Jordan follows his father to the front doors of the school. He doesn’t know what to say exactly and, to be honest, he doesn’t want to be the first to speak. Maybe if he doesn’t, he can pretend this whole thing never happened. He can pretend his secret is still safe, and his father doesn’t know he’s gay, and everything is the way it’s always been.
But his father places a hand on the metal bar to open the door and stops. Leaning against the door, he gives Jordan an appraising look his son can’t quite read. After a long moment, he asks simply, “Do you love him?”
Jordan doesn’t need to ask who he’s talking about—he means Casey. The answer is simple and, no matter how much he dreads saying it out loud, Jordan can’t hold it back. “Yes.”
“Are you two…” His father waves his hand in an abstract
