Oh, he was plenty irritated.
“I want to be down on the beach. I like the idea of helping, not being tucked away. Sometimes, I wish we could just be out,” he said. “It’s more difficult pretending we aren’t who we are.”
Oh, Will knew that feeling.
Unfortunately, that was the story of his life, and the lives of gay men everywhere.
Since he brought this up, that seemed to open up the discussion, and that was important. Will knew that Ethan was a man of few words, unless he wanted to have them. To him, that was an invitation.
“Then why don’t you come out?” he asked.
Oh, let him rattle off the reasons, and start with the big, douchiest one.
Gabriel Rothschild.
The asshole.
Ethan didn’t hesitate to answer the question.
“My boss doesn’t allow people who are in relationships to work with each other. That’s one of his hard and fast rules. If he finds out you’re having a sexual relationship with any Fed, he puts space between the people. He feels like it’s safer that way.”
Was it?
Hardly.
If Ethan had to put space between him and Gene, he’d feel far more worried and nervous. The man calmed the demons in him, and always would.
At his explanation, Will understood.
“How about you?” Ethan suddenly asked.
Will was honest.
“I don’t come out because my parents don’t know I’m gay. They’d be disappointed in me. I’d love nothing more than to be able to bring Corbin home to meet them, but that would never end well.”
Ethan sat on the edge of the bed.
“Are you okay with what happened earlier?” he asked, making sure.
Will nodded.
“Yeah, because I can always count on Gene to put Corbin right back on the correct path.”
That he could.
It was always evident that Gene was a good brother with his biological siblings because he could be one with people who needed one.
As an only child, Corbin sometimes needed that.
Gene cared a great deal about the man, and he would do anything for Corbin—even use tough love when it was needed.
“Are you ever going to come out?” Ethan asked.
Will considered it.
“I mean, when they read it in the paper when we apply for a marriage license one day, I think they’ll figure it out,” he admitted.
Well, yeah.
