"I think this went well," Adrian said and Ezra looked down at him a smiled, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist.
It had gone well. Better than well. It was fantastic. Not only did Adrian like his parents, but his parents liked Adrian. It was better than Ezra could have ever imagined. "It did," he agreed, leaning forward and kissing the corner of Adrian's mouth. It was a quick kiss, since there were standing in front of the restaurant and Ezra's parents could pull up with the car at any second, but Adrian giggled anyways and fisted his hand in Ezra's shirt, pulling him forward for another kiss, this one a bit longer, but still far too short.
"I love you," Adrian whispered and Ezra closed his eyes and groaned, pressing his forehead against the youngers.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that," Ezra said and Adrian giggled once more.
"Good, becuase I don't think I'll ever stop saying it". Ezra's eyes opened, peering into the boy's light brown eyes.
"Forever?" Ezra asked, sounding hopeful but feeling rather scared that the younger would immediately take back what he had said.
But Adrian didn't. Instead he grinned gorgeously and whispered in return, "forever".
Ezra kissed him then, not caring if they got interrupted by his parents, but sadly, they weren't that lucky.
"Well well well," a sickening voice interrupted. Ezra placed it immediately, recalling the boy whispering in his ear the week before, and he pulled away from Adrian, protectively pushing the boy behind him while reaching back to lace their fingers together. "I was hoping I'd run into you soon, Ezra Drake. Wanted you to know I was considering pressing charges against you for breaking my nose".
Ezra's eyes raked over Caleb's face and he couldn't help but to grin at his bruised nose. Good. If Adrian had to look at his bruised face in the mirror everyday, so could he. "If you do that I'll tell them that you were going to rape me," Adrian said softly and Ezra glanced at him to see the boy looking at his feet.
"But I didn't".
"You did enough," Adrian mumbled and Ezra squeezed his fingers reassuringly. Caleb looked annoyed.
"It's not rape if a boy, looking to have sex with anyone, spends the entire night flirting with me and willingly gets into my vehicle and comes into my hom-"
"It becomes rape the second I tell you to stop," Adrian shot back, sounding more confident than he had moments before, but Caleb was no longer looking at Adrian. Instead he smirked as he watched Ezra's face.
"Didn't know about that part, did you?" he taunted and Ezra dropped his eyes. "How does it feel to know that just two weeks ago your boyfriend was out dressed like a slut ". Ezra swallowed and clenched his jaw. Even though him and Adrian had been split at the time, and Adrian had every right to have sex with whoever he wanted to, it still stung that Adrian was going to have sex with someone who wasn't him.
" Ezra, I-" Adrian began but Ezra turned to him and cupped his face. Adrian's teeth were biting at his lower lip and he looked apologetic and bit like he might cry.
"Hey," Ezra said, smiling reassuringly at him. "If I were you, I would've wanted to go out and forget me too".
"You're-" Adrian's voice cracked and he cleared it. "You're not mad at me?"
"Oh no, baby. Of course not". Adrian smiled, raising a hand and pressing it against Ezra's.
"Why are you so perfect?" Adrian asked, his eyes crinkling as his smile widened and Ezra leaned forwards to brush his lips against his, trying to ignore the fact that Caleb was right behind them.
It could not be ignored as the boy started talking again. "It doesn't bother you, Ezra? Kissing someone that I've kissed before. Touching someone that I've touched?" Ezra pulled back from Adrian's mouth and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Adrian's hand pressed against his face.
"Baby?"
"Just picture it, Ezra. His legs around my waist grinding against me. Think about that. Do you know how easy it was for me to get him there? Too easy, Ezra. Think about that. Think about how much of a slut your bo-"
And the next thing he knew, Caleb was on the ground crying as he clutched his nose again and Ezra was shaking out his hand and mutter, "mother fucker that fucking hurt". His knuckles burned from when they had connected with Caleb's face, but he didn't regret doing it. No one called Adrian a slut and got away with it.
Ezra turned to the boy who he had just defended and grimaced at him. "I'm sorry that you keep having to see me like this," he said, but Adrian was just staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "Adri? Are you okay?"
Adrian moved towards him, throwing his arms around Ezra's neck and muttering, "I am so turned on right now," before planting his open mouth on his. Ezra returned the kiss with equal passion, his hands gripping Adrian's waist tightly as his tongue explored the other's mouth.
