Page 13 of Becoming Us
Ezra Tate appeared behind the bar with a tight smile. “What can I get for you?”
Fucking fantastic.
“Hey, man. Didn’t know you were working here too.” I reached across the counter, offering my hand. After a beat, he took it.
“Yeah, every summer. This is my last one, though.” He flattened his palms on the bar, eyes steady behind his glasses.
Yup. Still hated my guts.
“That’s great.”
The silence that followed stretched unbearably.
“Look, I—” I started just as he said, “Here’s the thing?—”
I let out an awkward chuckle. “Go on.”
Ezra sighed. “I’m trying to be okay with your Noahness.”
That caught me off guard, but I rolled with it. “Okay…”
“You know I love Att. I’d do anything for him, including staging a disappearance and hiding a body. So don’t fuck up again, and we’re good,” he said, calm and matter-of-fact.
“I won’t.”
He stared me down a second longer, then gave a brisk nod and shrugged. “Fine. What can I get you?”
We’d already had this conversation. I’d apologized for the birthday fight and everything that followed, but it still didn’t feel like enough. I still didn’t feel like enough. And I had no clue how to fix that. I was used to being disliked—an expert at navigating it, honestly—but Ezra was one of Atty’s best friends.
“For what it’s worth, I’m trying to tone down the Noahness too.”
His lips twitched. “So?”
“Glass of white and a seltzer with lime, please.”
“Righty-roo.” He turned to make the drinks.
I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair.
Ezra placed the glasses in front of me along with a slip to sign. Easy enough.
“Do you drink?”
Spoke too soon.
“Nah, not really.”
“What doesnot reallymean?”
“It means I’ll have a beer occasionally. I cap it at two, but usually I avoid it altogether.”
Ezra nodded slowly, still sizing me up. “I thought addicts drew stricter lines.”
A little jab. I knew what I was—I wasn’t in denial—but hearing it from him hit different. That was the point. Ezra didn’t want me to forget.
You’re in luck, buddy. I already beat myself up daily for those fuckups.
“Alcohol’s always been a choice for me. Not one of the bad ones. And I mean that in terms of quitting. But I know what it can turn into, so I avoid it. Just in case.”
