted to take her down? He couldn’t think of anyone who would benefit from Ada’s downfall.
He’d had some suspicions about Ada’s former bandmates, Sean, Raina and Travis and based on his research, so had a lot of Ada’s fans. The most loyal of her fans had started posting hate messages on fan forums for STAR.
Ezra scoffed, just like he had when he’d first heard the band’s name. It was so cheesy. But Ada had loved it. It had been her idea. At the time, she’d been obsessed with the constellations and it was an acronym of the first letters of their names. He wondered how she’d felt when she left the band and they kept it.
He had never understood why she left in the first place. They had been on their way to be the next pop sensation. Then their label had made the surprise announcement that Ada was going solo. Fans had been understandably confused at the fracture, but both parties insisted that it was a mutual split, that they had been having creative differences but they wished each other the best in their music careers.
Ezra had learned all of this against his will. Maya had gone on about it for weeks. She was definitely one of the more suspicious fans.
“Something’s fishy about this,” she’d insisted.
Now that he actually thought about it, he didn’t blame her for thinking that. For three summers straight, Raina and Ada had been inseparable. When the prospect of them being able to make music together had become an actual possibility, the two girls wouldn’t shut up about it. They’d been ecstatic. He didn’t understand how “creative differences” had gotten in between that. Then again, business did seem to make everything more complicated. What was it his dad always said? Not even family can see past the bottom line sometimes. He let out a tired sigh. He’d seen that first hand at ‘Nola’s Best.
Ezra’s somber thoughts were disrupted by his phone ringing. Maya’s contact card flashed on the screen. They must be there already.
“Hallo!”
“Hi Sweet Cheeks!”
Ezra groaned as he made the first turn towards Pine Beach House. Maya let out a maniacal laugh as his headlights flooded the entrance, illuminating the murals on either side of the road. The streets in this area were lined with short walls tinged with oranges, yellows and greens and sprinkled with the mascot for the island’s National Plant, Nana, a portly anthropomorphic pineapple.
“How far are you?”
“Nana’s giving me a cheeky grin.” Ezra suppressed a shudder. Something about Nana’s eyes had always creeped him out.
“Nooo! We were hoping you were running late and you could swing by and pick us up.” She sighed. “Mom can’t drop us so we’ll have to wait for Jay.”
“What?! I’m practically there already. I didn’t even want to come. You guys insisted!”
“Yeah well. We had important business to take care of,” Ezra could hear the smirk in Maya’s voice and if he wasn’t mistaken, he could hear Ada giggling in the background.
Those two had become fast friends. After the whole picture-taking fiasco at the harbour. He’d told Ada that Maya would be taking the next shift in the turn-Ada-into-a-local project. He shouldn’t have been surprised when she was ready to fight him at the idea that he’d told Maya her secret without her permission.
“You’ve practically told the whole restaurant!” was definitely the wrong thing for him to say next. He had realized as much when Ada’s eyes turned ice cold.
“I didn’t tell Maya, okay,” he had added quickly. “She knew since the supermarket. She figured it out on her own. She’s been a fan since the beginning, of course she’d recognize you eventually. Besides, you practically told her who you were when you implied that you were Aunt Misha’s daughter.”
That had been enough to silence Ada but he continued.
“Don’t tell her I said this, but Maya is good people. She wouldn’t sell you out. You can trust her,“ he assured. “It’s been almost a week and the tabloids haven’t come banging on our door.”
Ada seemed to relax at that. It was perfect timing because Maya had shown up in the next breath.
“Sweet Cheeks. Adaline.” She had offered both of them nods. He’d sucked his teeth and left them with a shake of his head. However annoying she was, he was grateful for Maya. She’d been willing to finish Ada’s ‘Nola makeover while he went hunting for a new (used) freezer.
He’d been quite satisfied with himself actually. He’d gotten a great deal and negotiated a payment plan. After organizing the delivery, he’d texted Maya to see where they were. She’d brought up the class get together that Ada had apparently told her about and how they were picking up a few things for that. He’d shot it down so fast but Maya had insisted. She’d even brought in the big guns. It was a picture of him at about 9 in his White Knight tighty whities.
“Where did you get that?” he’d muttered into the phone with gritted teeth when she finally answered his call.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Fine! What time should I pick you up?”
Ezra didn’t have to see her to know that she was wearing a Chesire-cat wide grin..
“You go ahead. We’ll get a ride with Mom. We still have a few things left to do.”
“Fine!”
Ezra should have known better than to believe that Maya’s antics wouldn’t come back to bite him in the butt. He sighed.
“Hey! They’re your classmates too. Go mingle! We all know you don’t do enough of that.”
“One of these days Maya I will get the perfect blackmail on you and you’ll regret everything you’ve ever put me through.”
She cackled down the line. “I have no shame, Sweet Cheeks. I’m un-blackmailable.”
“We’ll see.”
“Mmmhmmm.”
“I’m pulling into the parking lot now. You guys better be here soon.”
“Sure we will.”
“Alright. Late–”
“Oh I almost forgot! I have a surprise for you.”
“Why do I suddenly feel terrified?”
“I can’t imagine why at all.”
“Maya? Help!” Ezra heard Ada’s muffled cry in the background.
“Gotta’ go. Our popstar has somehow gotten herself stuck in one of my tops. See you, Sweet Cheeks.”
The line was dead before Ezra could respond. He sighed, shaking his head as he got out of his car. He didn’t know why the two of them were friends.
Despite being in the same year, they’d as good as ignored each other in secondary school. They weren’t in any of the same classes. They hadn’t joined any of the same clubs. They had different friends. They could have probably gone their whole lives without knowing each other…until Vanessa.
“Good evening, Sir.” Ezra was greeted by an attendant as he walked into the lobby.
Pine Beach House was one of the fancier spots on the island, definitely not ‘Nola’s Best. Though he suspected they were going for the same “rustic” vibes. Why else would they have called it a beach house when it was really more of an expensive country club?
“I’m here with the Krony party?” Ezra didn’t know why his statement sounded like a question. Maybe because the attendant had looked down his nose at him with an expression that clearly stated, “You don’t belong here. Why are you here?”
“Right this way, Sir.”
Despite being able to read the man’s growing contempt through his dazzling customer service smile, Ezra nodded in acknowledgement and followed him down the cobbled path. It was lined with palm trees that he was sure cost more than ‘Nola’s Best’s monthly expenses. The trees thinned out towards the end of the path, replaced by pineapple plants instead. Here the attendant gestured to one of many archways that led through a long portico to an open grassy area.
Ezra’s eyes grazed over the area. He would never admit it aloud, but he felt more than a bit intimidated by the display of it all. It wasn’t so much that Emma was marrying into one of the richest families in all of ‘Nola. He’d found out that tidbit of information when she’d posted in the old class forum that anyone dropping by their “little” get together should ask for the Krony party. The name had sounded vaguely familiar so he’d hopped over to Emma’s account where the most recent post was her engagement pictures. There he’d found out that Emma was marrying Alexander Krony, son of Martha and Frederick Krony, owners of the largest pineapple plantations on the islands.
Alexander had not chosen to go into farming like his parents, grandparents or great grands, but that hadn’t stopped him from benefiting from the Pineapple Empire as Maya liked to call it. Alexander was a national athlete who’d recently bagged a sponsorship with the soft drink company that sold SUM, a pineapple-flavoured soft drink filled with electrolytes designed to rehydrate. Perfect for athletes. At least that’s what Alexander insisted in every promotional video. He’d grin at the camera and offer the viewer a bottle with his simple tag line, “Want SUM?”
Lots of things had made sense after discovering the identity of Emma’s fiance. The size of the stone in her ring for one and then there was this event. There was nothing small about this get together.
At the far end, a wooden hut that Ezra was sure had been stained to look old and worn, housed the bar. A few yards away was a table set up with what looked like a buffet of finger foods. He could hear, rather than see, a game of pool going on somewhere.
Ezra tried in vain to tamper the discomfort swirling in his stomach as he made no further attempt to join the group. It wasn’t the display of wealth that bothered him, it was the comfort. His former classmates milled about the space, laughing and chatting and catching up on each others’ lives, he was sure. He couldn’t imagine that he’d be welcome. What did he have to contribute to the conversation? What had he accomplished in the past seven years?
His self-deprecating thoughts were disturbed by someone clearing their throat. Ezra started in surprise and turned towards the attendant just in time to catch him rolling his eyes. He’d completely forgotten he was there. By the time Ezra had blinked, the man’s look of contempt was replaced with an at-your-service mixed with an I-don’t-get-paid-enough-for-this facial expression.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“Yes. Of course,” Ezra stuttered, his back straightening in an involuntary attempt to appear more sure of himself. He didn’t let out a breath until the attendant was safely out of sight. Then he turned back to the party. He sighed in resignation as he took his first step. So what if he was in the same place he’d been for the past four years? Did he love his job, no? But he loved that it paid the bills and had gotten him through two years of his Master’s degree. He loved that his taking over had taken a huge burden off Ma’s back. He loved that because of him (not in spite of him) she’d been able to realize a life long dream.
Those things were all true, but they hadn’t made Ezra feel any better. He made a beeline to the bar, sure that having a drink in his hand would make him feel less awkward. The thing was that even though he probably knew most of these people, they probably didn’t know him. He’d been very lowkey in secondary school, almost invisible. He'd been an above average student but no valedictorian like Ben. And because of the restaurant he’d really only been able to join one club a term and he and Sam had rotated between Science and Ping Pong.
