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GARY ANDDan sat at the dining table, facing Gary’s parents. Gary took one look at his dad’s furrowed brow and his mom’s blank expression and realized what would follow would not be a conversation.
More like an interrogation.
Dad cleared his throat. “So… want to start at the beginning?”
It was as good a place to start as any, and there seemed little point in hiding the truth, not now the cat was well and truly out of the bag.
Gary glanced at Dan’s hand on the table, reached over, and covered it with his own. Dan stilled, and the warmth in his eyes as he gazed at their joined hands nearly unraveled Gary.
He raised his chin and met his dad’s stare. “Dan is my partner. He’s living with me.”
Dad said nothing for a moment, his eyes fixed on their hands. Finally he spoke. “So how long has this been going on?”
“Not long.”
Mom huffed. “Can’t say I’m all that surprised. I always thought you and Cory….”
Gary smiled. “Yeah, his sister Nina had the same thought. But Cory and me, we were just friends, maybe more like brothers at times.”
Mom cocked her head. “How long have you known you were gay?”
“But I’m not gay,” he protested. “I think bisexual is a better description. And as for how long? Maybe I’ve always known. I just chose not to do anything about it.” He glanced at Dan. “Until I met Dan and I couldn’t ignore the truth anymore.”
They didn’t need to know what Gary knew—that he believed he and Dan were meant to be together.
“And is he really a psychic?” Mom’s arched eyebrows betrayed her skepticism.
“I can answer that for myself.” Dan smiled. “Google me.”
Dad snorted. “I did that when Gary called to say he was bringing you, but we didn’t pay much attention, to be honest. We’ve met a lot of your kind. None of them ever found anything.”
His eyes told a different story. That hopeful light, the same one Gary observed in his mom’s eyes, kindled an even greater hope in Gary’s chest.
Dan exuded a calm that Gary envied. He held out his hand to Mom. “Give me your hand.”
She hesitated, then did as he asked in a tentative manner. Dan held her hand between his and closed his eyes. His breathing deepened, and Gary found himself holding his breath, praying for something to reveal itself, anything that would open their hearts and minds. The clock on the sideboard ticked the minutes away, yet no one spoke, and Gary realized his parents were just as focused.
They want this to work. They need to know.
Dan’s breathing caught, and he opened his eyes. “You knew.” He relaxed his shoulders, and a wave of relief crashed over Gary.
Thank you, Lord.
Mom swallowed, stiffening. “Knew what?”
Dan smiled. “Brad was sitting where I am now. He told you he’d found someone. He didn’t tell you their name, but he did reveal he was gay.” He squeezed her hand. “And then you cried and told him you were happy for him.”
She widened her eyes. “How could you know that?” Dan gazed at her, his smile still evident, and all of a sudden she was smiling too. “Oh my God. You’re for real.” Then all words ceased when tears welled up and trickled down her face. She grabbed Dad’s hand, her chest heaving. Dad nodded, unable to speak, his eyes glistening too.
Dan gently released Mom’s hand. “I’m here to help you, all right? I’m going to find out what happened to Brad, if I can. Just… don’t expect me to tell you next week, okay?”
Dad wiped his eyes. “We don’t care how long it takes. We just need to know you’re trying to find the monster who did this so they can be brought to justice.”
“I want that too,” Dan assured him. He glanced at Gary. “All three of you need to heal.”
Gary’s throat tightened. “We should be going now.” He felt drained of energy.
Is this how Dan feels when he does this?For the first time, Gary understood how deeply Dan’s gift affected him.
