His Chosen One

Five

Nicklaus

For every new moment I spend with precious Ezra the more enchanting he gets with his dewy lips and lashes and the most endearing blush anyone has ever dared let fill their cheeks... And I fear that when time is called for me and the other suitors to take our leave I shall never actually want to move from this place with Ezra resting so beautifully in my arms.

My sweet Ezra had allowed me to feed him his second treat while taking shelter under my arm, his teacup being refilled and drained twice more while he took his own time pointing out the different treats he enjoys, his lean on me trepidacious at most...and shyly warm at best... Until I had used the allure of one of the chocolate truffles snagged between my thumb and my forefinger to convince Ezra to show me what else he might like around the room in general... And once the bonbon had been so lovingly deposited between his gorgeous lips he had not hesitated to show me.

I had been led over to the same bookshelf that my unfortunate mint-loafered acquaintance had been drawn to, and it is only up close that I realize that all of the shelf space is not entirely made up of books... But also of little trinkets, each shelf containing little hand-painted plaques that look as though they might have been painted by the occupants themselves sometime during their childhood... All of them are absolutely adorable... But Ezra's seem's especially so, the a in his name turned into a looping heart painted most surely by the boldest of tiny hands... The same hands that had thought to paint little flowers all around his carefully brushed letters, some spots looking as though his little fingers had grown impatient and smudged the paint checking to see if it had dried yet...

Oh, how easy it is to imagine a little Ezra with determined smears of paint on his face from pushing his pretty hair out of his face... And it's an image that brings a true smile to my face and causes me to pull him just a touch closer as we had stood there so that he might allow me to let my eyes explore the things that he enjoys... His silence understood not to be a bad thing or something that might have to stand between us... Just that it is part of his personality, and not necessarily a negative trait.

The rest of his shelf's contents had been that of his favorite storybooks, a few pictures of what must be his family, and then also... Most endearingly... His favorite stuffed animals... His personal ones... A pink teddy bear... a unicorn... and the most enchanting sea turtle with silver stitching, the first of which he chose to pick up and hug to his chest after double-checking in the most tender way that I would keep my hand right where he seems to want it to stay, on his far hip, my arm looped around his waist to keep him close...

A position that does not change until he leads me over to the couch that I had spotted him dozing on earlier... Where he had pushed my hand away and stared at me... Until it had dawned on me that it was his silent way of inviting me to sit with him in front of the window, the light surely to light up his beautiful eyes in the most spectacular fashion... And when I had headed the invitation I had been gifted with the most wondrous reward...

A timid Ezra seated so carefully in my lap so that he might lean against my chest and gaze out the window encouraging me to do the same, the tip of his thumb being unconsciously chewed as his eyes peer through the partially drawn blinds out at the street that looks so very far from the rec room we are currently situated in... My hand being encouraged to rub his back in the same pattern I had created earlier at the table.

Ezra

Nicklaus is nice as he holds me.... And quiet... And the allowed silence is something that puts me at ease...My memories of Wendy soothing my nightmares and rocking me back to sleep as recently as last month flooding to the forefront of my mind causing me to lean into him even more to draw out the very same comfort while trying to resist the urge to let myself suck on my thumb as I had been discouraged to do as a child.

In favor of not receiving a scolding for giving in to my childhood desire, I move my hand away from my face in favor of wrapping both of my arms around my sweet teddy and settle down enough to focus on the even breathing of the solid body underneath mine in all of Nicklaus's calmness as he holds me so very carefully.

I hadn't been sure he would be okay with holding me... But he seems not to mind in the slightest... He says not a word on it all, the only communication between us being the feel of his palm as it strokes my back, his voice phrasing the most gentle of yes or no questions so that he might allow me to answer them with a simple nod or shake of my head... Most of them giving me no pause as they pertain to small things... Things like if I enjoy comfort items like sweet teddy and if I would like him to hold me tighter...

"Ezra... Do you think you might be willing to entertain the thought of marrying an older man?" This one question, in particular, gives me pause and causes me to withdraw just enough for him to seemingly regret asking it when I pull away to try and grab at the courage it takes to truly look him in the face for a moment... And around the pain that starts to grow in his eyes as I take time to process his question I find my eyes drawn for the first time to the amount of silver in his hair, and the small wrinkles in the corner of his eyes that look as though they've been caused by smiling largely and often like he had when I had held up sweet teddy for him to see properly.

I cannot hold his gaze for long with how his eyes plead to me for an answer, his mouth uttering not a word to rush me, his hands still careful of their hold on me and not in any way wandering to places they do not belong... He's taken no liberties other than the ones for my own comfort instead of his... And there has been not one ounce of aggression from him this entire time, despite my reluctance in gathering the courage it would take me to speak aloud in our hesitant interaction...

A kindness I take advantage of further when I choose to give him an answer by leaning back into him and letting one of my hands draw his into continuing to stroke a path along my spine before I find myself nodding and hiding my face so that he might not catch the flush of my cheeks deepening once more with my honesty... If said older man is kind enough... And gentle enough with my spirit... I think I would not mind an older husband in the slightest.