He sighed again, settling on a bottle of the salty, pineapple drink he was sure would be littering the place by morning. Maya would turn up her nose in disgust as soon as she saw it in his hand and Ada would…Ezra took a sip of the drink with a contemplative tilt of his head. He was surprised to realize that he didn’t know what Ada would do. He didn’t know if she liked the drink or not. She hadn’t been around when it had reached its popularity. She may never have even tasted it.
As he took another sip, he acknowledged his curiosity. He’d find out if she’d ever tried it and if she hadn’t he’d remedy it tonight. Before he could process these thoughts any further, there was a tap on his back, followed by a “Hey man, nice of you to grace us with your presence.”
Ezra turned to a friendly smile on a vaguely familiar face. The smile soon turned to confusion and then an apology.
“Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
Ezra shook his head, his way of communicating, “No worries” without risking losing a mouthful of his drink. He figured it was the end of the interaction, when the other young man’s eyes narrowed at him.
“Wait…you’re…ummm…uhhh…Owens! Yh! You’re…ummm…Dan’s little brother, right?”
Ezra nodded slowly, still unable to place the man in front of him.
Seeming to recognize his uncertainty, said man pointed to himself as an introduction, “Greg!”
The name didn’t quite ring a bell.
“I was on the track team with Dan.”
“Ahhh!” That made sense. Ezra must have seen him at track meets, maybe they’d had a class together or something.
“How is Dan?” Greg asked, sounding genuinely interested in knowing the truth.
Ezra smiled. “He’s good. Living his best life. Sends me pictures from random cities all over the world from time to time.”
“Wow! What does he do?”
Ezra chuckled. “You’re not the first person to ask and you’re probably not the last person that I don’t have a concrete answer for. I honestly don’t know. Something to do with network security, I think. I’m not sure exactly but he’s some sort of consultant or freelancer for corporate clients.”
Greg hummed in a way that Ezra could only describe as appreciation or awe.
“Yeah.” Ezra nodded, a bit of pride swelling in his chest at what his brother had been able to achieve.
“I always thought he was going to go pro with either track or basketball.” Greg admitted. “He was the only one of us who could ever beat Lex.”
Greg glanced at the bottle in Ezra’s hand and without saying anything Ezra knew exactly what he was thinking. It’d probably have been Dan’s face on the label if he’d decided to become a professional athlete.
Greg cleared his throat before offering a sheepish smile at being found out.
“So…what do you do?” Greg again seemed to be asking a genuine question, like he actually wanted to know the answer. He wasn’t just making small talk or trying to compare so he could one up him.
Ezra opened his mouth to respond, when a hand landed forcefully on his left shoulder almost knocking him to the ground. He stumbled forward barely managing to keep the contents of his bottle from spilling everywhere.
“Sean! My buddy! My pal!” came from behind him. When he’d righted himself he turned to see who the assaulting party was. The teasing grin that greeted him soon became a mouth open in surprise.
The young man backed away two steps, hands up and palms facing outward. “I am so sorry! I thought you were someone else.”
Ezra shot a look at Greg before turning to…Mitch…he suspected was this guy’s name. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time it’s happened tonight.”
“Guilty.” Greg raised a single hand.
Mitch–yes, Ezra was sure that was his name now— turned a guilty smile to Ezra before recognition lit up his features.
“Wait! You’re Ezra ‘Left Hand’ Owens, right?”
“Left han–wha-?” Ezra stuttered.
Mitch practically giggled with glee. He turned to Greg with a conspiratorial smile.
“This man was a table tennis beast in high school.” Mitch elaborated. “He’d start the game playing with his left hand and then when he’d figured out his opponent’s playing style and more importantly, when they thought they’d figured him out, he’d switch to his right hand on his next serve and completely obliterate them.”
Mitch’s excitement was contagious and Ezra couldn’t fight the embarrassed smile that spread across his mouth. Dad had taught him and Sam to play and it had been their dream to beat him one day. It hadn’t happened yet, but Ezra was still hopeful. Although, he hadn’t picked up a racket in a while.
“So you’re the professional athlete then?” Greg asked, sounding impressed.
“Oh no!” Ezra laughed. “I work at that restaurant fifteen minutes from the Reserve, ‘Nola’s Best.”
“Right!” Mitch nodded. “Sean was always over there during the summers. It’s your parents’ place right?”
Ezra hesitated, “Well more like my grandparents’, but my family runs it.”
“I don’t know that I’ve heard of it.” Greg admitted.
“Yeah! We’re pretty lowkey these days. Mainly just a tourist attraction. A bit too run down and old for the locals, you see.”
“Hmmm…”
“Oh no!” Mitch exclaimed, hand to his heart. Ezra started to panic but he could see Greg rolling his eyes in his peripheral vision.
“You should run away before he starts.” Mitch continued.
“Starts what?” Ezra felt more than a little confused.
“His whole marketing spiel.”
Greg was full on scowling now.
“You work in marketing?” Ezra asked.
Greg tilted his head from side to side in a sort of “so-so” manner. “Kinda’...” he started. “I work on the Marketing Team at the Development Bank. So we provide marketing services for small local businesses at subsidized costs to boost revenue.”
Mitch’s head fell forward as he pretended to snore before abruptly lifting his head. Greg rolled his eyes while Ezra raised his brows in an impressed way. Now it was Greg’s turn to offer an embarrassed smile.
“We’ve actually found that–”
“Here we go. He’s started!” Mitch interrupted in exasperation.
Greg ignored him, raising his voice to drown out the other man’s. “We’ve actually found that most small businesses don’t need major grants in order to sustain themselves. A good modern marketing system and they’re good to go.”
“Really?”
“Why are you encouraging him?”
“Yeah it’s amazing.” Greg patted his pockets and groaned. “Shucks! I don’t have any cards on me, but why don’t you take my number and when you’re ready you can reach out and we can talk about—
“I can’t believe you’re working right now. I’m going to go find Sean. Bye! Nice seeing you again Ezra.”
Greg shook his head as he watched Mitch walk away. “Don’t mind him. We used to work in adjacent cubicles until he got picked up by the SUM Marketing Department.”
Ezra’s eyes widened in surprise. “He’s responsible for ‘Want SUM?’” Ezra pushed the bottle towards Greg mimicking Alexander or Lex as Greg had called him. Greg stifled a laugh. “Hey! It might seem ridiculous but it worked. That campaign is responsible for a lot of their new revenue.”
“I bet.”
“Yeah but corporate marketing has come with its frustrations for Mitch that’s why he’s so reluctant to talk work outside of the office. Plus, the NDA agreement would not help things either.” Greg shrugged.
“You sound like you wouldn’t switch given the opportunity.”
Greg gave Ezra a knowing smile. “I mean, I’m sure the pay is better, but I love what I do. I love putting in the work and then seeing the transformation. It’s fulfilling. I think it’s my purpose.”
Ezra couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Greg. Everyone else seemed so put together and successful. If they were not raking in the dough, they were marrying into it, or actually achieving career fulfillment.
Ezra tried to push past the lump forming in his throat to say something, anything. A simple “that’s great” would have been fine, but nothing came out. Thankfully he was saved from having to say anything when someone called out for Greg.
“Ahh! It must be my turn at the pool table. Two guys from the swim team challenged two of us from the track team to a game.”
Ezra nodded trying to ensure that the relief didn’t show on his face.
“But you should take my number.”
“Oh. Right.” He pulled out his phone and handed it over.
“You should give me a call and I’m sure we can figure something out for your family restaurant. I already have so many ideas.” Greg passed the phone back to him.
Ezra nodded, still not trusting himself to respond coherently.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Ezra.”
“Yeah, you too.” And then Ezra was alone with his thoughts again. Where was Maya when he needed her?
He pulled out his phone to check for messages, just in time for a new message notification to pop up. He opened their chat to see a blurry pic of Nana painted on a short wall. He smiled, heading back to the bar to drop off his bottle and then head out front to meet them.
Before he could set foot across the portico, he was ambushed by a pair of young ladies, one of them particularly more friendly and handsy than the other.
“Ezra!” she all but shrieked. “You came!” Emma smacked him in the arm in what was supposed to be a playful hit, but from the way Emily was supporting most of her weight he suspected she had had a little something to drink. And Tipsy Emma packed a punch. “Emmy, he came!” she turned to her friend with a loopy smile.
“Aren’t you glad you came?” She turned back to Ezra.
He considered the question carefully. If he were being honest with himself, he’d say the few interactions he’d had with his classmates were not as bad as he had expected, barring the jealousy and disappointment in himself of course.
Ezra offered a genuine smile. “Of course!” Emma grinned and even Emily who’d seemed stressed a minute ago, returned his smile.
Emma frowned, looking around them. "Where's your friend?" She slurred.
“I'm just going out to meet her and Maya.”
"Boooo!" Emma exclaimed with a pout.
Ezra's brows furrowed in confusion. "Wha–I?" He glanced at Emily, an unspoken question on his face.
She looked a little embarrassed, unable to hold eye contact for long.
"Don't worry about it, Ezra. We've just had a little too much champagne tonight. There was a lot to celebrate."
He nodded, though still confused by the interaction.
Emma started to keel over and both Ezra and Emily grabbed for her.
"I think that's our cue to get you inside. Maybe we can give Lex a call."
