Did it sting knowing he’d gone down on two girls? Yes. But Kaj was also being thoughtful, asking him to wait until he could reciprocate. His selflessness turned Noah into a jellyfish, just going with the current, wherever it went.
“But do you want to?”
Noah knelt on the floor and grabbed Trine’s nape with one hand, covering her mouth with the other. “Would you shut up?”
Her muffled cackle vibrated against his palm.
“She’s right, though,” Nikolaj chimed in, making Noah look back at him. “We’ve talked about it and want to make sure you have all the information. It doesn’t matter if you’re two boys. You still need to be safe.”
“Wait. What?” Kaj frowned, his face turning a soft shade of red. “You knew aboutus?”
The ghost of a grin curled Nik’s lips. “You’re not as subtle as you think.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Noah directed at his mother, ears burning with embarrassment. He felt like an idiot.
“We wanted you to tell us whenever you were ready,” she said, freeing herself from Noah’s grasp. “That’s why this conversation is so... unconventional.”
“Unconventional, my ass. This is an ambush!”
“The timing just seemed appropriate. And since we’ve known each other for years and you’re nowboyfriends, it made sense to rip the band-aid off in one go.”
“And you claim you were teenagers once,” Kaj scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.
Nik chuckled. “We were!”
“Would you have liked to talk about this with your parents in front of your boyfriend or girlfriend, or whatever? Because I doubt it.”
“Those were different times. People were a lot more narrow-minded. Besides, we want to be better and offer you the freedom and non-judgmental space we didn’t have.”
With that last part, Nik looked at Trine, a silent conversation taking place.
Noah didn’t know it back then, but her entire family had repudiated her when she was only sixteen. Apparently, not going to college or at least finishing secondary education, becoming a roadie, and having sex with whomever she chose was a heinous thing to do. It didn’t matter that the experience gave her a purpose.
Even Grandma had stopped talking to her. It wasn’t until after Grandpa died and Noah was five years old that she realized the way Trine had chosen to live her life was no one else’s business, and definitely not worth losing a daughter and grandson over.
Both teenagers looked at their parents for a moment. Noah didn’t know about Kaj, but he wasn’t convinced this wasn’t some sort of trick. He had the best mom, but she was also sneaky.
“Thanks.”
Trine and Nikolaj smiled. The cards were on the table, and everything was clear, so they could go on with their lives. Or so they thought.
“Now that the cat’s out of the bag,” she started, “just wanted to let you know we agreed that we’re not going to stop you if you wanna have sex. It’s gonna happen eventually anyway, andanywhere, but we’d rather you be safe. So, instead of freezing your asses out in the cold, stay at home.”
“What she said.” Nik nodded, clearly feeling uncomfortable with her bluntness.
“I promise I won’t annoy you by knocking on the door.” She drew a cross over her heart.
Barely blinking as he tried to process the conversation they’d just had, Noah said, “Okay, can we go now?”
“Sure. Butdon’t close the door. We’re gonna order pizza!”
Both Trine and Nikolaj laughed.
The two teens ran into Noah’s bedroom as he retorted, “Shut up!”
Eight
After the weirdest conversationin history, everything went back to normal.
