Page 61 of Nights Without Night
“I love your life,” Ezra says, but immediately looks at Joaquin. “But I also lovemylife,” he assures. Iva laughs.
“Have you chosen an apartment yet?” she asks them.
“No, but we’re getting close, I think. I have a good feeling about this week.”
“You have a good feeling every week,” Joaquin says.
“And every week is a good week when I’m with you,” Ezra says, fluttering his eyelashes at Joaquin before kissing him. Iva whips her phone out and takes a picture.
“You two are so fucking adorkable,” Iva says.
“We know!” Ezra crows. I laugh, and he turns to me.
“Dude, what about you? You’ve been so busy with the show that you’ve barely told us anything about the trip!” Ezra says.
“How did it go?” Joaquin asks.
“Good. Really good,” I say, and tell them about it. About the salt and the wind and the open air. I tell them about the towns we visited and their people, the cats and the steep hills we had to climb. I tell them about the squid and the truck and meeting Isadoro’s battalion.
“Wow, how what that?” Ezra asks.
“It was good. I mean, obviously, I knew about them and had talked to most of them briefly but meeting them was almost…an honour. Like, these were the people who kept Isa safe, you know? That he shared his life with for the last four years, since he joined the Ops. It was…yeah, it was good,” I say, and they nod, smiling in understanding.
“I think I wouldn’t make a bad soldier,” Ezra says. Joaquin looks at him incredulously.
“You do know that soldierstakeorders?”
“Oh yeah. Well, then, maybeyouwould make a good soldier,” he says, smirking. Joaquin blushes.
“Shut up,” he says. Ezra laughs, wrapping his hand around the back of Joaquin’s neck and kisses his temple. Joaquin closes his eyes and smiles.
It’s a quiet, intimate moment. The sight of it presses on an old bruise. It’s not that their relationship is perfect. They’re very different, and although that has its advantages, they also clash heads on things, which is probably only going to increase when they live together. But their love for each other is so obvious. It’s not just the soppy phrases and the kisses of the honeymoon stage, which they’ve already left behind. It’s the way they look at each other. Not just moonstruck, but like they see each other, fully. Like they respect and love what the other is, right the way through.
There’s nobody on earth that’s not looking for some version of that. To be seen and accepted as you are.
When I tune back in, Iva and Ezra are arguing over how to pronounce the word “sergeant”.
“Well, how do you say it in Spanish? Cause maybe you’re being influenced by that,” Ezra says. Iva narrows her eyes.
“Are you saying that ‘cause I’m Hispanic your English is better than mine?”
“That’s not-”
“Oooh, mira el gringo este…que bien habla inglés santo mío que talento tiene el pendejito!” Iva says, waving her hands around.
“That’s not-”
“I can’t believe you’re pulling the America First card on me.”
“Don’t even joke about that, that isnotwhat I meant!” Ezra says, gasping in horror.
“Sure. Sure, sure, sure,” Iva says with teasing sarcasm. Ezra looks at Joaquin imploringly, but he just raises his eyebrows.
“You’re alone on this one,” he says. Ezra pouts.
We’ve all finished our drinks, so we head back inside, where Ezra and Iva drag us to the dance floor. We start off in a circle, but Ezra and Joaquin soon pair off, grinding against each other. They look lost in it, Joaquin’s eyes closed and Ezra watching him with an intensity that turns even me on. Ezra’s hand is at the back of Joaquin’s neck again, holding him in place. Ezra leans in slowly and brushes his lips against Joaquin’s, who parts them immediately. Ezra only teases him, however, his hips grinding obscenely while he keeps the kiss chaste.
I look back at Iva and we share a look before laughing.
