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“Does Cal know you’re wearing that?”
I spin from where I was standing in front of my keyboardto see Ezra smirking at me. His black hair is cut short, and his blue eyes are bright, even in the dimness of the trees. Ezra and I have always been extremely close. Even though him and Kai are identical twins, I’ve never had a crush on him the way I do on Kai.
“He drove me here, but I think his nerves blinded him because he didn’t say anything,” I tell him. “Watch out for Willa. She’s on the prowl,” I tell him jokingly.
Ezra gives me a half smile, and I know something’s up. Those two make jokes about dating each other all the time. They always have.
“What’s wrong, Ez?” I ask. He looks at me and seems to assess something. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“Come with me,” he says, holding out his hand. I take it, and he leads me through the trees. I wave and say hello to classmates and my brother’s friends on the way, but Ezra ignores them all.
Summer Bay, Maine, is a small town, and everyone knows everyone. I’m a little surprised Ezra is acting the way he is because I know his mom is going to hear about it tomorrow. Adira Irons is strict and no nonsense. The twins never get away with anything, especially being rude.
Ezra leads me into a thick copse of trees and looks around quickly. The hand holding mine is suddenly sweaty, and it’s making me worry. The smell of a decade’s worth of decaying leaves with the crunch of sticks under our feet overwhelms my senses. It’s so quiet this far into the woods, and my brain is running wild trying to figure out what Ezra would need to talk to me about.
“I need to tell someone before I explode,” Ezra says in a small voice.
“You’re my best friend, Ez. You can tell me. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together,” I say to him, squeezing the hand I’m holding and reaching for the other one. He gives it to me and takes a deep breath.
“I’m seeing someone,” he lets out quickly.
“That’s great!” I say, genuinely happy for him. “Who is she?”
“He. I’m gay, Belle,” he whispers while looking at his feet.
I’m shocked for a split second and only because I know some of Ezra’s old flings and they’re definitely of the female variety. Once the shock wears off, I throw my arms around my friend and hug him as tightly as I can.
“I love you, and I’m sorry if this is a part of you that you feel you need to whisper quietly in the woods instead of shouting from the rooftops,” I say into his chest, since that’s where my head is resting, and I don’t want to let him go yet.
“You’re the first person I’ve told,” he says as he squeezes me back just as tight. I feel his shoulders relax and the stiffness leave his body.
“Our group will love and support you, no matter what. We’ll fight anyone who doesn’t,” I say confidently, knowing how much we all love him. I’m surprised he told me before Kai, but I decide to let that go for now. I’m sure he has his reasons, and we don’t need to get into that in the middle of the woods before we perform in front of a crowd for the first time.
“I know that. I’m not worried about them. I’ll tell everyone tonight. I just really needed to tell someone now, and you were the first person I wanted to know.”
I smile and look up at him. “Who is he?Do I know him?”
Ezra smiles the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him in years, and it takes seeing it just now for me to realize that.
“You know him. It’s Maverick Wolfe,” he says, still smiling.
“Shut up! Mav’s gay?” I almost shout before catching myself and turning it into a whisper. Ezra just laughs. Maverick is a year younger than Ezra and a year older than me. He graduated last year, which means he’s probably here tonight. I don’t know him well, but he always seemed nice. His father has a reputation around town for being a prick. He’s also a state judge and is running for some political thing. I can’t imagine how hard it was to grow up with someone like that.
“He’s bi. But Belle, I love him,” Ezra says, and I can see the truth of it in his face. He’s a man in love, and I’m so happy for him I start to tear up.
“Please don’t cry. I know you had baby names picked out for our future children. There are so many fish in the sea. You’ll find one that likes your lady bits someday,” Ezra says while laughing.
I smack his arm. “You’re so funny, Ez. You know these are happy tears. I’m an ugly crier when I’m sad.”
“You’re not wrong. You look like the evil witch fromSnow Whitewhen she turns up with that apple,” he jokes.
“I hate you,” I say, crossing my arms.
“You don’t,” he says before kissing me on the top of my head and throwing his arm around my shoulders. “We should get back. We’re playing soon.”
I nod and let him lead me back to our instruments.
“Tell me about him,” I say as we walk.
