Demon: Book 1

Chapter 21: Doors Remain Open

"Umm... Mrs. Perri..." Titus laughed nervously, shifting his weight. "We... we were—" He sucked in his lips. "We weren't doing anything too..."

"Hmm... I see." She pursed her lips

"Oh, my god." I hid my face.

"From now on, the door will remain open, boys. Boyfriend or girlfriend, the rules are the same while you live under my roof." My mother patted my knees. "Now, I made you both a sandwich, and I expect them to be eaten." She stood and returned to the kitchen.

Sinking into the cushions, I laid the cold water bottle on my eyes.

"Feeling better?"

"No." I fell against his shoulder. "I have never been so embarrassed. My mom should never know about that kind of stuff."

"She's okay with it. You and me." He slipped his arm around my waist. "It went pretty well—better than I thought, actually."

I took a deep breath. "I wasn't too worried about how my mom would react, but I'm terrified of what my dad is going to do."

Titus nodded. "Maybe it'll be about the same."

Sitting up, I raised an eyebrow. "For me, not you." I climbed off the couch and wandered to the kitchen.

He chased after me. "What do you mean? Was he weird with your girlfriends?" He looked like a scared pup as he waited for me to answer.

"Boys," called my mother, setting our plates on the table. "Sit, we still have things to talk about."

"Aden?" whined Titus, following close behind me. "Tell me."

"Not now." I waved him off.

We sat down and started to eat, except for Titus.

His head was on the table, and he looked miserable. "He's going to kill me."

"Depends," said my mother, "on how far you've gone."

I choked on my sandwich. Quickly taking a drink, I forced it down.

She took a sip of hers. "That bad, huh? Aden, I'm fine with you being gay." She took a deep breath. "If it makes you happy, then I have no issues with it, but you know what your father and I expect from you."

I bit my lip. "Dad, are we..."

She reached over and clasped my hand. "For now, we won't tell him. I'll ease him into the idea a little before we do. Don't worry, your father will always love you. Titus, I'm not so sure."

"What?" said Titus, panicked. "It's going to be bad, isn't it?"

She picked at the edge of her sandwich. "Like I said, it depends on what has been going on in that room." Her eyes flicked up for a moment. "I know you're eighteen, Aden, but anything slightly sexual, your father is not going to be okay with. You know this." She narrowed her eyes at me. "We've discussed this matter on multiple occasions."

My face was blaring red. "We didn't," I whispered.

"Yeah, Mrs. Perri. We haven't. Just kissed and, and...." Titus sighed and sank into his chair.

She held up her hand. "I don't need the details. Just know girlfriend rules transfer over to boyfriends."

"I'm sorry," I said hopefully.

"By how guilty you both look, I'd say you broke them already." She leaned against the armrest of her chair. "And we'll leave it at that. So"—my mom took a deep breath—"doors remain open at all times. No intense kissing. No touching particular areas." She looked between us. "I don't care that it's the same body part; in this house, it's not allowed."