"Ooooh. Lexxie.” Emma let out a sob. “I miss him.”
Emily nodded. “Of course you do, hun. That’s why we’re going to call him.” She shouldered all of Emma’s weight, taking over from Ezra and offering him a smile of gratitude and goodbye at the same time.
He nodded as they moved towards the building.
He barely made out Emma talking to Emily, “Emmy, I can’t wait to find you your own Lexxie.”
Ezra shook his head and made his way back out to the front lobby. The attendant was missing but there was a young man standing around and sipping a– Ezra squinted at the bottle– SUM. The young man seemed to be staring out into the night contemplating something serious. Ezra wondered if he’d had enough of the party or if he was just taking a break. Maybe he’d never really gelled with his classmates like Ezra and felt like an outsider at a get together like this.
A few yards away, Ezra’s attention was drawn to two young ladies walking through the entrance. The first one in looked like someone he should know, though she looked like she could blend in a crowd easily. She wore a long-sleeved black turtleneck sweater and a simple pair of blue jeans. Her hair was cut short, more or less shaved at the back and sides, but with a little more volume on top. She seemed a bit unsure of herself and which direction to go in. Too bad the attendant wasn’t there.
The next girl in was dressed in louder colours, though her outfit seemed simple enough: a spaghetti strap floral dress. She stepped further into the lobby and pulled out her phone from the dress’ pocket. She typed something and then turned to the other girl to say something when Ezra’s phone vibrated in his hand. He looked down at the message and then back up at the girl. It was Maya! She glanced at the young man standing in the corner and broke into a warm smile.
Ezra got the sinking feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong before he understood what it was exactly. Maya walked up to the young man in the corner absently staring out the window and sipping his drink. She tapped him on the shoulder then turned with her arms spread out towards the other young lady.
“Ta da! The ‘Nola makeover is complete.”
Ezra almost spit out his drink and from the looks of it so did the other young man. Maya’s look of confusion soon turned apologetic and Ezra’s eyes moved back to the other young lady in time to see her eyes widen in recognition and then absolute panic. Ezra knew that look. Ezra knew that face! His mouth opened.
“Ada?!”
Ezra’s brows furrowed in confusion. That was the exact word that his mouth had opened to let out but that had not been his voice.
“What are you doing here?” the young man blurted and from the look on Ada’s face, Ezra knew that was his cue to step in. He marched towards them with purpose.
“I–I–” Ada started. “I have to go.” She spun around and disappeared through the archway she’d come through minutes before.
Maya offered the young man a sheepish smile before tapping him on the shoulder. “It’s always good to see you, Sean.” He made no response. Maya nodded, lips pulled into her mouth in a straight line. She took a step back. “But I better…” she pointed behind her and Sean was still speechless and immobile. She hesitated for one second longer before heading out after Ada.
Ezra had reached Sean by then. He thought about just walking straight past him, but his mouth opened of its own accord. “Uhhh…I think Mitch was looking for you earlier.” Sean turned to him, his eyes not registering anything. “Yeah.” Ezra offered finally before hightailing it after the two young ladies.
He found Maya leaning over a crouched Ada both their chests heaving with the exertion. “I’m so sorry. I thought he was Ezra. I can’t believe I mistook him for–”
“I need.” Ada started and Maya’s rambling cut off immediately. “I need to go.”
Both girls were startled when he spoke, “I’m parked right over there.” He pointed. He tried his best to school his features, but one look at Ada and the set of her jaw was enough for him to know that she knew he’d seen everything.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered, hand outstretched towards her for the second time today. He saw the hesitation in her eyes and if he wasn’t mistaken he thought he saw her fingers twitch as though she was thinking about it. But instead she turned away and buried her face in her hands still in her crouched position.
Honestly, Ezra would have been more surprised if she’d taken his hand. He’d half expected her to slap it away, so this reaction was an upgrade.
“I just need a minute.” Ada breathed, barely a whisper, but he heard it.
“Okay. Sure. Take two if you need to.” He glanced at Maya, worry and guilt clear in her eyes.
“Alone.” Ada added, a pained hue to her voice.
“Of course. Yeah.”
“Sure.” Maya offered, making eye contact with him again. He tried to use those supposed telepathic powers of his to assure her that it hadn’t been her fault, but he knew he’d failed when she would no longer meet his eyes.
“Just come to the car when you’re ready.”
Ada nodded, head still in her hands.
The two friends walked to the vehicle in silence, well, as much silence as there could be while the wind whipped around them. Maya rubbed at her bare shoulders, her mind far away. He pressed the fob to unlock the car and headed straight to the trunk. He fished around in there for a minute before closing it and climbing into the driver’s seat.
He twisted his torso to look her in the eyes again before handing her the grey zip up hoody he kept in the trunk for colder mornings before he got to the gym. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Maya let out a humourless laugh, still refusing to look him in the eye or accept the hoody. He reached further into the backseat spreading the jacket over her backwards, tucking the front of the hoody around her shoulders so that the hood hung limp in front of her.
She looked up at him, finally. He tried to pour all the earnestness and honesty into his voice and eyes as he spoke again. “You couldn’t have known it was him. It wasn’t the first time tonight someone mistook the two of us for each other.”
He put a reassuring hand on one of her shoulders, “It wasn’t your fault.”
Maya closed her eyes, turning away her head. “Ezra, I–” she started when the passenger seat door opened and Ada got in.
Ezra spun around to check on her. She looked…normal, bored even. She pulled the door closed and turned to look at him.
“Before we go home, can we get something to eat? I haven’t had anything proper since lunch.”
He shot a questioningly look over his shoulder to Maya who offered him a forced smile. “I’m a free bird.” Ezra knew it was supposed to sound cheerful but she missed it by a long shot. His brows furrowed and she offered him a wobbly smile in return.
He turned back to see Ada, head leaning against the headrest, eyes closed, defined wrinkles between her brows.
“Yeah. Sure.” He started the ignition and he pulled out of the Pine Beach House parking lot.
A/N: I'm very poorly (read in a Keira Knightley from P&P accent) when it comes to my mental health RN. I honestly don't know when next I will be posting. :`(
Pretty Chill Summer + ‘Nola’s Best Family Restaurant = What is sleep?
What is sleep? + Spoiled Pop Star = Recipe for Disaster
Previous | Next
Word Count: ~4000
Chapter Summary: Is this what getting along looks like?
Chapter 9
Ezra and Ada walked into the gym in silence.
“Wait here,” he instructed as he moved towards the front desk. Just his luck! It was Maya's shift. He gave her an unimpressed look as she raised an eyebrow at him.
“Can you put her on my account?”
“Sure. I’d love to. I’m definitely enjoying this show of domesticity.”
“There’s nothing domestic about this. It’s just two people going to the gym together.”
“Mmmhmm.” Maya smirked. “Here’s the temp card I normally give Caleb.”
Ezra furrowed his brows.
“So she could come without you,” Maya enunciated the words with care while raising her eyebrows in the same annoying way.
He handed Ada her card and her locker key, before pointing out the aerobics and weights rooms and letting her know he’d be ready in an hour. Then, he stalked off without another word to the men's locker room.
Ten minutes later, he walked into the weights room to find her at the squat machine with a guy helping her take some of the weights off. He was relieved. She had already made herself at home. He wouldn’t have to babysit her here. He had clearly communicated as much, but Ada was, well… Ada, so saying what he wanted didn't always mean that he got it. With a satisfied smile, he put his headphones in and focused on his own workout.
Forty minutes later he was pushing through his last set on the leg press when she showed up in his periphery. He turned to get a better look. She was doing lateral pull downs in front of a mirror while a sweaty guy did bicep curls nearby. She moved machines and in a matter of a minute the guy had followed, carefully removing weights for her. She looked annoyed. Typical Ada, getting upset when someone was trying to help her.
He was content to believe that her ingratitude was the end of the story until they were back at the gym the next day. He'd tried leaving earlier to avoid her but she'd been standing in the kitchen, sipping tea when he had tried creeping through the house. It was almost as if she'd known he would try something like that.
So here he was stuck for another morning watching her get upset over a random dude helping her. You’d think he’d be able to just ignore her and focus on his own workout, but Ezra had kept moving from room to room and Ada had kept following him, always in his orbit. It was annoying, but their truce was what had him holding his tongue.
"Hey babe! Can you adjust the weights on the leg press for me?"
Ezra blinked. Then he blinked again.
"Babe!" Ada waved a hand in front of his face and Ezra was tempted to throw a look over his shoulder to make sure there wasn't some poor guy behind him that Ada was talking to.
"Can you adjust the weights for me?" She raised her eyebrows, trying to communicate something else with the look.
Ezra pulled an ear bud out of his ear and in leaning to do that, he caught a glimpse of the guy from yesterday hovering in the background. Everything made sense now.
He got up from his seat. "Sure thing, baby." He wasn't sure if his smile looked like more of a wince because he was definitely cringing on the inside.
Ada moved ahead of him and when they got to the machine he glanced around to find that the guy had resumed his own workout.
"Hey." He whispered as he pulled off a disc. "Do you want to report him? This gym has a strict policy against harassment."
She shook her head. "He didn't try anything, but I knew this was the fastest way to get him to leave me alone."
Ezra offered a curt nod as he removed another disc. “This good?”
“Yh. Thanks.”
“Mmhmmm.”
