Page 17 of Inevitable

Ezra looked away. “I changed my clothes myself?”

Bas scratched the back of his head and for the first time looked a bit uncomfortable. “Mostly. I had to help a little. You were pretty out of it.”

Ezra swallowed hard. He didn’t remember any of it, and that was one of the things that freaked him the fuck out—being vulnerable in front of somebody like that. Exposed. Unable to protect himself. Ezra’s breathing picked up the more he thought about it. He tried to count to ten in his head and take deep breaths. Whoever said that worked was lying.

“I’m ace.” Bas’s voice was loud in the quiet room, the statement so out of the blue that it snapped Ezra out of the spiral of panic that was dragging him down.

He stared at Bas.

“What?”

“You looked about ready to run off into the great unknown, so I figured it was as good a time as any to have that conversation. I’m ace. Asexual. So as nice to look at as you are, I can guarantee you, I’m not interested in you. In that way. I mean, technically that’s not a guarantee that I’m not a psycho,” he said thoughtfully before his eyes widened. “Oh shit! I crossed so many damn lines, didn’t I? That’s what happens when Drew isn’t around to lecture me to think before I act. Not that that’s an excuse. I’m sorry. I had good intentions. But I’m sorry. And I’m definitely not a crazy sadistic motherfucker, so your virtue is one hundred percent safe with me. And now I sound like I’m mocking you. Which I’m not. I’ll be shutting up now.”

Ezra took a deep breath. The urge to puke had lessened somewhat. Now he just felt tired to the bone again.

“Lucky me,” he muttered as he leaned against the headboard. “Where’s your… whatever. Drew?” he asked after a while.

“Working. He’s away on a conference for the week, which sucks, so I guess it’s a good thing you’re here to distract me from missing him.” Bas laughed at whatever he saw on Ezra’s face. “You seem surprised.”

“Surprised?”

“Yeah. Like the idea of me missing Drew is nuts. He’s my best friend. I’ve known him practically my whole life. When he’s away, I miss him. It’s that simple. It’s not something weird.”

“I didn’t think that,” Ezra said defensively.

“Sure you didn’t.”

“I didn’t. You just… I saw you in the bar. You two don’t act like just friends.”

Bas got up from the bed, and for a moment, Ezra felt disappointed. Then again, it was a personal topic, so it was no wonder Bas didn’t want to talk about it with a stranger.

“That’s a longer conversation, and I, for one, am hungry. We should go eat something.” He looked at Ezra and smiled, all relaxed and easygoing. “Come on, I’ll provide the food, and you’ll take care of the entertainment.”

* * *

Standing up was disorienting. Every single muscle in Ezra’s body ached. He was dizzy and hollow inside, like all that was left of him was his shell. He shuffled into the kitchen after Bas.

Bas and Drew’s home was beautiful with its dark, wood floors, high ceilings, and large windows. It was the fanciest apartment Ezra had ever set foot in. Every step he took and every item he saw reminded him that he was out of place.

An IKEA dresser in Versailles.

He sat behind the counter gingerly and watched as Bas took out eggs, ham, cheese, mushrooms, and an array of other ingredients.

“Omelet okay?” he asked. “It’s the only thing I can make without burning the place down. Drew actually likes to cook, the lunatic. I tend to get distracted. There’s a lot of staring and waiting around involved in cooking, and I get bored. And then I forget the food, and the next thing you know, your home is filled with firefighters, which I hear some people like, so my inability to provide sustenance may not be all bad.”

Bas heated up the skillet and started cracking eggs into a bowl, filling the silence with mindless chatter that only required Ezra to nod every once in a while.

“What do you want in yours?” Bas gestured toward the counter. “We have ham, cheese, mushrooms, avocado, smoked salmon. I think there’s spinach and tomatoes somewhere, too.”

“Ham and cheese is fine,” Ezra said. Next to his usual ramen diet, ham and cheese sounded gourmet.

“You’re like Drew. He loves his ham and cheese. I mean, he eats pretty much anything. Except for mushrooms. He hates those with a vengeance.”

Ezra regarded Bas. He was thoroughly confused.

“Are you sure you two aren’t together?” he blurted out.

Bas cocked his head to the side and looked at Ezra with polite curiosity. “Pretty sure, yeah. Why?”