Page 96 of Love Medley
Wyatt’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really. Who?”
“Her name is Lucy Chang. She’s a med student at Blackwell.” I briefly tell him how we met, but I leave out Sam and Sterling, because I don’t want to talk about them right now. As I speak about her, I feel my spirits lift even higher. Lucy is such an incredibleperson, and I’m honestly lucky to experience her glow. I’m doing a shitty job of describing her, but I’m desperate for him to see her the way I do—because he's the only one in my family who might.
After I’m done, Wyatt exhales audibly. “Wow. So you met this girl who has an abusive ex, got sucked into a fake dating situation, now you guys are, what? Together?”
That’s what he got out of this? Disappointment slices through me. The only time I reach out to someone in my family, this is what happens.
I’m not sure why I’m surprised, though.
“Is that so hard to believe?” I try to keep my voice steady.
“Jake, I’m just trying to understand. It sounds like Lucy has a lot going on. Are you sure you want to insert yourself into all that?”
“Lucy’s worth it.” Why doesn’t Wyatt understand? Is he not even trying to? How many times do I have to get my heart demolished by my family before I stop trying? I guess I just thought—no, hoped—that Wyatt would be different. “They’ve been broken up for a while. I’m not going to pass this amazing woman up just because you think she has some baggage.”
Wyatt shakes his head. “I just don’t want you getting hurt. And isn’t she graduating soon? She’s a fourth year, right? What then?”
“We haven’t talked that far.” After this lukewarm reception, I’m certainly not telling him I plan to move wherever Lucy matches. “But there are nursing jobs everywhere. So that’s not the end of the world.”
“Wait. You’ve known her for what? Three weeks? And you’re already thinking of possibly uprooting your life in Blackwell, whereyou’ve lived your entire life, and moving for a woman you barely know?”
Something prickles under my skin. I know he means well, but it sounds like judgment disguised as concern. And I’m done feeling judged.
“How would you know? You haven’t dated anyone…ever! What do you know about falling in love and feeling like your life is finally slotting into place?”
The words leave my mouth before I realize I’ve raised my voice. I never do this. Not with family. Not with anyone. But hearing my fears echoed out loud by the one person I thought would understand—it breaks something loose.
Wyatt is still, staring at his glass bottle for a long time. Finally, he sighs. “You’re right that I don’t know anything about falling in love. But I do understand the relief that comes from your life starting to make sense. My opinions are probably colored by what I’m going through right now.”
My anger immediately leaks away. “What do you mean?”
A longer pause.
Finally, Wyatt lifts his eyes to mine. “Jake, I’m gay.”
My mouth drops open. But as memories flood my mind, his admission makes sense. This is why Wyatt has never dated, at least to my knowledge. And why he’s probably buried himself in work. He’s always been better dressed than any of us, with a ridiculously good eye for everything from clothes to interior design to art.
Of course, none of that means anything on its own. But add it to the fact that I’ve never once heard him talk about a woman—oranyone, really—and yeah. It clicks. The pieces fit in a way they didn’t before.
Closing my mouth quickly, I place my hand on his arm. “Wyatt, God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. You were just trying to protect me. As for being gay? That doesn’t change how I feel about you. Not in the least. I’m in your corner no matter what. I’m honored you told me.”
Wyatt laughs, but sadness colors the sound. “Thanks for not judging me like the rest of our family will. I knew you’d be supportive. While I didn’t mean for it to come out exactly like this, I did plan to tell you. Sometime soon, if my courage failed me tonight.”
My heart goes out to Wyatt. He must have felt so lonely with this epiphany. It’s hard being different, and our parents aren’t exactly accepting of homosexuality. Unsurprisingly, they are heavily conservative.
“How long have you known?” I ask.
“A while. Like you said, I haven’t really pursued any relationships. At first, I chalked up my disinterest in women to being too focused on my career. In school, I kept to myself and my studies. But when I went to law school, I fell for a straight guy in my study group. I was in denial even then. I just buried myself in more work, hoping the feelings would go away, but they didn’t.”
“Wow.” That must have been so hard for him. “Have you thought about telling Mom?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Wyatt says. “But honestly, I haven’t mustered up the balls. She’d probably understand more than Dad, but she’s always caved to his way of thinking.”
“Maybe not.” I quickly tell him about the phone conversation we had recently. “She’s sidestepped Dad in the past for me—maybe she will for you too. It might be worth giving her another chance. But either way you decide, I’ll support you.”
“Yeah. I’ll think about it.” Wyatt wipes at the condensation on his beer bottle. “You know, I’ve always been jealous of you.”
“Me?” I thought I couldn’t be more taken aback during this conversation, but apparently, I was wrong. “You and Sterling are the superstars of the family.”
