Three Simple Words

Chapter 8

The wooden door creaked against the pressure as Jess let them both in. Thomas had been in Jess and Ariel's home so much it felt like his own but this time was different, this time would probably be the last time.

"Jess, is that you?" Mrs. Winther called from the family room.

The pitter patter of feet down the stairs gave Thomas a heads up before he saw Ariel barreling down the stairs. Usually seeing her would have given him a sense of peace similar to that of seeing a friend you haven't seen for a while but this time all he felt was dread.

He was going to tell her and inadvertently break up with her.

He knew he had to this both for himself and for Ariel but that didn't make it any easier for him to be prepared for what was to come. He had no idea what to expect going in to this.

As far as he could tell Jess was out to his family so he didn't think that she would have a problem with him being gay but he wasn't sure how she would take being lied to for the last five months, or at least the last four months.

"Hey Tommy what are you doing here?" Thomas inwardly flinched at the nickname but said nothing about it. "I actually came to talk to you." He replied, trying to keep the light hearted tone in his voice.

"Okay?" Ariel echoed, obviously seeing past the falseness of the blonde's voice. Ariel pushed past them both and walked onto the wraparound porch. "Good luck" Jess murmured as Thomas did his best not to limp behind Ariel.

As soon as the large oak door was closed Ariel began, "You're breaking up with me, right?" Thomas sputtered; the question knocked him off his guard. When Thomas didn't respond, she got her answer.

"It's fine, I kind of suspected it. The way you wouldn't want to spend time with me, the way you were so weird when I would touch you and the fact that you would touch me. You didn't even want to hold hands when we were in public. So, who is she?" Ariel spat, the anger seething below her skin.

She really had guessed that he was going to break up with her but it didn't stop her from feeling hurt that he hadn't even tried to make it work.

"Can we sit down please?" Thomas ventured, trying and failing to calm his nerves. The two interlocked eyes, Ariel with a fierce grip that mimicked her personality and Thomas with a look similar to a lost puppy.

Having pity on him, they sat on the porch swing, their bodies as far as possible from each other, the unanswered question still between them.

"Ariel... it's not... I" The boy croaked, the words he had rehearsed failing him, trying again he finally managed to say what needed to be said. "It's not you...uh... I mean... there is no other girl and that's the problem. Before we started dating... I... uh had never dated any one before and I just thought that I hadn't found the right girl. But that's just it. If there was a right girl, you would be it." The fierce gaze that was on Ariel's face was now one of confusion.

"What are you saying?"

What was Thomas saying? Was he really ready to out himself to the world? Would he ever be ready?

"I... uh... what I'm saying is that... I'm gay." And just like that the truth was out, whatever happened next was in Ariel's hand. In that moment it didn't matter though because he realized that this was the first time that he had ever said that out loud. Whether or not he was met with acceptance didn't matter quite as much now.

When Thomas worked up the courage to look up at Ariel he was surprised when he was met with guarded pain but also acceptance.

"Look I'm happy that you realized who you are but I think it might take a little while before we can be friends again." Ariel echoed, wrapping her pale arms around him. Thomas felt tears brimming at the edge of his eyes ready to spill over when he got home.