Claustrophobia (Boy x Boy) ✔

40) SO, NO CALLIE

*Ian Romero's POV

I opened my eyes tardily and the brightness of the room that was basking in sunshine made me close them again. At first I was disoriented, wondering why I had fallen asleep in the afternoon.

I thought maybe I was still dreaming — I had seen the best dream ever — and only then I opened my eyes again. 

This time it was real. The realisation made a wide grin spread on my lips and now that I was properly awake, I realised we had both dozed off. Cody wasn't wearing anything and neither was I. I let my mind wander to the blissful moments that had led to our current circumstances and the grin on my face grew even wider. 

Then I trailed my fingertips on the arcs of his collarbones, his shoulder and all the way down to his side. I realised I had never touched another guy like that and how the thought of doing so now somehow didn't bother me at all. 

It was fascinating how his body could be so similar to mine, yet so entirely different. Cody's skin was fair, almost pale, mine shades darker. Cody's arms were thin, mine toned. He was shorter and smaller in general, but otherwise we were the same.

I trailed my hand back up and onto his hair, starting to play with his curls once again. Cody stirred in my embrace and his eyes fluttered open. At first he looked as confused as I had felt a moment ago, but then his eyes widened and he promptly sat up.

"I fell asleep? Holy cow, we both did..? What if your mom had come home and found us like that?" Oh, now I realised why he looked so shocked. 

"Shit. You're right." I sat up too. Without a word we started cleaning up the room and got ourselves ready and dressed up in no time. We even aired the room and we made sure there wasn't any evidence that could be used against us. 

"I should probably get going now." Cody said after he had checked the time from his phone. 

"Already?" I pouted.

"Yup, I'm not ready to face your mom just yet. Not after.. you know." Cody muttered then, stuffing the phone in the hip pocket of his jeans.

"Okay, if you say so." I relented, with a smile. I accompanied Cody to the front door, and before he could open it I pulled him in another kiss. Cody placed his arms around my hips and answered the kiss eagerly. It was pretty much perfect..

..until the door opened and mom was gaping at us with wide eyes.

I stepped further from Cody as fast as I could, but I already knew it was too late. For a while mom just stared at us, her lips pressed in a tight line. Her eyes lingered on Cody's neck next and only then I realised the marks I had left on his fair skin. 

"Hi, Cody. Leaving already?" Sienna's voice was casual, not giving away what she was going through in her head.

"Uh.. Hi.. Yeah." Cody stammered and as mom stepped away from the doorway, like she was subtly telling him to go, he glanced at me. Cody's face was ashen and the look in his eyes told me something like: I'm sorry I have to go. Then he walked out of the door and shut it behind with a quiet klick.

"So.. No Callie?" Mom asked. Her voice was casual, but I knew it was the opposite: mom used that tone when she wanted to scold me about something. Usually that something meant I had done something really, really bad. 

She walked in the kitchen, took a wine glass from the cupboard and poured herself a fair amount of red wine. Then she sat down on a stool by the kitchen counter and looked at me while taking a big gulp from her glass.

"No, mom. No Callie." I told her cautiously. 

"Cody then? How long have you known?" She continued, keeping her voice light.

"How long have I known what?" I was really starting to get scared by then.

"That you like Cody? That you're gay? Or what, bi? Pan?" Mom took another gulp from her glass and crossed her legs. She was still wearing her heels, which was something she never did inside the house.

"Mom, I'm so sorry." My chin dipped down as I couldn't meet her gaze. I didn't think I had done anything wrong, but I didn't want to see rejection or hatred on my mom's face. She meant the world to me and if she decided she couldn't love me as I am.. It would break my heart, for good.

"Why are you apologising?" Her voice was still casual, so I couldn't read anything from it. Yet I couldn't bring myself to look up. 

"Mom.. I.. don't want you to hate me too. I'm sorry.. I really like Cody — and I can't help it.. Please don't hate me, mom." Out of nowhere I started sobbing. I had been carrying this fear inside me for so long and I had dreaded this day, hoping it would never come.

Mom got up from the stool, placing the wine glass on the kitchen counter and hurried to me. I could hear the clatter of her heels against the floor as she came closer. I had never been so scared before.

"I could never hate you, honey. What is this all about?" Sienna lifted my chin and cupped my face with her hands.

"I don't want you to hate me like you hate dad." I whispered, blinking more tears on my cheeks. I couldn't remember the last time I had shed a tear. Mom wrapped her thin arms around me, embracing me tightly. I couldn't remember last time she held me like that.

"You've got it all wrong. I don't hate your dad for being gay, I'm angry at him because of the cheating and all the lies he told." Mom lifted her hand and caressed the back of my head, like she used to do when I was younger. 

"Really? So you don't hate gays?" I breathed. 

"What do you take me for? Some old fart?" Sienna laughed and retreated from the hug. She cupped my face again, her brown eyes full of fondness, and she smiled at me. "So, Cody, huh?" 

"Yeah.. I don't know how it happened, but being with him makes me happy. Really happy." I admitted and my lips curved up lightly when I saw her smile.

"You have to bring him here some day. I'll cook. We can ask Vivian and Gary too." Mom actually seemed quite excited then.

"We haven't told them yet.. but yeah, that sounds like fun." I nodded, and I can't even begin to tell how relieved I felt. 

"And now I want you to tell me everything." Believe me or not but my mom looked like some teenager ready to gossip when she told me that. She took another wine glass from the cupboard and poured some wine for me. We sat down and we talked until it was time to cook dinner and we continued talking while we made it. And long after it was done and eaten.

***

That evening I called dad. Mom had encouraged me to do so, since she didn't want me to hold grudges for him. He was my dad after all.

I didn't tell him about Cody, because we weren't quite there yet. Instead I asked him about his day and he asked how I was doing. So just talking about work, semester exams and what we had had for dinner. 

It might sound like nothing, but for us it was a huge step forward. I hadn't picked up the phone and called him on my own accord in years. A couple of days ago I thought I never would. Dad was surprised and touched by the call, which I could hear from his laughter and the tone of his voice.

Diego had done a terrible thing, but it seemed like our family was coming back together. Of course my parents would never fall in love with each other, but just having them talking and back in my life was all I wanted. 

And, I thought, if Diego Romero could be forgiven, maybe the same goes for me too. Maybe we could actually be forgiven, no matter how horrible mistakes we had made, if we were willing to show we truly had changed and to put together what we had broken.