"You really don't have to eat that," Jules said. Her legs draped over Matthew's lap as they sat together on the couch in her apartment. The football game on the television filled up the background noise. He had reached for the coffee table to grab another slice of her burnt attempt at food. "Besides, I just called the pizza guy."
"It's actually really good. Tastes a lot better than it looks," Matthew said as he ate.
"Ah ha! So, you finally admit it. It really is horrible," Jules insisted. "It's no good unless it tastes and looks delicious."
"Ugh, do you always have to fight to be right?" Matthew semi-complained. He leaned over and kissed his girlfriend, mostly to stop her complaining.
Jules, on the other hand, could never make do with one single kiss from Matthew. Her whole body would tense up, at the only relief was drawing him closer to herself. He usually obliged, as was the case here.
"You know..." Jules started kissing around his mouth. "We still have some time before the pizza guy gets here. I bet we could get into all sorts of mischief before the doorbell rings."
Matthew didn't answer her request right away. He ceased her lips from roaming over his face by kissing her deeply, sending dizzying waves of heat to her head. He broke the kiss with a gasp on Jules' end. "I bet we could, too," he said with a smirk.
That sent a high pitched giggle straight to Jules' throat and her hands straight to the fastenings on Matthew's pants. He aimed for her lips again, making her mission fairly difficult but far from impossible.
They froze immediately upon hearing the sound of the doorbell.
Jules cleared her throat. "Wow, that got here quick."
Matthew groaned and shifted his impending weight from off of her. He grabbed one of the sofa cushions and strategically placed it on his lap.
Jules had to laugh at that. "Sorry. I'll just grab the pizza and we can get right back to business."
She combed through her hair a bit before she answered the door. However, the man on the other side did not have any pizza. She found herself staring into the face of her younger brother with tear stains and eyes strained red.
"West?! What the hell happened?" Jules exclaimed.
"Please, Jules," he whimpered. This uncharacteristic action triggered warnings in Jules' mind. She could feel herself bristling in response to defend her brother or at least lash out at whoever did this to him. "I didn't know where else to go..."
"Well, for God's sake, come inside." Jules slammed the door once her brother entered her apartment.
Matthew looked confusingly between Jules and her brother. "What's going on?"
"That's what I'd like to know!" Jules practically shouted. She thought for a second and then rolled her eyes. "West, this is my boyfriend, Matthew. Matthew, this is my kid brother, Westley," she introduced them in a more calm voice.
Westley looked even more panicked than before. Jules picked up on this. "Whatever you want to tell me, Matthew can hear as well. He's even cooler than me."
"I could step out for a bit if..." Matthew offered as he started to get up from the couch.
"No, no, it's fine. You may as well know. This is who I am after all." Westley took a deep breath as if he was exerting himself to say that. "Jules, I... I'm gay. I've been in love with Feli for quite some time. There's nothing that I can do to that can change that. I...I came out to Mom and Dad, and they kicked me out."
Silence hung in the air, weighing the atmosphere down.
"I'll understand..." Westley started up again. "I'll understand if you're not okay with it. If you're not okay with me. I just need a place to stay for a bit. If only for tonight. I just don't know what to do..."
Jules hugged her brother. He seemed to collapse from exhaustion then, finally crying into his sister's shoulder.
"Westley, I am so proud of you. It takes a lot of bravery to love someone sometimes. And I can't think of a better person for you to fall in love with than Feli. We'll figure this out. I'm here for you."
Westley seemed to be calmed with relief. Or perhaps he just let his emotional exhaustion overtake him.
"Matthew, would you keep him company for a bit? I need to make a phone call."
"S-sure, "Matthew stammered.
Jules hated to push him in this sort of situation, but her rage couldn't wait. "Now, you two are the most important guys in my life, so you better get along. I'll be right back."
Jules hastily found her cell phone. She had a feeling that this would be a short conversation one way or the other.
"Hello?" her mother answered the phone. Jules felt disgusted. Her mother had actually answered as if nothing was wrong.
"What. The hell," Jules said slowly so her anger would immediately register in her mother's mind. "Why the fuck did you kick West out? Is Dad there? You are aware that your son was on my doorstep in tears, right?"
Jules could hear her mom's all too familiar sigh. "You really need to watch your language, Julia..."
"Like hell I'm going to watch my language!" Jules screamed. Her next words came out in a seething whisper. "You didn't have to kick him out like that. If you two were really serious about getting rid of both of your fucking kids, you could have done it with more subtlety like you did with me. He's only got one more semester of school, and he would have been out of your hair..."
