July 2085: everybody loves Ezra

Ezra Dunning is 26.


Everybody loves Ezra, which is a phenomenon he finds quite honestly baffling, since for the first quarter-century of his life, he was nothing but a tall geek with unruly red hair, immature and sometimes lazy, decidedly not charming, and he hadn’t had an actual girlfriend since high school. And then he moved to Sunrise Shores and met Lola, who was beautiful, sweet, and sexy. This is not Lola though. This is her roommate Joelle, and Joelle loves Ezra too.



Lola is a great girl, and Ezra loves her in the way you come to love a girl you've been dating for fifteen months: gradually, steadily, and dutifully. Ezra is no great romantic. Lola must have known this going in. He was a history teacher. On their first date, he'd taken her to The Museum of Maritime Salvage.

But Lola is sensitive and affectionate, lending kind words to her best friend Cleo as she works the bar. Anybody would be proud to be part of her life.


Ezra only hopes that Lola doesn't find out that Cleo has a crush on him too.


Colbie is young, and was a student teacher this year in his classroom. "Thank you so much for your help," she said with flowers and a big toothy grin. She was the fluttery and nervous type around him, but after a couple drinks, her affections seem to solidify. "You're so handsome," she said. "Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have said that out loud."

He should have known that Colbie loved him too.


He tries not to let it go to his head, because Lola, his girlfriend, is very pretty. She's great in bed and lovely to look at. She's an actress, and he had to admit, it's pretty fun saying your girlfriend is an actress, even if she only does occasional commercials and background extra parts.


She's pretty, and talented, and giving, and she's needy and jealous and cynical, and she has these eyes that say so much without ever speaking a single word. Emotive. That's why she's an actress. She emotes so well.


And she notices things. Like Ezra notices things, this dewy young girl—not too young, not jail bait or anything, but just young enough to be potent. They're all so pretty, so happy. They all look like so much fun. And there are just so many of them. Where were all these girls when he was a teenager, and why the hell are they all so tantalizing now? Why are they everywhere, sliding up alongside him on the dance floor while he's trying to pay attention to his doting girlfriend?


Only Ezra never notices Lola noticing things too until after he's been contemplating the curve of the girl's soft side-boob for just a little too long, and wondering if she might bend just forward a little bit more...


Lola has these eyes that emote glares like daggers when she's angry. But this girl doesn't suspect anything, certainly not Lola's strong, curvy hip and the force with which it swivels to knock the girl from her feet. "Oops," Lola coos, her voice something between a mock and a song. "The dance floor is so big. Why don't you go dance over there or something?"


Lola notices everything, and Ezra is in trouble.


Plenty of girls are madly in love with Ezra, but lately he's beginning to doubt that Lola is one of them anymore.