Like Orion & Spark

24: Silently Falling

(Now we're back at the part where I walk into the living room. I know, I know—but it's not easy to remember everything that happened on a linear timeline, okay?)

As I descended the stairs with Kieran at my side, I felt slightly confident about having him with me. Halley seemed to like him, and I knew my parents might help ease the tension I felt. I was still carrying the weight of my secret identity, and it lodged itself on my shoulders. I couldn't shake the feeling that I would mess up eventually, probably sooner than later.

I entered the kitchen and almost immediately, chaos ensued. Maman noticed me first as I heard her voice shout my name before she set down the frying pan she was carrying and rushed into the adjacent room, as if to check I was real.

"Riley! What are you doing home?" Maman glared at Halley skeptically for a brief moment, apparently deciding she had other problems, mainly due to the fact that I was standing next to someone.

"And who is this?" Dad strolled into the room, inclining his head towards Kieran.

In response, my mind just stopped working. You know how the computer flashes a warning when it crashes? That was what I saw when I blinked. I had not actually considered how I was going to explain the concept of Kieran Janacek to my parents.

Calling him my friend didn't seem right; my parents already knew I was gay, and they definitely wouldn't believe that. But I couldn't call him my boyfriend either; we still hadn't discussed our relationship status, and I wasn't about to decide without checking first.

So, instead, I blubbered: "This is... Kieran."

I didn't know what else I could say. Nothing seemed right.

"It's great to meet you," Dad said. He shook hands with Kieran and pulled me into a hug. "You didn't tell us you were coming."

Halley grinned. "Surprise! I'm the best, right?"

"Well, this won't do." Maman crossed her arms over her chest. "I was about to make breakfast, but I'm not sure I have enough for all of you. If you'd told me beforehand, I would have dragged out the bread maker."

"And café au lait?" said Halley desperately.

"I would have done, if you'd asked."

Halley glared at me as if it were my fault.

"I can take care of myself," Kieran suggested. He gestured to the kitchen, and the cool edge to his voice made my heart flutter. "It's not a big deal, hone—"

"That won't do!" Maman huffed, casting a look at my father.

"Let's take the car and get groceries," Dad said. In response, Maman's glare became sharper. "We could go out, then?"

"Yes," Halley emphasized, elbowing me. "Kieran can pick the place. You get to decide between the two take out places, the one that's probably a front for the mafia, and the decent one."

Kieran smiled. "I get the sense I don't really have a choice."

"You don't," I said. "Wait, what was that second last thing?"

Halley looped her arm with mine and dragged Kieran and I behind her without stopping. "You know which restaurant it is."

***