He tried, and failed, to shove down the guilt swirling in his stomach at having tried to avoid her. And if he spent the rest of the hour a bit more than an arm’s length from her, it was only because he had decided to do a lighter workout today.
The next day was only easier. Without having to discuss it, he'd be at her side, changing weights, not quite hovering, but close enough to ward off any creeps. They fell into an easy –Ezra didn’t think he could find a word for it. It wasn’t quite camaraderie, but they were tolerating each other. He was getting good workouts again and so he was sleeping better. From the looks of it, she was too.
That all translated well into work at ‘Nola’s. This was the last week to prep before the tourist season and it was usually so easy to feel overwhelmed, but this year felt different. Of course, Ada was still generous with her snide marks, but Ezra bore them well now that he was mostly well-rested. He had found it best to offer her a tight smile and get back to work. She scowled every time. It was great.
Gem had been a different challenge. Her remarks didn’t seem to hold the same bite as Ada’s, because it always felt like she didn’t mean to insult him, but it still came out that way. The good news was that Gem and Adalia worked well together waiting tables now that Ada had agreed to work alongside Francis in the kitchen. She was surprisingly good with a knife and chopping board and Francis was grateful to get rid of Adalia’s clumsiness. The poor girl was the epitome of accident-prone. Somehow she always managed to narrowly miss an actual injury, but it still stressed Francis out.
Francis’ peace was not the only upside to this new arrangement. With Ada in the kitchen, it would be more difficult for her to be recognized by a random customer. It would help her lay low. That’s exactly what he told Jess later that afternoon, with more than a little satisfaction.
She shot him a dubious look.
“What?”
“Lay low?”
“Yeah!”
“Covered in sequins?”
Ada walked out right at that moment. Her apron didn’t do as good a job of hiding her outfit underneath like the ‘Nola’s Best uniform shirt had done. Ezra was sure he could hear the rhinestones on her dress from where he stood at the entrance.
He offered Jess a sheepish smile. “She packed the suitcase of tour costumes.”
Nodding, Jess offered him a pat on the shoulder. “You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure something out.”
Three hours later, Ezra was sitting on an ottoman at the mall questioning all the decisions he’d made in life that had led him to this present nightmare.
“How does this look?”
“It’s fine.”
Ada’s eyes narrowed at him.
He didn’t mean to be dismissive. He just couldn’t tell the difference between this top and the last five. If he was being honest, that wasn’t quite true. He didn’t care to notice the difference. He’d expected to drop by one or two stores and pick out a couple pairs of shorts and some T-shirts and call it a day, but Ada had insisted that she had an image to uphold. He’d held his tongue for the sake of that blasted truce. Against his advice, she had chosen to wear sunglasses and an old bucket hat she found in Ma’s room. He had felt the pair would draw attention to her instead of away, but clad in one of the gym outfits she’d put together from Ma’s clothes, she looked like a normal tourist from Hewie.
“Is that…?” a voice sailed towards them from the front of the store.
They both froze. Ezra slowly turned around to see two young ladies at the check out. His heart rate picked up and he was already thinking up the route they could take out of the plaza without drawing any more attention, when one of the girls broke into a grin.
“Ezra! It is you. It’s been so long.”
Ezra’s eyes zeroed in on the girl’s face and then on her friend’s.
“Emma? Emily? Wow! Long time.”
Ezra glanced behind him as the girls started towards him. Ada had returned to the dressing room.
He gave both of them a polite hug. They had been in the same graduating class at Beanefield but Ezra couldn’t remember having more than one class together. He was used to these kinds of reactions though. People who moved to Hewie were always so excited to see him whenever they were back on vacation.
“You here on vacation or…” He offered the expected small talk.
“Actually we’re doing some shopping for my wedding.” Emma offered a smile that was the perfect expression of false modesty.
“Oh! Congratulations!” Ezra offered, because he was sure that it was the response she was looking for. She showed him her ring, that look of forced humility on her face as she continued talking, “‘Nora prices are ridiculous—” She interrupted herself, “Whoops! Look at me sounding like a real mainlander. Hewie prices are seriously ridiculous, though, so we thought we’d pop over to ‘Nola and…yeah.” She gestured with her ring-encumbered hand around them. Emily smiled politely next to her.
Ezra hoped the look on his face hadn’t betrayed his boredom. It was great that Emma was getting married. Power to her and her fiance. He didn’t have anything against his former classmates. They were really nice from what he remembered, but he was tired and he really couldn’t risk Ada coming out of the dressing room and being recognized. He fidgeted.
“But anyway, we’re having this little get together at Pine Beach House tonight. You should come! Some others from our class should be there. It will be our own little class reunion.”
Ezra hesitated. He shot a quick look over his shoulder. “Uhhh…” There was still no sign of Ada. “I’ll think about it. With the Rush starting next week…”
“Oh right. You’re still at ‘Nola’s Best.”
Ezra was sure that Emma hadn’t meant it that way. He didn’t care to be rubbing shoulders with the Hewians, but it still kind of stung that everyone had moved on except him. Emily offered him an apologetic smile that seemed to say, “Don’t take it personally. That’s just how she is.” He offered her a tight smile in return.
“Then you definitely should come. It’ll probably be your last opportunity for a night out.”
It would probably be his last opportunity for a night in, was the thought that popped into his head. He didn’t share it though, instead offering a forced smile and polite nod. Emily finally spoke up, jutting her chin up to gesture behind him, “You can bring your…”
He glanced at the curtain rustling while Ada changed.
Ezra shook his head violently. “Friend!” he blurted.
“Yeah! Bring your friend.” Emma’s grin widened with what looked like mischief while Emily tried to hide a grimace. Ezra was a bit confused by the reactions, but again, he didn’t share his thoughts.
“Anyway, we have to head out. We have a lunch date with my mom.” Emma took a few steps backwards, still facing him.
“Nice seeing you Ezra,” Emily offered, a genuine smile in place of her grimace.
“Yeah you too.” He watched them go offering a final wave.
“I think we need to take a snack break, Friend.”
He almost jumped out of his skin, hand going to his heart in an attempt to slow its rate. Ada had changed back into her original outfit and had two tops slung over her arm as she stood to his side, grinning up at him.
Ezra glanced at the time. It was almost one. He was running behind schedule. This wasn’t going to work, but he couldn’t just abandon her. He sighed, shooting off a quick text to Maya, before processing her purchases at the checkout counter.
“I know just the place. Let’s go.”
Ezra led her to a tiny bistro just a stone throw from the harbour’s lookout point. A chalkboard stood outside the front door, the menu scrawled on it in a loopy cursive, the same handwriting they’d become all too familiar with on oil-stained paper bags. He knew the moment she’d seen it when Ada let out a gasp. He turned around just in time to catch her eyes light up.
“Is this?”
“Olive’s Bistro.” He gestured to a seating area overlooking the water shared by the several tiny restaurants lining the street.
“No way! I’m coming inside. I have to see where the magic happens.”
“It might be a little crowded, but suit yourself.”
A little crowded was an understatement, but Ezra and Ada squirmed and squeezed their way through the back of the –Ezra didn’t know if you could call it a line. But he was used to this. Sensing his turn he called out his order. He glanced at Ada. She seemed a bit confused by all the commotion, but not disturbed. That was a bit of a surprise, though it shouldn’t have been. She would be used to crowds.
The wait was not as long as it should have been with the swarm of hungry customers, but the bistro workers were efficient and effective. In less than five minutes, Ezra was back at the counter handing over a bill to the cashier. He offered a polite smile as the older woman handed him his receipt and change.
He moved towards the young lady packaging his sandwiches with deft fingers. Eying the handwriting on one of the bags, she pushed the two paper bags towards him with a curious look. She lifted her questioning eyes to him. “Owens?”
“Yeah!” Ezra nodded, eyebrows furrowed at the person who was, apparently not so much a stranger, in front of him. He’d given his first name when he ordered, so she wasn’t reading it off the order. Maybe he was in the system or maybe she knew him. He racked his brain to think of where he knew her from. Coming up empty, he went with the safer, though more uncomfortable option. “Do I know you from somewh—” he started.
She shook her head with an understanding smile, pointing to one of the paper bags. “It’s the capers.” She looked at him again. “You’re the only one that orders them.”
“Really? But they’re so good!” Ezra protested.
“Apparently, we’re the only two people in ‘Nola who think so.” The young girl offered him a conspiratorial smile, while she started folding the next person’s order into a sheet of wax paper.
“Great minds!” Ezra offered a genuine smile.
“And taste buds,” she replied easily.
He broke into surprised laughter and her eyes squeezed tight in delight. They couldn’t help but grin at each other until the sound of a throat clearing caused Ezra to turn to the person next in line. Ezra, who was gripping his and Ada’s sandwich, was most definitely in the man’s way.
“Sorry,” he offered a sheepish smile to the next customer and a little wave to the young lady.
“See you around, Owens!” she nodded.
“Of course! Those of us with good taste have to stick together.” Ezra was still sporting a grin as he made his way to the door, when Ada appeared beside him again. He’d completely forgotten she was there and her sudden appearance startled him for the second time that day. Too embarrassed to clutch his chest this time, he pushed the door open and gestured for her to walk through.
“What was that?” she asked. He could hear the accusation disguised as curiosity.
“What was what?” He cleared his throat.
“That interaction? Did I just witness Ezra Owens flirting?”