He didn't care that they were in public or that there was a boy on the ground behind him sobbing, all he cared about was this boy infront of him who was moaning into his mouth. "From now on," Ezra mumbled against his lips, "you can only be a slut for me". Adrian gasped and Ezra quickly flicked his tongue into the other's mouth.
To his disappointed (but probably for the best) they were interrupted by a car horn and Ezra pulled back to his his parents car. His mother rolled down the window and called to them, "keep it pg!" and then, "Is that boy okay?"
Adrian laughed and grabbed Ezra's hand, pulling him towards the car, ignoring the crying boy on the pavement. Before he pulled open the door he pressed up onto his toes and whispered sexily in his ear, "my parents won't be home until later tonight". Ezra couldn't help the moan that left his mouth as Adrian licked the shell of his ear teasingly before pushing him back and climbing in the car.
***
It seemed to be the day of interruptions. His kiss with Adrian had been interrupted at home by his mother, and then their kiss at the restaurant had been interrupted first by Caleb, and then once again, by his mother, and now Ezra's time watching Adrian sleep was interrupted by the boy's mother, who watched him with wide eyes, eyeing his shirtless form and then the pile of cloths on the bedroom floor.
"Can I talk to you in a minute?" Ezra asked, and Adrian's mother slowly nodded, looking at her son asleep in Ezra's arms one last time before exiting the room.
Ezra was careful as he removed the sleeping boy off of his chest, wanting to let him sleep for a little longer and not worry about the conversation Ezra was about to have with his mother. To be respectful, and to avoid awkwardness, Ezra pulled on his jeans and put his shirt back on before leaving the room.
Adrian's mother was waiting for him in the hall. "I don't want you seeing my son," was the first thing that left her lips and Ezra simply shook his head.
"That's nice, but I really don't care what you want". Her face was blank as she processed this information, and then she simply nodded as if she accepted it. "We've already been through so much already. There's no way that we're going to break up just because you don't want me to see him".
She was biting her lip, nearly drawing blood and then she glanced over her shoulder before looking back at him and speaking under her breath. "Please take care of him," she whispered, and then added after a moment of pause, "and don't let my husband know. I was hard enough to convince him to let Adrian stay in the first place. If he finds out about this Adrian will be out of the house and I won't be able to say anything to stop it".
Ezra wanted to asked her want she was talking about, but realized that he probably already knew too much and simply nodded. "I'll take care of him". And then he was enveloped into a hug by the woman that he barely knew, and he didn't even have enough time to return it before she pulled away and was hurrying down the hallway.
Once she was out of sight, Ezra slipped back into Adrian's bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Adrian was watching him as he entered, and he smiled at the sleepy eyed boy. "Where'd you go?" He asked, his voice groggy and for the first time in their relationship, it was Ezra who giggled. A large smile broke out across Adrian's face and he opened his arms to Ezra, who eagerly crawled into them.
"Just the hall babe. I ran into your mother". Adrian shifted to look at his face then.
"And?"
"She knows and seems okay with it. Just don't tell your father". Adrian looked confused and then nodded before snuggling back against Ezra's chest.
"I wasn't going to". It was silent for a second, and then Ezra heard Adrian mumble something into his chest, the boy's lips tickling his skin through his shirt.
"What baby?"
"Could you check my phone?" Adrian asked, and Ezra raised his eyebrows but rolled over, keeping an arm around Adrian's waist, and grabbed the item on the nightstand next to the pack of cigarettes. "I haven't had it on me all day since I forgot to charge it last night".
Ezra looked at the screen, noticing how late it was first, and then began scrolling through the messages, all of which were from Helen. "Well, Helen sure does love you," he commented and Adrian groaned.
"Is that it?' he asked, and Ezra checked one more time, looking for other names and coming across none.
"Yeah," he said, and Adrian looked disappointed. "Were you expecting any from anyone else?"
"Oz usually texts me at least once during the day. I'm worried about him because I didn't see him at school today". Ezra studied Adrian's face, noticing how much his boyfriend cared for this other boy, but he didn't feel jealous.
"Why wouldn't he be talking to you?" Ezra asked and Adrian sighed.
"I've known for a while that he's liked me. I even tried to take advantage of him the night that we broke up but he luckily didn't let that happen. We became closer when you weren't around, most because I needed extra support at first, but it became more than that. He's one of my best friends. I don't know if he thought since you were out of the picture that we may actually get together, but he hasn't talked to me since before my performance last night. I don't know. Maybe he doesn't feel needed anymore". Ezra sighed, kissing Adrian's forehead and then settling back against the pillows.
