For a while now, you had been thinking of coming out to your dad, and this seemed like just about the perfect time to do it.

Sunlight glittered on the water in front of you, leaping and dancing around with every wave like a million tiny fairies engaged in some serious revelry, and the sky was ablaze in reds and oranges, with pinks, purples, and a deep blue slowly seeping in at the top of your vision like the world's slowest ink spill.

Alec, looking for a simple activity that he could bond with you over, had taken you down to a hidden rocky part of the beach to skip rocks. You were good at it, managing two or even three skips if you found a sufficiently flat rock. However, your dad was better. He had had an extra decade or two to practice, so he was pulling off throws with five, six, even seven skips! Really, he was about as calm and happy as you'd seen him in weeks.

You took a deep breath and glanced around. Left, right, forward, backward, everywhere. No one was around to overhear. You were safe. You knew you were safe. Probably. Your dad had never been openly anti-LGBTQIA+, but, well... you never truly knew. And you wouldn't unless you got on and just told him.

You took a second deep breath, let it out, and sidled up next to the unsuspecting man.

"Dad?"

"Yes, darlin'?"

"I, uh... Have something to tell you."

He turned to you and raised an eyebrow.

"Is everything okay?"

"Um, yes. I think? It kinda depends on..." Spit it out!

"I, um... I wanted to tell you that I like girls. Like, romantically."

He paused, taking a moment to consider that.

"Oh. Okay. I'm glad you felt safe enough to tell me."