Preacher's Son (boyxboy)

Chapter 9

We were all in the living room, watching the news. Mom was doing her usual knitting while Gracey was fumbling around the knitting needles. Dad was watching the news intently. I was pretending to watch the news while replaying my last night with Sebastian over in my head.
"Here is footage from the Kansas City pride parade," the female news anchor said, breaking the silence of the living room. I kept my eyes shamefully glued to the ground even though my curiosity was bubbling inside me. Part of me wanted to see what a pride parade looked like but I was terrified to show any interest in front of my family, especially my father. There was an uncomfortable tension in the room.
"Turn off this garbage," my father growled. My mother quickly shut the TV off. I prayed that would be the end of it. But it set my father off in a rage.
"Pride? What is there to be proud of?" He started to yell. I wanted to run away. I felt waves of shame crash over me. "They are a bunch of pedophiles and deviants. All of those people bought a one way ticket to Hell,". It was hard to keep my face neutral and not give myself away. Please let this blow over quickly, I prayed. I felt like he was going to see through my lies if he keep going on. Dad kept yelling about how horrible gay people were. "Marriage is between a man and a woman. Anything else is unnatural and against the will of God. They need to be stoned to death,". His words were like a blow to my stomach.
"Honey, we should pray for him," Mom said, quietly. My eyes that hadn't dared to look up since the news came on snapped up at her words. Somehow her words hurt worse. She had never said anything about gay people before but now I knew where she stood. Now I knew I had a father and a mother that weren't going to want me for who I loved. I wanted to run as far away as possible.
Dad grabbed his Bible and started reading passages from Leviticus. I felt self-hatred seep through my pores. Why did I have to have these feelings? Why couldn't I be normal? Why did I love Sebastian and not Ally? Thinking of Sebastian made me feel more ashamed. I felt ashamed for questioning my love for him. I gave all of myself to him. I have no regrets about that or him. I just wanted love and acceptance from my family.
"Please May I be excused?" I asked after Dad finished his prayer. Gracey gave me a weird look. I felt like she could see through the face I put on for our family.
"Yes, boy make sure you prepare for your sermon this week," Dad said, reminding me that I was leading the sermon this week as his way of training me. I felt like I was going to throw up.
"Yes, sir," I said, getting up quickly and rushing to my room. I felt like I was drowning in shame and guilt. There was only one person I wanted to talk to. I grabbed my phone that I had bought from the sketchy gas station in town. It was hidden behind my desk and always kept on silent so Dad wouldn't find it during his inspections. I texted Sebastian.
Bash, can we meet tonight?
It had been a few days since we saw each other and all I wanted to do was be in his arms. I wanted to tell him about my family. I wanted to feel wanted by someone in my life.
A few minutes later, I got a text back.
Sure, babe. I'll pick you up at 11. Can't wait to see you
I smiled.
See you soon babe.
I put my phone back in its hiding place and flopped on my bed. The weight of the night crashed over me. It was overwhelming. The guilt, shame, and fear I felt were bubbling up inside me. I felt like I was going to drown.
I was terrified of what would happen if my father found out about my sexuality. What would he do to me? Would he hurt Sebastian? I didn't realize until tonight how dangerous of a game Sebastian and I were playing. Was our relationship sustainable? Was it worth him getting caught in my father's wrath? That thought was the final blow. I felt tears slip down my face. This wasn't fair. I wanted to be happy. Being with Sebastian made me unbelievably happy. I was able to be myself. I didn't have to censor myself around him. He had no expectations of me. We just got to exist around each other and be happy.
I heard my door open and I felt my body stiffen. Depending on who was in here, I was going to have a lot to explain.
"Shh, it's just me," Gracey whispered. I relaxed slightly. The bed creaked as she sat down. I felt my guard slip. I wanted someone in my family to understand me. They were all I had ever known. I just needed one person to accept. Gracey was my only chance. Mom and Dad made it perfectly clear how they felt about gay people. But I couldn't bring myself to tell her.
"Liam, you can tell me anything," she said, softly.
"I can't tell you about this," I said, my voice cracking. She laid her head against mine.
"There's nothing you can't tell me," she said, "but I'll wait until you're ready to talk about it,". We stayed like this for awhile. I couldn't bear to look at Gracey. I was her big brother. I wasn't suppose to be weak especially in front of her. I didn't want her to see that tears ever left my eyes. I was supposed to be strong even though I felt so weak.
"Liam," Gracey said, breaking the silence. I didn't answer. "Who have you been seeing at night?" My insides went cold with fear.
"Ally," I lied. I hadn't seen her in weeks.
"I know that's not true. She's been out of town since early June. You should know that if you're really dating her,". Well Gracey unraveled my lie easily. She was dangerously close to finding out about Sebastian. I didn't say anything.
