At first, when he hesitated, Maizie was afraid she'd managed to offend him after all. Maybe Ezra was one of those people with too much pride to accept anything that feels like charity, or an act of pity. Except that she didn't pity him. Not exactly. Like, yes, he looked rough. Life outside the shelter was clearly not easy, but if he'd been living in the tunnels, Ezra knew how to survive far better than she did. How he'd ended up here outside the LBJ was a mystery, but for whatever reason she happened to be in the right place at the right time to see him.
And it was a totally selfish gesture. Maizie would admit it. Talking to him felt nice -- but more importantly it felt normal. Ezra didn't look at her like he was waiting for her to burst into tears, or like he pitied her. Savannah and Day and Liv had been so good to her, but most of the time Maizie still felt like a walking emotional breakdown.
"The supplies aren't running out today, though." She wasn't arguing, exactly. Her voice lacked the heat of a dispute. It was just that she really didn't want him to say no to something else. Maizie sighed, absently worrying that scab on her lip again. Maybe it just wouldn't work. She hadn't been able to convince Dad to come home either, although she kind of wondered if maybe she just hadn't tried hard enough then.