“You won’t fit on the sofa,” Maria said.
“Neither will I,” Theo replied under his breath.
Mrs. Moretti threw a towel at him and chided, “He’s your best friend and a guest, you heathen! He gets the bed.”
Theo rescued me, and his reward was a love seat for a bed and a bad back? The Morettis didn’t have one of those big living room couches you see in some homes; they had just a couple of two-seaters that would never fit a six-foot-six giant like Theo. They also had three bedrooms, and I knew the twins shared a room. There wasn’t any room for me.
There isn’t enough room for me.
“I can’t let Theo sleep on the couch,” I argued. “I’ll sleep on the couch until I can save up some cash and get a place. I can get a cheap studio or a room somewhere. I’ll pick up extra shifts—”
“We’ll just sleep together.”
Um…say what now?Did Theo actually say that? Was my hearing betraying me?
“Yeah, it’s an Olympic Queen, for Christ’s sake. It’s big enough for both,” Reggie added.
“Language, Regina!” Mrs. Moretti turned to me and asked, “Are you okay with that, honey?”
If only you knew how okay I am with that.
Jokes aside, I was speechless and having a hard time believing Theo was okay with this. “Are you sure?” I asked him.
“Totally! It’s gonna be just like dorm life, but if we had pushed the beds together. No sweat.”
I started panicking. It was hard enough hiding my all-consuming love for Theo as it was, but putting me in the same bed as him? Theo must have seen my concern because he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about saving up money to get your own place. I want you tostay. I mean it.”
Thump. Thump. Thump. What’s that, you ask? Is that a dinosaur coming back to life, stomping towards the house? No, it’s just my heart. Sorry. Carry on.
Mr. Moretti nodded his head and lightly rapped his knuckles against the table in a “meeting adjourned” fashion. “Well, since we’ve got that settled, I think it’s time we all turn in. What do you all think?”
Everyone rose from their chairs and started shuffling to the stairs. Mrs. Moretti approached, wrapping her arms around me, and said, “Welcome to the family, honey. I always wanted another son.”
“Mom… Too much. Too much,” Theo chided.
“I’m sorry! I just can’t help it.’ Mrs. Moretti smoothed my hair behind my ears and added, “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, okay?”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Mor—”
“Maria!”
I looked down, my cheeks, I’m sure, the color of cherries, and said, “Thank you, Maria.”
Everyone made their way upstairs, but I stayed back for a moment. I looked around at their beautiful house: family pictures adorning the walls, upholstery in rich shades of red and gold, antiques placed in just the right spot with care. It all felt so foreign. I felt like an intruder until the memory of Theo’s hand on my back warmed my entire body.
My best friend, my everything, came and got me. I let the remaining tears fall from my eyes. I was still so shaken up. I don’t think I ever fought back before, but I fought Louie that night. I defended myself—called him names as wicked as the ones he called me.
I think, deep down, I always blamed myself for the beatings—that if I weren’t gay, it wouldn’t be happening to me. I always just took it like I deserved it, never fighting back.
Maybe there was still a little part of me that believed that, but I fought through it and defended myself that night.
Something shifted in me when Louie attacked me—I don’t know what changed. Maybe it was seeing Theo and hearing those words, “Who hurt you?” again.
A sense of pride washed over me. It felt good to stand up for myself. I don’t know what would have happened if Theo hadn’t come, but he did. So, I just let myself feel that pride and relief, breathing it in so a little bit would fill some of the emptiness I usually felt.
Eventually, I walked to the second floor to find Theo unpacking my things and putting them into drawers alongside his belongings.
Chapter 14
