Page 92 of Unexpected Boyfriends

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I shake my head trying to clear it. "Just felt a bit off for a minute, that's all."

JUSTIN

“Yes, yes! Of course I want to be a part of the family, you know I do, that's why I've come back, but I’m not going to stop seeing Axel. If you’re giving me an ultimatum, you have to know I’ll choose him.”

I’m not going to put up with this bullshit any longer. Their thinly veiled hostility towards Axel has been making my blood boil since we got here.

“He’s a lot older than you. We worry that he’s taking advantage of you… leading you into things you wouldn’t otherwise be doing.”

“He’s not,” I snap at her. “He’s not the one harming me. He didn’t send me to that horrific,illegal, place. You did that.”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t have needed to if he hadn’t…” she doesn’t finish, because I cut her off with a derisive snort.

“You wouldn’t feel the need to, if you could just accept that I’m gay,” I spit at her. My fists are balled at my sides, and I'm literally vibrating with anger. I'm one second from walking out of the kitchen, finding Axel and leaving with him, when she softens.

"I'm sorry. Can we just put that behind us for now and start again?" she says, eyes shining wetly in the fluorescent light.

I look at her, my jaw working, my mouth pursed shut in a scowl.

"And how do we do that?" I demand, anger thick in my voice.

My mother sighs. I notice the grey hairs creeping into the brunette strands, the deep lines around her eyes that I'd neverbeen aware of before. It's clear the situation has taken a heavy toll on her.

And... she's my mother.

"Why don't you spend a couple of nights here with us, tonight and tomorrow, just yourself and us, and we can talk this out. We're family. We should be able to reconnect and talk about our feelings properly, instead of just resorting to kneejerk reactions."

I think about her suggestion.

"Why can't Axel stay? He's my boyfriend. He deserves to be part of this."

"I just think it'll be easier for us to discuss this calmly if he's not here. I'm sure he's a very nice young man, but it's only going to aggravate your father if he's here while we're trying to talk this through as a family. He won't listen properly to you, if he's already worked up."

There's truth in what she's saying. Once my dad gets worked up, the blinkers literally come on. You could tell him truthfully something was white, and he'd insist it was black.

If I'm to reconcile with my parents, this is probably the only way it's going to happen.

"Okay. I'll stay tonight, and maybe if things work out, tomorrow night. And we'll talk. But that's all. And if you bad-mouth Axel, I'm leaving."

My mother enfolds me in a warm hug. "Thank you, dear," is all she says.

But when I go to tell Axel of the plan, I find him slumped in one of the sofa chairs, passed out. I rush over alarmed, throwingmyself on the carpet in front of him. He stirs groggily when I shake him, and blinks several times.

"Axel.Axel. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he shakes his head, blinking. "Just felt a bit off for a minute, that's all."

"You had me worried," I tell him, settling beside him on the arm of the chair.

"I'm fine."

His tone seems a little off, a bit abrupt, but maybe that's just because he's still recovering from his dizzy spell.

"We need to talk," I tell him.

"So what did you decide with your mother?" he asks before I can launch into anything.

"Oh. You heard all that? Well, I'm gonna stay here a couple of nights and see if we can talk things out."

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