Rainy Day Confession

Sebastian was seated on the edge of the dock.

This was his favorite place to be when it was raining. Something about staring off into the bleak horizon just made him feel... serene. Like maybe life was worth living. And the best part about being out in the rain was being alone. He always did prefer to be alone. His few close friends, Sam and Abby, were enough for him (sometimes even too much, with their outgoing, extraverted tendencies). But he was grateful for them. They were wonderful friends. He took a moment to ponder them and wonder if they would stay friends like this forever. He certainly hoped so.

*****

Sam awoke to the sound of rain beating down on the rooftop. He opened his eyes and grinned with excitement, stretching his long arms out behind him before resting them behind his head in quiet contemplation. He thought back to that day, a few weeks ago, at Sebastian's house. He hadn't been able to get the conversation out of his head, and, for some reason, it excited him almost to the point of giddiness. He played the scene over again in his mind for what seemed like the hundredth time.

*****

It had been a normal Thursday night and the three friends were sitting down in Seb's basement to play Solarion Chronicles. Sebastian was quietly focused on setting the game up, and he'd barely said a word to Sam or Abigail since they arrived. The two friends shared a look of concern before Abby spoke.

"Sebastian, is everything okay? You seem a little out of it." Sebastian looked up at her with a somewhat surprised look on his face.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be?" he replied, but his shifty gaze said otherwise.

"Dude, we've been best friends forever, we can tell when somethings up," Sam piped in, putting a hand on Sebastian's shoulder. He gave him a reassuring smile, "you know you can talk to us about anything."

Sebastian seemed to contemplate this as he grappled with something else inside of himself. How was he supposed to talk to his friends about this? This was nothing like the things they'd shared with each other in the past. Sebastian had been struggling with this notion for months, hopeful that it was some sort of weird phase and that it would pass with time.

The problem was, the more he thought about it, the stronger his feelings were becoming. He could no longer deny it – he was in love with his best friend. He thought it might be one thing if he were just gay, but to be gay for Sam was crazy on another level. He had no idea how his friends would take it. He'd managed to hide his feelings well thus far, but they saw through him today. He knew he had to confront them, but he wasn't ready for it.

He met their eyes and they both looked back expectantly. He could see Abby was losing her patience and would start pestering him about it soon. He decided to satisfy them with a half-truth. He could just come out as gay and see how they reacted. Maybe, in time, he could confess his feelings for Sam. Or maybe not. He was still hopeful that they might disappear, proving to be just a strange but temporary fixation.

"Okay..." he sighed, "but no matter what, you're not allowed to hate me."

Sam and Abigail broke out laughing at the absurdity of the thought.

"Sebastian, I've known you my whole life, if I was going to hate you, I definitely would by now. You're a pain in my ass, but you're one of my best friends and I love you" Abby chuckled. The way Sam was smiling and looking at him with those soft eyes told Sebastian he felt the same way, but the sight of it flushed Sebastian's cheeks and he had to look away.

"Fine," Sebastian mumbled. He turned around and hugged his knees into his chest. It would be easier to say it if he didn't have to look at them, especially Sam. "I-I think..." he paused and took a deep breath. "I think I'm gay," he blurted. He could feel his face turning red and the feeling of fear crept into his throat. He hugged his knees tighter, letting his dark hair cover his face. He waited a moment, expecting some sort of reaction.