Behind Closed Doors ✔️

51

The whole hall was silent. Some people were turning and looking around, trying to make sense of what was going on. I was as well. I stared at Antony, my heart thumping against my chest as his eyes darken. Then, everything goes to shit. Antony's dad is yelling and everyone is jumping up as he grabs Antony by the neck and drags him away from the altar. I was standing near the only exit, and they both pushed past me as he dragged Antony out of the hall. There's a ringing in my ear and I'm only pulled out of my trance when someone touches my arm. 

I look down just as Fernanda comes into view, her eyes wide with shock. "What just happened?" She gasps, and I breathe heavily, trying to come to terms with everything. 

"He just came out." I breathed, my mouth parting slightly. "In front of everyone."

"I need to go." Fernanda quickly exclaims, rushing past me. I follow after her. "Fuck knows what dad's gonna do to him, so…" I barely have a chance to get a word out before she's running, quite skillfully, given that she's wearing heels. I huff, my hands on my hips as it hits me again. 

Antony came out. He told his father, his family, everyone, that he's gay. This changes absolutely everything. 

-

My parents stare at me when I finally get home. Tom is laying on the couch, his phone balancing between his fingers. "Have you forgotten how to answer your fucking phone?" He asked me, and I sigh exaggeratedly, slumping next to his feet on the couch. "Where were you?" He asked, even though I'm sure he already knows the answer. 

"He didn't do it." I breathe, and mum bites on the nail of her thumb. Tom sits up slightly, raising an eyebrow. 

"What do you mean?" He asked. "Antony didn't get married?" 

I shook my head. "He came out." I smiled, and mum gasped. 

"He… he came out?" Tom asked, slightly confused. I nodded my head. "Whoa. That's… unexpected. So… what does that mean? For you guys, I mean. He's not married, so… where does that leave you?" He asked me, and I shrugged my shoulders. 

"I don't know. I still need to talk to him about it." I sighed, looking up at the ceiling, a small frown on my face. I have no idea what his dad is going to do to him. It scares me. Everyone saw how he reacted in public, and I am suddenly aware of what he'll do in private. I already saw what he did to me. It freaks me out. "I'm scared for him." I admit, mostly to myself. "His dad'll kill him for that. He has no problem abusing his son." I say, and Tom clears his throat from beside me. 

"There's nothing you can do, Theo." Mum says to me, and I roll my eyes. "If he knew the consequences of what he did, then that's on him." She says, and I squint my eyes. 

"There shouldn't be any consequences." I snapped, and she blinked at me. "All he did was admit he's gay, mum. There's nothing wrong with that." I hugged, before getting to her feet. 

"Do you not want any dinner?" She asked me, and I shook my head before walking away and making my way upstairs and into my room. I closed the door behind me. I lean my back on the door, my eyes fluttering to a close. I chew on my bottom lip and hope that ANtony is alright. That’s all I want. Him to be alright. I hope that he doesn’t shut me out again, doesn’t push me away, like last time. It was too much, and I doubt I can go through it again. 

It’ll finally break me. It’ll break me in two and I won’t be able to put myself together again. 

Before I could fall down the rabbit hole of my thoughts, I shook my head and pulled off my coat and threw off my shirt before slipping under the covers of my bed. Tom walks in after a few minutes, glancing at me before he climbs onto his bed. “You good?” He asked, and I nodded my head, humming under my breath. “I’m proud of you, you know?” He tells me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You might have done everything in your power to piss me the fuck off these past few months, but you’ve been real mature, you know?” He tells me, and I swallow the lump in my throat. “I love you, man.”