We were silent on the short car ride, but when we pulled up in front of his house, I heard Milo gasp in the back seat and whisper, “It's like a castle.”
I’d already been there a couple times, and it still felt breathtaking. The turret really set it off, but it completely suited them. After meeting Ezra and knowing that he built it, it all seemed even more perfect.
“Is Mae gone?” I asked.
We had pulled into the garage, and I noticed her black Jetta gone. Every other time I’d come here, the garage had been full, and her empty spot stood out.
“Yeah, but I thought she would be back by now.” Jack’s face flashed confused and concerned, but he instantly smoothed it out with a broad smile for Milo and me. “She’ll be back soon. And Ezra and Peter are still here.” He got out, and we followed suit.
“Hey, wait.” I lowered my voice then grabbed onto Jack’s arm to stop him. Milo was a little bit behind us, admiring the Lamborghini. He’d never been much of a car person before, but the Lamborghini had that power over anyone. “Is Peter going to be nice to Milo?”
“Oh, yeah, he’ll be fine,” Jack nodded.
“So it’s just me that he has a problem with?” My heart tightened.
I had been hoping that Peter’s icy demeanor had something to do with the fact that I was an outsider, but if he had no problems with Milo, then it had to be me personally.
“You are far more complicated,” Jack whispered.
“Is ‘complicated’ like your go-to word or something?” I muttered, making him laugh.
“Why are we just standing in the middle of the garage?” Milo piped in. He wasn’t that into cars, so it hadn’t held his attention for long, and he stood behind us looking confused.
“We’re not.” With that, Jack quickened his pace towards the house, and Milo and I followed more slowly.
Jack threw open the door, and he was instantly greeted by Matilda jumping into him. Without Mae there to stop her or dampen her enthusiasm, she was free to jump and slobber all over Jack as much as she wanted.
“Oh, and they have a dog too,” I told Milo and gestured to the giant white ball of fur in Jack’s arms. Jack remembered that Milo was there, and he put her on the ground much sooner than he normally did.
“Yeah, I figured that out,” Milo said dryly.
“This is Mattie!” Jack scratched her head roughly. “She’s a good girl. She’s just a big baby.”
“I can tell.” Milo stood off to the side, watching Jack wrestle with his dog.
Ezra magically appeared in the doorway, and after taking a moment for myself to admire him, I looked back to see Milo’s reaction. His eyes had widened and his jaw had even gone a little lax. I wondered if I looked that awestruck when I met Ezra.
“Oh, it’s just you,” Ezra said.
“Thanks,” Jack replied sarcastically and stood up, temporarily ending his roughhousing with Matilda.
“No, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Ezra’s face broke into a smile that made it hard for me to breathe. “I thought that you might be Mae.” At the mention of her, his lips got tighter, and he and Jack exchanged a pained look. “But she’s not back yet.”
“I don’t know what could be taking her so long,” Jack added, growing irritated. Ezra dismissed him and turned to Milo.
“You must be Alice’s brother.” Ezra’s smile returned and he walked over to Milo to shake his hand. I watched to see if Milo noticed how weird (but good) their skin felt. If he did, it didn’t register on his face. He just smiled dumbly at Ezra. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ezra.”
“I’m Milo.” It was difficult for him to form the words, and he sounded out of breath. For once, I wasn’t the only one gawking at everyone.
“So, Jack,” I said, interrupting Milo’s awkward starting, “Milo really loves video games.”
“Really?” Jack’s face lit up, and I half expected him to throw Milo under his arm and dash off into the next room. “Come on. I’ve got like everything, and I mean everything. From Grand Theft Auto to Pong, I’ve got you covered.” He started to hurry into the living room, and Milo gave Ezra one last longing look before following him.
“Really? You have Pong? Why?”
“Cause its awesome!” Jack sounded mildly offended at being questioned.
“Finally, someone for him to play with.” Ezra smiled gratefully at me, and I looked away so I wouldn’t blush. “You wouldn’t believe how much time he spends on those damn things. Mae’s always trying to get him to go out and do something, anything, but it’s near impossible. She was so relieved when he met you and actually left the house.”
“Well, I’m glad that I could help,” I replied timidly. “Where is Mae?”
“Um, she’s out.” Ezra’s normally open face closed up a bit, and it was a familiar expression that I’d seen written on Jack’s face every time he didn’t want to tell me something. “She really ought to be home soon.”