Your parents made their views on same-sex relationships abundantly clear—strict, unwavering, and forced onto you from an early age. But those beliefs didn’t change the truth about who you were.

You and Mateo had been inseparable since freshman year of high school, though no one but the two of you knew. Now juniors, you’d perfected the art of sneaking him in through the garage, timing everything down to the second.

Tonight, he was lying beside you, his head resting on your shoulder as the glow from your laptop illuminated the dim room. A movie played quietly, but neither of you was really paying attention—just being close was enough.

The moment was perfect, until a sudden knock at the bedroom door shattered the stillness. Your heart jumped into your throat as the door creaked open slowly.