Another set of headlights illuminated the walls, and James groaned. “That would be my parents.” He seemed to deflate visibly. “I was hoping to have a little time before I had to face them.”
This was going to get really ugly and the best thing was for Daniel to get the hell out of dodge. He didn’t need to hear whatever sparkling words of phobic wisdom were about to burst forth around here. The best plan was the original one: he’d simply call a car and get to a hotel so James could do whatever he wanted. “I should get going.”
“Wait…please…” James added softly. “This is going to be a mess, and I know that, but…”
“What are you still doing here?” Grace demanded as soon as she stepped through the front door, pausing a second, probably to see him as Daniel for the first time. “Haven’t you done enough already?” The fire in her eyes had Daniel stepping back. “All of this is your fault, I’m sure of it.” She turned to James. “Your father and I want to speak with you, and I want that person out of my house. I certainly don’t want to see him…her…again.” She rounded on Daniel as though he had just invited the devil himself to tea. Or maybe it was worse than that and she saw Daniel as Satan himself. Daniel wasn’t sure, but getting out of here was a good idea.
“James Harden Petika, what do you have to say for yourself?” Phillip rounded hard on James.
“That’s enough, both of you,” James snapped back sharply. “If you want to talk, then both of you go into the kitchen and I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He seemed determined and tired at the same time.
“You heard me,” Grace said as she stepped into Daniel’s space. “I expect you to be gone.” Daniel reached down for his luggage. He could wait out by the street for his ride.
“Then get used to disappointment, Mother,” James countered, and Daniel stilled. “I said for both of you to go into the kitchen. I won’t tolerate any more yelling at me or at Daniel. You are out of line. And if you insist on continuing down this path, then we will leave, and after the wedding tomorrow, neither of you will ever see me again. Do you understand? I’ve done a good job of staying away for years, I can easily make it permanent.” The anger rolling off James seemed to darken the entire room.
“In my house…”
James pointed his finger at his mother. “Don’t even finish that, old lady, or so help me I will never speak to you again.”
Holy hell. This hadn’t been the reaction he had expected at all.
“Just go,” James added to his father, who took Grace by the hand and led her out of the room.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, son,” Phillip added more calmly.
“Nope, I’m winging it, but I won’t take being treated like this anymore, and I will not allow mistreatment of my friends no matter what.” James’s high emotion seemed to lessen as soon as his parents left the room, James’s mother still fuming. “Please don’t go,” he said to Daniel. “I don’t mind if you stay here or go back to the bedroom, but I don’t want you to go.”
“James, this is your parents’ home and they want me out. I don’t think I can stay.” Daniel wasn’t comfortable here any longer.
“I know what it is, and I have to talk to them, but I don’t want you to leave. I need a chance to make them understand.” Daniel stayed where he was as James hugged him and then went into the kitchen, giving him a nervous smile before disappearing behind the half wall that divided the rooms.
“Is he still here?” Grace snapped.
“Yes, because I asked him to stay.” A chair scraped the floor. Daniel imagined James sitting down. “None of this is Daniel’s fault or has anything to do with him.”
“Of course it’s his fault. You weren’t like this until you came here with him.”
“Like what, Mom? Do you want to elaborate? Because I’ve known I was gay since I was fifteen years old. Just because you found out about it today doesn’t mean that it hasn’t always been that way. I just neglected to share that information with you.”
This exact conversation, or at least one very close to it, had played out between so many gay kids and their parents for decades. Daniel remembered his own conversation with his grandmother and how hard it had been, but also how free he’d felt once it was over.
“But…why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped you. There are places you could go to fix this,” Grace said, and Daniel cringed for James, knowing that attitude was exactly why he hadn’t said anything. She was so very old-fashioned, set in her ways, and just plain wrong.