Undeniable Crush (a lgbt+ novel)

Chapter Four~ Coming Out

Senior Year

"Liv, I think you should come out to your dad. We've been dating for over two years now. He needs to know you're lesbian from you; it'll be worse if he finds out from someone else." Sky said.

"Fine. I know he's gonna respond badly, but it's about time. Also, I thought we were on a date. When did this turn into trying to get me to come out to my dad?" I said.

"It'll be okay, Liv. Even if he doesn't agree with you, he can't change you." With this she pecked me on the cheek and grasped my hand, gently tugging me forward.

"Now, let's get out of here." she said, playfully; a smile painting her face.

"Okay." I answered back; my mood slightly improving.

We stepped in Sky's Toyota Camry and listened to the radio. Even while she was driving, she rested her hand on mine; which meant "it's gonna be okay."

She stopped when we got to my breaking-apart house and gave me a thumbs-up when I was heading out.

"Love you, bye"

"Love you, see you later."

I shoved the keys out of the front pocket of my jeans and opened the door.

I walked in to the house and listened to see if Dad was still home. I flicked my wrist and read my watch. It was 7:45 P.M. Dad usually left for the bar around 8:30.

"Dad!" I spoke quietly.

"Yeah." he responded from the living room.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" he asked.

I walked into the living room, and sat on the opposite chair.

"This was really hard to admit for me, and I think you should hear this from me. "

"I'm... I'm gay."

"What?! You're gay!? Honey, it's just a phrase okay. You're overthinking it." he responded.

"The thing is, if it was a phrase it would've ended years ago. This is who I really am."

"This is who you really are, huh..." he muttered under his breath.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes. He was probably trying to digest all of this new information.

"Okay," he began slowly, "it's gonna take me a while to adjust, but as long as you move out after high school; I don't see a reason why I should bicker if it's gonna do nothin'. Does Arjay know this?"

"He overheard me talking about it in sophomore year."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked.

A smile crept up on my face, "Yeah, Skylyn."

"The girl you always talked to?"

"Yeah. I didn't know you cared enough to notice." I shot back, careful to be gentle. This was not the time to get Dad mad.

Realization hit his face, "I didn't realize that's how you felt."

"Well, I do."

That night, he didn't go to the bar. He went to the rehab center downtown to visit Mom. When he came back, his body looked a little shaken from crying. I think he realized his absence in his child's life. And it finally hit him.

After that night, he started seeing the therapist every other week and was slowly becoming the Dad I knew before Mom went to rehab.