The Little Things [Book 1]

Chapter Forty-Six: Goalkeeper

The sun was shining. The late-spring breeze danced on their skin. And their hands were freezing from holding onto the iced coffees. Thomas and Rachel sat at a bench at Willow Park, silence hanging between them.

"Okay, so I waited until we got our coffee and got here. Will you tell me what happened when you came out to your parents? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I mean, I know I've been hanging out more with Bryan these past few weeks..."

"Months you mean..." Thomas muttered.

"You came out to them months ago?" Rachel exclaimed.

"I told them one month ago".

"Wow, and they were okay with it?" she said with a smile. Thomas nodded. "So, why didn't you tell me earlier? And how did you tell them?"

"Okay, so... eh..." Words seem to fail him and he sighed. "I kissed Mark a few days before Valentine's day. And we started seeing each other a little after that. We mostly spent time together talking or making out or... doing other things". Rachel was left with her jaw slacking. "Two days ago we decided to make it official. Mark is my boyfriend..." Thomas said and paused, smiling hugely. "I met Mark's parents pretty early into this thing and I don't know... seeing them be so accepting and great made me want to tell my parents. You know them, my parents are pretty okay with everything. I mean, hell, my sister has a child at twenty years old and they are fine with it! So, I just told them and the only thing they asked was if they could meet Mark. And they met him..."

"What the heck Thomas! How have you kept this from me?!" Rachel asked with a wide grin. "You're in a relationship! And your parents support you! My God, I feel like I've missed so much".

"You haven't. It's just been really –"

"Wait, is Mark going to be your date to prom?" she enthusiastically asked.

"No..." Thomas started and took a sip from his iced Americano.

"Oh my god, you can have matching suits. You'll look so good together. Everyone will just flip!" she rambled.

"Rach!" Thomas growled, efficiently making her shut up. "Me and Mark are not going to go to prom together".

"I think you mean 'Mark and I'..."

"Rachel! That's not the fucking point. We're not going to prom as a couple. We are not going to be wearing matching suits. And we won't look good together. And nobody is going to flip".

"Why not?" she softly asked.

"Because we want to keep what we have to ourselves. Because I am getting used to calling him my boyfriend just now, and I don't want the whole school to know that yet. Because the only people who know that I'm gay are my family, Mark, you and Dean, and I don't want anyone else to know that about me for now..."

"You came out to Dean...?" If Thomas didn't know any better he would have thought that Rachel had sounded betrayed.

"Yeah... on Valentine's Day," he said with an awkward chuckle.

"How come?"

"Well, he noticed that I was kind of off and he asked me and I told him," Thomas replied and took another big sip of his coffee. Rachel drank some of hers and then looked at Thomas with knitted eyebrows.

"So why haven't you told Bryan or Blake? They won't judge you," she said, reaching out to touch Thomas's forearm.

"I know that... I just don't feel comfortable enough to say it to them. I've known you all my life. I've known Dean for so long. Telling you guys, as hard as it was, came more naturally to me," Thomas replied.