“What?! No! Of course not!” Ezra turned to her in alarm. “Is that what it looked like?” He couldn’t hide the panic in his voice.
Despite the sky threatening rain, Ada gravitated towards an uncovered seat facing the sea. The metal table in front of her was sturdy, though you could see through the layers of different paint colors to the rust peaking out beneath. He sat next to her.
“No wonder Vivian is so concerned about your love life.”
Ezra was grateful he hadn’t started on his sandwich yet, because his mouth fell open.
“You’re absolutely clueless.”
“I am not!” He protested weakly. “And why were you listening in on a private conversation?”
“The girls earlier, the one in there,” Ada listed off on her fingers, ignoring his question. “I bet there are so many ‘regulars’ at the restaurant.”
“What are you talking about?”
Ada raised her eyebrows at him, taking a bite of her sandwich. Understanding lit his eyes before he scowled in disbelief.
“Hey! I don’t get it either!” Ada offered with her mouth full.
He made a face at her, before taking a bite of his sandwich. Both of their mouths full, there wasn’t much room for conversation. The pair settled into, though not necessarily a companionable silence, a comfortable one.
Ada ate her sandwich with her usual enjoyment, except her eyes didn’t close in satisfaction as often. She was studying the tourists at the lookout across the street. It was one of those perfect places for a touristy photo. If you angled yourself just right you could make it look like you were leaning against The Rocks. This summer, he was sure every Hewian’s feed would be flooded with pictures from this lookout point.
Ada seemed fascinated by the scene before her. To be fair, she’d probably never been here before. They’d never really taken her out and about in her first summer. She spent most days in mom’s room watching TV. The next year they’d all gone off to camp. She’d joined the music cohort and been hooked. She’d signed up every year after that until she was signed. Ezra was one of the few people who’d actually seen the start of her music career.
A rough wind whipped at the umbrellas nearby and threatened to pull Ada’s hat off her head. Two hands reached up to keep it in place and Ezra grinned.
“I told you it was a bad idea to wear that.” He’d said as much before they left the house, but Ada had insisted that she was tired of wearing wigs and there was no way she could be seen out in public in the state her hair was in.
She shot him what was supposed to be a withering glare but with her elbows bent and her hands overhead it just made her look more ridiculous. He stifled a laugh that seemed to turn the glare even more icy. Ezra couldn’t explain what came over him. He couldn’t help but tease her further.
“As usual, my advice means nothing.” He sniffed exaggeratedly.
She rolled her eyes, sensing his teasing. Something in her eyes made him believe her next words were serious, though. “I stayed, didn’t I?”
“As a last resort.”
“It doesn’t matter…”
“Of course not,” his I-told-you-so smile made her roll her eyes again.
“Whatever!”
He snickered and she turned with a scowl back to the harbour.
“Want a picture?”
She raised a single eyebrow and he responded with a silent gesture too, jutting his chin out towards another group of tourists taking pictures. She turned back to him looking as though he had asked her if she wanted to rob a bank.
“And what exactly am I going to do with a picture?” She raised both eyebrows in question, “I can’t post it online because then everyone will know where I am.”
“Ummm…maybe just keep it, as a nice memory. People can do that, you know.”
He stood, balling his sandwich wrapping and napkins up and stuffing them into the paper bag. He could sense her reluctance.
“Come on,” he stretched out a hand, expecting her to dump her garbage in it, “I promise to get your good side.”
“Fine!” His outstretched hand sank with the weight of her phone and then she was standing, tossing her garbage and making her way across the street.
Ezra watched her go as an unfamiliar feeling washed over him. Being with Ada like this, it was almost…easy. She stopped and turned to glare at him and his immediate thought was that she’d somehow been able to read his mind just now, but she only motioned for him to hurry up.
She was leaning against the wooden rail with a scowl on her face by the time he jogged over. He lifted the camera quickly and pretended to take a few pictures with his phone. Her eyes filled with horror.
“You delete that!” She screamed lunging towards him and his phone. Ezra leapt backward.
“Shhh!” He put a finger to his mouth as he gestured around them with his eyes. “You wouldn’t want to draw attention to yourself now would you?”
She opened her mouth to retort but then closed it in a firm line. She knew he was right. Pulling down her hat again, she threw a furtive glance over her shoulder and realizing that the coast was clear, she lunged at the phone in Ezra’s hand again.
For a second time, he easily swerved out of the way before she could reach him. His skill was the effect of ten or so years being the smallest of five hungry boys on a pizza night at the Owens house.
Out of reach, he took an actual picture of her glower, grinning in delight behind the camera. He started filming a video as the look intensified.
She crossed her arms. “You wouldn’t dare post those. Aunt Lila would kill you.”
“You’re right,” he relented.
She seemed surprised at first and then a smug smile spread across her face.
“But I’ll hold onto them.”
Her mouth opened in protest, but then she thought better of it.
“For memories, right?” her tone was sickeningly sweet.
“I was thinking more like extortion,” he muttered.
“What did you say?
“Oh! You look great in front of the ocean!”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he just continued grinning.
“Ready?” he asked with feigned innocence.
She rolled her eyes before leaning back on the railing with a look of consideration. “What do I do?
He shrugged. “You decide. It’s your memory.”
“I think I wanna’ look like I’m backing the wall. You know, with my leg propped up?”
“You got it!”
Ezra directed her through a few shots taken from her phone, and then a few from his own phone because his camera was better quality. Now he was angling the camera so that it looked like she was pushing the wall of rocks across the sea. From where he stood, it looked like she was having a lot of fun. An involuntary smile spread across his face at the thought. He’d send her all the photos later. Maybe when things settled down, he’d send a few to Ma. His smile grew wider. She’d like that.
For the second time in too short a span of time, Ezra was convinced that he could communicate with people telepathically when his phone started to flash with an incoming call from his mother.
He motioned to Ada that he had to take the call and moved further from the crowd.
“Well if it isn’t my long lost mother?”
“Ezra! How–things? How–you –ing?”
“Ma? Ma?”
“We – finally able to get —to a phone so –cide to call.”
“You’re breaking up.”
“Yes–ception is bad. How–you doing?”
“I’m fine Ma. Just missing you a lot.”
“Miss –too. -zra I–ot to go–know when is next time—call you. Hope you’re -ing fi.—ove you.”
The line went dead and Ezra huffed a breath, the phone dropping to his side with his hand. How was he supposed to survive this summer without Ma? He guessed that was the point; he’d always been too dependent on her. Now was the time for him to finally grow up.
He glanced up at Ada. She’d been on her own for a while now. If she could do it, he could too. He made a move towards her as a couple of teenagers approached and spoke to her while gesturing to their phone. He noticed her tight smile as she took the phone and leaned in. She slipped her sunglasses down a bit on her nose and the kids looked at each other in confusion. His heart rate slowed and he came to a complete stop as understanding dawned on him. The kids spoke to her and pointed to where Ezra had been standing just a few minutes prior, taking Ada’s picture. They hadn’t recognized her. They just wanted her to take a picture of all of them!
Ezra couldn’t help the relieved laughter that bubbled out of his chest when she stalked away in complete mortification. She adjusted the hat on her head glancing in his direction: an action he suspected was designed for her to see if he’d witnessed her little mishap. They made eye contact and he lost any ounce of composure he had left. He doubled over in silent laughter, eyes closed and grabbing his middle. Next time they opened, he caught a glimpse of her taking the picture and he wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw her fighting a smile. His laughter subsided in time for him to see her returning the kids’ camera. She offered them a genuine smile this time and his grin only grew when she directed it at him.
Pretty Chill Summer + ‘Nola’s Best Family Restaurant = What is sleep?
What is sleep? + Spoiled Pop Star = Recipe for Disaster
Previous | Next
Word Count: ~6000
Chapter Summary: Ezra overcomes his fear of kids?
Chapter 8
The next day, Ezra walked into the restaurant to a buzz of activity. He went straight to the kitchen with the bags he was carrying.
"How's it going?" he asked no one in particular as he opened the freezer to put away the contents of his bag.
"They're a rowdy bunch, but it seems like they're having fun." Adalia smiled as she pulled some fries out of the hot oil.
"Sounds about right." Ezra returned her smile before continuing, "The ice cream is in the freezer and the cones are over there." He pointed to the black grocery bag on the counter.
Francis nodded in response.
"I'm going to go say hi." Ezra stepped into the doorway and almost ran right into Ada. “Sorry,” he mumbled to no response from her. She walked around him and headed into the kitchen.
“Two more burgers and fries.”
He frowned at her non-response, but he chose not to make a big deal out of it, instead making his way into the dining hall. At the sight of the bustling room, he broke into a huge grin.
"Owens!" a voice called and he spun towards it.
If it was possible, his grin grew even wider. He joined Jess and a slim, almost frail-looking woman. Her grey hair was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head and she wore a loose floral blouse coupled with khaki capris and sandals. Bending down to her height, Ezra gave the woman a light kiss on the cheek before leaning back with a look of admiration.
"Vivian! You're looking more beautiful every time I see you."
The older woman's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“And I see you haven't outgrown your honey tongue.”
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Ezra quipped. Turning his grin to Jess, he continued, “Do you know what she's talking about?”
Jess shook her head in amusement as Vivian reached up both hands to cup Ezra's face, a playful scowl at her mouth though her eyes softened.
“You look tired, Ezzy.”
Ezra covered her hands, his own eyes softening. “It was just pre-season bustle without Ma. I'm fine. I promise.”
