My foot taps furiously as I sit on my bed and wait for a text back from Bradley. I see now how unfair I've been to him. He's been patient and caring and I've been a terrible boyfriend in the meantime. The realization that I have to tell him about kissing Whittney is making my stomach queasy.

After I get the okay to come over, it doesn't take me long to get there. My hand trembles as I knock on the door. When the door opens, I'm greeted by a warm smile, but to my surprise, it isn't Bradley's. The woman is in her late forties, and I can only assume that this is his mother. Without a moment's hesitation, she has me in a hug so tight that I almost can't breathe.

"It is so exciting to finally meet my son's boyfriend," Mrs. Stuart said after finally letting me go.

"Mom." A voice filled with embarrassment echoes from behind her. "I told you I'd get the door."

"Well, it's too late now." She smiles before turning toward Bradley. "Come sit at the table, both of you. Dinner's almost ready."

Mrs. Stuart walks ahead of us in the direction of the kitchen and I follow closely next to Bradley. "You could have told me the dinner was rescheduled to tonight."

I get a small huff in return. "You could have told me a lot of things."

The frustration on his face is confusing. I haven't even told him about kissing Whittney, so what is he talking about? Before we reach the kitchen, I grab his arm and turn him toward me. "What do you mean?"

Bradley's frown deepens. "I know Whittney was at your place."

"How do you know that?" I realize afterward how bad that question sounds, as if it's something I'm keeping from him, and I panic. "I-I mean, not that you're not supposed to know that. I was going to tell you, but it just happened today, and-"

"Austin told me," Bradley interrupts. "He was complaining about how he had to help you with him."

I want to reassure him that it was nothing. That he just showed up at my place, I helped him get sober, and then he left. But that's not all that happened. Whittney and I shared a kiss in the heat of the moment. A kiss with too much passion and feeling behind it to just brush it under the rug and pretend it was nothing.

With slight hesitation, I take a step toward Bradley, my hand squeezing his arm. "Can we talk about this after dinner, please? I'll tell you what happened. I promise."

Bradley narrows his eyes for a second before his face relaxes. He nods slightly, leaning in to kiss me. "I'm not mad at you, okay? Whatever happened, it's okay. You're here now."

The lingering feeling of his lips on mine tingle in combination with his words. Whatever happened, it's okay. He knows something happened and he's not freaking out, or calling me names, or punching me.

A small smile stretches on my lips and I wrap my arms around him. Bradley returns the hug and nuzzles his nose in my hair. Warm lips press against my forehead before he pulls away.

He squeezes my hand and doesn't let go as he leads us into the dining room. Only his parents and his younger sister Stephanie are waiting for us since I'm told his older siblings have to work tonight, but I'm just glad they aren't mad at me for canceling the last dinner. At least, if they are, they're not showing it.

Bradley's father stands up when we get to the table and I feel like fleeing the second his eyes land on me. They're kind and warm, but something is not letting me believe it's genuine. Everything else about his demeanor says otherwise, but my mind is screaming at me not to trust him. When he stretches his hand out to me, I hesitate a second too long to shake it. It doesn't seem to bother him one bit, though, and it's foreign to me.

"Good to meet you, Harry." Mr. Stuart grins before letting my hand go.

"Nice to meet you, too, sir." My voice shakes from the nerves and I'm hoping I'm not coming off as too much of a pussy.

He laughs, but not in a demeaning way. "You can relax, son. You're only the first person Bradley has ever brought home. No pressure."

Mrs. Stuart glares at her husband, but Bradley laughs loudly. "Dad, don't be such an ass."

Every muscle in my body tenses when the room gets really quiet for a second. Austin or Whittney would never say that to their fathers, and I prepare for some kind of venomous comeback from Mr. Stuart, but instead, there's only a hearty chuckle.

"Alright, everyone take a seat." Mrs. Stuart barely reacts to the exchange between father and son before sitting down.

Once everyone is seated, food starts getting passed around. With every minute that goes by, I feel more comfortable, but it's still weird. Both his parents act so openly and carefree and it's not something I'm used to. Although the dynamic is foreign, I enjoy their company. They don't get too invasive with their questions and even ask if I'm comfortable sharing when I realized I was gay. Of course, I left out a few details, but they don't push me into telling more.

The energy in the room shifts when I feel a tight squeeze on my hand. When I follow Bradley's gaze, I understand why. Rodney strolls in and sits at the table across from Bradley and me. There isn't any hostility in his eyes, nor Bradley's, when I look back at him, but there is a little awkwardness lingering in the air.

Rodney gets a shoulder squeeze from his uncle before his lips curl into a small smile in Bradley's direction. The same smile doesn't quite reach his eyes when he looks at me, but I don't feel like I'm drowning at the mercy of his gaze as I usually do.

"So is anyone going to pass me the potatoes, or what?" He smirks around the table before Bradley lets go of my hand to reach for the bowl.

