Page 59 of Grind
“Thanks for dealing with it. And as for the other thing… I love you, Shane, and I know you're just trying to look out for me, but do not speak about him like this. I mean it.”
Emotions Ezra had been trying so hard to avoid now flooded his chest. It had been easy to dismiss Frank’s kind words and promises as flattery when he said them to Ezra’s face. But it was now clear Frank’s affection wasn’t just for show, and the bruise forming on Shane’s cheek proved that Frank considered Ezra worthy of fighting his best friend over. And while Ezra was not a weak damsel, even if his muscles were built for show rather than function, he felt grateful to his butch prince charming.
Gay men were as capable of prejudice as any other group. There was always someone who tried to make themselves feel better by punching down another person, and as a bottomandescort he’d heard his share of slut shaming. It did hurt more to hear someone actively trying to use those stereotypes to instill doubt in Frank, regardless of their intentions.
He fought the urge to give Frank a hug but stayed put until Shane changed the topic, inquiring about something to do with the pressure in the bicycle wheel.
Ezra put himself in motion.
It was only when he grabbed a drink for Frank on the way out that he registered the two men were discussing IDs. Specifically,hisnew ID. Frank hadn’t told him he’d started the process of acquiring a new ID for Ezra, yet he’d been working on ensuring his safety all along instead of looking for sneaky ways to keep Ezra tied down.
With the smoothie he’d made earlier in hand, Ezra walked out of the house and along its wall, toward the two voices that had his blood thudding, for different reasons.
“Hey, Frank,” he announced himself before turning the corner.
“I’m almost done here,” Frank said as Shane muttered a “hey”, lighting himself a cigarette. Right now, Ezra didn’t want to see him, so he focused on Frank and offered him a wide smile that somehow reached all the way to his chest, warming him from the inside.
“Snack time, big guy,” he said, handing Frank the tall glass.
Frank’s smile widened, and he turned to Shane. “He’s made me a meal plan, you see. Apparently I’ve been undereating on protein.”
Shane snorted. “You? Undereating?”
“Well, he waseating. A lot of crappy food that wasn’t good for him,” Ezra said and leaned close to Frank, rubbing his back in broad circles. “I make everything from scratch, and it’s all organic, without weird additives. And the macros are on point, so he can get even stronger.”
“You want me bigger?” Frank asked, and looked into Ezra’s eyes with so much emotion Ezra didn’t know how to handle it.
Shane laughed. “I’ve seen that monster, and it doesn’t need to be any bigger.”
Ezra rubbed his face against Frank’s chest. He smelled like coffee, and warm evening air, and nothing bad would ever happen as long as Ezra stayed close to him.
“I will ignore you, Shane. Frank is exactly how he should be. I’m just trying to optimize his diet so the training is easier and more productive.”
Frank took a gulp of the smoothie, then ruffled Ezra’s hair. “See? I got myself a smart one.”
Ezra snorted and turned before resting his chin on Frank’s peck. Was it a weakness that hugging him gave Ezra a sense of peace? “You’ve seen nothing yet. I’m almost done with all your invoices and receipts.”
“You might actually have to keep him,” Shane said as if he hadn’t tried to talk Frank out of dating Ezra five minutes ago.
Frank drank with a happy expression as he hugged Ezra close with his free arm. Ezra once tried a weighted blanket and hated how trapped it made him feel, but the weight of Frank’s arm, or even his body, always felt calming, so he shut his eyes, enjoying the steady presence next to him.
“You said the bike’s ready?”
Frank handed him the empty glass. “Sure is. Just remember not to go off the paths I showed you. This place is easy to get lost in, and not all the piles are secured.”
It was obvious to Ezra that all the roads with asphalt would be safe to drive on, but Frank didn’t want him to approach places where he could see something he shouldn’t. He was fine with that. The bike offered him an opportunity to exercise and move around faster, and the last thing he wanted was to get mixed up with the wrong people.
Well, technically he already had, but as long as he remained unaware of who Frank’s customers were, that fact could be ignored.
“I will, don’t worry. I rather enjoy not being buried alive under an avalanche of junk.”
Shane took a drag of smoke. “You’d hate to get that watch scratched.”
Ezra sensed Frank tensing next to him but was quick to stroke his back. There was no need to get agitated again. “Well, it is one of the very few things of my own I still have.”
“I feel you. I had to let go of all of my stuff when I went to prison,” Shane said and patted Frank on the shoulder. “But Frankie kept the important shit for me.”
Frank took a deep breath. “Thisisn’t prison. He’ll get to retrieve his stuff.”
