She frowned at him and pulled her hand away. “I’m just catching up with our son.”
“Why don’t you two tell me about the trip?” I suggested.
Mom’s eyes lit up again. “Well, there was this other couple our age,” she started. The next thing I knew, they’d launched into a story about how they’d made friends with this other couple, who were apparently the type of people who could find thebestlittle local restaurants, away from the tourist traps. They’d had authentic food everywhere they’d gone. The cruise had taken them around Africa, the Mediterranean, and both southern and northern Europe, Mom explained. She had a story for every port, and soon we were all laughing as they showed me pictures on their phones and told me how much fun they’d had.
“What else have you been up to these past few months?” Mom asked. We hadn’t had phone calls while they’d been gone. We’d exchanged short emails, but that was it.
I shifted in my seat, feeling like a spotlight was on me. “I…”
“Seeing anyone new?” Mom’s words cut through me like a knife.
My face flooded with heat and I looked down at my empty plate. “Not really.”
When I looked back at my parents, they were exchanging curious glances. “You sure?” Dad prodded, probably picking up on my blush.
I bit the inside of my cheek and took a breath, my heart racing. Was I really about to do this? Regardless of Micah, I didn’t want to hide this newly discovered part of myself. “I think… I mean, Iknow… I’m bisexual.”
“Oh,” Mom said quietly. “Okay.” She frowned, brow furrowing. “I thought you were straight.”
“Turns out I’m not. Is that a problem?” I glanced between them, trying to gauge their reactions. They were both quiet.
“Not at all, hon,” Mom said without a second’s hesitation.
Dad cleared his throat and spoke again. “Why would it be?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t know if you had, like, hangups about having a queer kid.”
They both shook their heads immediately. “No hangups here.”
“None,” Mom agreed. “But honey… why are you telling us thisnow? Has something changed?”
Everything has changed.I didn’t want to say that out loud, though.
“No reason,” I murmured.
“Are you seeing someone?” Dad asked.
I knew they’d ask, and I still wasn’t prepared to answer. “Not really. I just… I figured it out while you were gone, y’know? I didn’t want to lie or leave it out.”
They both nodded and Dad took Mom’s hand quietly. “Thank you for sharing with us,” he said.
I shrugged again. “Yeah. No problem.” My heart squeezed tight, knowing I wasn’t giving them the whole truth. “I mean, yes, I have been seeing someone, but it’s pretty tentative for now.”
“Is he someone we know?” Mom asked.
“Sort of. But… I don't know. He might be leaving soon. For good.”
“Micah?” Dad’s eyebrows were raised as he spoke. “Is it Micah?”
“How could you possibly know that?” I asked.
Dad nodded slowly. “That makes sense. He’s the one who took care of you while you were hurt. That’s how I fell for your mom, you know.”
I laughed, a wild lightness in my chest and stomach. “It is?”
Another nod from Dad. “I was in the hospital with a broken leg and she was a volunteer. She brought me my dinner tray every day. And one day, she brought me a get well soon card she’d found in the shop. She said she thought of me when she saw it.”
“She brought you food every day?”
