Delgado

Chapter 24

"You know I didn't mean it that way, calm it down", he warned, "if your sister wants some independence, who am I to stop her? She's 18 in a matter of weeks".

"And I'm twenty next year, you don't see me rushing towards the outside world", he shrugged, "be careful, people will see your name and make perceptions off of that, yeah?". I nodded at his words, knowing our last name carried all sorts of assumptions from other people.

"Yeah. Thanks", I smiled and he nodded, "Ezra, we're going job hunting".

"We are?", he put his spoon in the bowl and ruffled his hair.

"We are", I grinned - this was gonna be interesting...

~

"I refuse to believe everywhere is fully employed", Ezra scowled, his hand clasping mine a little tighter, "and why are the streets so fuckin' busy today?". I glanced up at him, his jaw was clenched, his face set into a grimace and his body radiating heat.

Ezra had gotten a lot more confident in just about everything that involved physical contact. Everything apart from navigating busy streets.

He hated it, which is why I was confused as to why he'd insisted we start job searching on such a busy road when there were quieter ones in the area.

"The streets are always busy", I muttered, "if you wanna move somewhere quieter-,".

"It's fine darlin'", he declined, "I'm fine". And the second he said that, someone bumped into him, causing him to practically cut off the blood circulation in my hand.

"No you're not", I stated, "you're trying to prove a point-,".

"What fucking point?", he snapped and I released his hand, "no, I'm sorry, shit, I didn't mean that Izzy". I kept walking, him following like a lost puppy as he reached out for my hand again, clasping it around his tightly.

"You don't get to talk to me like that", I told him and he sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry", he kissed my temple, "I'm on fucking edge".

"Yeah no shit", I snorted, "come on, we're going down there". I gestured to a side-road, that didn't even look like it had any shops on it, oh well.

"To some abandoned street?", he frowned, letting me tug him along anyway, "why?".

"Because you're uncomfortable and won't admit it", I sent him a pointed look, "and I'm not gonna argue with you, I never wanna argue with you".

He stopped walking, which made me stop, then cupped a hand around the back of my head and kissed my forehead. Once, twice, three times.

"I'm sorry", he murmured against me, "and thank you".

"Anytime", I smiled, standing straighter and pressing a kiss to his lips, "now come on, let's find me a job". He pulled us apart and gazed down the road, his eyebrows furrowing as they focused on something further away.

"Down there", he announced, cocking his head, "cmon".

~

I don't know where my boyfriend got this good eyesight from, but he'd actually fucking done it.

The bakery-slash-cafe we were standing in front of was perfect - it was small, hidden, but seemed to have quite a lot of customers inside; Ezra held the door for me and I slipped in under his arm, the smell of freshly baked bread filling my nose instantly.

"Do you smell that?", I swatted Ezra and he snorted, "I need a job here Ezra!".

"I've never seen someone so desperate to work in my life", he chuckled, "it's hot".