“You better be. Can't have anything happening to my Coco Boy.”
Ezra groaned, gently pulling Vivian's hands away from his face but holding onto them.
He caught sight of Ada delivering food to a nearby table from the corner of his eyes.
"I thought we'd agreed to stop calling me that."
Vivian squeezed his hands, “No matter what I call you, that’s what you will always be to me.”
Ezra could feel a lump forming in his throat. He looked down at their hands, hers small and wrinkled, his rough and calloused. He didn’t know what to say. He squeezed her hands back and she offered him a soft smile, her eyes and the slight nod of her head communicating her understanding.
"You know I–" he started to say anyway when a buzzing sound filled the air.
Vivian’s head turned in the direction it was coming from.
“I’ve been waiting on a call all morning. I should get that, but when I’m done we should catch up.”
Ezra nodded, still a bit choked up. They let go of each other’s hands and she headed to her purse. Exhaling a shaky breath, he glanced around, grateful to see Jess and Ada busy serving tables. He should go help too.
Two minutes later, equipped with his apron and a notepad, he almost bumped into Ada again as she made her way back to the kitchen.
“Sorry!” They spoke in unison.
He was surprised to see genuine regret in her features, until she recognized that it was him and her scowl returned.
That was more like it. Without another word, he took a step towards the dining hall. At the same time, she took a step towards the kitchen and they almost walked into each other again. She made a sound quite like a groan of frustration and Ezra scowled. It’s not like he had done it on purpose.
They tried again to move around each other and ended up stepping into each other’s paths again.
With a tired sigh, Ada stepped aside and gestured for him to pass. A mischievous smirk spread on her lips with the sweeping of her empty hand, “After you, Sweet Cheeks.”
Ezra sucked his teeth and headed out into the crowded room. He had not made it far when she called out to him, “or should I say, Coco Boy.”
He stopped in his tracks. This was just his luck. He sighed, his shoulders slumping with the exhale. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of turning around. It was just a silly, sentimental nickname after all, but he hated that it was responsible for the smug look he was sure that she was giving his back.
Half an hour later, Ezra walked out into the hall with his own plate and searched the tables for an empty seat. All the kids had been fed and since it would be a while until they served dessert, he and the other workers had decided to eat now that most of the work was done.
Vivian was still on the phone, he didn’t want to disturb her. Jess and Adalia were at the bar. Ada had disappeared to the bathroom or something, but he was sure she would join them when she got back and he didn’t want to have to deal with her. He scanned the sea of kids until he stopped at a small table in the back.
A girl who couldn’t have been more than ten sat hunched over a book. She seemed to take up a lot of space and none at the same time. He pulled out a chair and without looking up she popped a fry into her mouth. On closer inspection, she could be at least twelve. Ezra cleared his throat as he sat.
“I’m not alone by accident.” She spoke, still not looking at him. “I’m not interested in conversation.”
“Well. Good afternoon to you too.” Ezra muttered. She looked up at him then and Ezra almost got up and left. She seemed to see into his very soul. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe and her expression did not change except for a slight wrinkle at the bottom left of her mouth. Ezra couldn’t help but feel that she had found him inadequate in some way.
A bit rattled, Ezra got busy with eating. Why should he care what a twelve-year old thought? He shouldn't. He didn't!
When said twelve-year old returned to her book, he let out a breath of relief. After a beat, he caught a low “good afternoon.”
He tried to assure himself that he wasn’t afraid of kids. He’d been one himself not too long ago and so of course he could still relate to them.
A traitorous voice in his head reminded him of the last insult that had been hurled at him by a preteen in his mom’s library group. He’d overheard the boy say that he looked like the human embodiment of Mr. Peabody. He didn’t even wear glasses! But that one still haunted him three years later.
He glanced up at the room only to notice that his companion had been looking at him. She averted her eyes to her book as soon as their eyes met. His eyes were drawn to her book too and at recognizing the cover he gasped.
She looked at him by instinct.
“Is that the All’s Well series?” he blurted. “I love that series!”
She offered him a curious look.
“What? You don’t like the story so far? What is that? Book…” he hesitated, “...2, right?”
She closed the book over a finger to look at the cover and nodded.
“You don’t like it?” he asked again, unable to hide his eagerness.
“Well, it’s not bad.”
“Not bad?! It’s genius! I can’t believe yo–”
“Can I sit here?”
Ezra looked up in surprise and his brain seemed to short-circuit at the sight of Ada. He blinked, finally processing that he should say something. He glanced at the spot he expected her to be as though wondering if she could be in two places at the same time. Instead, he found Francis sitting with the two ladies. He glanced at the young girl who raised an eyebrow a margin of a centimeter.
“I can go somewhere else,” Ada made to walk away.
“No! No!” Ezra shot up, pulling out a seat next to him for her to sit in. She had her phone in one hand and the plate in another. She sat reluctantly and Ezra pushed her in before shuffling his chair an inch or two away from hers and sitting down.
All the while, he could feel the little girl’s eyes flitting between the two of them. Head down, he stuffed his mouth with a handful of fries and a bite of his sandwich before looking up at the little girl.
A tiny smile sat on her lips as she read.
Ezra had no clue what to say, so he took another bite from his burger.
Ada glanced at her phone that she’d placed, face up next to her plate on the table. She took a fry and bit it absentmindedly while she stared at the phone.
She looked up and Ezra looked away. He almost groaned aloud. This was so awkward. Why did she have to sit here?
He glanced at the young girl again and was about to ask her name when he noticed how she was looking at Ada. Head tilted, her eyes searched Ada’s features. Ezra’s heart lurched into his throat when he saw recognition on her face.
“Are you waiting for a call?” she asked Ada.
It took a few seconds before she could register that someone was talking to her.
“Hmmm? Oh…no.” Ada sounded unsure of her answer.
“Mmmhmmm…” the young girl sounded like she didn’t believe her, but didn’t push it. She popped another fry into her mouth without looking, her eyes now trained on her book again.
“An email.” Ada muttered.
The girl didn’t look up.
“I’m waiting for an email,” she said a little louder this time.
“Mmmm,” was the only response Ada got.
Ezra was unsuccessful at hiding his snicker with a cough and soon that familiar scowl was turned on him. He turned back to his food and eventually so did Ada.
“What’s your name?” Ada asked.
With an exaggerated sigh, the girl shoved a bookmark in her book and tossed it on the table. Crossing her arms, she offered a fake smile, “Gem.”
Ada nodded, “Nice to meet yo–”
“Any other questions?”
Ada’s mouth hung open for a second until she shook her head slightly, eyes wide in surprise.
“Good!” Gem was back to her book.
“Shhhh! Shut up! They’re going to hear you.”
Ezra didn’t even have a chance to enjoy Ada being told off by a literal child due to the distraction. His eyes traveled to the origin of the whispers to find a table of teen girls across from them. One had her hand over another’s mouth while her friend was trying to shove her away. He watched as she slowly lifted her fingers to check if her friend would cooperate. She heaved a premature sigh of relief when her friend’s lips stayed closed, before shooting a subtle glance at Ezra’s table. It was the wrong move, because while she had been distracted for a second, her friend had gotten up and was making her way towards their table. The first girl stood and made to follow her, but realizing that Ezra –Ezra glanced around him– and apparently Ada, were watching, she hesitated and then sat back down.
“Excuse me?” the young girl asked, coming straight up to Ada and ignoring the other occupants of the table.
Ada glanced up at her with interest while Ezra took another peep at the table where the teen girl was now biting her nails.
“Me and my friends thought you looked very familiar. Are you a celebrity?”
Ada opened her mouth, no sound coming out. She glanced at Ezra and then back at the girl, “I…I”
"Because you look so much like Fiona Williams– without makeup of course– and my friend,” she pointed to the girl at the table who offered a little wave, “thinks you look more like Waveney.”
“Ummm…” Ada started again.
“I think she looks more like Ada Michelle, if you ask me, Stephanie.”
Thankfully, Ezra had already swallowed the contents of his mouth, so there were no pieces of chewed potato flying everywhere as they all turned to look at the girl sitting at their table.
Ezra held his breath as Gem turned from the girl he now knew was Stephanie to look at Ada with a quirked brow.
“I bet you get that all the time.”
Ada let out a nervous chuckle. “Wellll…”
“Nahhhh! I don’t see the resemblance,” Stephanie chimed in.
Ada offered a tight smile to both young girls, Gem and then Stephanie, before she spoke directly to the second, “I’m not Fiona or Waveney,” she shrugged, “Sorry to disappoint.”
“I guess I shouldn’t have expected either of them to show up at an old place like this,” Stephanie muttered before heading back to her table, her shoulders sinking with her insult.
Ezra gasped and it was Ada’s turn to snicker. Her amusement was short-lived though when Gem put her book down again to study them.
“What’s your name then,” Gem asked, looking intently at Ada.
Ezra chewed on a few fries thoughtfully. He had to be grateful Ada had chosen a career in music and not acting, because she was practically squirming in her seat.
“Ada–” she coughed, while Ezra almost actually choked this time, “Adaline.”
He brought his drink to his lips, an opportunity to study Gem more discreetly and also soothe the irritation in his throat. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ada trying to evaluate the young girl’s reaction too.
There was no light of recognition, aha moment or “Ha! I caught you red-handed!” running across her face, but he couldn’t be sure. He only relaxed when her attention turned to him.
