Coming to terms with his sexuality, Theodore Moore is a seventeen year old who is just about getting by. He makes minimum wage and has aspiring, out-of-reach dreams to become a lawyer.
Violent and aggressive, Antony Barbosa is everything wrong with...
And that was how I ended up dressed in a white dress shirt that I used to wear to secondary school and had preserved for weddings, and a pair of blue jeans that belonged to Tom. He wasn’t even home, yet, and didn't even know this dinner was a thing. Mum had dug up the fancy wine that wasn’t really fancy wine from the cellar and had somehow cooked up a whole roast chicken with a side of mashed potato.
“Damn, mum. You could have ordered, like, a pizza, or something. They wouldn't mind.” I laughed, running my hands through my hair and resting my arm on her shoulders. She giggles and wraps her arm around my waist, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I’m really looking forward to tonight.” She sighed, tapping my waist lightly. “It’ll be fun to connect with your friend’s family, right?” She smiles, and I roll my eyes.
“They’re not exactly the people you wanna connect with.” I tell her, and she huffs, playfully pushing me away.
“Well, play nice.” She waves the potato masher at me, and I nod my head at her before going to sit on the stairs that were right outside of the kitchen. I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll through it when I hear the doorbell ring. My heart picks up. Mum squeals as she rushes past, walking over to the door.
I stand up, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jeans and watch as mum opens the door, revealing the Barbosa family. Fernanda stood at the front, a large grin on her face. She was dragging her father behind her, who did not look like he wanted to be here. They both walk in first, shaking hands with my mum. Then, her oldest brother, Diego, walks in after, sending my mum a warm smile, looking her up and down. I rolled my eyes at him.
At the same time, my dad walked down the stairs, meeting the family. Then, my eyes land on Antony as he’s the last person to walk in. He was dressed in a black shirt that I think he might have tried to iron, but it clearly didn’t go very well. A beanie was on top of his head and black jeans that looked way too big for him covered his legs. I liked it. It showed that he put in effort to look nice for today. I smile to myself.
His eyes land on me and he quickly looks away, his lip twitching. I decide to busy myself by helping to lay the table, so I grab a few plates and lay them out. Our table was way too small, so me and Tom, wherever he was, would have to eat on the couch. Fernanda might join us if she’s feeling up to it.
“Hey, stranger.” I hear her voice from behind me, and a small smile breaks onto my face. “Look at you, being all domestic.”
“Well, I have to practise for when I move out.” I joked, as University is just around the corner for both of us. Even if I don’t go, as soon as I turn eighteen, I plan on getting my own flat and building myself up from there, only hoping that I don’t end up worse than I already am.
“You’re moving out?” As soon as I hear the words, I turn around to see Antony standing at the door, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His eyebrows are furrowed in confusion, and his eyes are flickering between me and Fernanda, who is standing incredibly close to me, her hand on my back.
“Um-”
“Ugh, ignore him.” Fernanda interrupts, swatting him away. “Trust me, you don’t have to talk to him tonight. I made him promise that he’d stay away from you.” Fernanda smiles up at me, and I slowly nod my head, tilting my head as I look back up at Antony.
He shrugs his shoulders, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more attracted to him. He looked so… casual in clothes that were too big for him and a few strands of his hair sticking out of his beanie and his eyes wide with something and his lips soft and slightly open.
I force myself to look away, clearing my throat and rubbing the tip of my nose. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Antony turn around and walk into the room where everyone else was, just as I hear the front door open. Then, Tom’s voice comes through the house. “What’s going on?” I hear him ask, and my mum’s answer is too quiet for me to hear. I slowly place a few glasses on the table, spreading them out. “Oh, okay. Well, welcome, everyone. Antony.” I hear him say, until his footsteps echo into the room that me and Fernanda stood in.
Tom’s eyes fall onto her instantly, and a grin encases his face as he leans on the doorframe. “Fernanda. I was worried when I didn’t see you with the rest of your family.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and the girl next to me rolls her eyes in annoyance.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She sighs, and Tom tilts his head to the side.
“You done something different with your hair?” He asked, crossing his arms. Fernanda frowns, grimacing slightly.
“No, I haven’t. Get your fucking eyes checked, Tommy.”
“Tommy?” Thomas exclaims, sounding slightly offended.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “You can call me whatever you want, darling.” He winks at her, and I think I vomit slightly in my mouth, turning away from them. This is going to be a long night.
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