Page 65 of Offside Angle

That shuts him up. For approximately three seconds. “Why?”

I rub both hands over my face. There is probably a graceful way to explain this to your parents. Naturally, I have no fucking idea what it is. “Because Lena figured something out about me before I did.”

Dad frowns as he sits down. Mom, annoyingly, looks much less confused.

I stare at the table and force the words out before I can lose my nerve. “I think I might be bi.”

Mom’s expression softens immediately.

Dad blinks at me. “Polar?”

“RAFA.”

A laugh escapes me before I can stop it, and somehow that makes breathing a little easier. “Bisexual, Dad.”

“Oh.” He thinks about that for a second, then shrugs. “Okay. And so what? You still like women.”

“Yes.”

“Then why does that mean Lena had to leave?”

Because apparently my coming-out conversation has become a cross-examination.

“She didn’t leave because I’m bi.” I lean back and sigh. “She left because she realized I was hiding with her.”

Dad’s eyebrows pull together.

I try again. “What does Mom make you feel when you kiss her?”

His entire face lights up. “Mijo, every fiber of my body catches fire.”

Mom closes her eyes.

I point at him. “Exactly. Does she make you comfortable?”

“Hell no. Your mother terrifies me.”

Mom fails spectacularly at hiding her smile.

Despite myself, I laugh. “Lena made me feel safe,” I say after a moment. “She was home. With her, I knew exactly who I was and what my life was supposed to be.”

Dad watches me more carefully now. “And there’s someone who gives you something completely different.”

I swallow. “Yes.”

“Someone who makes you feel…” He waves one hand, apparently searching for his own ridiculous metaphor. “Everything catching fire?”

“Yeah.”

Understanding slowly settles over his face. “Not Lena.”

I shake my head. “Not Lena.”

“But who?”

I glance toward Mom. She gives me the smallest nod, already knowing exactly where this is going.

Honestly, she probably does. Mothers are terrifying.