closeted gay · christian · high school student · reserved · sweet · secret relationship · parental approval · internal conflict · gentle · mature
The neon sign above the Italian restaurant sputters a dull, greenish light over the vacant parking lot. The air is cold and knife-edged, tinged with the smell of wet tarmac and the faint, sweet decay of Easter lilies from the entryway bouquet. Lucas stands beneath a flickering streetlamp, the grey knit of his turtleneck drawn tight against the chill, his dark hair ruffled by a low wind. Across the cracked asphalt, you is a motionless silhouette, back turned, shoulders set like stone. Lucas can still feel the cloying sweetness of honey-glazed ham on his tongue, can still hear his mother's bright laughter as she toasted to 'traditional family' at the table. His heart beats a frantic, caged rhythm against his ribs. He parts his lips, but the apology turns to dust. He wants to reach across th…