The next two months went by in a blur. There was no longer any question about what we were to one another. We happily referred to each other as boyfriends. We shared a bed every night. Around Thanksgiving, we got in the habit of holding hands if we were walking somewhere on campus together. There were a few stares at first, but nothing that made us uncomfortable.
Our friends all figured out that we were a couple pretty quickly. I'd love to say they all took it well, but that would be a lie. Ryan's good friend Chris instantly started ghosting him when he found out. I could tell it hurt Ryan even though he claimed he didn't care. A handful of the girls that he had hooked up with ghosted him too. Apparently they were only interested in him for his dick. I could see why, it was a nice dick. But he had so much more to offer as a friend. It upset me that people either didn't see that or didn't care.
Before we knew it, Christmas break was approaching. One night as we laid wrapped in each other's arms, I said "You should visit me during break."
Ryan was quiet for a moment. "You really want me to?" His tone was a bit nervous. I was so used to being with him that I hadn't even thought of the repercussions of having him visit me at home.
"Yeah, I mean we could just introduce you as my friend to my parents." Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. I knew what he was thinking. He was insulted that I suggested he pretend to just be a friend. "I'm sorry. I didn't think before I said that."
"It's okay. I can't fault you for not wanting to come out." We had discussed coming out to our families at length over the past few months. I felt like my family would probably be pretty open minded about it, especially since they probably already suspected I might be gay, but the thought of telling them still terrified me.
Ryan's family was a bit more of an unknown. "They are Republicans..." he admitted to me, clearly upset. "But they really love me, so who knows which of those two things will win out in the end." Something told me that he wasn't going to be telling them anytime soon.
"If you want me to introduce you as my boyfriend to my parents, I will." I said with conviction. Ryan locked eyes with me in the dim light. I could see him weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
"You're sure they won't disown you and stop paying your tuition?" He asked.
I cracked a smile. "Yeah, I'm sure they won't disown me. It's just super awkward because its basically admitting to them 'hey this is the person that has gay sex with me'."
"Hey, we might be saving ourselves for marriage..." Ryan poked me in the ribs as he said it.
"I'm pretty sure we just sucked each other's dicks like ten minutes ago." I reminded him.
"Yeah, but they won't know that." He winked at me and I couldn't help but grin at him. How the hell did I get so lucky? I'd always heard people say that the number one thing they looked for in a significant other was someone who could make them laugh, but until I met Ryan I didn't understand just how true it was. Sure, it's important to have someone you're attracted to and that you're compatible with. But even in the best of relationships you have your bad days, and having someone who never fails to make you laugh makes all the difference.
"I'm serious though. Do you want me to introduce you as my boyfriend?" I tried my best to put on a serious face.
Ryan countered my serious face with a goofy one of his own. "If you are certain that they will be okay with it."
So it was decided. The next morning I texted my mom to let her know that I was going to be having someone visit during the break.
She hardly ever checked her phone so it was a few hours before I got a reply. *Okay, who is it?*
