“But you’re so normal,” I whispered.
Langston smiled a little. “Seeing a therapist doesn’t mean something is wrong with us, baby boy. And choosing to see a therapist takes incredible strength.” He reached over and grabbed my hand again. “Can you be strong for me, Cove?”
He waited patiently for my answer, and somehow, I knew he’d back out of this car park and take me back home if I said no.
“How is this being paid for?” I quietly asked him at last.
“Your insurance.” He shot me a sheepish look. “I looked through your wallet this morning.” I just sighed. I wasn’t even angry. Langston…cared, and I was desperate for someone to give a damn about me. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, fishing out a twenty-dollar bill. He placed it in my hand and curled my fingers around it. “This is for your copay.”
I looked back at the brick building and sucked in a deep breath before nodding my head. “Okay.” I looked back at him. “I’ll do this for you.”
Langston sadly smiled at me. “One day, baby boy, you’ll do it for yourself.”
I didn’t think so, but I didn’t say anything. I just slid out of the car and headed toward the stairs.
Langston
I stared at my mom’s number on the screen of my phone, contemplating calling. If Cove could be strong enough to go inside to see a therapist—a stranger—and talk about the darkness in his mind, surely I could call my parents and finally tell them I was gay, right?
I had to at some point. Now that I had Cove, I was never letting him go again, which meant there was no more fooling my parents into thinking I was straight.
Christ, this could fuck up everything for me—school, my apartment, my car.
They’d pulled the loans for my schooling, they footed the bill for my apartment, and they’d provided me with this car.
My gut told me this wouldn’t go well.
And why would it? They were just as homophobic as everyone else I’d gone to school with.
I scrubbed my hand down my face before pressing the phone symbol beside my mom’s name. Then, I put the phone on speaker and set it in my lap, staring out the windshield at the traffic moving along the street in front of me. It was near lunchtime, so a lot of people were out and about, grabbing food before heading back to work or school.
“Langston?” Mom asked incredulously. Couldn’t blame her. I never called home, mostly because I was afraid she’d figure out my sexuality through a simple change in my voice.
“Hi, Mom.” I cleared my throat. “Is Dad around?”
“Yeah. He’s right here next to me. Need me to put the phone on speaker?” she asked, concern filtering into her voice.
I swallowed thickly. “Yeah,” I rasped. We’d see how much longer her concern for me lasted once she heard what I had to say.
A moment later, I heard Dad clear his throat. “What is it, son?”
I drew in a deep breath and dug my nails into my jeans. “I’m gay.”
Silence. That was what met my ears. I worked my jaw around, waiting for one of them to say something.
“I’m sorry. Repeat that?” Dad asked, a low growl in his voice. I winced. “I couldn’t have heard you correctly.”
“You did,” I told him. “I said I’m gay.”
“Christ!” he exploded. I flinched. I knew this wouldn’t go well. “We’ll be paying for your lease to be broken. Leave the car in the garage so we can get it towed back home. And once your semester is over, don’t be expecting any other funds to pay for your schooling.” I grimaced. I’d known this was going to happen, but it still hurt to be disowned like this. “You’re a fucking abomination, Langston—a fucking failure. Don’t bother coming home again.”
The line went dead. I thunked my head on the steering wheel and blew out a soft breath. Well, at least that was over. I just had to figure out somewhere to go now.
Because I was officially about to be fucking homeless.
Cove
I slowly took a seat in front of my therapist—Dr. Heather Iris, though she preferred to just be called Heather. She was wearing a pair of leggings and a comfy-looking long-sleeve shirt, her hair piled into a messy bun on the top of her head. Her office was just as relaxing as she seemed. Dark tones colored the walls, and her furniture matched it. A dim lamp was turned on in the corner, and soft nature sounds played from a set of speakers mounted on the wall.