"He'll come around, baby".
Ezra was absolutely positive of it.
***
Adrian led him to their lunch table, pulling on his hand and Ezra laughed at the boy. "Come on, Ez," Adrian urged, ignoring as all of the soccer players turned to look at them as they passed. "I'm hungry".
Adrian threw his backpack down on the table and then started to pull him towards the lunch line and Ezra laughed, using his hold on the boys hand to pull him back against him. "Baby, I'm not getting food right away," Ezra explained and Adrian pouted.
"Why not?"
"I told you. I need to go show my math teacher my homework to see if I did it right," he lied.
"Well can't you do that after we eat?" Adrian asked, looking confused, and then after a moment he frowned. "Can't you just ask me for help?"
Ezra squeezed his hand. "As much as I love you, babe, and I truly do love you... It's quite embarrassing to get math help from my sophomore boyfriend". Adrian considered this for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
"Fair enough," he stood onto his tiptoes and kissed Ezra, tasting so deliciously like strawberries that Ezra couldn't help but coax his tongue into the other's mouth.
"You're not allowed to do that here!"
Ezra pulled back and grinned at his best friend as he threw all of his stuff on the table.
"Hi Liam," Adrian greeted and the boy he had addressed smiled politely at him, and then directed his gaze on Spencer, who looked back at him.
"Why do you look angry at me right now?" Spencer asked, and now that he mentioned it, Liam did look rather upset, but he ignored the question and turned, walking away to join a lunch line. Spencer huffed and dropped down onto his normal seat at the table.
"What's that about?" Ezra asked, tilting his head to kiss Adrian one last time before the younger pulled away and went to get food.
Spencer sighed, looking up at his best friend. "I think he's jealous of you and Adrian because you get to be all couply in public now".
"Then why don't you come out?" Ezra asked, and Spencer looked extremely.
"Well, I'm still on the soccer team..." Spencer trailed off, biting his lip as Ezra gave him a pointed look. Spencer didn't really care more about Soccer than he did about Liam and they both knew it. He sighed in defeat. "What if it's different once we come out as a couple. What if things change for the worse and then we just... stop being in love".
"Spencer," Ezra began, "I see the way you look at that boy. You could stop loving him as easily as you could stop breathing. Don't ruin a good thing because you're nervous". This was all Ezra could say before Liam came into earshot again and Spencer nodded at him, gratefully. "I need to go do something real quick".
Ezra left the cafeteria before Adrian could get back to the table and convince him to stay, since the boy most definitely had the power to make him do that.
As he expected, Osmond was found in the music room, and, also expected, he didn't look happy to see him.
"Adrian's not here," he said, looking back down at the piano and placing his fingers on the keys. He didn't play though, waiting for Ezra to leave.
"I know," Ezra said, sitting on the bench next to the other boy, who looked extremely annoyed at this point but didn't say anything. "I came to talk to you".
"I don't want to talk to you," Osmond said quickly and Ezra rolled his eyes.
"Well, I figured that, but this is about Adrian's happiness, so you're going too, right?" The freshman remained quiet and Ezra took that as a sign to continue. "I wanted to thank you for taking care of him in my absence". Osmond snorted.
"Let me guess. You're going to say that you appreciate it, but you're back now so I'm no longer needed". Ezra furrowed his eyebrows.
"No," he said slowly, "of course not. Osmond, just because I'm back now, and not going anywhere, it doesn't mean that he doesn't need you anymore. He loves you, and you not talking to him is hurting him, and I can't let that happen". Osmond swallowed and closed his steel colored eyes.
"I'm not trying to hurt him, I just don't know what to do around him anymore".
Ezra stood from the bench and Osmond's eyes opened at the sound and his head tilted back to look up at Ezra. "Just be his friend".
He was about to leave the small practice room when he heard Osmond mutter, "thank you," quietly. Knowing that it would most likely embarrass the boy to acknowledge it, Ezra kept moving, closing the door softly behind him.
Ezra walked through the halls slowly. His conversation with Osmond had taken a lot less time than he had expected it to, and if he showed up at the lunch room right away, Adrian would know that he hadn't really gone and talked to his math teacher.
All thoughts of thorough deception and talking his time were erased from Ezra's mind as he peered through the glass of the cafeteria doors and noticed who was standing along side his table talking to his boyfriend.
Ezra and Francis hadn't talked since Ezra had punched him in the eye, and now that Ezra thought about it, this was even the first time he had seen the other boy since that night.
