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)
Ezra didn’t expect to get so much information without any prodding. Most guys he knew would have offered him a story that painted them as victims of circumstance or prejudice. He wasn’t used to so much honesty, and his heart beat faster, warning him that this might be a trap.
He chose to fall into it.
“Is that how you know Paul?”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, he’s two years older than me, and he’s gay, so we naturally drifted close.”
Ezra exhaled and put his hand on Frank’s knee, because while Frank was a big, tough guy, he did have a soft heart and reminiscing might be unpleasant. “I’m sorry. Must have been a shock to find out he’s—”
The words got stuck in Ezra’s throat, and as his brain reminded him of the head staring at him with dead eyes, the smell of pancakes became the sickening odor of rot.
Frank sighed and squeezed his fingers. “It’s… I don’t know. Seems like a natural progression for him. For a few years, Paul and I, we were really a force to be reckoned with. Two young shitheads looking for trouble, stealing cars, selling drugs. My relationship with my sister was already strained because of that lifestyle, and my father was trash not worth the sofa he farted into for twenty years. But it all came to a head when my sister got pregnant at nineteen. With a guy ten years older than her.” He glanced at Ezra. “The irony isn’t lost on me. I beat up the guy real bad, thinking I was taking some noble revenge. He left the picture, and my sister refused to speak to me for years after that.”
Ezra rubbed Frank’s thigh and shifted closer, suddenly feeling that the questioning had been a mistake. People didn’t like those who made them feel bad, regardless of reasons. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried,” he said, though the honesty pouring out of Frank’s mouth was baffling. It was like discovering this man from the ground up after a whole year of fucking. As if he’d also been keeping a facade even though he was the one paying, so he didn’t have to. And strangely, all this new info didn’t feel like when clients complained about their wives or problems at work, using Ezra as their pliant sounding board who would tell them they were right and the other people were awful.
No, Frank wanted to connect and was open to it. He wanted to let Ezra in, and that was somehow scarier than the blood on Paul’s carpet. Though maybe not the severed head.
“Don’t be. I enjoyed the time with you when I paid for it, but this?” Frank stroked Ezra’s hand. “I think I needed this. I want to know you, Ezra. Acne, food allergies, and addiction to avocado included. I like your pretty face, but that’s not all I want, understand?”
Shit.
Ezra froze as the reality of this situation crashed into him. Frank had just declared he wanted them to be more than friends. Had Ezra been this successful at leading him on? Their time together was a pleasure, yes, but Ezra had plans—a guy hopefully still waiting for him in LA, a business to start, and a whole world to discover. He did not want to be stuck in this junkyard forever, and while romantic feelings would motivate Frank to protect him, they would also discourage him from dealing with Ezra’s actual problem, Paul, and letting him go
On the surface, Frank seemed like a genuine guy, but the fact that he was involved in crime and hadn’t been caught proved he knew how to keep secrets. Would he go as far as keeping Ezra here under the pretense of safety? For all Ezra knew, Frank might have already contacted his former friend and told him he’d keep Ezra quiet, away from the world and therefore of no danger to Paul’s freedom.
He hated now knowing what Frank really thought. There was no way for Ezra to verify the sincerity of Frank's words, which left him in this terrible limbo.
But if his feelings were so torn and messy, why did Frank’s straightforward declaration make his insides flutter?
“I—you never told me that before,” Ezra said, keeping his voice steady.
“Because our previous relationship played by rules I didn’t want to break. But then you came here, needing help, and no matter how many times I told you I won’t use your situation to exchange favors, you still wanted to connect with me. I can only assume you feel the same as me.”
What this feeling was hung in the air between them but remained unspoken. But Ezra still wanted to know if Frank meant a temporary arrangement or something more permanent. And while words were stuck in his throat, his thoughts galloped to a world where he moved in here for good. Sure, Frank’s place might be a dump, but it was a dump with good bones, and if the quality of the bathroom renovation was anything to go by, Frank’s DIY skills were top-notch.