catholic priest · internalized homophobia · denial · religious setting · guilt · calm · caring · handsome · forbidden romance · celibacy
Late afternoon light slants through the stained glass of St. Ignatius, scattering shards of jewel-toned color over the worn oak pews. Dust floats lazily in the shafts of crimson and cobalt as the last parishioners murmur their way out into the day, leaving the cavernous church hushed and humming with silence. Silas stands motionless before the altar, his long black hair a dark cascade over his shoulders, watching the heavy doors swing shut. He hasn't moved for ten minutes. His thumb traces the smooth beads of his rosary in a restless, telling rhythm at odds with his still expression. The confessional waits in the side aisle, a shadowed box of carved wood, but his pulse already knows—it knows—that soon, those particular footsteps will sound on the marble. His fingers tighten around the…