Mother and Father didn’t acknowledge him but rather kept their eyes trained straight on me. When Gunner and Maddox left the room, I gestured to the couches, but they stayed put.
“Malcolm!” my mother said, hissing the words beneath her breath. “Why on earth are there two men here?”
“I’m very confused,” my father added. “You said you wanted to introduce us to the nice antique dealer you were seeing. Surely, that can’t be either of these two men? They frankly look like you dragged them out of the alley and polished them up five minutes before we arrived!”
Usually, I would avoid any argument with my parents. The idea that Gunner or Maddox might hear their insults, however, got my temperature up. “That’s rude,” I said sharply. “They’re my guests, and so are you.”
My mother sucked in a breath of air. “Well, I think it’s rude to invite your parents over with subterfuge, Malcolm!”
“And to talk back,” my father added.
I took in a deep breath of air, then let it out slowly. “I’m twenty-five. I’m not trying to talk back. I’m simply trying to explain the situation. Now if you’ll please just join us at the couch.”
My father crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at me. “An explanation, Malcolm. Now. Otherwise, we’ll sadly have to depart.”
I wished Maddox and Gunner were still standing behind me and placed my hand on my own shoulder, imagining the comforting touch that had been there a moment before. “This is who I’m dating,” I said. “And I wanted to introduce you.”
My mother’s voice shot up an octave. “Well then why is this older man here as well? Is he some sort of acquaintance of this…” She waved her hands in the air, then spat out the word like it was a curse. “ThisGunner?”
“I am dating Maddox,” I said, as slowly as I could. “Maddox is here because I am seeing him.”
“Then why isGunnerhere?” my mother asked, exasperated.
My father’s face hardened into a scowl. “Did you just say you’re dating that old man? He must be your twice your age, Malcolm. That’s insanity!”
“He’s forty,” I said, heat travelling up my chest and burning up my neck. “And Gunner is here because I’m dating him, too.”
My mother turned to my father, burying her face in his chest. “He’s simply not making sense,” she said. “He’s contradicting himself and talking nonsense.”
“Malcolm, have you been drinking?” my father asked, pulling my mother closer. “Are you in some sort of trouble you don’t know how to tell us about?”
I sighed, then turned to walk into the living room on my own. If they couldn’t manage to get past the entranceway, that was their problem. “I’m not drinking,” I said, “although I sure could use a glass of that damn wine.”
“Language!” my mother corrected, her hand shooting to her mouth.
“I knew something was wrong,” my father said. “It’s been obvious for weeks.”
“There is nothing wrong,” I said, as patiently as I could. “I am dating Gunner, and I am also dating Maddox. The three of us are dating each other. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”
My mother looked faint, and her knees got wobbly as she leaned against my father. He tucked her up into his arms, then walked her over to the armchair, depositing her in the seat gingerly.
“You can’t date two people, Malcolm,” Father said firmly. “That is not how it works, not in our family at least.”
“Especially not two people who look like that!” Mother added. “They’re not respectable. I’m sure your father and I can find another suitable young man with whom you can spend your time. Just please, send these men away and cease with this foolishness!”
Tears started forming in the corners of my eyes, and my breath tightened. It was going exactly as I had imagined, but the reality was somehow so much worse. It was like every other conversation. They weren’t even hearing a word I said; they were just plowing over me and telling me who I should be.
They kept lecturing, both talking at once as I sat there with my trembling lip. As though things weren’t bad enough, now Maddox and Gunner were about to see me crying like a baby. They were strong, good men, and they had shown up for me over and over.
And me? I was a dweeby librarian who couldn’t stand up to his own parents. Sitting there with shaky hands and tears running down my cheeks, I couldn’t think of a word to say. All I could do was try to breathe and wish it would all end soon.
GUNNER
I was pissed off. I was pissed to hear Malcolm’s parents talking to him that way, pissed to listen them steamroll over the guy, and I was especially pissed to hear them talk about our relationship that way.
Not respectable… fuck you! I’ll show you not respectable.
“We’ve got to say something,” I said to Maddox, anger bubbling in my stomach. “We can’t just stand by while they say those things to him.”
