Learning Curves ✔ (bxb)

Chapter 30

The park (or part of it, anyway) ^^

Michael's POV

I walk into the park with my hands in my shorts pockets. Glancing around at all the greenery and people enjoying their time here, I can't help but feel more at ease. Spotting Theo sitting on one of the park benches near the playground, I head over to him.

"Hi." He grins at me, leaning up to give me a small peck on the lips.

"Hey." I murmur in reply, our faces only a few inches away. I gaze into his beautiful green eyes, never really noticing until now how pretty they are.

"You wanted to talk?" He asks curiously, a small smile on his face.

"Um... yeah." I glance away from his eyes, my hands fiddling nervously. Theo's face morphs into one of concern.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah... yeah. I, uh, told my parents yesterday about... me- and you... us." I swallow the lump in my throat as I stammer out the words I want to say.

"That's great Michael, proud of you. Why don't you look happy? Did they not accept you?" Theo questions worriedly, his hand reaching to grasp my own. After a moment, I pull my sweaty hands out of his hold and take a step back.

"My parents implied that they'd rather me be with a girl." I say sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Michael. But they do accept you, right?" He asks nervously and hopefully.

"Guess so," I mutter, "but it still feels like I'm letting them down."

"At least they didn't kick you out or anything."

I scoff, "I don't think you quite understand how I'm feeling."

"Then explain to me." Theo mutters.

"My parents are basically my highest priority. I feel guilty that I'm not living up to their expectations." I simplify my feelings.

Theo's jaw clenched. "So you're saying you're willing to throw away your dreams and aspirations or happiness just for their wishes? Are you not allowed to lead your own life?"

"I just want to please them."

"Who doesn't? You should still have some control over what you want to do versus just blindly following what your parents want for you!"

"Of course my parents would want the best for me!" I protest. Our voices are getting louder with every sentence.

"But are you happy? Your parents should strive for your happiness, so you can live a full and amazing life. Clearly they don't particularly care for your feelings if they're implying that they want you to break up with me just because I'm a male! Unless... you're not happy with me." He glares, turning around and starting to walk away.

"Theo, wait... are you... are you breaking up with me?" I call out, my voice faltering at the end. He pauses and turns around.

"I think you need to think about this situation seriously, and what you want to do. Not what your parents want for you, but what you want your life to turn out to be, then come talk to me." He says seriously. My shoulders sag.

"You're living a life where your parents have paved out every single dip and hill for you, Michael. You should think about what you truly want and what makes you happy, not your parents." With that, Theo continues walking away, and I'm left alone standing where I thought everything would be resolved.

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About two days later, I still haven't had any contact with Theo. Sitting on my bed, I contemplate what he said.

However, my thoughts are interrupted when my phone rings loudly. I pick up the phone when I see the caller ID is Rowan.

"Hey." I greet him.

"Hey Mike. I have news..." He says, excitement clear in his voice.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"I asked Liam out, and he said yes!" Rowan exclaims gleefully. A small smile graces my lips.

"Congratulations. Took you guys long enough." I chuckle softly.

"Thanks man. I'm so glad he said yes, and hey! We can go on double dates now!"

"Hmm... yeah about that... Theo and I aren't really on speaking terms right now..." I admit.

"What? Why?" Rowan asks confusedly.

"Well, I came out to my parents yesterday, and they weren't entirely thrilled that I have a boyfriend."

"Did they freak out about it? You're not injured or anything right?"

"No, no I'm fine. They technically accepted me, they just implied quite strongly that they wanted me to get a girlfriend and have kids someday."

"I mean, you can still have kids while being with a guy, it's called adoption or surrogacy."

"Yeah, my mom said that technically having a boyfriend doesn't interfere with my potential for being successful in the future, so she doesn't really care, but she said she had hoped I would find a girlfriend."

"...That really fucking sucks. I know how much your parents mean to you, Mike- Oh don't tell me you tried to break up with Theo over this."

"N-no." I stammer. How does he know me so well? While I didn't do it, I definitely considered it to make my parents happy.

"Good. I think you should stay with Theo if he makes you happy. It's your life, and if you aren't happy you should try to find happiness and make your situations better. Theo loves you very much, and it would have probably broke him if you suddenly broke up with him like that, especially if he doesn't quite understand how important your parents are to you."

"What do you mean he loves me? How would you know if he loves me yet?" I furrow my eyebrows. Neither Theo nor I have said I love you to each other. Yes, I've thought about it, and I think I might love Theo, but neither of us have verbally spoken those words to each other.

I could practically hear him roll his eyes, "to be completely honest, Liam has been complaining about how much Theo goes on and on and on about you. Not to mention the way he looks and acts around you. It's pretty obvious that he loves you and really cares for you."

I sit there in a stunned silence. Obvious? How have I not noticed this then? Could Rowan be lying? Misjudging the situation perhaps?

"Have you ever thought about talking to your parents about this? About how you feel? Maybe start with your dad first, since he's probably more willing to listen to what you have to say- er... no offence to your mom."

"Uh, no I've never.. thought about it. You think I should?"

"Yeah. Maybe they don't realize how much pressure they're putting on you or they don't think their words matter as much as they really do. You should be completely honest and at least clear up the situation so you know exactly where everyone stands."

"Okay. Thanks a lot Rowan. I know I keep asking you for advice on this and-"

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, Mike. Now go make up with Theo so Liam can finally have this double date he's been going on about for ages!"

I let out a chuckle, "Alright, I will. Thanks again, and I'm glad you and Liam have finally stopped dancing around each other. Bye."

"Bye, and best of luck!" With that, the phone call ended.