Page 15 of Leave

He nodded sharply, and we kept walking, and I tried not to think about how much I liked this feeling. Not approaching my childhood home with a “boyfriend”—that could go straight tohell—but of holding Nolan’s hand. It seemed childish and silly, but whatever. The only physical contact I’d had in the past year was the mostly-dressed fooling around I’d done with Nolan. I hadn’t realized until just now how much I’d been cravingaffection.

Figures I can only get it when I’m asking a man to fake it.

Ugh. Because I didn’t already feel like shit about all this.

I schooled that out of my expression and plastered on something neutral. At the door, I paused to take a breath. I was reaching for my keys, but then the door swung inward.

“Riley!” My mom beamed as she stepped across the threshold to hug me tight. “How are you? Oh my goodness, it’s been too long. How was your trip? Have you eaten?” She pulled back and looked me up and down. “You don’t look like you’ve been eating—”

She stopped abruptly before I could insist that, yes, I was eating plenty. I didn’t say anything, though, because she wasn’t looking at me anymore.

Nolan shifted his weight and glanced at me, eyebrows up as if to tell me he was waiting for my cue.

I cleared my throat. “Um.” Sliding a hand over the small of his back, I told my mom, “This is Nolan.” I smiled despite my nerves. “My boyfriend.”

“Oh.” My mother looked Nolan up and down. “Well… Uh… Welcome to our home, honey.”

He smiled, the expression coming across as charming without laying it on too thick. “Thanks. You have a really nice place.” He paused, then added with a grin, “And a really nice son.”

I laughed and elbowed him, sure I was blushing.

Mom laughed a little uncomfortably as she shook his hand. “Well. Um. Why don’t you boys come in?”

This was the part where she usually fussed over me staying at the house. She’d ask if I was sure I wanted to spend the money on a hotel, and she’d assure me she’d prepared the guest room just in case.

This time, she just asked if either of us wanted something to drink, then led us into the house. Out of habit, we both took off our shoes, which got us odd looks from Mom, but whatever.

As we headed into the living room, Nolan paused.

The hallway and living room walls were covered in framed photos of the family. A few grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but mostly my parents, my brother, and me. There was everything from Mom and Dad’s prom photo to my Navy portrait and shots from my brother’s college graduation.

Apparently one picture had caught Nolan’s eye, because he gestured at it and asked, “Is this you, Riley?”

I craned my neck to see he was indicating one from a wrestling tournament. “No, that’s my brother.”

“Oh.” He glanced at the picture again. “I wrestled too.”

“They let you?” my mother asked.

He turned to her, brow furrowed. “Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t they?”

“Well.” She stared at him innocently. “I… didn’t realize they let…” She gestured at me, then him.

I barely kept myself from rolling my eyes. “Yes, Mom. Gay boys were allowed on the wrestling team.” I looked at Nolan. “Were you even out then?”

Nolan blinked, then chuckled quietly. “Yes, I was out. And yes, my coaches knew.”

My mom looked stunned.

Nolan laughed and shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you to this day if they cared about gay kids or now. What I know is that I was undefeated for two seasons and brought home two statechampionships. They didn’t care if I had a clown fetish as long as I wrestled well.”

I snorted, both at his comment and my mom’s horrified expression.

She shook herself. “Well. Why don’t you two sit down, and I’ll go get Dad? He’s in the garage.”

Alone on the couch with Nolan, I closed my eyes and pushed out a breath. We’d been here less than five minutes, and I was already exhausted.

Strong fingers kneaded on the back of my neck, and I let myself groan. Not with arousal—with relief. At the contact. At the easing tension in my muscles. At the reminder that I wasn’t here alone this time. Nolan’s presence wasn’t going to make this visit easy, but I felt like I was more solid on my own two feet with him here. Like I wasn’t just pussyfooting around coming out to my parents(again), timidly waiting for them tomaybeaccept it this time. I was forcing us all to acknowledge the elephant in the room, and as nervous and downright terrified as I was about that, there was a sense of calm, too.

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