"Well I know whoever it is, they must mean a lot to you to risk getting caught," Gracey said. Her hand gently patted my back. I felt the weight shift on the bed and the door closed. I laid there for a while until I heard another knock on my door. This time I knew who it was. I quickly sat up and grabbed my Bible, flipping to a random page. Dad came in and immediately started inspecting my room. I always felt nervous when he went near my hiding space for my phone. Luckily, he didn't find it and he left pretty quickly. Minimal words were exchanged between the two of us. He was still in a bad mood from earlier.
I impatiently waited for eleven o'clock to get here. I paced back and forth, replaying the night over and over again. Finally it was five minutes til eleven. Quickly I made my way to meet Sebastian.
His truck was out there but it wasn't running and the lights were off. Sebastian was leaned against the truck. Seeing him made my guard go down. I wanted to fall into his arms and tell him everything.
"Miss me?" He said with a smirk. I wanted to smile but the weight of what was on my heart was too much. "Oh, shit babe, are you alright?" His arms wrapped around me and I felt sobs wrack through my body. It was embarrassing to cry in front of anyone but I didn't care. He was my safe space. The only person I could dare show my real emotions to. After a few minutes, I was able to tell Sebastian the events of the night.
"Babe, I'm so sorry," Sebastian whispered. His hand was rubbing my back.
"What do I do if he finds out?"
"Your father won't find out about us," Sebastian said, firmly.
"How can you be so sure? And if he does, what if he hurts you?" I asked, vocalizing my worse fear. My eyes stung again.
"Baby, Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Sebastian tried to reassure me. "It won't be a problem either way because he's not going to find out. We have been careful,". I gave him a hard look. My father found about everything. He had spies everywhere.
"Okay, if he finds out, you'll stay with me," Sebastian said. "He won't be able to hurt me but I don't trust what he would do to you. And I can't have you in a house where you are being hurt,".
"Can we do that?" I asked.
"Yes, you're eighteen. You can leave whenever you want," Sebastian reassured me. "Honestly, I wish you were with me now. I hate that you live with parents that don't accept you,". I hugged him tight. I wanted that so much.
"Speaking of which, my mom is off work and I want you to meet her tonight," Sebastian said. I instantly tensed up. Meeting his mom and most likely his brothers too? I didn't think I was ready for that.
"Tonight?" I asked, nervously.
"Yes, silly. She is going to love you and I want you to have a parent in your corner," Sebastian said. His damn smile was making me melt. 
"Okay, let this do this," I said, mustering up the courage. He kissed me on the cheek and opened his truck door. I got in and he quietly closed the door. Once he got in the truck, we were on our way to his house. He drove towards town. Our small town was quiet especially at night. No one else was on the road but us. Our hands were intertwined as he drove and shifted with one hand. We went to a part of town, I had only been to once or twice in my life. He lived on the north side of town. The houses were small and close together. Some were in okay shape but most were falling apart. His house was at the end of the street. His house was a small two story house. The white paint on the house was starting to peel. There were a few lights on in the house. Nerves started creeping up again.
"My mom speaks a lot of Spanish. She can speak English but it's just easier for her to speak Spanish," Sebastian said as he parked the car.
"Okay," I said, nodding my head. I wished I had paid better attention in Spanish. He squeezed and kissed the back of my hand. My heart fluttered. Sebastian opened my door for me and we walked into his house together.
The lights were on low in the living room. Paired with the olive green walls, it created a soothing atmosphere. The couches were brown and plush with an orange blanket strewn across. There was the smell of food cooking that wafted in from the kitchen. On the walls were pictures of Sebastian and his family. His younger brothers looked just like him. I was surprised by how young his mother looked. She looked only to be her mid thirties. She had long black wavy hair and dark brown eyes.
"Mamá estoy en casa," Sebastian called out.
"¿chico a donde fuiste? la cena te espera," Sebastian's mom said as she came into the living room from the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me. I instantly knew that she recognized me.
"¿Qué esta haciendo él aquí? La familia de Wells no tiene por qué estar aquí,". I heard my family name come from her mouth but I didn't understand anything else. But it was clear she was upset. I didn't blame her. I knew how my father treated people that were different. None the less, my stomach clenched with fear.
"Mamá escucha. Liam es mi novio. No lo asustes," Sebastian laughing at the end. His laugh coupled with him speaking in Spanish made me feel very attracted to him. But now was not the time to feel those feelings.
"¿El novio?" She sounded surprised. Her face became a lot less harsh and she started smiling.
"I just told her we are dating," Sebastian explained, smiling. Then I felt someone swoop me up in a hug, squeezing me tight.
"Oh, Liam welcome to our home," she said, warmly. Her Spanish accent was very thick but she sounded friendly and welcoming like my mom did.
"Hi, ma'am," I said, awkwardly. Sebastian gave me a little thumbs up. His mom pulled away from me.
