He stops moving and looks at me wide-eyed. His hands are shaking, twisting the hem of his shirt. He looks like he might throw up.
“I have to tell them.” He’s trembling, voice tight.
“Tell who… what?”
“My parents. I have to tell them I’m—” He cuts himself off, running a hand through his messy faux hawk. “I need to tell them I’m gay. Before someone else does it for me.”
My heart clenches, anger rising like a storm. “You deserve to come out on your terms, not because some coward threw a brick through your window.”
“If I do it now, it’s still my choice.”
I cross the room and pull him into a hug. He smells like his body wash, smoky and sweet. Like home.
“I’m proud of you,” I whisper into his ear. “Want me to clear out my parents, so you have privacy?”
He shakes his head against my shoulder. “No. I think we should tell all of them everything.”
I pull back just enough to look at him. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. But it involves you, too. Are you okay with them knowing about us?”
I cup the back of his neck. “Of course. My parents already know I’ve got the hots for my best friend.”
That earns me a snort and a soft smack to the chest. “The hots?”
“Undeniable.”
I lean in, about to kiss him, when his mom’s voice cuts through the air. “Boys?”
Better than a psycho with a brick, but still a buzzkill.
“Rain check?” he asks.
“I’d like to redeem sooner rather than later.” I grab his hand and brush it lightly against the front of my shorts, making him groan.
“You can’t do that and then expect me to tell my parents I’m gay. That’s, like, illegal. Or a party foul.”
I laugh and tug him toward the door. “Use it like a public speaking trick.”
“Rude. Now I’m picturing you naked.”
“You’re welcome,” I tease, smirking.
I stop and look at him seriously. “I’ll be right beside you.”
He nods. “Thank you.”
We head downstairs and circle up with our parents.
“Oh, there y’all are,” Mrs. Nora says. “Hud, your dad and I are going to get a hotel. I don’t want to stay here tonight. You’ll go to Cullen’s, and Hadley’s staying with Maggie.”
Thank you, universe. That rain check’s getting cashed intonight.
“Okay, but before we do all that, can we sit in the living room? There’s something I want to talk to y’all about.”
His mom’s eyes grow concerned. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah. Just… come sit.”
