"I obviously can't diagnose her with anything, that's not my job," she spoke kindly, trying to be as sensitive to the matter as possible, "I see lots of early signs of severe anxiety and OCD in her. That's very curable, but I highly recommend you two take her for testing."
"There's nothing wrong with June," Calum said, his jaw clenched.
"Calum," Michael cooed, squeezing his thigh, "You need to listen. You know there's something not completely right with June, that's nothing bad."
He shook his head, "There's nothing wrong with her," he repeated.
Michael sighed, still looking at his close-minded husband. He turned back to Ms. Bennings, giving her a smile. "I think Calum and I need to talk about this privately."
Michael and Calum didn't talk on their way out from school. They gave each other a peck on the lips before getting into their own cars and going back to work. They didn't talk for that afternoon, not even at dinner.
They didn't talk until the evening, a few minutes past ten. Michael leant over the counter, making sure he didn't miss a spot while shaving. He knew it was better to shave in the morning but he didn't want to lose any more sleep.
Cal sat on the closed lid of their toilet, moisturizing his legs and feet. "About today," the younger man started, not looking up at his husband.
"You're gonna actually talk now?" Michael asked, hints of passive aggression underneath each word.
"She's my baby."
"And she's miserable." Michael put down his electric razor and turned around, facing his oddly smooth husband. "Listen, if we can make her life even the tiniest bit easer, why wouldn't we do it?"
"I don't want her to feel bad about herself. I don't want her to feel any different than the other kids." Calum closed his moisturizer, placing it back up on the shelf. He tucked his feet underneath his body as he looked up at his lover once again. "I want her to be happy, I just don't really want to hear her diagnoses."
Michael gestured over towards their bed, signaling they'll finish their conversation there. Cal followed him into the sheets, getting under the golden silk and placing his hands on Michael's freshly shaved jaw. He found comfort in Michael's presence.
"I know it's a lot of thinking," Michael said, "But I think it's important."
Cal shrugged his shoulders, his eyes still fanning over Michael's features. "I don't want to think about something being wrong with my daughter."
"There's nothing wrong with her, she's just a little different. She hates the color brown, she needs the doors open six inches, she needs the room dark at 9 PM and then light at 6 AM. It's the little quirks about her that make her June."
"Why should we change that about her, then?"
"Because she's going to grow up and it may get worse. We should stop it now before it turns into something unmanageable." Michael rested his hands on Calum's waist, curling his fingers soothingly into his tan skin. "I've worked with teenagers for far too long, I know what happens. Let's just get her tested, let's see what that does."
Calum knew that part of loving his three kids was accepting who they were.
He promised to try, then kissed Mike's nose. They were left in a silence that soon led to sleep.
Michael woke up to a few Twitter notifications. This caused him to compulsively stalk through his feed.
He laid in bed, looking at the newest photo Matty posted of his family. Matt and Luke were in bed, Nolan laying on Luke's bare chest. Luke and Nolan were both sound asleep, their eyes closed and mouths parted open.
Matty had a smirk on his face in the photo, his own bare chest was littered with tattoos.
Michael ran his thumb over the screen, not understanding why he wasn't enough for Luke. Mike remembers trying so hard—too hard—to make everything work. He did everything in his capability and it still wasn't enough.
Was it really only the timing, or was it something more?
Michael wanted to be over Luke, he didn't want to feel anything for him anymore.
Mike closed Twitter and turned off his phone. He rolled onto his back, looking at his sleeping husband. His beautiful husband. Michael had his family now, there was nothing else he needed.
He doesn't need Luke, that's final.
Michael and Calum are married and I am so glAD you all get to share this moment with me.
Do you think Michael is actually over Luke?
Thoughts on June?
Thoughts on Calum?
thirty five
Start from the beginning
