Eden… who’s too much like me.
The realization settles heavy in my gut.
My fingers twitch, desperate for Carey’s hand.
“Being with Eden is what’s best for me.” Jin’s voice raises, and my mother’s eyes dart nervously around the cafe.
My father’s hands flatten against the tabletop. “This isn’t up for further discussion. Eden, you’re thirty-three, and Jintae’s not even twenty yet. I can’t accept you two together. As long as this continues, Eden is not welcome in our house.”
Not welcome in our house…
The words ring in my skull.
They’re all too familiar. But the difference is, back when they were directed at me, I did walk away. I built my own roof,my own business, my own life. And the cost was silence for months on end and years of strained holiday dinners, careful conversations, and conceding to the whims of my mother. I don’t want that for Jin, and I sure as hell don’t want it for myself any longer.
“Family doesn’t make people choose between love and belonging,” I say, and I feel five sets of eyes fall on me at once.
My father leans towards me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Carey’s leg presses harder against mine.
“It means that if Eden's not welcome, then neither am I."
"Excuse me?" He leans even closer
"I said.” I look at my father straight on. “If Eden's not welcome in your home, then I'm not welcome either."
“Now’s not the time for rebellion,” my mother speaks for the first time.
“This isn’t a rebellion, but it’s a long time coming.”
“How are you okay with this?” My father’s expression is pleading with me, and whilst I do sympathise with where he’s coming from as a parent, parents don’t always know best. Or see what’s been right under their noses the entire time.
“I trust Eden’s intentions. I trust that he loves Jin. But I’m not talking about them. I honestly don't know how the pair of you haven't figured it out yet.” I gesture to my mother. “Either you're too deep in denial, or I'm so far off your radar that you never actually see me."
My mother’s face creases. “Don’t be absurd."
I swivel to face her. “You’re the absurd one. You don’t see, and you definitely don’t listen.”
She dismisses me with a flick of her hand.
"I'm the one you've been asking Carey questions about since Christmas.I'mhis boyfriend."
My mother abruptly stands and Jin's hand shoots out to grab hold of her. "Sit down," he hisses, tugging her back into her seat."If you wanna see either of your sons again, you'll shut up, and you'll listen."
"Don't talk to your mother like that."
His head whips to my father. "Then I'll talk to you like it."
"This is who we are," I say softly, staring down at my empty palms. "We're not going to change. And I… I don't understand why parents wouldn't want their children to be loved."
Like a fucking superhero, Carey reaches for my hand. “I love you, and nothing’s gonna change that.”
“I love you, too,” I say, confidence bubbling in my chest.
Carey’s hand tightens around mine, and I feel him tremble slightly. When I glance at him, his eyes are bright, and his smile—that crooked, mischievous smile that used to get so deep under my skin—is as wide as I’ve ever seen it.
“How could you do this?” my mother asks, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. “In one day, both of my sons come out to me.”
