𝐄𝐳𝐫𝐚 | 18+

59

Ezra, taking one long stride, stands closely next to me, most likely sensing my uneasiness. About ten people flood through the kitchen door.

Imagine the scene from The Shining where blood pours out of the elevator, but instead of blood imagine people. This is how I'm feeling right now. Though they're mostly calm, nobody is screaming and nobody is throwing punches or anything like that. They're simply talking amongst themselves in various languages. Ezra laces his hand in mine and gives it a squeeze as he speaks to a man in front of him.

This goes on for a few minutes and, by the time he's done greeting (and being greeted) by all of the family members, my social anxiety is through the roof and my entire body is trembling nervously.

I try to focus my attention on something other than the fact that I'm almost being suffocated by people. I hope we get to move to the living room at some point since it's a lot bigger than this tiny ass kitchen. During all of this, Nonna was cooking AND welcoming people simultaneously. Many people stopped to say hi to me too, hugging me, kissing my cheeks, and it's all a bit much.

Don't get me wrong, they're amazing people. It's the room that's a bit too small for my liking. I tap Ezra on the shoulder and step on my tippy toes to try to reach his ear. He leans towards me a bit, ducking his head in my neck, allowing me to speak by his ear.

"Where's the restroom?" I ask him. He lifts himself straight and guides me out of the room. As soon as I'm in the hallway I feel at ease. Ezra wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head.

"Sorry about them, they're a bit excited to see us." He chuckles. "As soon as the food is ready we are all going to sit at the table." He explains. I nod quickly.

"Are you okay, bellissima?" We stop in front of a wooden door but he takes both my hands in his, looking down into my eyes.

"I am." I say, truthfully. Because, I am okay. I was just a bit overwhelmed in the other room. I don't do well in big crowds of people.

"Okay." He nods and let's go of my hands, pushing open the door to reveal a fancy restroom.

"I'll be out here, love." He walks to the opposite wall and leans his back on it, taking his phone out from his back pocket. I smile slightly and walk into the room.

The first thing I notice is its spaciousness, then the cream colored, tiled floors, the vast mirror and a marble countertop with two sinks. In the far end of the room, is a big glass shower with a weird looking shower head.

I run the cold water and splash some onto my face, trying to waken myself and snap myself out of my daze. Luckily I didn't put any makeup on, so I don't have to worry about smudging anything.

I look at myself in the mirror and try out a smile, seeing if it's believable. Good enough.

I walk back to the door and swing it open. Ezra looks up at me and smiles softly. He's so cute. He puts his phone away before taking a step toward me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders, nuzzling my face into his hoodie. His scent radiates off of him and I instantly feel more calm.

"Thank you for coming with me." He says, kissing my head.

"Of course." I smile. "I didn't have much of a choice." I tease. He looks down at me with a smile, his head tilted to the side a bit.