Julia, who seemed relieved to finally get a word in, asked in a small voice, "Bo, how long have you known that you're gay? Were you struggling with this on your own all this time? I just feel awful thinking about how we could have been there for you..."

"I've never struggled with my sexuality, Jules," I reassured. "I literally just broke up with Addie a week ago, and Connor and I met not long before that. I had never considered the possibility that I might be gay before now, but maybe I just hadn't met the right person. I really don't know. To be honest, I'm not even struggling with it, I'm just trying to understand myself, I guess. It's actually kind of fun getting to explore this new side of me, so please don't feel bad. Seriously."

"That's a relief. Well, do you want to live here with Clif, or would you like to come stay with me?" Julia offered with a warm smile. Clif snapped his head in her direction and glared at her hard, like she had just committed some grave crime against him.

"I want to stay here, but thank you," I said, greatly appreciating my sister's kindness. Clif relaxed when he heard my rejection, a smirk replacing the frown that he had just worn. "Guys, I want to catch up with you properly, but this just feels kind of...weird. I wasn't expecting Clif back so soon, and I definitely wasn't expecting to see you two right after Connor and I...ya know."

"Shit, don't remind me. I wish I could unhear all of...that," Reid muttered, grimacing in our direction.

"To be fair, I tried to warn you. I sent you a text letting you know that I ran into the twins in the parking lot," Clif chuckled, winking at me. It occurred to me then that I hadn't checked my phone in a while, but I didn't feel the need to check it since everyone I cared about was already in my apartment.

"We'll get out of here, but you better be prepared for me to check in on you more often now," Julia teasingly warned. "I just can't believe Mom and Dad treated you like that. I didn't even realize they were that religious."

"They're not. They're just homophobic, and their religion is the most convenient way to justify their hate and fear," Reid said matter-of-factly. "Bo, I know I've been kind of a shitty brother lately, but I'm going to start keeping my phone on, okay? I want to be here for you, too. I'm sorry for disappearing on you like that, but I won't do it again. Just don't be mad at me..."

I tilted my head up to meet my brother's deep brown eyes, "I'm not mad at you, Reid. Just call me more, okay?"

He nodded, flashing me a quick, relieved smile, before turning back to Julia, "You ready to go? It smells like sex in here and it's making me uncomfortable."

Julia laughed as she stood up to leave, "Yeah, we can go. Clif, thank you for telling us to check on Bo. You know we love you, right?"

"Of course! I love you guys, too," Clif beamed as he bounced up from his seat, hugging each of my siblings tightly.

"This shit is getting too mushy," Reid grunted through a laugh. My siblings walked to the door, and as Julia went to open it, Reid turned back to Connor, "Remember what I said, Chad."

"Oh my god, get out!" I shouted, giggling at my brother's empty threat. "I love you, guys! Bye!"

When the door shut behind the twins, I let out a loud sigh and threw myself back onto Connor's chest. He kissed my head as he ran my fingers through my hair, which was still wild from sleep and sex.

"Sorry for all the craziness this morning, Clif," I apologized. Even though I knew it was silly, I couldn't help but feel worried that he might actually regret letting me move in with him.

"Dude, no. Just stop," he insisted, holding his hands up. "Don't apologize. Everyone has sex, right? Plus, I love the twins, and I'm the one who told them to come over, anyway. So yeah, nothing to be sorry about."

"Thanks, man," I breathed out a sigh of relief. I stood up before turning back to Connor, taking his hand in mine. "Wanna go hang out in my room for a bit longer? We can get a shower later."

Connor nodded and followed me back to my room. I threw the bedding back on top of the mattress and straightened it out so that we would have a relatively clean place to lie down. We climbed up, and I nuzzled into Connor, weaving my legs between his. My room had quickly become a type of sanctuary, a bubble that insulated me from the rest of the world, and it just felt right letting Connor in to share it.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into all this drama," I whispered, rubbing my face between Connor's squishy but firm pecs. A sharp pang of guilt suddenly hit me when I thought about all of the shit he was going through for me, a guy he hardly knew.

"Hey, look at me," Connor demanded, cool air hitting my face as he pulled his chest away from my cheeks. His steel blue eyes pierced mine, and he breathed in deeply as he stared at me--into me. "Coming out is a big deal, Bo. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't, but it's a milestone for everyone who has to experience it. I would never, ever leave you over this. In fact, I want nothing more than to be here for you. Not only do I genuinely care for you, I've seen what can happen when someone doesn't receive the support they need when shit hits the fan."

Confused by what he meant, I furrowed my brows and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I mentioned to you last night that my last relationship ended...badly, but I should probably tell you the whole story. The last time I had something real with someone was my senior year of high school. His name was Jonah, and back then he meant everything to me. Jonah's parents were like yours, but perhaps even worse. There was a lot of physical abuse, and they were constantly threatening to send him to conversion camps, which he absolutely did not want. Jonah was always scared, living in a constant state of anxiety because he never knew what to expect from them. I tried to tell him that if he could just make it to graduation, he could come live with me and everything would be okay. That seemed to ease his fears for a while, and I convinced myself that we'd make it.

"Unfortunately, word got around to his parents that we were dating, and they forbid us from seeing each other. They took his phone and car, essentially putting him on house arrest. Some of the kids from his church even acted as spies at school, snitching to his folks if they ever saw us together. It became too much for him to handle, and he lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.

"When I noticed that he hadn't been at school for a few days, I sucked it up and forced myself to go to his house and face his parents. His mother answered the door, tears streaming down her face, and she immediately started screaming at me that it was my fault--my fault that her son was gone. I just remember my head starting to spin and Jonah's father coming to the door to see what was going on. When he realized it was me standing there, he told me that Jonah had shot and killed himself days ago, and that he would still be alive if we'd never met.

"I don't remember how I made it home that day. I didn't get to go to his funeral, and I didn't get to say goodbye. It was surreal, like a bad dream. I felt immense guilt for not doing more, for not saving him when I knew how abhorrent his parents were. I wondered if it really was my fault, if he would have lived had he not met me. I even contemplated suicide myself at one point.

"Thankfully, my mom is an incredible, intuitive woman, and she dragged me to therapy as soon as she realized what was happening. All of the nights I cried myself to sleep, she was there. When I felt guilty and tried to self-harm, she was there. And you know what? After a while, I got better. Maturity helped a lot, too. Looking back, I'm able to see clearly that it wasn't my fault, even though it really felt like it at the time.

"I've dated since then, moreso in recent years, but real intimacy has been difficult for me. It's difficult for me to open up about everything since it's like I have to relive it in a way to tell others what happened. I wanted to share it with you, though. Not just because you're going through a hard time yourself right now, but because I want you to truly know me."

Connor looked at me, his eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall. I knew it couldn't have been easy to share his past with me, but he did. He let himself be vulnerable, and I felt my heart swell at the thought. I leaned in, kissing him lightly, before pulling back about an inch away from his face, "Thank you for telling me all of that, Connor. Thank you for trusting me."

"I do. I do trust you," he mumbled sleepily, the emotional conversation taking its toll on him. I brushed his lips with mine once again, and moved up the bed so that he could lay his head on my chest. I stroked his hair gently until we both dozed off, blissfully intertwined.