And They Were Roommates

Samuel's Arrival

It was early in the morning, really early. Thankfully, I was used to getting up at this time because I made the mistake of taking a class that stared at 7:00 am last semester. I was just sitting in my car listening to music. It was 5:30 am. Samuel said his flight would be arriving at the airport around 6:00. My mom offered to come with me to pick him up, but I knew that wouldn't go well. Sure, they will get along, I'm just not sure I'm ready for her to be all over my boyfriend. Part of me thinks she likes him so much because Samuel reminded me of my dad. 

My dad always liked talking about his 'golden years' in highschool. He was the star quarterback on his high school football team and got many scholarships like Samuel. Just like Samuel, my dad had a strong look to him. He was in good shape for being in his late 40's. When I look back at old photos of him, he looks exactly the same but with more facial hair.

Now, my dad was hardly around. He was usually at work or over at a friend's house. He would come home for dinner but take it to his office. I remember my mom calling me crying one night two months ago. She told me everything that happened between them. He cheated on her.

My parents have been married for twenty years. From what she told me, he had been seeing someone else for five of those years. It was tough hearing that over the phone. My mom was heartbroken, and there was nothing I could do to. She's confessed that she misses him and is willing to forgive him, but my dad is pushing away. Maybe she sees my dad in Samuel. 

It was almost time for his flight to arrive, so I made my way into the airport. I just sat near where I exited, hoping this is the right spot. I had so many thoughts running in my head as the time came closer to see him. Of course, I was excited. I miss him so much, more than I have ever missed anyone in my entire life. But with the excitement came fear. I was not ready for my boyfriend to meet my family. When I was in California, I had nothing to fear. I didn't know anyone who lived there, so I had nothing to worry about. I was fine being an openly gay couple with Samuel because people over there didn't care.

I'm just so afraid. Afraid of what others will think, afraid of a bad reaction when I tell them, afraid of how they will look at me from now on. All of this felt so foreign to me. Nobody should have to come out or at least be afraid to. Because it is frowned upon, it creates this fear.  Rejection is a fear everyone has, but for some reason, coming out and being rejected is harder than any other rejection. At least, that's how I felt.

I pulled out my phone and saw it was ten minutes after six. As soon as I looked up from my phone there, he was. I saw him coming down the escalator, and even though he was so far away, I could still manage to see his baby blue eyes. It felt like forever, but he finally got off the escalator and practically ran to me through the sea of people. I instantly jumped up from my seat into a warm embrace from Samuel. When we pulled away, I gave him a smile that he gladly returned back.

After we got Samuel's suitcase, we made our way out of the airport. "Oh my God, it is freezing," Samuel said as soon as we stepped outside. "I knew it was cold on the east coast, but I didn't expect it to be this cold." I couldn't help but laugh when I saw how bad Samuel was shivering. It was sort of cute.

"Here, you can have my coat. I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt and hoodie under this, so I'll be fine." I took off my coat and handed it over to Samuel. He quickly put it on, and I burst out in laughter. I knew my coat would be a bit small on him, but it was worse than I expected. It was practically a crop top coat on him, and he couldn't even zip it up. "Let's get to the car quickly, and then we can get you a coat." Samuel nodded, and we quickly made our way to the car.

Once we were finally in the car, I made sure to crank up the heater, so Samuel wasn't freezing. As I was driving, Samuel held my hand. The car ride was pretty quiet, but it was nice just enjoying each other company. Just knowing he was there with me made the drive better every second. Every now and then, Samuel would squeeze my hand, and I'd do the same.