Brady came home that afternoon to find Ezra sitting at the dining room table with two envelopes in front of him. One was from Sam Houston State University and the other was from Baylor. Brady could only guess they were the letters Ezra had been waiting for nearly the day after he sent out his applications and from the size of the envelopes it looked like Ezra had been accepted to both.
"Hey, baby," Brady said as he pulled a chair close to Ezra.
In between the two envelopes was a legal pad that Ezra had been writing on. It was split into three sections. In the middle, Ezra had written 'music' and 'smaller school'. On the side closest to the SHSU envelope, Ezra had written 'closer to home' and 'honors program' and 'scholarships'. The Baylor side had only 'small scholarship, better program'. At the bottom in large letters 'Brady?' was written and underlined four times. Ezra tapped it with his pen and looked at Brady.
Brady smiled at the fact that he was a factor in Ezra's decision. "I haven't applied anywhere, babe, I don't know where I'll end up."
Ezra nodded and looked at his list again. He traced the lines under Brady's name and shuffled his feet under the table.
"I was actually thinking..." Brady was having a surprisingly hard time getting the words out. "I was thinking of the military."
Ezra's eyes got wide like a deer in headlights and his mouth dropped open a little. "N-no," he said.
Brady searched for words and finally managed to meekly offer, "It's a good option." He hadn't known what to expect, but certainly Ezra disagreeing hadn't crossed his mind.
"No!"
Brady jumped at the force behind Ezra's voice. Ezra's hands were trembling and he threw his pen down and wrapped his arms around Brady.
"D-don't go," Ezra muttered. He sniffed and tightened his grip on Brady. "I need you. D-d-don't leave."
Brady ran his hands all over Ezra's back and breathed in the sweet smell of the one he loved. "I won't leave," he said. There was no need to think about it. Ezra needed him to stay, so he would. He would apply to the school Ezra chose and hope that he would figure things out along the way.