"Do we have a problem here?" Ezra asked, and Francis turned around to face him, his eyes widening and then dropping to the floor. Ezra's eyes moved back to Adrian and was surprised to see the boy... smiling?!
"Not at all," Adrian said, and Francis peered back up at Ezra.
"I was just coming to talk to Adrian and thank him for helping me that night. After you punched me he went and got me some ice and apologized on your behalf and... and I realized I was wrong," Francis said quietly. "That's also why I came over here. I wanted to apologize and ask you to consider joining our team again".
"Why didn't you say anything earlier," Ezra asked, not bothering to hide the skepticism from his voice and Francis sighed loudly.
"I was embarrassed to show my face to you. You know me, Ezra. You know how hard it is for me to admit that I was wrong. I just needed time". Ezra nodded, and then remained silent, watching as Francis shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "So, will you join the team again?"
Ezra glanced at Spencer, who was looking at him, his eyes bright with excitement and Ezra realized that he could have all he ever wanted. Soccer. Adrian. His friends. Still, he said, "I'll think about it".
Fransis's face began to drop, but before he could even look fully disappointed, Adrian interrupted. "Yes he will," he said, reading Ezra's mind and smiling up at him. "He'll be at practice after school tonight".
"Great man," Francis said, grinning, seemingly back to his old self. "I'll see you there". He clapped Ezra on the back, and he couldn't' help but to return the smile.
Once he was gone Ezra dropped down into his chair next to Adrian and took the smaller boy's hand, kissing it. "Thank you baby".
Adrian hummed, smiling at him before looking around the table. "Where's Ash?" he asked, and Ezra too just realized that the loud gay boy wasn't anywhere at the table.
"He's over at the college for math. He goes every monday, tuesday, and friday," Liam explained. Spencer and Ezra shared a quick look, and then they both directed their attention to Adrian.
"Why's he at the college?" Adri asked, puzzled.
"His class is too hard for us normal people," Liam explained and Adrian raised his eyebrows.
"Too hard for me?" Adri asked, and then laughed as if this was hard to believe and Ezra tried to hide his smile.
"No, Adrian. You don't get it," Liam said, stabbing at his salad with his plastic fork. "You know the math class that we're taking this year?" Adrian nodded, "Ash took that when he was still in elementary school. The kid is considered a prodigy. He's like your piano boy but with math".
Ezra watched in amusement as Adrian pouted at the idea of someone being smarter than him, and Spencer laughed. "Aww, baby, will you be okay?" Ezra asked, kissing Adrian's cheek.
Liam seemed to realize the problem because he laughed and then looked at Adrian with bright eyes. "You're much smarter than him, Adri. Sure, he's a genius at math, but literally all of his brains go towards math. The kid's failing out of most of his classes". Adrian seemed to relax then and lean into Ezra, who kissed his temple.
The whole table shook as Helen slammed her backpack down onto the surface, and then grinned at them all. "Bitches, look who I got to come with me".
And then all the attention was on Osmond, who as usual didn't seem at all uncomfortable. He merely sat down next to Helen, shooting Adrian a quick smile and Ezra watched as his boyfriend's eyes lit up and he began speaking rapidly to the boy who had just joined their table.
Twenty or so minutes later, before the end of the period, Adrian leaned into Ezra's side, pulling his attention momentarily away from Spencer and down to him.
"Thank you," Adrian mumbled into the skin of his neck and Ezra's heart lept.
"For what?" Ezra asked, playing dumb and Adrian chuckled.
"You know what," he claimed and Ezra remembered that Adrian wasn't easily fooled/
"Alright," Ezra said, "how'd you know".
Adrian pulled back and looked up at his face. "Because I know everything," he claimed, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Ezra's lips, but pausing right before their mouths touched. "Also, you left all of your math stuff here when you went to go talk to your math teacher".
Ezra wanted to hit himself on the head for being so obvious but that thought was wiped from his mind as Adrian finally connected their mouths.
"I love you," Ezra said as his boyfriend pulled back, and saying the words almost felt as good as hearing them repeated back to him by Adrian only seconds later.
And finally, finally, Ezra had everything he wanted. Soccer. Adrian. A supportive Family.
Even all of the things he didn't know what he had wanted before. Getting to see Spencer be happy. To see Adrian happy with one of his best friends.
Ezra kissed the top of Adrian's head and the boy squeezed his hand under that table. Finally, Ezra realized, he was where he was supposed to be.