Bradley seems calmer, so the uneasiness in my gut starts to disappear. It's like the problem was just resolved telepathically, but I wasn't on the same wavelength. Not once does Rodney make a snide remark, or shoot me a weird look. He doesn't exactly acknowledge me either, but I don't mind that so much.

It's not until after dinner when the nerves start eating away at me again. Especially when the three of us end up in the living room together. I'm sitting on the couch at Bradley's side and Rodney watches us from the chair across the room. The meeting of our eyes makes me slump into the cushions.

"I thought you were boning that Rhodes kid?" Rodney breaks the silence, fully focused on me.

"Rodney," Bradley growls.

"Hey." He holds his arms up defensively. "It's just a question."

Putting my hand on Bradley's leg, I silently tell him I've got this. I have to stand up to Rodney sometime. It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally ready. "It's none of your business who I'm sleeping with. All you have to know is that I'm dating your cousin and if you have a problem with that, that's on you."

"Wait, hold on." Rodney sits up in his chair and sighs. "I came here to apologize. To the both of you."

"Then cut the bullshit and say what you need to say," Bradley cuts in.

Rodney hangs his head and rubs his eyes before looking at Bradley. "You're my family, man. But you're also my best friend. When you told me that you're-" he clears his throat. "I should have been there for you. So, I'm sorry that I wasn't and I promise to do better from here on out." Then Rodney looks at me. "And Harry..."

My eyes immediately turn down and I frown.

"You were my best friend and even with what happened that night, I should never have turned on you the way I did." That night. What night is he talking about? "I don't just want to apologize because you're with my cousin. The way I treated you after was wrong, and that's what I want to apologize to you about. I just thought that if I was mean enough to you, you'd drop whatever crush you had and you'd-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I sit up, leaning forward aggressively. Bradley puts a hand on my chest to stop me, although I have a feeling he's just as confused as I am. "What night?"

Rodney's eyes widen. "You really don't remember?"

I feel Bradley's attention back on me. "What is he talking about, Harry?"

None of this is making any sense to me. I shake my head. "I . . . I don't."

"You mean to tell me," Rodney starts slowly, "that all this time I've been a complete dick to you for something you don't even remember doing?"

"Wasn't it because of Amber?"

He sighs. "You tried to kiss me, Harry."

"What?" I stand up. "No, I didn't. What is this? Some lie you made up to sabotage things between me and Bradley?"

Rodney scowls at the accusation. "You were really drunk when it happened."

I step over to him. "And you decide now is the time to tell me?"

Bradley intercepts me before I can reach him and gives me a look that says I need to calm down before we both look to Rodney for an answer.

"I thought you always knew." A spark of Rodney's charm shines through when he laughs. "I guess not."

"Harry's right, isn't he?" Bradley moves so I'm behind him. "You didn't really come here to apologize."

"No, Brad. Wait." Rodney stands up so that they're inches apart. "I actually came here to say sorry. I really did. I may not support your lifestyle, but I do support you. And I want you to be happy, alright?"

"Right. My lifestyle, huh?" Bradley nods with a harsh chuckle. "Get out."

"What? You serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. Apology not accepted." Bradley jerks his head in the direction of the door. "Harry deserves a better apology than that. When he forgives you, so will I."

Rodney glares at me and then his cousin. "You're going to let your bitch decide for you?"

"Don't start with me, man." Bradley doesn't back down until Rodney leaves with a huff.

When I hear the thump of the front door closing, I give Bradley's arm a squeeze before turning him to face me. "Are you okay?"

He nods. "Yeah."

"I would have accepted it. The apology."

"I know. That's just who you are, Harry. You're so desperate not to lose people that you take what you can get and never ask for more." He pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, that was unfair."

My hand cups his face before leaning in closer. "No, you're right. I am desperate not to lose people. Like you. I don't want to lose you, either, and I'm sorry that I've been taking you for granted."

Bradley grabs my hand from his face, taking a step back before sitting down on the couch. "You guys hooked up while he was over, didn't you?"

The deflated tone in his voice makes me sigh as I sit next to him. "Yes."

"Oh." Bradley looks down, the disappointment that etches on his face making me feel even worse than I already did.

"But it was only a kiss. It didn't go any farther than that. And it's . . . over, between him and me."

"It was only a kiss?" His blue eyes are pleading with me to confirm when he looks back up.

I nod. "It was only a kiss."

***

An update? So soon? Sometimes I can even surprise myself. I really hope you guys liked the chapter! What did you guys think? Was Bradley too quick to forgive Harry, or should he have maybe been more quick to forgive Rodney? Did you think that Rodney's apology was genuine?

Let me know what you think in the comments. I just love knowing what you guys think, and it really makes my day. As always, if you think the chapter is deserving, have a go at that star in the corner! Thank you so much and have a good Sunday.

Til' next time,

TheWriterD