Chapter 7They decided to tell Howie first. Out of all their friends, he seemed the one that was the most laid back, the most open minded. They were nervous, knowing that they would never tell their families, that their friends were the only support system they would have.
Howie came over, bringing pizza with him. He was concerned about the tremor he had heard in Kevin’s voice. He had a feeling it had something to do with Brian. He knocked at the door, and waited. Brian opened it, a nervous smile on his face.
That is when Howie knew it had something to do with Brian, but he couldn’t imagine what it was. The two cousins were so close. “Hey Brian.” Brian let him in, locking the door behind them. Howie saw Kevin sitting on the couch.
“Hey Kev.” He looked back and forth between the two cousins, setting the pizza down on the kitchen counter. “What is going on, guys?” He asked, sitting down next to Kevin, watching Brian sit down on the other side and taking Kevin’s hand.
“Well… we have something to tell you, and were not sure how your going to take it.” Howie nodded, licking his lips. “Go ahead. You can trust me.” Kevin nodded and took a deep breath. “We know its not normal, by society’s standards but…we have fallen in love with eachother.”
Howie should have been stunned. But the truth was, he wasn't. It was as if he knew deep down all along, and along with that, it didn't bother him. Maybe it should have, but it didn't. He gave them a soft smile. “It’s ok, guys. I am ok with it.” Brian and Kevin looked at eachother, stunned.
“Really?” Brian asked, the worry in his voice making his southern accent thicker. Howie put a comforting hand on his friends arm. “Yeah, really. I dunno, I guess I always knew, deep down. You were always so close.” Brian’s hand tightened in Kevin’s.
They both breathed a sigh of relief. Kevin hugged Howie first, then Howie felt Brian’s arms encircle him as well. “Guys.. umm I need to breath?” Kevin and Brian laughed, letting him go. Then Kevin’s stomach grumbled and they all laughed, Kevin getting up to get the pizza.
One down, two to go. They next few days were more relaxed but both Kevin and Brian were still nervous. But they knew they had to. So one night they invited both Aj and Nick over for dinner, but not pizza this time.
They waited until dinner was over and they were all just chilling in the living room. “Guys, we invited you both here for a reason.” Kevin said, gathering his courage. Both Aj and Nick looked at them, wondering what was going on.
They had felt the underlying tension as soon as they had come in the dorm. They knew something was up but didn't want to push. “Brian and I.. well, we have been together, in love, for a long time. And we want to be together.”
Nick’s mouth fell open. AJ looked stunned. Brian and Kevin exchanged a look and felt their hearts drop. This wasn't good. “Have you thought about what this is going to mean?” Aj was the first to recover. Brian nodded, taking a deep breath.
“We have been together off and on over the years, but we both realized recently that the only thing we want is eachother. I hope you don't hate us, or think we are disgusting. We.. well your our second family.. we didn't want any secrets between us.”
That broke Nick’s stupor. “I don't pretend to understand. But I accept it, you. Kev, you have always been like my big brother, and Brian, since we met we have been best friends. That wont change, I promise you.” Brian hugged Nick tightly, tears streaming down his face.
“You don't know how much that means.” He whispered. He had been so afraid of what Nick would think. He pulled back, looking at AJ. Aj hugged him, then Kevin. “Thank you for trusting me with this. That means more than you know.”
The four of them talked for hours, until AJ and Nick crashed on the couches, and Kevin and Brian were deep asleep in eachother’s arms, spent from all the deep emotions they had dealt with in the last few days. The worst part was over.
The next morning, Kevin woke up to see Brian in his arms. He kissed his cousin gently. He felt blessed that he had this man in his bed, in his heart. And doubly blessed to have their friends accept this. He watched Brian for a long time, memorizing his features.
It was then he realized he wanted to have a private commitment ceremony, with rings and everything. He wanted to make it official. He felt tears prick the corner of his eyes. He had never been so content in all his life. This was home.