I made it back home around ten. As we were pulling into the driveway, I spotted Hazel standing on the front porch, waiting. Will parked the car, and Hazel hurried over to meet us.
"There you are!" she exclaimed as I stepped out of the car. "You're late."
"Sorry, Hazel," I apologized. "We took a bit of a-" I paused and glanced at Will, "-detour."
Hazel sighed, "Please call next time, I was worried sick."
"You don't have to worry, Hazel," Will assured her, "Nico's safe with me."
My face grew warm, "Yeah, thanks, Will," I muttered.
Hazel giggled, "Well, thanks for getting him home safe."
Will nodded, "Anytime."
"See you later Will," I said.
"You too, Nico," he answered. He turned and slid back into the Thunderbird. He backed out of the driveway, and disappeared down the street.
"Did you have fun?" Hazel asked as she walked me back inside.
"Yeah," I answered, "The movie was terrible, but being with Will was nice."
"What did Will mean when he said 'detour'?" Hazel asked.
"We just stopped the car for a second, no big deal," I answered. Fortunately, Hazel took the hint and stopped asking questions.
"Want some tea?" Hazel offered as we entered the house.
"What kind of tea?" I asked, having a seat at the kitchen table.
"Green," Hazel answered.
"Sure," I responded. Hazel pulled two cups from the cupboard and disappeared into the kitchen. As I waited, I hummed Here Comes the Sun and tried to name constellations. Hazel returned a few minutes later, carrying steaming cups of tea. She placed a cup in front of me, and sat down across from me. We sat in silence for a few moments, sipping our tea.
"Can I ask you something?" Hazel said, breaking the silence.
"Shoot," I replied.
She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, "I wanted to ask you if you, you know, how you felt about Will?"
I paused for a moment, processing what she just said. "What?"
She stared at her feet, "I mean how do you think of him?"
"He's my friend," I answered, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, yes, I know that," she said. "But do you have any other feelings? For Will, I mean? It's just you were acting so nervous, I- I don't know..." her voice trailed off.
"Wait, do you think I'm gay?" I asked.
Hazel gulped, "I-I'm not trying to offend you, it's just, I don't know, you act so weird around Will. I've seen how Percy, Jason, Frank, and Leo act around each other, and it's nothing like the way you behave around Will. I just couldn't help but wonder. I'm sorry." She shifted stared down at her tea, tears gathering in her eyes, "I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No," I said, "I'm sorry."
She looked up at me and blinked, "What?"
"I said I'm sorry. You're right," I muttered.
She blinked, "Right about what?"
I sighed, "About me being gay."
A smile spread across her face, "Nico, that's great!"
Now it was my turn to be confused, "What?"
"I said that's great!" she repeated.
"You're not mad? You're not going to throw me out of the house?" I asked in disbelief.
Hazel giggled and shook her head, "No! Why would I do that?"
"I don't know," I said, suddenly feeling silly for having such a thought, "People do that."
Hazel placed her hand on my shoulder, "No one's hurting you as long as I'm around," she promised.
I squeezed her hand, "Thanks, Hazel."
"So, do you like Will?" she asked.
"I like him as a friend, but not romantically," I explained. "Besides, he's probably straight."
She laughed, "What makes you say that?"
"Everyone is," I said, shrugging. Hazel giggled once more.
"Thanks," I said.
Hazel stared at me with a puzzled expression, "For what?"
"For accepting me," I answered. "You don't know how much it means to me."
"You act like it's a choice," Hazel said.
"Well it is," I responded, "You could've just as easily rejected me."
Hazel shook her head, "No, Nico, I couldn't. You're my family, family accepts each other no matter what." She took my hand and squeezed it, "I love you."
I smiled weakly, "I love you, too." I rarely said "I love you", but in this moment, I felt like those were the only words I could say.
We finished our tea, and tossed our cups into the sink. I told Hazel goodnight, and hurried upstairs to get ready for bed. As I laid down to go to sleep that night, I looked at the picture of Bianca I kept on my nightstand.
It was of her leaning against an oak tree, her chocolate curls fluttering in the breeze. I remember that day well. I was ten, Bianca was twelve. Our aunt and uncle had taken us hiking in the mountains on a warm summer day. Bianca noticed the oak tree, and thought it would be a nice place for a picture. She handed me the camera and said, "You take the picture, Nico!" She hurried over to the tree and beamed at the camera. I snapped the photo, and began examining it. I remember thinking how right Bianca was: it was a nice place for a picture.
"I'm gay, Bianca," I whispered to the photo, "But I know you'd be okay with it, you're family."