"Sebastian tell him not to be so formal, call me Carla," Sebastian's mom said. Sebastian smirked, rolling his eyes. Carla gave him a small smack on the back of his head.
"Don't roll your eyes at your Mamá," she said, sternly. She turned back to me. "I hope you are hungry. I made tamales,". I had never heard of tamales but if it was what that smell was, I knew they had to be good. We went into the kitchen together.
"Liam, siéntate," Carla said, pushing me towards the kitchen table. I looked at Sebastian confused.
"Sit down, babe," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "I'll make you food,". I sat at the table, awkwardly waiting for Sebastian to come back. He came back with two plates full of what I assumed were tamales and two glasses of tea. His mother was started to clean up the kitchen. Sebastian had an awkward look on his face. I tilted my head, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
"We say prayer before we eat but it's Catholic and in Spanish," Sebastian said. I had no idea that his family was religious.
"That's okay," I reassured him. Even though, he was well aware that I wasn't like my father, I knew that there was still awkwardness around my religion. He grabbed my hands, squeezing them tight. He started saying a prayer in Spanish. I was completely mesmerized by him. Sebastian finished his prayer and did the Sign of the Cross. I blushed when he looked up at me.
"Eat, everyone else ate earlier," Sebastian said. His mother joined us while we ate. She asked me a lot of questions, wanting to know about Sebastian and I's relationship. It was weird talking to someone about our relationship especially when we had been working hard to keep it a secret. But at the same time, it was nice. She genuinely wanted to know about us and our relationship.
"My Sebastian has been so happy these past few months. I'm so glad he has you," Carla said, taking my hand and squeezing it.
"Mamá para por favor," Sebastian said, blushing. I smiled at him, happy that I was contributing to his happiness like he did mine.
"Don't be a baby," She teased. "Now, go. I'll clean up,".
"Thank you, Mamá," Sebastian said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Thank you for dinner," I said. Second dinner, more like it, I thought. Sebastian grabbed my hand and led me to the living room.
"I'll give you a quick tour and we can hang out for a bit, if you want?"
"That sounds great," I said. He took me up the stairs. There were four rooms upstairs.
"That's the bathroom, my mom's room, my brother's room and then my room," Sebastian said, pointing to each location.
"Can I see your room?" I asked.
"Of course," he said with a wink. He led me to his room. The walls of his room were the same olive green as the living room. He had posters all over the wall. They were a mix of band posters and sports teams. He was really into the St. Louis Cardinals and Lord Huron. His full size bed was half covered by a dark grey quilt. Scattered all of the bed were pictures and an album.
"What is this?" I asked, walking over to his bed.
"Shit, you weren't supposed to see this yet," Sebastian said, blushing. The pictures were of us. I knew he took pictures but I had never seen them before. It was surreal. We both looked so happy and in love with each other. There were quite a few of us naked together. I remember feeling nervous taking them at the time but seeing them now, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We were beautiful together. In that moment, I felt silly for being scared of my father and for wanting to not want Sebastian.
"These are amazing," I whispered, flipping through the pages of the album. It was our little story. I was thankful for he was keeping record because he was something I never wanted to forget. I kissed him on the cheek. Sebastian moved the pictures and album to his desk. He pulled me on the bed towards him.
"I have not kissed you enough today," he said before he put his lips on mine. I smiled through our kisses. I agreed with him. We had not kissed enough today. His hand cupped my ass. I loved being in his strong arms.
"Ew, get a room," I heard a boy say. I jumped off of Sebastian as he pushed me off.
"Javi, tenemos una habitacion. Salir imbécil," Sebastián barked at him. It was a teenage boy that looked about fifteen or sixteen. He was taller and lankier than Sebastian.
"¿no nos vas a presentar?" Javi asked. You could almost hear Sebastian rolling his eyes.
"Liam, this is my annoying brother, Javier," Sebastian said, annoyed. "Now go,".
"Fine, Liam, nice to meet you. We'll talk more when Seb isn't so grumpy," Javier said before leaving. I had a slight smile on my face.
"I'm sorry for my brother. He is very annoying," Sebastian said, apologizing.
"Have you met Gracey? She is super annoying," I laughed. Sebastian laughed too.
"Also, I'm sorry for talking in Spanish so much," he said, embarrassed. I didn't understand why he kept apologizing for his language.
"Don't apologize," I said, firmly. "I actually like it a lot when you talk in Spanish,".
"Really?" He asked, surprised.
"Yeah, you should teach me Spanish," I said, smiling. It would be cool to communicate with him like his family does. He planted a kiss on my lips.
"You ready for your first lesson?" He asked, with a mischievous grin. I nodded.
"Te amo,"
"What's that?" I asked.
"I love you,"
The biggest smile grew on my face. I felt like my heart was going to explode.
"Te amo," I said.