Liam's POV
I pushed myself away from Ryder and swallowed nervously as I stood straight. My heart hammered against my chest and my hands felt cold.
"Mom. Dad." I nodded at them with a tight smile and I felt Ryder's hand on my back, supporting me.
"Eli, What was that?" Dad asked with a tone filled with disbelief and horror.
I forced myself to sound strong, even though I hated what I heard in his voice.
"Can we talk for a moment? Please?" I looked at Mom, telling her to back me up. She was just as shocked even though she already knew that I liked men.
She removed the hand that was covering her mouth and touched Dad's arm. He looked at her and the frown on his face disappeared.
"Let's go inside." After I invited them, Ryder opened the door for us and stared at me with concern. I smiled and told him that it was okay.
After all of us sat at the couch, I inhaled a deep breath before I began.
"I'm gay, Dad. And Ryder is my lover." After the words left my lips, Dad paled and I couldn't afford to look at him as I clenched my fists in my lap.
The silence stretched out as I held my tears at bay, and a strong hand covered mine, willing me to calm.
"You should talk to him privately." Mom broke the silence and spoke to Dad. She gave a smile and looked back and forth between us.
"He already told me he liked men, but I didn't know that he already had someone." She landed her gaze on Ryder, who sat beside me. I saw fear and uncertainty in her eyes, but I also saw warmth.
"I need some fresh air." Dad exhaled a harsh breath and stood up from his seat to go to the balcony.
A tear slid down my face and I immediately wiped it with my hands. Ryder caught my wrist and the action made me turn towards him.
"No matter the outcome, I'll be here to hold you in my arms." I nodded and chewed on my lip when I saw his eyes held truth and sincerity in them.
"Go, son. Talk to your father." Mom encouraged me to go and I asked her the words I feared was to come true.
"What if...What if he doesn't accept me?" I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and looked at her with glassy eyes.
She held out a hand and gestured me to come closer, so I stood and went to her.
"Only a selfish and unloving parent would do that. And your father is not one of them, Liam." She cooed and kissed my forehead before telling me to go.
I followed Dad into the balcony and saw him rigid as he gripped the railings. I pinched my lips tight before joining him.
"I-..." He spoke and I saw that he was at loss for words. A shuddering breath escaped his lips before his shoulders slumped.
"I accept you no matter what you are, Eli. You need to know that." I was sure that all my emotions were visible on my face because he smiled and looked at me like I didn't trust him enough to say that.
"But I don't think he's right for you."
The smile left my face and I froze at what he said. He must've felt the shift of my expression because he turned serious.
"He's a vampire, Liam. You may love him, but us humans don't belong in their world." He stated with a firm voice and I started to shake my head, telling him that he was wrong.
"They're fueled by their hunger, and thirst for blood. As long as you're with him, you put yourself in danger." He grabbed me by the shoulders to look me in the eye.
"It can be anyone as long as they're not a vampire." I was so shocked by his words that tears fell from my eyes.
"He's not the one for you, Liam. I'm saying this for your sake."
****
Ryder's POV
Liam's mother sat in front of me and I could smell her fear and it made me clench my jaw. I didn't want to be on bad terms with his parents because he's the most important thing to me.
"Forgive me for not getting your approval to take Liam as my lover, Mrs. Claremont." I bowed my head and I heard the sharp intake of her breath before she spoke.
"Kate. You may call me Kate, seeing as you are my son's...lover." I lifted my head and I felt her hesitation in calling me his son's lover.
"I'm Ryder Lockwood. I would like to formally ask for your permission to take Liam as my lover." She was stunned at my request and her eyes widened before she composed herself.
"I don't hold my son's heart in my hands, Ryder. If he chose you, then it is his decision, not mine." Her voice held knowledge and something flickered on her face as she assessed me.
"Tell me one thing." She swallowed and I was certain that I recognized strength in her voice. I didn't smell fear from her anymore.
"Was it you that sent him to the hospital the night we got here?" I stiffened at her words and grinded my teeth as the memory of the night resurfaced.
"Yes."
Her throat constricted and she inhaled a deep breath. Her eyes were like fire burning my skin and I hang my head low before I spoke.
"I will forever live with the memory of what I had done. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I hope that you will allow me to pay for it by standing by his side, to protect him."
"How can you protect him when you can be the reason why he's hurt." Her sharp words were like knives and I forced my eyes closed.
"I will kill myself before I could hurt him again. He's more important than my life." I swore and looked her in the eyes to make her see my conviction. Her resolve wavered but she lifted a defiant chin.
"Actions speak louder than words, Ryder." My blood boiled and everything I know spilled from my lips.
"Then that means you fail as his mother everytime you don't notice how he fakes a smile and tells you that everything is fine when it's not." I snapped and her eyes widened in shock.
