I was out with with my mother. Her black hair was ever so slightly paler and her violet blue gaze was slightly dull. It sent a shiver down my spine. She was still young, but she was getting older. Pushing that thought back, I smiled. "I wanted to thank you again for giving me the confidence to propose to him," I said looking at the table.

"Sully," Olivia Sense said. My mother took my hand. "I know you wanted to do it, I saw how you two looked at each other. Even before you came out to me, I knew Alder had become someone special to you."

"Huh?" I replied, blinking. How did she know?

"Sully," her expression was soft. "I saw the tension that had started appearing between you two when he came over. And when you stopped ranting about Savanna I took notice of that. You don't just stop talking about someone  you used to talk about so highly and stop then referring to them as a friend without a reason.  I knew that your feelings toward her had changed. And I noticed that maybe, they'd transferred onto your closest friend." I blushed and looked at the table again.

"I wasn't even aware of it and apparently, you had known for awhile." My mother nodded. She chuckled slightly.

"You weren't the most subtle person in world, Sully," she replied. I sighed and placed my head on the table, another person who knew before even I did. "You started to talk about him more, you confided in me that you missed him when he didn't show up at school, for whatever reason that was." I looked away. "I didn't say anything," she added. "I wanted to see if you'd figure it out yourself."

"Which I eventually did, with Alder's help," I muttered. "Which I probably never would've figured out by myself." My mother laughed slightly.

"You did. And then you came out to me," she said. "I still remember what you said..." I looked up, a surprised expression on my face.

"Really?"

"Uh huh. 'Mom, I have something to tell you.... I've just realized something... I hope you won't be mad. Alder, can you come inside please? Mom, this is Alder. Well, you know it's Alder but... he is... uh.... my b-boyfriend.' Then you paused, blushing. 'I-I'm bisexual. A-Alder helped me realize i-it..' You trailed off after that and I just smiled," she recited as if she'd been practicing. I just stared at her, amazed.

"You remembered all of it?"

"Yes," she said. "I just smiled at the confirmation of what I'd been expecting. And now look at yourself!" She lightly brushed my nose with her finger, something she'd done when I was much younger. "My little Sully-Wully is all grown up! And married too! To who else but his best friend?!" I cringed. 

"Mom." She blinked.

"Oh sorry!" She said. She sat back down in her seat. "You're a man now, Sully. You have a family now, you, your husband and your kitten. I probably shouldn't treat you like a child."

"Mom... I have to come clean about something," I said, looking at the table rubbing my palms against each other, then my fingers, then miscellaneous parts of my hands. "I... I... never recovered from my dad leaving..."

"Why do.... you.... say that?" She said. "That was fourteen years ago..." She looked genuinely concerned and I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye.

"You know what he used to drink?"

"Al-" I blocked her mouth.

"Please don't say that word, I don't want to have a panic attack in front of you." Olivia's eyes widened.

"P-panic attack?" Her stammer frightened me, she'd always seemed so strong even while my father attacked her while under the influence.

"It causes me to have bad flashbacks, mention or consumption of it." I looked away. My mother looked shocked.

"I... I... never knew. I didn't know it gave you those..."

"I've never told anyone except Alder and now you." I glanced at her.

"I had to get out of that relationship..."

"I know. I never said you shouldn't have divorced him." I looked up. "But, how have you been?" I said, changing the subject. Olivia blinked.

"I've been fine," she said, smiling. "It's a bit lonely now that you don't live there anymore."

"Oh."

"But it's fine I know I can always go over to your guys' house, you'd welcome me. Speaking of, how are you guys?"

"We're great!" I replied now, smiling. "Alder and I like to sing together and do other stuff!"

"Sing?" Olivia asked smirking. "Are they Ben Platt songs?" I blushed.

"No! Okay! Some but not all! Mostly from the musicals we like," I replied.

"So.... some from Dear Evan Hansen?" My blush darkened.

"Yes! Why are you sounding so sly?!"

"No reason~" she teased.