Page 103 of Take the Plunge

I glance towards the house. “And you haven’t?”

He grins. “No. Because I’m here with my girlfriend, and Mum doesn’t want Halle to feel abandoned.”

“Your mum is really sweet.” Halle blushes.

“You should go and get Kian off the hook by claiming him as yours,” Rufus says.

I scuff my foot against the grass.

“You’re not going to ignore him all afternoon, are you?” Rufus asks.

“No, of course not.”

I can’t think of a reason for me not to come out to his parents and mine. I feel pretty shitty for not having done it already. I adore Kian. I might even love him. Why haven’t I shouted it from the rooftops? Rufus and Halle know. Half my co-workers know. I’m more worried about telling my parents than Kian’s. I have no idea how they’re going to react. Well, I hope, but I don’t know.

Right at that moment, Kian comes out the back door, carrying a huge bowl of salad. He puts it down on a table beside the barbecue and then catches me staring and grins. His dimples make me swoon from across the garden. He waves and goes back inside, no doubt to do another job for his mum. His dad is at the barbecue. It looks like he’s cooking vegetarian stuff on the top rack and meat on the bottom.

“Go save Kian.” Rufus pushes me towards the house. “Or Mum will have him helping out all afternoon.”

“Should we offer to help?” Halle asks.

“No.” Rufus sounds a little panicked. “God, no. One job will turn into twenty. Trust me, we’re better off staying well away.”

“If you’re sure—”

I leave them talking and wander towards the house. I can do this. Coming out to Kian’s parents won’t be a big deal.

“Jett.”

I stop and turn to my parents. Mum is waving at me. I sigh. I should probably tell them first. They won’t be impressed if they’re the last to know that I’m bi and have a boyfriend.

The couple they were talking to have moved on to socialise with a woman I don’t recognise. I join my parents, who scoot apart, creating room for me to squeeze between them on the swing seat. Dad keeps it still with his feet while I sit.

Mum pats my knee. “Rufus’s girlfriend seems really nice. Halle, isn’t it?”

“She is.” I’m basing that on one dinner, where I said very little because I was stuck in my own head, but she does seem nice.

“Rufus looks happy,” Mum goes on. “It’s about time he found someone to settle down with.”

Here we go.

“It’s about time you both did.”

Dad nods in agreement. “You were already one year old by the time I turned twenty-five.”

“You’re established in your career,” Mum says. “Now you need to focus on your emotional happiness.”

My parents share a look around me, their expressions gooey. I’m glad they’re still very much in love, but I’m not sure I like the implication that my emotional happiness relies on finding someone to settle down with. On the other hand, Kian does make me happy. So fucking happy.

Right on cue, Kian comes out of the kitchen again, carrying a plate of bread rolls. My stomach does a happy little flip-flop, and I quell the urge to go and brush his hair away from his eyes so he doesn’t trip.

“I’m seeing someone,” I say without taking my eyes off him as he says something to his dad.

“You are?” Mum asks. “What’s her name?”

I can’t blame Mum for jumping to that conclusion. I’ve only ever dated girls. My parents have no reason to think I’m anything other than one hundred per cent straight. Still, her question makes my stomach sink.

Kian looks around the garden and catches sight of me. This time, he doesn’t smile or wave before turning and going inside. Bile rises into my throat. He shouldn’t have to be worried about accidentally outing me. Plus, I love his smile far too much for him to hide it away for any reason.