“And you?” she pointed her chin at him.
“Ezra.”
Ezra saw a look of mischief cross Ada’s face and he knew he had to say something before she shared one of his embarrassing nicknames with a complete stranger.
“I can’t believe you think ‘All’s Well’ is just okay, Gem.”
She shrugged.
“What’s ‘All’s Well?”
“It’s a series about a monarchy who say they’re not a monarchy, but for all intents and purposes are a monarchy and their process for choosing the next monarch.” Ezra used air quotes on the last word.
“It follows the nephew and daughter of the current monarch,” Gem snorted at his statement. “No spoilers!” he warned and she made the action of zipping her mouth closed. “And their attempt to sort of …dismantle?” he glanced at Gem who gave a noncommittal shrug, “dismantle –Yeah– dismantle the system now that it’s the heiress’ eighteenth birthday and it’s time to choose the next generation of leaders.”
“I can’t believe you’re still into children’s books, Ezra.”
“You say that like it's something to be ashamed of.”
“Because it is!”
“Just because a book is designed for a specific target audience doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed by people outside of the target audience. Take Alice in Wonderland for instance, it was intended for children, but it's still a classic. There are so many other children's books that are universally considered to be classics…the Little Prince, Anne of Green Gables—”
Gem's book was tossed against the table again with a thud, startling the other two occupants of the table.
“It's not a children’s series,” she said through gritted teeth, “You know how I know? Because I'm not a child!”
Her glower only intensified when Ezra and Ada looked at each other and then to her in confusion.
"Aren't you like 10?'
"No! I'm about to be 15 next month.” Her indignation was evident both in her tone and her downturned eyebrows.
Ada and Ezra shot each other a look of unbridled surprise.
“Huh. I’d have never guessed.” They nodded in agreement at each other while Gem scowled.
“Thanks!” She picked up her book and then proceeded to ignore them both.
Ada took the opportunity to finish off her fries. In two minutes, she was standing.
“Excuse me, I’m going to go help with the dessert.”
Ezra nodded and Gem offered an “mmmhmmm”.
Ada looked directly at the young girl and her empty plate. “You done?”
Another grunt.
Ada rolled her eyes and picked up the girl’s plate.
“You’re welcome,” she muttered.
“Thanks.” Gem said too late after Ada had left.
Ezra studied her. There was something oddly familiar about Gem, her attitude, her interests, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet.
She looked up at him, catching him staring and seemed surprised that he didn’t avert his eyes.
“What?” she asked, suspicion clear in her voice.
Ezra grinned. “Who's your favorite character? Do you have a favorite character? Please tell me you at least have a favorite character?”
There was a beat of silence and Ezra thought she wouldn’t answer. She looked down at the book in her hands as though it would give her the answer. She looked back at him.
“Anna.”
“Really?” Ezra was not good at hiding his surprise. She crossed her arms and he was drawn to her graphic tee. It looked like Dawters and Sons merch. His brows furrowed further. She did not look like the type to be an Anna fan.
“I thought you'd be more of a Dimitri fan.”
“Why?”
“Because he's mysterious and has that no nonsense attitude.”
“Like me?”
“Well…” Ezra tried to take his foot out of his mouth but it seemed it was too snug a fit. He sighed. “You said it, not me.”
Gem’s mouth twitched. If Ezra didn’t know better, he’d have thought it was the ghost of a smile.
He took it as a good sign. “What’s your favourite ship?”
Gem made a face of disgust and Ezra chuckled. He grinned as the ghost of a smile returned.
“I don’t believe in shipping.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“Buuuuttt…if I had to choose my favourite duo, it would be Drew and Shawna.”
Ezra’s mouth hung open. “Really?”
Gem shrugged. “They make a good team.”
“Fair enough.”
“What’s yours?”
“My favourite partner…ship?” Ezra offered a cheeky grin and Gem rolled her eyes.
“Hmmm…I’d say… Lex and Dimitri.”
Gem shot him another look of disgust. “Seriously?”
“What?” His tone was defensive.
“They’re always at each other’s throats.”
Ezra shrugged. “Who doesn’t like a good enemies-to-reluctant-friends trope?”
“Mmmhmmm.” Gem actually smiled this time as she offered him a knowing look. It was kind of scary.
“What?” This time the question hinted at both curiosity and fear.
“Oh nothing.” Gem’s smile grew more mischievous. “They do eventually put aside their differences and are able to work together.”
“Exactly!”
“What are you two talking so animatedly about?”
Vivian appeared at their table, a hand on each of their shoulders.
“We were just chatting about the book Gem is reading. It’s from a favourite series of mine.”
Vivian shook her head as she sat down. “You and your books. I wish you’d spend that much time and energy on finding a girlfriend.”
Ezra groaned as his head fell to the table with a thud. It wasn’t loud enough for him to miss Gem’s snort.
The old woman chuckled. “What? I’m only speaking the truth. Any girl would be lucky to have you.”
Ezra groaned again.
“What about that Nicholas girl?”
“Viv…” the one syllable sounded like a warning.
“So sorry to interrupt.” The trio turned to find Ada at their table, a tray of ice cream cups in her hands.
Ezra glanced around in surprise, most of the room was already licking away at their ice cream cones. He had had every intention to help out but he’d been distracted by Gem and Vivian.
He glanced up at the two women wearing matching pouts.
“Are there no cones left?” Gem asked, her tone reeking of disappointment.
“Oh there are. We just figured the adults would prefer cups.”
Ezra didn’t miss Gem’s hint of a smile at being referred to as an adult.
“I am young at heart when it comes to ice cream.” Vivian smiled.
Ezra pushed his seat backward and made to stand up, “I’ll get it.” Ezra spoke, not wanting the other occupants of the table to have to witness Ada’s temper.
To his utter surprise, Ada responded with understanding. She offered Vivian what seemed to be a genuine smile. It somehow was extended to him too.
“No no no. I’ll take care of it. Three cones coming up.”
“Thank you!” Ada’s eyes turned to him with annoyance, but her voice was still filled with sweet politeness. “My pleasure.”
Ezra closed his eyes with a sigh. This feud was exhausting and he wasn’t quite sure it was worth it anymore. When his eyes opened again, Vivian was giving him a funny look. She turned to Gem and he almost couldn’t believe his eyes when they shared what looked like a conspiratorial smile. Gem showed actual teeth!
He looked between the two with his suspicion growing rapidly.
“So… Ezzy,” Viv turned her body to face him. What about that young lady?”
He was filled with immediate panic. He didn’t know if he could outright lie to Vivian about Ada’s true identity. That wasn’t so much of an issue. Vivian knew how to keep a secret, but Gem was sitting right there, her book closed and — his eyes snapped back to her— still grinning!
“Wh—“ he swallowed turning back to face Vivian, “What about her?”
“I think you two could be great togeth—“
“Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope!” He interrupted,his head shaking furiously from side to side, as he finally understood her meaning. The relief he felt at not being found out was completely overshadowed by the disgust he felt at the idea of him and Ada in a romantic relationship.
“But she’s so pretty and sweet—“ Ezra couldn’t help it. He snorted and for some reason Gem’s grin grew.
Vivian shot him a reproachful look.
Ezra took a deep breath before opening his mouth again. “Look, Viv, if the smartest, sweetest, prettiest, most perfect girl fell from the sky, I’d still be single, because never mind the fact that she has to at least tolerate me for anything to happen, I don’t have the time for a relationship.
“Between running ‘Nola’s and my Master’s there’s barely even enough time to sleep. It’s not going to work.”
“Ezzy, I just want you to be happy” Vivian offered him a pitying look.
He was immediately on the defensive, his chin lifting in defiance, “and who says I’m not happy?”
Vivian shot him an “are you kidding me” stare and he glanced at Gem who was conveniently back to reading her book.
Leaning back in his chair, he toyed with his fingers on the table while he pulled at his bottom lip with his teeth. He looked up at Vivian again, “Fine! I’m not the happiest person right now but it has nothing to do with me being single.
“Besides, I’m not going to rely on anyone else to make me happy.”
“You’re right. Of course you’re right!”
Ezra sighed, “why does it feel like there’s a but coming?”
Vivian laughed. “Not a but. Maybe an and. I just don’t want you to miss out on something great because you’re afraid.”
“Pshh! Afraid? Who’s afraid? I’m just busy, that's all.”
Vivian patted his hand, still stretched out on the table before him. “Of course.”
He was about to ask why it felt like she didn’t believe him when Adalia showed up with their cones.
Ezra eyed the ice-cream. It looked suspiciously like cookies and cream. “Is that cookies and cream?”
“Yes!” Adalia responded excitedly. “Adaline said it was your favorite.”
Ezra clenched his jaw in an attempt to prevent himself from saying anything stupid. He hated cookies and cream. He was of the firm belief that dry desserts and moist desserts should not be mixed, so he’d deliberately bought strawberry as an alternative for people like him. That was what had been in their cups earlier. Adaline had made the switch on purpose. He glanced over at a nearby table and caught her looking at him. She was wearing a triumphant smirk.
“She must have got me mixed up with someone else,” he turned back to Adalia with a tight smile.
“In that case, I’ll have his too.” Gem reached for another cone off the tray with a grin.
Adalia, her tray empty, made to head back to the kitchen when Vivian called out to her, “Wait! Miss French!" Adalia turned. “How’s your grandfather?”
