A/N: As mentioned in the previous footnote, this and the previous chapter were submitted at the same time today, in honor of National Coming Out Day, however, FFN has something of a bug (unrelated to what we've dealt with recently) that won't update a story's properties in the archive if more than one chapter is updated in less than twenty-four hours - so just in case you find yourself on this chapter but have previously missed Shannon breaking her silence to her parents prior to this, then please redirect yourself to the previous chapter before you read this one.

Ruby made the trek for home, only this time; she walked at a much more leisurely pace, as opposed to how she ran the entire distance from her house to Shannon's to try to come to her rescue as quickly as possible. She still could not believe what previously happened at the Tannenbaum house, and how it was all started by Shannon's slip of the tongue when her mother, Candice, suggested the two of them go to their senior prom together – as friends… something that never even occurred to either of them. She even tried to envision just how a scenario could have worked: sure, their parents would have actually known that they went together, but they still would have been completely in the dark about their romance… maybe. If anything, both sets of parents would probably have figured that either of their daughters would meet a nice boy at the prom, and from there, romances would blossom. In hindsight, Ruby had to admit she still had doubts that Shannon's elaborate plan of fabricating a random reason for getting out of the house on the exact same night as the prom (she still had yet to think of a reason for herself), ditching their regular clothes to change into their new dresses, meeting up at school, dancing the night away, leaving school, ditching their dresses to change back into their regular clothes, then returning home as though nothing happened, sounded far too complicated to have worked smoothly… though, she did have to give Shannon credit for even being able to concoct such an elaborate plan; Ruby was not as dim or airheaded as some would assume her to be, but even she knew she could never have come up with something like that… wisdom was another one of Shannon's qualities of which she greatly admired.

Still, Ruby kept pinching herself during her walk home, just to ensure this was not just some crazy dream she had yet to awaken from. She certainly was elated and relieved the Tannenbaums approved of Shannon's sexuality, and their romance; she knew how close Shannon was to her family, and how much she dreaded the possibility of them disowning and kicking her out, not to mention what other waves it could have churned. What Candice said to her before she left still resonated in her head: that if the worst case scenario with her own parents were to happen, the Tannenbaums would accept her into their home like one of the family. Of course, she most certainly did not want to face the possibility of being disowned or kicked out by her own parents, but a part of her liked the idea of living under the same roof as Shannon… an idea that planted the seeds in her mind of something she would very much like to see happen in the foreseeable future: she and Shannon moving into a home of their own together. However, now was not the time to think about such; now, she had to concentrate on what lay ahead of her on this very night, and it was something she knew she would have to face sooner or later, but now it was here, and there was no getting out of it. She had to break her silence, and tell her parents she and Shannon have been romantically involved for over three years. She began to wonder if she could even do this. She knew she had to, as she not only made the pact with Shannon years ago that they would break the news of their relationship to their parents at the same time, so that neither of them would have to face such a daunting task alone, but she was the one who initiated said pact with Shannon. It all danced around in her mind for so long, and she often wondered just how she would break her silence to her parents, and under what circumstances… she thought she would be more prepared for this, but now she felt like she was living that age-old nightmare of being naked in school and being served a pop quiz you didn't even study for.

Ruby was particularly quiet at dinner that evening, but even so, her parents thought not much of it – it seemed as though the older she got, the more distant she became from them, and her quietness at the table that evening did not even seem too out of the ordinary. In actuality, Ruby was busy contemplating the exact moment she should drop her bombshell on them. At first, dinner seemed like the most obvious opportunity for such, it was family time after all, but that very reason was also why she thought dinner was not the best time for such… why bring drama to the dinner table? But what other time would be suitable to speak with them about this? She kept putting it off throughout the rest of the evening until she eventually found herself pacing back and forth in front of her parents' bedroom door out in the hallway, already dressed for bed in her short turquoise nightgown, and even should have been in bed before now, but she could not go to bed just yet – she had to speak with her parents and reveal her biggest secret to them. As the reality of all it finally sunk in, she became overwhelmed with a sense of apprehension and trepidation.

