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“Can’t ask her out? Why? What’s the worst thing that could happen?” he counters.

I blow out a frustrated breath, gritting my teeth. Hazel could say yes for the wrong reasons. She could date me for my money or my connections. It’s not that far-fetched. Not when Sabrina showed signs of it, how she’d always pick the flashiest, most expensive places to go out, how she’d spend money on anything and everything, how she’d only want to go out with me and my rich friends and looked down upon anyone else.

Hazel is not Sabrina.

But what if it’s worse? What if she’d date me out of some misplaced obligation?

“What if she says no?” I ask out loud.

This draws Ezra up short. I glance at the call, checking if it got dropped, but he’s still on the line

“Why would she say no?” he asks slowly.

“Because she’s not like most women who have hit on me or tried to sleep with me. She’s—genuine,” I sigh. “She’s smart and talented, and…young.” I frown, thinking just how far in the past twenty-four seems to be for me.

“She’s eight years younger than you. Eight. Not eighteen,” Ezra counters, sounding a little pissed off.

“Still—” I try to counter but he stops me.

“No, listen to me. You’re not gonna beat yourself up over an eight-year age gap. That’s nothing. And she’s an adult, just like—” He stops.

It finally clicks why he’s so annoyed by my age comment. “Just like Rosie?” I ask.

He scoffs and I can picture him glaring at me, his nose twitching. “Yes, fine. If the age thing makes you a bad guy, then I’m right there with you. But we’re thirty-two, man. We’re still young too.”

“Doesn’t feel like we are,” I mumble.

“Listen. If you like this girl, ask her out. I guarantee she’ll say yes,” he says. “And if she doesn’t, it’s her loss and it probably has nothing to do with you, anyway.”

“Is this how you go through all your hookups? No fear of rejection?” I try to joke.

“Something like that. Why lose sleep over someone who’s not interested?”

“So, what happened with Rosie?” I ask.

Ezra goes quiet again. “To be honest, I really liked her. But with everything going on right now, I’m just not in the right headspace.”

“How did she take it?” I ask, entering the house once more and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I didn’t explain,” he says.

I stop, bottle halfway to my lips. “You ghosted her? Not cool, man.”

“I know,” he groans. “I’ll apologize and explain at some point. I’m not a total dickhead.”

“You know better than that,” I scold him.

“Again, I know. I just…I want to figure my shit out first before I go telling this gorgeous redhead that one night with her altered my entire brain chemistry.”

I take a sip of water, gulping it down. Ezra stews in the silence, just like I knew he would. Then, I say, “So, it was more than a one-night stand?”

“Jesus, fuck, man. Yes, okay? We had an amazing thirty-six hours together until my agent called me with the news.”

“Do you like-like her?” I tease, smiling.

“Fuck you. I hope Hazel says no,” he says, and hangs up the call.

I laugh and text him a middle finger emoji and a heart.