Temptation ➳

Prologue ➳

"I'm gay." The sentence tumbled out of Oliver's mouth, almost sounding as shaky as he was right now. His knees were wobbling and his skinny frame shuddering, all due to just these two words.

Oliver's parents sat there for a few moments their mouths hanging open slightly. For a moment all was silent, the quiet wrapping itself around the room, making it hard for the inhabitants to breathe.

"You're...gay?" His mom finally was able to utter a sentence, somewhat breaking the unbearable, noiseless atmosphere. Even though Oliver was thankful that at least some sound was being emitted, his nerves never lessened and he still stood in place, his body tense and rigid.

"Y-yes." Oliver looked away, ashamed. He knew being like this was wrong. He knew that this wasn't what his parents wanted. He knew that his was disappointing them greatly. He was supposed to be a normal kid who liked girls. It was a sin to think of another man as anything more than friends and Oliver felt dirty just admitting this.

"Oh." Oliver's father spoke for the first time, and his response-- although expected, still wasn't what Oliver wanted to hear. The fact that his dad seemed emotionless only proved that this was going bad.

"I'm sorry." Oliver whispered. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't okay-" Oliver was cut off by his mom.

"We can fix you." Oliver's mom reassured. "We can make you better again." She promised. Oliver looked over at his mom and had no idea what he was supposed to do. He didn't necessarily want to be "fixed" but at the same time the thought of living like this forever was just as bad. Ever since Oliver was young they had told him that being gay is a sin. He had learned it in church, his parents had said it numerous times, and he'd even heard kids at his school repeating the phrase.

"Being gay is a sin Oliver, and we're going to help rid you of temptation." Oliver's dad spoke. His voice sounded gravelly and tired. "We can't have this going on in this household any longer." Oliver's mom nodded in agreement.

"Your father is right honey, we love you but this isn't okay." His mother offered a smile. "You can overcome this." She held out her hand and brought Oliver in for a hug. Oliver only nodded and let himself be wrapped in her embrace. Something felt off, but Oliver just ignored it, assuming that was the temptation talking.

Not sure if I'm going to continue this, but it's an idea I had after looking at a picture on Pinterest