Maddox pulled Malcolm a little closer, stroking the back of his head. “I’m proud of you,” he said. “You showed a lot of integrity by sharing your life with them, even knowing they wouldn’t understand.”
My stomach knotted as the memory of my own mother came flooding back to me. She would have accepted Malcolm and Maddox. She would have loved them, in fact. It felt so unfair that she was gone and never going to meet them.
Shaking my head, I pushed those thoughts aside. This evening was about Malcolm, and I wanted to be there for him.
“Thank you both,” he said, still staring at the ground. “For being here, and for standing up for me.”
“Do you need anything?” Maddox asked. “What can we do to help you feel better?”
“I think I just need some rest,” Malcolm said. “I feel tired.”
Maddox and I looked at each other, then nodded without saying a word. “Come on,” I said, helping Malcolm to his feet. “Let’s get you in bed to rest.”
After all the yelling and arguing, we didn’t really need any more words. Instead, the three of us just did what we needed to do. Maddox smoothed down the sheets and prepared the bed, and as we led Malcolm to his room, I removed his glasses and unbuttoned his shirt. We undressed him together, then laid him between the sheets.
“Would you like us to stay with you?” Maddox asked.
Malcolm nodded, his head already against the pillow. “If it’s not too much to ask.”
As Maddox and I undressed and crawled into bed with him, I realized something. It didn’t matter what Malcolm’s parents thought or what anyone else thought, either. We already were in a relationship, and no matter what they said, we were damn happy about it.
Malcolm curled up into Maddox’s embrace, and when I joined them, Maddox stretched his arm further, pulling me close. Slowly, I felt Malcolm’s body relax. His muscles stopped trembling, and soon enough, his breathing returned to normal, too.
“We’re here,” I said. “You just rest and know that we’re here.”
Fuck everyone else, I thought to myself.We’re happy together, and no one can take that away.
