Falling

31

"Is that my shirt?" he asked as I stood in front of him with what I was sure was a miserable expression.

"Jeff! It's too small for you now anyway," Mom argued, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her husband.

"Yes, Vinny, you look great," he told me. I just rolled my eyes at him. "You'll be home by nine, correct?"

"Nine?" I hissed. "When the fuck did my curfew change to nine? Actually, when the fuck did I get a curfew?"

"I really hope you don't talk like that in front of Carson's mom," he replied.

"Since when have you given a shit about how I talk?"

"Vinny, you don't have to be home at nine, I don't know what he's thinking," Mom interjected, sending her husband a look.

"You've been weird ever since I told you about us," I accused him. "What's going on?"

Dad shook his head and scoffed. "No, I haven't, Vinny."

"What, are you okay with having a gay son, but not one with a boyfriend?"

Dad's eyes darkened. "What?"

"Absolutely not!" Mom exclaimed, looking shocked. "We're happy for you!"

"I know you are," I told her, my expression softening as I briefly glanced at her. "I'm talking about him."

"That is not at all true," Dad said in an angry tone.

"Well, it seems like it," I told him, my tone matching his. "I'm leaving."

Neither of them tried to stop me as I turned out of the living room, out the door, and into my car. I sat there for a few moments to calm myself down. The last thing I needed was to show up at Carson's house being nervous and angry. That would be a recipe for disaster.

Eventually, I calmed myself down enough that I felt I was ready to make the drive to Carson's. I tried to think of anything other than my parents and how nervous I was and soon enough I was outside the house. I let out a deep breath before exiting the car and making my way to the front door.

I didn't even have to knock before the door opened and revealed Carson. He leaned in and kissed me before I could even say anything and all that anger from before melted away. At the end of it all, what mattered was how Carson and I felt about each other, not how my dad felt about us.

"I'm so happy to see you," I murmured against his lips.

He pulled away with a look of concern. "Is everything okay?"

I pecked his lips. "Now it is."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said, sneaking my arm around his waist. "Let's go see your mom."

"You look good," Carson said with a wide grin. "I like you all dressed up."

"Shut up."

Carson let out a laugh and threw his arm around my shoulder and led me to the kitchen after closing the door where his mother, Cass, stood at the stove.

"Vinny!" she exclaimed, placing the spoon she was holding down on the counter before scurrying over to me and wrapping me up in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

I let out a quiet laugh and hugged her back. "Thanks for having me over, Cass."

She pulled away, keeping her hands on my shoulders. "We will have you over any time! I mean it."

Her kind eyes instantly put me at ease. Carson and his mother were very similar in that way. Both of them had a way of making me feel welcome and wanted.