Convoke

Chapter 27

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and happy holidays! As we get ready to say goodbye to 2022, tell me one thing that really made you smile this year.

- Sian

"I guess I'll start from the beginning, just to kind of . . . get it all out there," Tom said, lapsing back to watching his hands. "I was young when I realised that I didn't just like girls. I went through phases where I liked only girls and where I liked only boys. It was really confusing for a long time, but I finally realised that I was bisexual when I was sixteen. Neasa was the first person I talked to about it. She made it feel so normal to like women and men. And then I told Cal about it, and he acted like I had just told him that it was against the law to be a criminal." Tom smiled at how offended Cal had been that he didn't fancy him. "I thought I would be with Kimberley for the rest of my life, so I didn't think there was any need to tell you both. But now . . . I guess I'm interested in a guy so I would have told you eventually. I just didn't really want to do that today."

Tom didn't look up until his mother rested a hand on his knee. "Sweetheart, I love you," she said earnestly.

"And I also love you," Declan added. "I always have, and I always will." He curtly nodded his head and pointed a finger with an affirmative stiffness. "So then, who's this guy that you like?"

Tom looked back and forth between them. "That's it? You're okay with it?"

"What did you expect? For me to pull a pride flag from my arse?" Declan asked.

Tom scoffed and relaxed against the couch, crossing his arms. "That was just so . . . The build up to it was making me feel sick."

Moira patted his knee. "I'm sorry you felt like that about telling us."

"It was mainly just me overthinking it. I knew you guys loved me."

Declan sat back in his armchair. "Come on then, who's this fella that you like?"

Tom's heart burst again. Now was the tricky part. "You know him already-"

"It's not Cal, is it?"

"No!" Tom spat. "That man is anything but boyfriend material. And plus, he's like a brother to me."

Declan laughed. "Well, who is it?"

Tom gulped and pursed his lips. "I don't want you to get mad. You might think it's um, well, I think you'll judge me. But don't, okay, please. I know what I'm doing, and I know you'll probably think that I'm risking a lot and-"

"It's the soul stripper, isn't it?" his mother interrupted.

"Yes."

His parents looked at each other, and the reassurance slowly slipped away.

"Okay," Declan said calmly. "But-" he scratched the back of his bald head. "You know we like demons and we treat them fairly, but-"

"They still have short tempers, anger issues, a longer lifespan, an influence that causes you to do mischief. I know, I've thought about all of this and told myself that dating a demon would be too difficult and then . . . " Tom sighed heavily. "And then I fell for him. I'm not quite in love with him, but I'm getting there."

"Oh Thomas." Moira's comforting hand touched his shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "We would never stop you from following your heart. But we will tell you that this is going to make us worry. How do you know that you can trust Ez?"

"I don't, not fully, but he's proving it each day." Tom thought back to the field, and how they had almost kissed. Almost. "I'm not sure if you'll have to worry anyway. We've both told each other about our feelings, but he wants to stay just friends because he thinks I deserve better."