Convoke

Chapter 28

Cal sat at the bar and sipped a pint with a gleeful twinkle to his greying eyes. Tom watched him carefully, wondering what he was going to say with a face full of mischief. "Not working today?" he asked.

"Unlike you, I give myself a reasonable number of days off," Cal replied. He then tilted his head in Ezra's direction. "So then, what's going on with you and the dark cloud over there?"

"Nothing," Tom said quickly.

Cal raised a brow. "I thought I was your best friend. You're supposed to tell me everything."

"I'm being serious," Tom whispered.

Cal made an O shape with his lips. "How sad." He gulped his lager with a frown. "Why? Are you not flirting hard enough?"

"Please be quiet," Tom groaned.

"I think you should just go for it, as much as we're all wary, you're clearly so in love with him. Just kiss him."

"Cal," Tom hissed.

"What are you waiting for?"

"He doesn't want it. Just keep your voice down."

"He does." Cal leaned forwards. "I'm whispering as quietly as I can."

"He can probably hear you."

"Surely he would be staring if he could."

They both turned towards the demon. His elbows rested on the wooden table, and he held the book up, covering his face with it as he read. Tom knew Ezra would be blushing enough for it to blotch all over his face and down his neck. He would be pursing his lips until they turned white and staring at the pages without reading at all.

"You're embarrassing him. Just shut up or talk about something else," Tom said sternly enough to be an order.

The thought of kissing Ezra had planted firmly in his mind. He thought of little else, especially when Ezra finally approached the bar for another drink. His cheeks were still a little pink, his brown eyes big and warm, his full lips soft as he asked, "Can I please start paying for drinks now?"

At the sound of his deep voice, Cal looked up, smiling.

"No," Tom said at the same time as his parents, who were back from collecting glasses from the beer garden and chatting for longer than necessary with locals.

"You drink here for free Ez, for saving our sons life when you could have kept to your own business," Moira said, winking at Tom when her back was turned to the demon.

Tom poured Ezra another drink and as he passed it over the bar, Ezra's fingers clasped his before Tom could let go. Their eyes locked, sharing a longing expression. Instead of shyly walking back to his corner, Ezra set the drink down and pointed to the red top stool next to Cal. "Do you mind?" he asked quietly.

Tom then noticed how he carried his book too, and his denim jacket.

"Oh, not at all!" Cal leapt from his own stool and yanked the other one out. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing too interesting," Ezra mumbled, letting Cal read the title.

"The History of Wileshire Businesses." Cal screwed up his nose. "Yeah, not interesting."

When silence fell, and Ezra started chewing on his bottom lip and staring anywhere but in Cal's direction, Tom said, "I have the day off tomorrow."

"What!" Cal yelled. "But I'm working all day tomorrow."

"I'll just have to hang out with Ez then." Tom raised a brow when Ezra glanced up at him through his lashes.

"I'm free until I'm not," Ezra mumbled.