Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
He wasn’t sure if it was the smoke choking him, or the stress of what just happened, but it reminded him of that time when he was still a teen and made toast in the kitchen. He’d burned the bread, and the fire alarm went off during his dad’s conference call. Dad had come over with his phone, relieved there was no fire. He turned off the alarm and laughed about it to his colleagues. But as soon as the call was over, Dad smacked Ezra so hard, he hit his head on the counter and ended up needing stitches. It was fortunate that he could cover that scar with his hair.
Frank looked up at him as he put out all the candles, and his silence clawed into Ezra, keeping him still. They were here on their own, and if something happened, no one would help Ezra, no matter how loudly he screamed.
“It’s okay. You didn’t get burned, did you?” Frank asked.
Ezra made a quiet sound in the back of his throat and toast on the top step, trying to even out his breathing. “No,” he whispered, lost in this unexpected moment. He hadn’t seen his father for years, so why was he coming back to haunt him? “I’m really sorry. I messed up your surprise.”
Frank took a few steps up the stairs to grab his hand. “It’s fine, baby. The cheese didn’t even melt,” he said and laughed, easing the tension in Ezra’s chest. “But it’s smoky down there now. You stay up there, I’ll grab some untoasted blankets, and we can stay on the deck. We wanted to look at the moon anyway.”
Holding his hand felt like handling the most precious thing in existence, even though it was so big, and covered by skin that wasn’t as soft as Ezra’s. So he kissed it again. “Yes. Let’s stay out. I’m sure we can keep each other warm.”
Frank smiled at him and let go as Ezra’s heartbeat returned to its normal pace. “And we have booze to help with that too,” he said and disappeared under the deck to gather everything.
They worked together, with Frank passing him things from downstairs and in no time Ezra created a nest with a view of the moon over the forest beyond the junkyard’s fence. They even got the comforter from the bed for extra warmth.
Once they settled together, the burning desire from earlier lay dormant, but Ezra rested his head in the crook of Frank’s arm and watched him in the glow of the magical moon. On a night like this, the impossible seemed more within his grasp, and when their eyes met again, Ezra’s heart did a little dance.
Frank hadn't snapped.
He’d stayed calm and made sure Ezra was okay despite him having spoiled this evening’s plans.
“This is the best date night in the history of date nights. Minus the fire, of course.”
“Aw, Ezra… You’re too kind. I bet you’ve been treated to many five-star experiences.” Frank said and kissed the side of his head as he held Ezra close.
There it was, Frank undervaluing his efforts again. He was such a confident man in some matters, yet somehow infuriatingly self-deprecating in others.
“You didn’t pay someone to do this. You took the time from your day to do something that would make me happy,” Ezra said, raising himself on one arm to pin Frank down and make sure he understood. “No one ever did that for me before.”
Frank stroked his face, meeting Ezra’s eyes. “I don’t believe that. No boyfriend desperately trying to get your attention with a hand-knit scarf?”
Ezra chuckled and rubbed stubble on Frank’s cheek, floating in his arms on this imaginary, yet very real, boat. “I already told you I never had a boyfriend. And… well, for many of the men I was meeting up with, treating me was more about the way they felt about themselves than it was about me. They took me to a five-star hotel because they wanted to be in a five-star hotel.”
But Frank was different. Even when he'd been actively paying to meet Ezra, he always acted as if he were the one who needed to earn Ezra’s attention, not the other way around.
“Is this what you always do for the boys you date?” Ezra went on with a small smile.
Frank shook his head and pulled away just enough to open the bottle of wine. “You overestimate my dating life. I’ve been too busy for a boyfriend. Especially when I was saving to pay for my sister’s treatments. Before that, I had several long-term partners. One cheated on me. One was very submissive and wanted me to dom him, which isn’t really my thing. One got sick of living here and wanted to move, but I didn’t. We tried to compromise for a while. He put up the picket fence, made a vegetable garden in the backyard, but we clashed about the way he spoke of the place I call home. At some point the resentment just became too much.”