Chapter Two

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Christmas, 2012

'Mom, Kelan, Joey, this is Tyler.' Conor choked up before he could explain to them what I was, as well as who.

I knew he'd told his mom he was bringing a friend back for a couple of days at the beginning of Christmas break, but he'd wanted to wait until seeing his family in person to explain that I was more than just a friend.

I lifted a hand and waved awkwardly as they kind of stared at us. 'Hi,' I said.

'Tyler,' his mom mused. 'You must be Tyler Lincoln. Your parents are Evan and Jennifer?'

I nodded. I knew Lily Archibald (having kept her married name for business purposes even after divorcing Conor's abusive father) knew that I was gay; I've been out since forever and our parents knew each other from moving in similar social circles. I also knew that she knew Conor's usual response to homosexuality - aggression. I could see her trying to figure out how we could possibly be friends as she stepped towards me with an outstretched hand and a friendly smile.

I shook her hand while keeping one eye on Conor as he stood rigidly beside me; the arrogant, self-assured asshole I knew and loved was hiding somewhere under this awkward nervousness. He was scared and had been since we'd left school. One of the Archibald family cars had picked us up at Glenstal Abbey, our private boarding school, three hours previously and we'd sipped champagne during the journey across the country to Meath. Or rather, I'd sipped and Conor had guzzled, apprehensive about the prospect of telling his family about him, and me, and us.

Of course, there was a chance they already knew and just hadn't said anything. Only a week beforehand, Conor had kissed me onstage in front of hundreds of people, and the incident had been hot news at our school as well as the local comprehensive. That none of the kids in our year wouldn't tell their parents was difficult to imagine, and parents gossip just as much as teenagers.

'It's so nice to meet you,' Lily was saying, turning to usher us into kitchen. It was huge and marble, and we all settled onto stools around the pristine island. Conor's brothers were being conspicuously silent. 'How long have you two been friends?' she went on, opening the fridge to get us all some drinks. I knew she was still trying to figure out whether Conor knew I was gay, and if so, why the hell he was spending time with me.

I glanced at Conor, but he was still on power saver mode, and I wasn't sure how honest he wanted me to be. I'd known getting into this that there was a chance he'd lose his nerve and change his mind completely, and I didn't want to pressure him or force him if that was the case.

'Um, we've known each other since we started first year at school,' I said, opting for honesty. I heard Joey, Conor's brother that was nearest to him in age at nineteen, snort. I didn't know him, but he'd been at Glenstal Abbey for a couple of years at the same time as Conor and I, having graduated when were in our second year. I figured based on his response that he had noticed during that time that Conor and I didn't exactly get along.

'That's nice,' Lily was saying, setting a glass of some sort of expensive lemonade down in front of me and kissing Conor on the cheek as she gave him his. 'Welcome home,' she said, squeezing him. 'So nice to have all my boys here at once.' Conor smiled weakly at her, and I could see the panic in his eyes, but had no idea what to do about it. I couldn't put my arm around him, hold his hand, or remove him from the situation. All I could do was sit there and try to mitigate what was shaping up to be a total disaster.



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