Gavin gave him a faint smile, his hair immediately dusted with the heavily falling snow.
They still didn’t speak about what had happened in the restaurant earlier as they found a booth and ordered food.
Thad looked around as they waited for it to come out.
The diner was decorated with festive garland and a small tree sat on one end of the counter. Holiday music played in the background, and the space smelled of coffee, burgers, and nostalgia.
Thad had a sudden flash of memory of sitting here after practice, flirting with the ancient waitress who took their orders, Gavin’s wet hair covered in a beanie as he shoveled fries in his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in a week.
Tonight, they’d ordered what they always had growing up, but it wasn’t until they’d both devoured their double cheeseburgers and fries that Gavin loosened his tie and tossed it onto the cracked vinyl beside him.
He undid the top button of his shirt and sighed, suddenly looking weary. Much older than the sixteen-year-old boy Thadremembered. “Ugh, I feel sick. I don’t think I’ve eaten that much meat in like six months.”
“Shit, I would’ve thought Dakota was better endowed,” Thad quipped.
Gavin huffed out a laugh and threw a wadded-up napkin at his head. “Don’t talk about my boyfriend’s dick.”
“You brought it up.”
“I meant?—”
“I know what you meant,” Thad said with a laugh. He’d been trying to get Gavin to lighten up. To smile again.
It had worked too.
Gavin pushed away his plate, a guilty expression crossing his face. “Shit. He’s going to kill me for eating that.”
Thad shrugged. “It’s not the heart-healthiest meal ever, that’s for sure. But I think under the circumstances, he’d probably understand.”
“Yeah, he would,” Gavin agreed. “Fuck. Dinner with Mom and Dad was a shitshow.”
Thad laughed around the straw of his peanut butter and chocolate milkshake. “How did you think it would go?”
“Better.” Gavin slumped, playing with the straw of his chocolate malt. “Different. I don’t know why. They’re exactly the same as they’ve always been.”
“I think they’re getting worse, actually,” Thad said drily.
“Maybe.” Gavin ran a hand over his face. “It was a mistake either way. And I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”
Thad shrugged. “I was pretty sure that was how it would go but I wanted to give you the chance to see for yourself.”
“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have put you through that.”
“Hey, I’m the one who reconnected with them last year,” Thad admitted. “I get it. They’re our fucking parents. They should be better …”
His voice trailed off, his throat suddenly too thick to speak.
“They should be,” Gavin agreed tiredly. “But they’re not.”
“They’re not,” Thad agreed, leaning forward. “So, fuck ’em. We have better people in our lives now. People who give a shit about us and love us the way we deserve.”
Gavin’s smile was bittersweet, but he nodded. “Yeah, we do.”
“So,” Thad said. “Going forward, we spend time with Graham’s crazy but nice family. We hang out with Dakota and Violet, and Jeff, and their kids. Because they’re awesome too.”
“And we build our own families,” Gavin said, holding out a hand.
“Yeah.” Thad took it. “I dunno that I want kids though. I’m not sure I’m un-fucked-up enough yet to even think about it. Though Mom is right about one thing, I’m not getting any younger.”