"Maybe you aren't aware of the situation, Julia." Jules recognized the stern, unmovable voice of her father. "Westley has chosen to live a lifestyle that we simply can't support. It may seem harsh, but we're doing the right..."
"No, no, don't you fucking dare say you're doing the right thing," Jules interrupted. "Westley didn't choose to live this way. Especially not being born to such hateful and bigoted parents. But at least he's found love, which is more than he ever got from you. Oh man, when I think back on how much he struggled to keep your expectations... And you know what, I'm glad that he's kicked out. Now, neither of us will have to deal with your bullshit."
"Julia..."
"Don't. You have no part of my life any more. The only reason I kept any sort of connection was because I love my brother. And you know what? I'll get him through college, too. Congratulations, you two. You've just lost both of your children."
Jules felt like screaming into her pillow, but she sucked it up. She felt like bawling her eyes out, but she kept her eyes dry. She kept reminding herself it wasn't a real loss. She still had her brother. And now, she also had Matthew.
She left her room to find a blissfully normal situation. Her brother and boyfriend were just sitting on the couch, watching football, and talking about something.
"So, uh, West. Looks like you'll be crashing with me for a while. It'll be tough, but I think we can take out some loans to get you through school." She squished herself uncomfortably between them on the couch. "Besides, there's probably a scholarship out there for brilliant gay boys who got kicked out of their parents homes. One semester, won't be so bad. You hungry? Pizza should be coming soon."
Westley sighed. "This is a huge mess. I'm sorry. I really didn't want to drag you through this."
"You know..." Jules started. She kicked back and leaned into the cushions of the couch. "The good thing about messes is that they can be cleaned. Even if you have to start from the bottom up, your world will be in order again even if it only makes sense to you. Messes are inevitable, but things can always be made right. You may have to throw out things, but that always makes room for stuff you really love and relationships you really care about."
She looked from Westley to Matthew. "Pretty good, right? You know, I'm starting this blog..."
Jules suddenly felt the presence of Matthew's lips on her head. "I think it's time for me to go. Sounds like you and Westley have a lot to catch up on."
"I'll walk you to the door," Jules said as she got up with him. They stepped outside and left the door just slightly open.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I know we planned for you to stay over tonight."
"It's fine, Jules. Are you okay?"
Jules shrugged. She couldn't really keep that hidden so well from him, but she wasn't quite in the mood for a breakdown at the moment either. "Not really, but I'll be fine."
He kissed her forehead. "Okay," he easily accepted. "Just know that I'm here for you whenever you need me. And Westley."
Jules could feel her eyes water. "Good. So, I guess you two got along?"
"Of course we did. He's a good kid. I'll help you both in whatever way I can," Matthew said.
Jules wiped at her eyes. "Well, don't go overboard. You're still in school, too.
Matthew moved her hands away from her face and kissed her. Jules could practically feel her fear and anxieties melting when he held her like that.
"I love you."
The phrase reverberated in the next memory. It was completely new to Jules and left her heart racing.
Matthew sat across from her in the candlelit restaurant. His extremely nervous and happy demeanor made a lot more sense to her now.
"I know I might be crazy for saying it," he laughed. "We've only really known each other for about two months now. But... I love you. I really do, Jules. And the moment I realized it, I just wanted to tell you"
Jules' heart felt like it was about to explode. For once in her life, her words got caught in her throat and a heavy heat filled her head to her ears. "You really didn't have to take me to a fancy restaurant to tell me that."
"I guess not," he breathed. "It just seemed more appropriate. Don't get me wrong... I'm not expecting you to say it back or anything. I just thought you'd like to know. And plus, you know, it just felt good..."
"I love you like crazy." As reluctant as Jules had been to say it, a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. "I really love you, Matthew, and I'm not just saying it."
Matthew was speechless. His open mouth gape quickly turned into a smile.
Jules laughed and smiled along. "You were right. That felt awesome. Like really awesome. I think we might both be crazy."
"I love you, Jules..."
"I love you, Matthew." She could feel herself slipping into a dreamy smile like a lovestruck idiot.
"And I want to tell you...every day that we're together," he said breathlessly.
"So...forever then?" Jules almost said it as a joke. Forever seemed unrealistic, but she wanted it with him more than anything in the world.
Matthew nodded and raised his glass of wine that was probably way over budget for a vet student. "Forever. I promise."