summer it all went down

04 I The beginning of the end

Alex and James had been dating for two months now. They had been careful to keep their relationship a secret, but Alex's sister, Katharina, had started to suspect something.

Katharina was a college student a few states away, but she was still very close to Alex. She could tell that he was hiding something from her, and she was determined to find out what it was.

One day, Katharina came to visit Alex. They went out for lunch and talked about everything under the sun. At the end of their lunch, Katharina took a deep breath and brought up the subject of Alex's relationship with James.

"Alex, I have a feeling that you're dating James," she said.

Alex hesitated. He didn't know if he should tell Katharina the truth. But he knew that she wouldn't leave until he did.

"Yes, I am," he said.

Katharina sighed. She didn't look happy.

"Alex, I'm worried about you," she said. "I know that you love James, but this is a complicated situation. He's your teacher. It's not illegal, but it's still not ideal."

Alex knew that Katharina was right. He had been worried about the same thing. But he also knew that he loved James, and he didn't want to give him up.

"I know it's not ideal," he said. "But James and I love each other. And we're careful. We don't do anything that could get us in trouble."

Katharina looked at Alex for a long time. She could see the love in his eyes. She knew that he was serious about James.

"Okay," she said finally. "I'll support your relationship. But only if you let me spend some time with you two together. I want to get to know James better."

Alex was relieved. He was so grateful that Katharina was willing to accept his relationship with James.

"Of course," he said. "We'd love for you to meet him."

Alex and James met Katharina for dinner the next night. They had a great time talking and getting to know each other. Katharina was impressed by James. He was intelligent, kind, and funny.

By the end of the evening, Katharina was convinced that James was a good person and that he loved Alex. She gave her blessing to their relationship.

Alex and James were so happy. They knew that they had a long road ahead of them, but they were determined to make their relationship work. They were grateful for Katharina's support.

But Katharina had other plans. Even though she was happy for her brother, she didn't think their parents would ever be okay with Alex being gay no the less him dating someone older.