Gabriel was standing in the doorway. His suit was immaculate as ever, grey fabric matching purplish eyes in a way too coordinated to be accidental. Ezra couldn't help the slight chill that fell over his mood at the sight, the flash of insecurity as he instinctively compared the two of them. Still, it was only a second's worth of concern, after which Ezra had already flung his arms around Gabriel and they were kissing, and at which point all thoughts of contrast flew from his head.
They didn't speak as they walked out of the door. Ezra waved back at the others, matching Gabriel's stiff silence and fighting the urge to give his friends a proper goodbye. He settled for watching them fade away as they drove, disappearing until only their signature colors (red, black, and whitish-grey that was horrible for keeping clean) remained, and then further until even that was gone as well.
Ezra turned to face front, watching Gabriel drive his newest car - "Mother's gotten me another gift, Ezra. Isn't it beautiful?" - towards the fanciest restaurant in town. If he were honest with himself, Ezra didn't particularly like the restaurant… Sable had recommended it to Gabriel one day, who had promptly fallen in love with it, but the meagre portions and hollow ache in his stomach that always succeeded the meals wasn't worth it. Still, Gabriel liked it, and Ezra needed to keep things as comfortable for him as possible right now.
Their silence still hadn't broken by the time they reached the restaurant, only slightly broken by the slamming of the car doors and the gentle scuff of shoes on pavement as they walked to the front door. Ezra might have been worried, but silence - even awkward silence - was common between the two of them, and, after all, Gabriel had been courteous enough to hold the doors for him and pull out his chair as they sat down. No, things were normal.
Well, normal-ish. There was still a kind of tension in Gabriel's stance, an awkwardness in the way he held himself. He was literally sitting on the edge of his seat, immaculate loafers tapping restlessly against the tiled floor. Still, he didn't say anything, not even when the food arrived.
The server was rather nondescript, his face not memorable in the least, but he brought their food quickly. "Your main course, sirs. Chicken froth on a reduction of broccoli gel with mushroom foam." He paused as he set down the plates before reaching behind him for something on a tray at his back. "And the chef recommends that you have this first: a balloon filled with lavender-scented air. It's the first course." He popped the balloon, sending the air over the table with a flourish before bowing and retreating.
Ezra finally broke the silence, then, and called after him. "Thank you, dear boy." The server nodded and continued to walk away, and they continued their meal in silence.
Eventually - not too long after, given the size of the meal - the food was gone and they were finished. They never ordered dessert, sadly. It was one of Ezra's guilty pleasures in life, but it went against Gabriel's strict diet, which was Ezra's by default. Still, he was too excited to care today, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach as he watched Gabriel.
For the first time that evening, Gabriel started to speak. "Ezra…" He broke off, then restarted. "We both know why we're here. Frankly, it's obvious… not even you could miss it." He could say what he wanted; Ezra didn't care about his words, just the ring he just knew Gabriel had in his pocket. "My future-" Our future, Ezra automatically corrected in his head. "-has been decided for some time now." He paused, then began again. "It is written."
Ezra nodded eagerly, a little confused at where this was going, but willing to play along until he found out. "Of course… Your mother's Great Plan." He knew what Gabriel meant; his mother, a senator, may have been a bit of an absentee parent, but she cared for her son. So, rather than personally being a constant presence in his life, she had given him a plan, a list of things that he ought (or had) to do to be successful, from a law degree to a Senate seat just like hers, and Gabriel had been following it religiously.
"Quiet, Ezra." Gabriel shushed him, annoyance flickering across his face as he did. "It's time to get serious, and that's just not you." The matter-of-fact tone in which he said it meant that it took a few seconds for Ezra to process it. In the meantime, Gabriel kept speaking, reiterating. "I need to get serious, and you're just… not it. You understand."
"What?" Ezra's voice was quiet, meek. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
Gabriel sighed, a mutter of something like "Of course you don't." sounding under his breath before he inhaled sharply and refocused on Ezra. "Ezra, you don't do anything. You sit around all day reading books-" The word is spat out, and Ezra instinctively flinches. "-and consuming unnecessary amounts of gross matter, but you don't actually work. You're not serious about me or the Great Plan." He paused, then added, "You're a Marilyn, not a Jackie, and I need a Jackie." Gabriel stood, then, and made to go, but he stopped and turned back first. His eyes flitted derisively to Ezra's stomach before looking back up. "Oh, and, in future… You might want to lose the gut."
Ezra reeled, watching as Gabriel stood and strode away, figure imperiously dividing the crowd and leaving him alone in the crowded restaurant. The other couples sitting nearby didn't pay him any attention, but he felt imaginary eyes on him, felt the sight of happily feasting pairs like a fist to the gut (which, Gabriel was right, really did need to shrink). It was all he could do to stand up, gently fold the napkin he'd laid across his lap, and replace it onto the table. By the time he reached the pavement outside, his eyes were teary and his throat felt horribly tight, but he pushed that back and called for a taxi.
His eyes lingered forlornly on the parking spot Gabriel's car had just vacated, wishing it - he - were still there, wishing that Ezra hadn't screwed it all up… but the spot stayed vacant, his prayers went unanswered, and the only car to show up was the taxi. When it pulled up outside his dorm, Ezra handed the driver a tip and walked in, collapsing in tears the second he was safely inside.