Learning to Cope

Ch2 Page 8

Andrew:

He looks so good in a suit. Like SO good. I need to calm down, he's just wearing some clothes. It's not fair to think of him like that. I'm almost certain he's straight. Maybe singing along with the music will drown out the naughty thoughts.

I step out of the bathroom and August looks over his shoulder "Lookin good." He says it so nonchalantly but it makes my heart race. "I know, this suit makes my butt look good" I dramatically turn hoping it hides the blush on my cheeks. "It's okay, you can look." I wink.

He laughs and shakes his head. I hope he looks at me the same way I look at him. He stands up and I suddenly remember I'm not actually that confident. Everything he puts on his body looks good. This man could make a trash bag look good. The jacket suits him and the pants fit really well. He's so damn hot.

"You ready for some good 'ole family photos?" I ask, his expression quickly changed, he's nervous. He nods.

When we get to the top of the steps I can hear my mother talking. "The boys should be up soon, then we can open the gifts." August and I march downstairs and into the family room. "Oh! There you are, boys! You look so handsome!" My mother smiles and stands up, she has a sky blue shirt, matching dad's blue vest.

"I was hoping for some pajama photos with the gifts but it's okay." She comes over and hugs me. There are about 50 or so gifts wrapped around the tree "Look! Santa came!" my dad shouts. I turn around and August looks like a deer in the headlights. My mom pulls him in for a hug as well, He looks like he's gonna pass out. "It's okay dear." She whispers quietly, it seems to make him calm down a bit.

My dad stands up from his old man chair "The blue is for Andy and the red is for August" he announces. "W-what? No, it's fine, I'm okay" August is looking at his feet. There are about 20 red gifts and there is no way he'll accept them. "They are a bit rushed, we didn't know you were coming until the last minute but I hope you like them." My mom puts her hand on his cheek and smiles.

We're sitting on the floor like children and my mom has her phone out taking pictures. "You guys are so cute!" She exclaims. August is going through so many emotions and you can see it on his face. I hand him a small red gift and grab a blue one for myself. "You're allowed to be here. You deserve gifts." I whisper "This is too much."  He looks like he's gonna cry. "Hey ma? Can we slowly open them throughout the day? It's a bit overwhelming to be watched while we open them." I ask.

She looks like she's gonna argue with me until she looks at August. He looks like he's about to have 20 panic attacks at once. "Of course. Just let me know when you open one so I can see your reaction." she smiles. I can see August's shoulders relax a bit.