Mine, Always

Chapter Twenty One

Being out and comfortable with Zach was too easy. I had to stop myself from touching him or kissing him constantly. I'd always been able to flick the switch from gay Tom to straight Tom and back again in the blink of an eye I guess back in the day (when being gay was illegal or whatever) all gay men and women could. The problem was that as I got older it was harder to just flick that switch and in fact most recently (I guess mostly due to Zach) I was having to take a sleigh hammer to it to get it back to straight.

So you see by Friday lunch I was a bundle of suppressed emotions, I was freaking out about Saturday - mum had invited Zach's parents over to welcome them to the neighbourhood but as that was also meet Sophie's mystery guest we were all going to her house, yeah I know disaster waiting to happen and I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to keep my hands off him before I didn't care if my parents loved me and just jumped him right in front of them.

"Earth to Tom!" Sophie practically screams in my ear.

"Jeez Soph are you trying to deafen me?" I ask rubbing me ear and glaring at her.

"No I'm trying to enter that bloody brain of yours, you're holding up the line and there are some damn hungry kids behind me," she says and I notice at least another five kids behind me looking like they would kill me at any moment.

"Shit sorry, it's not like this is gourmet food yno." I say laughing and finally moving forward.

I've walked maybe two steps when I spot Zach with his mates, they pass by us and he winks at me but I don't think that's enough of a hello so I grab his wrist and pull him towards me.

"That's not a very good hello now is it?" I question and kiss him quickly on the lips and continue making my way to the till to finally pay for what is considered food these days.

"Tom?" I hear someone call me from behind and it's Alex from track.

"Yes?" I question confused he has literally never spoken to me in my life.

"Did you just kiss Zach?!"

It takes a moment for what he says to sink in and when it does I turn around to face Sophie who is frozen in spot with a look of shock and admiration on her face, Zach's not much better but I can see guilt and worry etched on his face as well as shock and I wonder if he thinks I'll try and get out of this accidental outing.

"Yes I did kiss him Alex," I say way more calmly than I thought possible.

"Why?!" He asks as though the answer isn't obvious.

"Because he's my boyfriend Alex, you got a problem with that?!" I ask a little harshly.

"What - oh no man - I just - congrats I guess - on like getting a boyfriend or whatever -" he says awkwardly and walks off looking more embarrassed than me.

Zach comes over to me and takes my hand.

"Are you sure about this babe?!" He whispers.

"Yes," I whisper back just before he kisses me again.

"I'll see you at practice," he tells me and lets me go.

I wonder if I should be freaking out but I'm not, it's not until we sit down that Sophie actually speaks.

"Are you ok?!" She asks quietly and I think she's worried that if she speaks to loudly it will burst my bubble of calm.

"I am, honestly - I should probably be freaked out but I'm not Soph, I'm ok."

"Are you going to talk to your parents?!" She asks and the pure horror I feel at the thought must pass across my face because he just shakes her head "never mind" she says looking disappointed.

"I'm sorry Soph, can you just give me a little bit more time please?!" I beg.

"Of course Tom, I'm sorry let's forget about that for now and concentrate on tomorrow evening yeah?"