Page 2 of Home for the Holidays

“I guess he was right…” His voice trailed off as he rolled over and then off the couch, onto the floor with a thud. “It probably would be horrible to go back to your boyfriend’s hometown and have to live inside a closet that isn’t big enough for the both of us.”

“Zac,” she said softly. “Why won’t you just tell your family?”

“Whatever.” He waved his hand through the air, completely avoiding the question. His eyes, however, were filled with way more sadness than Iris had ever seen on him before.

“Okay, so your mom sent you two plane tickets.” Distractions. Her forte. “If you didn’t tell her about Josh, then who did she think you were bringing home?”

“I wasn’t specific.”

His answer was way too quick. “Zac, who did she think you were bringing home?”

“It’s not important.”

“Zachary, who did she think—”

“All I told her is that I wasn’t sure if my friend would be able to make it. I was sort of hoping my mom wouldn’t come through with both tickets, and I could tell her I had COVID or something.” He shrugged. “At the time, it was easier than telling her the truth.” He sat in silence for a few beats before his eyes widened, as though he had only just come up with the idea. “Oh my god, come home with me.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Iris, seriously. It’ll be so much fun.”

“I am not going home with you. I’m staying here, and I’ll be perfectly fine, walking around the apartment naked, singing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs.”

He let out yet another groan and pounded his hand on the floor. He was reaching, and he knew it. “I know. It’s a dumb idea.”

Iris slid off the couch to the floor next to her roommate. “Zac, what’s really going on?”

His chest rose with a deep breath as he looked over at Iris, his brown eyes pleading. “She’s just so perfect, and I’m justnot. It’s so hard to be around them all. My family are all perfect Nowaks. Meanwhile, everything I do is to prove them wrong.” He grabbed his phone from the couch and opened it to his Photos app. “Here, this is my two brothers and me. Look at them. Oscar is a doctor. Adrien is a fashion designer.”

Iris took Zac’s phone and zoomed in on both Oscar and Adrien. Like Zac, they were incredibly handsome. Sandy blond hair, dark eyes, beautiful features, all looking like they’d been chiseled out of stone. “They’re adorable. Just like you. But Adrien isn’t gay?”

Zac laughed. “Nope. Straight as an arrow.”

“The fashion designer? How?”

She laughed, as did Zac.

“It’s a mystery, but he’s super happy with the same girl he’s been with since high school. She’s a massage therapist in Chicago.” He took his phone back and shoved it into the pocket of his gray sweatpants. “Anyway, I refuse to go home because I refuse to have to go back into a closet for her.” His face fell. “Which is exactly why Josh didn’t want to come home with me. Wow. I’msucha hypocrite.”

Iris chuckled. Not at him, but at the situation. They’d had this conversation a hundred times before, and it always ended the same way. Zac would realize he created his own madness, then wallow in self-pity for a few seconds before forgetting about everything and moving on. She could only hope he would move on from this conversation in particular because going home with him was not on her list ofFun Things to Do This Holiday Season.“You are emotionally stunted, my friend.”

“I know. God, I know.” He was working this out in his head. He needed to, so she allowed him a few moments of peace. Finally, after a few deep breaths, he said, “You can’t understand what I’ve gone through. Your parents are amazing.”

“Yeah,so amazing. They went on a cruise for Christmas and left me here.” Iris nudged Zac playfully. “With you.” She wasn’t bitter. Well, she wasn’t too bitter. She’d been dodging questions from them about whether or not she wanted to come home for Christmas for weeks. It shouldn’t have shocked her when her mother finally said she’d taken too long, and they scheduled a cruise.

“But they accept you. Your mom started a PFLAG chapter in your hometown. That’s incredible.”

Ehh…Telling him how long that process actually took might backfire. So she settled on, “How do you know your mom won’t do that?” Iris watched the question wash over Zac, how his face morphed from jealous to convinced in two seconds flat.

“Because she is an old Midwest mom who wanted her kids to be picture-perfect so she had something to brag about at PTA meetings. And ugh, I think she might even be a Republican.” The way he whispered the last part made Iris chuckle. She let out a gasp and covered her heart with her hand. Zac laughed. “I know. It’sawful. But then when my parents divorced and my dad came out—”

“Whoa, whoa,whoa.” Iris leaned forward as she sliced her arms through the air. “Your dad is gay?”

“He’s remarried to a man now, but he identifies aspansexual.”

“Oh,ooh la la, howprogressive,” she said. Again, Zac chuckled.Whew.

He picked up his wine from the table and drank. His wine-dyed lips lifted into a pathetic attempt at a smile. “I just want to be happy, y’know?”

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