Page 73 of Spring Awakening

“Have you ever flirted with someone in your fucking life?”

“Says you.”

Ezra frowns. “I flirt.”

“When was the last time? And looking at Cam is not the same thing.”

He throws his wrapper way. “You’re on your own, pretty boy”

“You think I’m pretty?” he calls out, and Ezra flips him off. Zach smiles for a moment, then goes to flick the kettle on again. Is Mali jealous? If she was jealous, then there must be a reason. Like, a she wants him to like her reason. Right? Otherwise, what would be the point of it all?

He pours her a tea, stealing glances at her every few minutes. She’s not looking at him anymore, and he wonders if he wants her to be jealous. There’s nothing in him that thinks he won’t be a mess if she ever tried to act on it. What if she tries to kiss him and he self-combusts instead of kissing her back? She’s easily the hottest woman he’s ever seen. How is he supposed to make anything good for her when he’s going to spend the entire time thanking God she exists?

Ezra is wrong.

And if he’s not…well, Zach will have to pick himself up off the floor and figure it out. He’s already told her he hasn’t gone down on someone in years.Fuck.She’s good, though. Nice. She’d probably coach him through it instead of taking the piss. The thought of it makes him lightheaded. God, she’s going to catchhim googling “how to have sex when you can’t believe the girl is this hot.” He wants it to be good for her; that’s all he cares about. He wants everything to be good for her, always.

What if she wants more than sex? What if she wants him to love her? He does, that’s not the issue. He’s just not good at it. He’s never been in love before. He loves his family, but being in love with someone he can choose is not something he’s ever prepared for. Mali is the light of his life, and the thought she’d give him so much power over her feelings makes his knees shake. What if the family she’s been dreaming of for years doesn’t look anything like him? What if he fails?

He sighs, opening his phone and finding the therapist’s email. If he has any real chance of making someone like Mali happy, he wants to be good at it. He shoots off a quick message. It just says “Therapy?” because he’s terrified, but he’s done it. That’s gotta count for something.

Now, he deserves a reward, so he walks over and perches on the edge of Mali’s desk, then places her tea on her coaster. She comes over moments later. He smiles at the floor when she sits next to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she replies.

“You okay?”

“I’m tired,” she moans, shuffling until she rests her head on his shoulder. “Where did Ezra go?”

“Off to fangirl about Cam, probably.”

Mali laughs, pushing her arm through his. She doesn’t hold his hand or anything. She just rests against him.

She is jealous.

And he is ecstatic.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Dad, let’s go!” Malicalls, as she waits in his hallway. Her mum is already in the car, making sure there’s enough blankets and cups. Mali told her that Sweet Tooth was catering, but they’ve been stung by a Titan’s event before. Usually, Ezra remembers people might want a drink and shoves a kettle and some teabags on a table. No electricity, just vibes.

“How do I look?” her dad says, running down the stairs in his jeans and rugby top. He turns around, showing ADEBAYO in large letters on the back, right above the number 12—Ezra’s number. He’s raising his eyebrows like she should be shocked he’s wearing an Ezra top when he’s always wearing an Ezra top. He’s kind of iconic.

Mali laughs. “I work with these people, Dad,” she says. She fixes his collar and wonders if there will be a day that he’s ushering grandkids out the door. Mali doesn’t think about children all that often, but it’s becoming more frequent. If she let herself think about it in detail, she’d realise she wants Zach to want them too. “You’re not going to embarrass me, right?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” her mum says, walking up the garden path. Then she spins, her own Adebayo top on full display. “Of course we are.”

“You can’t wear sibling T-shirts as a couples costume!”

“It’s cute!”

“Why aren’t you wearing the ones I forced Ezra to sign for you?” she says, as she ushers them onto the driveway.

“And have some punk kid steal it from me?” Her dad scoffs. He watches too many Bruce Willis movies.

“Get in the car,” Mali says, with a laugh. “We’ve got to pick up Miriam, and we don’t want to be late.”

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