Alex's phone rang for a few minutes before he picked it up , It was his mom . He knew she was homophobic and was scared of what she would say but he answered the phone. Alex’s throat tightened as he listened to his mom’s voice, steady and controlled, but with an undercurrent of something sharp. He could feel the familiar weight of the conversation building, the tension that always came when his parents called. His dad was usually the one to keep things calm, to smooth things over, but it was always his mom who took the harder line. He’d learned early on to read the tone in her voice, to understand when things were about to shift, to when things were about to get uncomfortable.

“It’s not just dinner, Alex,” his mom said, her words almost too careful. “We’ve been thinking about... how things have been going with you, and we need to talk about it. We’re concerned. About the choices you’re making.” 

Alex’s heart skipped a beat, and suddenly, the room felt too small, the walls closing in around him. He wasn’t sure if it was the words themselves or the way his mom said them, but he already felt the coldness creeping in. The warning. He tried to steady his breath, tried to find his voice, but his mind was spinning.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, the words coming out sharp despite his efforts to keep them level.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, as if his mom was gathering her thoughts. Then she said it, in a voice that almost sounded disappointed, like this was all inevitable. 

“Alex, we’re talking about you and... him.” 

Alex’s stomach dropped. He didn’t need to hear the rest of the sentence. He’d been bracing himself for this moment since Kai had first come into his life. The moment when his parents would find out. The moment when they'd make it clear—again—that it wasn’t okay. That *he* wasn’t okay. 

“He’s *not* right for you, Alex,” his mom continued, the words coming out like they’d been rehearsed a hundred times. “We didn’t raise you to make these kinds of decisions. You know this isn’t the life we envisioned for you.”

Alex wanted to argue, wanted to tell her she didn’t understand, but the words were stuck in his throat. He’d heard this before. This same script. This same accusation that he was disappointing them, that he was somehow failing them. 

“I—” Alex started, but his voice faltered, and he had to pause. He glanced up at Kai, who was now standing, looking at him with wide, concerned eyes. The soft hum of the apartment seemed to intensify, the room suddenly too quiet as Alex wrestled with his next words.

“Mom, you don’t know him,” Alex said finally, trying to keep his voice steady. “You don’t even know him. You don’t know how he treats me or how he makes me feel. You can’t just... judge him like that.”

“I’m not judging him,” his mom snapped, the coldness unmistakable now. “I’m telling you what’s best for you. You’re a *young man*, Alex. You don’t understand the consequences of your choices. We’re just trying to protect you from making a mistake you’ll regret for the rest of your life.”

Alex’s chest felt tight, and his hands were shaking. He could feel the anger rising, the familiar frustration that came with trying to explain himself to people who didn’t want to understand. It was always the same conversation. Always the same rejection, the same refusal to acknowledge that things could be different.

“I’m not making a mistake,” Alex said, his voice firmer now, though the tightness in his chest remained. “I’m happy. I’m with Kai because I want to be with him. This isn’t a mistake, Mom. It’s just—it's just my life.”

There was a long pause, and Alex felt his heart pounding in his ears. His mom’s silence was always the hardest part. He knew she was trying to hold herself together, trying to stay in control, but the disappointment in her silence was louder than any words she could say.

“You’ve made your choice,” she said finally, her voice almost cold now. “But don’t expect us to be okay with it, Alex. I hope you understand that.”

And just like that, the conversation was over. Alex didn’t say anything more. He didn’t argue, didn’t try to convince her. He just hung up the phone, his hand trembling as he placed it down on the coffee table.

For a few seconds, he just sat there, not moving. The silence in the room felt deafening. Kai was still standing by the couch, watching him, but neither of them said anything. Alex didn’t know what to say. 

Finally, Kai took a step forward, his voice gentle. “You okay?”

Alex didn’t answer right away. He could feel the heat rising in his face, the anger, the frustration. But beneath all of that, there was this heavy weight in his chest. The same weight he always carried after conversations like these. The sense that no matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to explain himself, his parents would never understand. They would never accept him. And the worst part was, Alex wasn’t sure if he even *cared* anymore. But the part that hurt the most was that they weren’t just rejecting him—they were rejecting Kai, too.

“I—I don’t know,” Alex said finally, his voice quieter now. “I just don’t know how to keep doing this, you know? How to keep living like... like none of this matters to them. Like I’m just... a disappointment.”

Kai sat down beside him, his presence solid and warm. He didn’t try to say anything to fix it, didn’t offer empty reassurances. He just sat there, close enough that Alex could feel the comfort of his presence, the calm that always came with him. It was the only thing that seemed to make sense in the middle of all this chaos.

“Alex,” Kai said softly after a while, his hand brushing against Alex’s. “You’re not a disappointment. Not to me.”

Alex met his gaze, his eyes filled with that raw ache he always kept hidden. “But what if I am to them? What if they never accept me? What if I can’t keep pretending everything’s fine?”

Kai squeezed his hand gently. “Then you don’t have to keep pretending. You’re allowed to be upset, to feel all of that. But you don’t have to let them decide who you are. You don’t have to let their rejection define you.”

Alex nodded, though he didn’t feel any better. The words helped, but they didn’t make the pain go away. He still felt the weight of his mom’s words, still felt the sting of their disapproval. But as he sat there, with Kai beside him, he felt something else, too—something that hadn’t been there before. A small flicker of hope, maybe. Or maybe just the beginnings of acceptance. That even if his parents couldn’t understand, maybe he didn't need their approval ,maybe just being okay was fine.