The young girl offered a sweet smile. “He’s doing so much better,” her smile fell, “only, I don’t think he’ll be back on his feet in time for camp this summer."
Vivian nodded with concern. "I was afraid that would happen. He must be so disappointed."
"He is."
"Please let him know that we are wishing him a quick and complete recovery."
"Thanks. I will." Adalia left.
Vivian sighed. "I had suspected as much," she said to herself.
"What was that about?"
"Ohh with your Mom gone this summer we had to adjust the summer program, so we asked Mr. French to do some woodworking with them.
"He was getting ready for the program but he had a dizzy spell and injured himself and because he's diabetic he has to be very careful with even small injuries like this."
Vivian sighed again.
"When I heard about his injury I called in a favour with a friend as backup. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this."
"Nooo," Gem groaned. It was her turn to drop her head to the table.
The action startled Ezra who turned to Vivian with a raised brow.
"I called in a favour with one of my friends from the Academy," she explained.
"Ahh…" Ezra nodded in understanding. "I take it Gem is not much of a dancer."
Vivian offered a brisk shake of her head while she mouthed the words "two left feet".
"She can't be that bad. I'm sure Anwar could work his magic–"
"Anwar is on vacation in the BLI and Erica…" Ezra took a sharp inhale at the sound of that name, "banned her from ever setting foot in her studio again."
Ezra tried to hide the mirth in his voice, "That's rough!"
Gem tilted her head up to glower at Ezra. He raised his hands, palms open in response but wasn't able to wipe the smile off his face fast enough.
"I know what Erica's like…" he offered, his tone full of sympathy. "But how bad do you have to be to get banned." The grin was back on his face.
"Ezra!" Vivian reprimanded.
Gem's head returned to the crevice of her elbows where she let out another groan.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Hands raised in defense again, he offered the sullen girl an apology. Her only response was to lean back in her seat and offer him a snarl.
"I was only teasing." He continued. "Besides, Erica has unrealistic expectations of non dancers. There's no need to take it personally."
Vivian nodded so somberly that Ezra almost burst out laughing this time. But that wouldn't be fair to Gem so he tamped down the laughter bubbling in his chest with a few well timed coughs.
"So I just need to find placement for Gem and everyone is set."
Ezra tilted his head to the side in thought. “What about one of those tech internships the phone companies are always offering?”
“Bleggh!”
Ezra turned to Gem with a “what are you, five?” look. She merely stuck out her tongue in response.
“The deadline for application for all of those would be long gone.” Vivian sighed again, “Woodworking was the one thing everyone was excited about.”
Ezra sighed too, “I wish there was something I could do to help, but I’m no good with a hammer.”
Vivian reached out to cover his hand, “That’s sweet of you, Ezzy.”
Ezra could not remember when last he’d felt such fear as when he looked up to find Gem looking at him, eyes bright with mischief and teeth on full display. He didn’t know what she was about to ask but he was already shaking his head no.
She turned her thousand-watt smile to Vivian. “What if I came here?”
Brows furrowed, Vivian gave Gem a confused look.
“You know my dream is to own my own hotel. This would be like an internship. A hospitality internship! Shadowing a restaurateur for the summer.” She gave Ezra a once-over and scrunched up her nose before adding, “Well, close enough.”
Ezra didn’t even have the presence of mind to feel offended, he was too caught up on the horror of having to babysit yet another complicated young woman this summer.
“Ezzy?” Vivian turned to him with the question in her eyes.
“You wouldn’t even know I’m there. I’ll be quiet. I’ll do the dishes. I’ll clean. I’ll wait tables. Anything you need done.”
“That sounds like a child labour law suit waiting to happen.”
“Nope! I’m fifteen, remember. Well, almost. We can call it an internship so it doesn’t matter. I just can’t work more than 20 hours a week.”
“I don’t know about this.”
“It’s almost tourist season and I’m sure you’ll need the extra pair of hands.”
She was right about that. He’d have extra help without the cost that came with it. Besides, he’d been a bit worried about Ada being recognized. Maybe Adalia and Gem could work out front while Ada worked in the back.
"Please?" Gem looked desperate. He knew that feeling all too well. How could he say no to that?
"Fine," he muttered and Gem practically deflated in relief. “but I need to have a chat with your parents to make sure they’re okay with it.”
“Viv, can you organize that?”
The older woman nodded. “I’ll send your dad his number,” she assured Gem.
Ezra turned back to Gem, “and you have to be nice to the customers, even if they're annoying."
The young girl plastered a cheerful smile onto her face, "Yes sir, of course sir."
Vivian let out a surprised laugh while Ezra visibly shuddered. "We open at eight," was his begrudging reply.
After the ice cream and a few group pictures, the kids were lined up and loaded onto the buses. Working together, Ezra and the team managed to clean up and pack up in half hour.
They must have both been exhausted, so it was no surprise that the ride home was quiet. Ada didn’t glance at him once. He almost hadn’t noticed, since he’d been lost in thought himself. Something Gem had said kept playing over in his mind.
They do eventually put aside their differences and are able to work together.
Lex and Dimitri do end up making a great partnership once they get over themselves. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from them.
Ezra pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine out of habit. He didn’t move from his seat.
“Ada, I–”
His voice was cut off by the door slamming. He watched with his mouth open as she skipped up the stairs and unlocked the front door, slamming it behind her. He let out a puff of air in frustration. This was going to be a lot easier said than done, but he was not about to give up.
A few hours later, he headed to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He heard movement and assumed she was already there. He almost turned around and headed back to his room, but he changed his mind. No. They needed to talk and this was his best opportunity.
He leaned against the doorway and watched as she tiptoed, pushing up on the counter to try to reach the box in the top cabinet. Her fingertips grazed it and she braced herself seconds before she could slam into the counter. She tried again, this time with a little leap but she only managed to slam her shin into a cabinet below. The sound of the cabinet door swinging back and forth didn’t drown out Ada’s muttered words of anger as she stooped to nurse her bruised shin.
“Need some help?”
She spun around, noticing him for the first time. Her eyes clearly questioning how much he had seen and narrowing infinitesimally as the side of his mouth twitched.
Effortlessly, he reached up and pulled the box of tea she had been reaching for earlier off the shelf. He gestured towards the tea biscuits and she nodded. He tossed it onto the counter before grabbing a Ziploc bag, filling it with ice and then wrapping it in a kitchen towel. He gestured to the counter and she begrudgingly hopped on, stretching her injured foot out until it rested on the stool across the room.
The bruise was dark and ugly and he quirked an eyebrow at her in question. There was no way it was a new injury. Her face set, she crossed her arms in front of her, her only response. He nodded, the yelp from her first night made sense now. He placed the makeshift ice pack on the area gingerly, but still flinched when she made a sharp intake of breath.
He gestured for her to hold it in place while he made them both a cup of tea. After she moved the stool closer to support the injured part of her leg and the pack, he handed her a cup. She offered him a biscuit and he shook his head, his mug covering his mouth as he breathed in the steam.
She shrugged as if to say, “More for me.”
He took a sip of his tea and studied her quietly. The average person would think she looked pretty normal for someone who was in the middle of watching their dream career be flushed down the drain, but Ezra knew better. He was all too familiar with that pleasant mask of hers.
He knew all the chinks in her armour like the slight crease at the corner of her mouth that was the equivalent of a frown, and he could just about make out how the areas under her eyes were darker than the rest. She wasn’t sleeping either. For some reason that knowledge made him feel triumphant and he took a sip of tea to hide his smirk.
He glanced at her again as she took a sip from her mug. Her eyes fluttered closed as she let out a deep breath. Her shoulders drooped just like the corners of her mouth, pulled down from the weight of her exhaustion. Just like that, his smirk slipped off his face.
This feud they had going on wasn’t helping either of them. They both had enough on their plates already. Maybe it was time to move on. When her eyes opened, he spoke.
“Look…"
He seemed to jar her out of her thoughts. She raised an eyebrow.
“..we’re going to be stuck with each other for at least another few weeks…"
Her lips flattened into a line.
“...I say let’s call a truce,” he continued. “It won’t help either of us if we’re at each other's throats all the time.”
A lazy smile spread across her lips, slow and smug.
“I’ll do it if you can.” She shrugged.
“If I can?” The question was tinged with thinly veiled indignation.
“Yeah! I’ll take your lead. Match your moves. Though I doubt you can be civil for more than a week.”
“I wonder why that is.”
“I’d say you were raised by wolves, but it’s clearly not Aunt Lila and Uncle Elwin's fault. Your brothers are perfect gentlemen.”
His grip on his mug tightened. He took a sip.
“Whatever.”
He felt more than an ounce of triumph as her eyebrows raised at his lack of response. It would be hard, but he wasn’t going to rise to her bait anymore. He was bigger than that.
“Well...this was a nice chat. I’m off to bed.” He glanced at her shin. “You should be good to go in another five minutes. Depending on how it looks tomorrow, we might have to ice it again.”
She shot him a suspicious look, but he ignored it.
“‘Night. Hope you sleep well.”
He left with his mug in tow, a secret smile on his face.
What was that saying? Kill them with kindness. He frowned. He wasn’t quite sure he could manage that, but he sure was going to try to sicken her with sweetness.
A/N: This has been a long time coming. Just happy to get it out there. Not sure when the next part will be out but I’ve decided to keep pushing because that’s the only way I’ll figure out how this story goes.