"Do you know how his shoulders slump when he's tired? Do you know how it killed him inside when he couldn't understand why his father left?" My anger ignited my words and she placed both her hands on her mouth before tears swelled in her eyes.
"Do you know how his eyes lose their luster when he's plagued by his thoughts? Do you know how it tires him when every god damn day he goes to work and kills his body just so he could help you!" She muffled her cries and her shoulders shook with its intensity.
"Then how about the fact that he had to sacrifice everything that he wanted for you?" I breathed heavily and my nostrils flared as I watched her take in all of this information.
"You tell me that actions speak louder than words, then why didn't you even know what it felt like for your son to smile and tell you that he's fine when he's not?" I spat and her hands fell on her sides before she looked at me with a broken expression.
"H-How?" Her mouth quivered and her voice shook as she questioned me.
"Because I've read his memories. And because you're too blinded by your own sorrow to notice."
Fuck being on good terms with his parents.
"I will make him happy."
I vowed to both myself and to his mother. I will do everything in my power to keep that smile on his face. To make sure that he keeps his light.
"I will give him all the attention that he didn't ask of you because he doesn't want to become a burden for your family." Every word that I uttered weighed heavily on her shoulder. I recoiled from berating her because I needed her to hear my next words clearly.
"It will be my shoulder he cries on when everything becomes too hard. I will be by his side because that's just how important he is to me." I held her gaze and showed her the intensity of my emotions for Liam.
"So tell me, Kate. What else do you want me to do so I can be with your son?"
****
Liam's POV
"You have no right!" I pushed away from him and glared. He was taken aback by my actions and stepped back to look at me.
"You have no right to tell me whether or not he's the one for me!" I lashed out and wiped the tears on my eyes furiously.
"Do you know him? Do you know how much he cares for me? Do you know how he holds me in his arms so I can sleep peacefully?" I questioned him and took a step forward.
"He'd rather starve than drink my blood even though I'm offering it!" This seemed to make him even more surprised because he looked at me like I said something impossible.
"You think of him as nothing but a vampire who is fueled by his hunger, but I think of him as a man who never failed to hold me in his arms when I needed him." I stepped in front of him so that he knows I meant every word I was about to utter.
"He's more than what you think, Dad. And you should give him enough credit because he's the reason why your son is happy." My voice broke at the last sentence and smiled even though I was crying.
"I'm not a 16 year old kid anymore, Dad. I'm more than capable enough to make my own decisions." I whispered and he just stared at me for a long time without speaking.
I knew I got through him when he breathed out a shaky breath and smiled at me while wearing a defeated expression.
"So I'm begging you, don't take him away from me."
****
Ryder's POV
After a long while, Kate finally calmed down and used the napkin I offered her.
"Well. That was..." She shook her head and got lost in her own thoughts.
"Rude?" I finished for her and she smiled after hearing that.
"I was about to say blunt." I laughed lightly and silence settled over us, but it was broken by her once more.
"You care for him a lot. I see that now." She said softly, more to herself than to me.
The door to the balcony slid open and Liam and his father went inside. I noticed that the rim of his eyes were red, meaning that he cried.
He looked at his mother and then they suddenly began laughing together. He bent down to hug her and she gently patted his cheek before he sat down beside me.
"I just want to know one thing." Kate looked to her husband and held his hand. She turned to Liam and wore an honest expression before she asked,
"Are you happy with him?"
I also became anxious to know what he was going to say so I slammed my lids shut. Liam's hand enclosed my own and when I opened my eyes, 2 beautiful orbs that held the depths of the ocean and the darkening sky was staring right into my soul.
"I am."
A familiar and pleasant feeling settled in my chest and his parents faced each other before Kate layed her head down on her husband's shoulder.
"Then that's all that matters." She whispered and wiped away the tears that began to fall. Liam whirled towards them and gave his most genuine smile.
"Take care of my son, commander. I won't hesitate to take him away from you if you ever hurt him." Carl warned me and I bent down to kiss Liam's head before I told him,
"You have my word."
After his parents left the room, I caught Liam before he collapsed in front of the door.
"Sorry. My knees...they gave out." He laughed and pointed to his knees that were splayed out on the floor.
"Let's go to bed." He nodded and buried his nose in the crook of my neck. A smile worked its way into my lips as I carried him to our bedroom.
"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" He mumbled sleepily when I layed him down. As soon as his head dropped to the pillow, he was knocked out and began to make soft noises that I found adorable and comforting.
I trailed a finger down his face as I stared at my most precious treasure. I kissed his lips and whispered.
"I'll be here the moment you wake up."
A/N: I just want to tell y'all that I cried while writing this chapter 😭🥲❤️ I really wanted to show the extent of Ryder's feelings for Liam so I hoped that it was conveyed clearly!😊 Don't forget to vote ok?🥺