She was not nearly as close to her parents as her girlfriend was with hers, and they did not always see eye-to-eye on a lot of things –it could be said that she and her parents were from two completely different worlds- but, they were still her parents, and she did love them deep down. Given all of the fears that consumed Shannon for years over whether her parents would disown and kick her out if they did not approve of her sexuality or her relationship with her girlfriend, Ruby suddenly felt nervous about how her far more traditional parents would react to such a revelation. They were rather tolerant and accepting of other walks of life – after all, they not only approved of, but also encouraged their daughter and her Jewish best friend sharing in each other's cultures, and Ruby was aware her parents had friends, acquaintances, and even business associates within the LGBT community… but, as was a concern of Shannon's, she was unsure if they could come to terms with their own flesh and blood being romantically involved with someone of her own sex… if anything, it would not even surprise her if her parents had designs on arranging a marriage in the future with who they felt was a most suitable mate for her, rather than who she may want to marry. For so long, she always tried to assert confidence and fearlessness, and in many cases, had to do so for both herself and Shannon, given how insecure her girlfriend could be… for the first time in her life, she truly felt genuine fear. A part of her wished she had accepted Shannon's offer to come over and provide her with moral support as she explained herself to her parents. In as much as the uncertainty of the impending conversation became a tremendous dread for Ruby, she knew she would have no peace of mind –one way or another- until she mustered up her courage and told her parents. She owed it to them. She owed it to herself. And she especially owed it to Shannon.

Mohammad and Diya Patel sat up in their bed, engaged in the quiet activity of reading; Mohammad scrolled through a Hindu newsletter from a mailing list he was subscribed to on his tablet, while Diya flipped through the pages of a community magazine. They were taken by surprise when they heard a light tapping at their door, which was highly unusual, especially at an hour such as this.

"Come in," Diya called out as the door slowly creaked open and Ruby just as slowly crept into the room. "Ruby… you should be in bed; you need a restful night's sleep to tackle a new day ahead of you."

As Ruby slowly approached the foot of her parents' bed, she wore a look on her face that neither of them had seen before; there were no words that could describe such a look on her face, but it rose quite a bit of concern.

"Is something the matter, Ruby?" Mohammad asked.

Ruby did not respond, at least not right away… she had a lot to say, and her nerves had fired on all cylinders. After a couple of deep breaths, she finally began…

"Maan… Pita… I need to talk to you about something…"

Neither Mohammad nor Diya knew what to make of this at first. For one thing, Ruby very seldom addressed her parents by their Hindi titles unless she had something that weighed down on her. For another thing, the tone of her voice was unusually uneasy, which was very much unlike their usually assertive daughter. Whatever the case may have been, they were able to grasp the seriousness – she didn't even say, 'Like.'

"This sounds rather important…" noted Mohammad.

"It does," nodded Diya in agreement. "Is it so important that it can't wait until tomorrow?"

"I've put it off for too long… way too long…" said Ruby. "I-I can't put it off any longer…"

"Very well, betee; proceed," encouraged Mohammad.

This was it. The point of no return. There was no turning back. To finally reveal a three-plus-year secret was a task easier said than done, and Ruby knew life would never be the same from this moment on – not for her, nor her family… but that was something she would have to live with regardless of what the outcome of this conversation ended up being. Finally, the young Indian teen held her head high, and began with a rather subtle approach to break the ice as it were…

"I… I have somebody… to go to the prom with…"

Whatever concern Mohammad and Diya may have possessed seemed to melt away with such a statement, and in fact, it appeared as though they were relieved with such. Sure, to hear such news from their daughter still seemed serious in its own way, but from the way she carried on, they began to worry if what she had to tell them was far more serious.

"That is good!" Mohammad said with a smile.

"It is!" Diya agreed in kind. "You have a lot going on in what little is left of your childhood, Ruby, but we were thinking after what you went through with that Spencer boy, you had given up on that aspect of your life…"

Of course, it was not just her doomed romance with Spencer, as Ruby had her fair share of dates with other boys even before she and Spencer had gotten together… even though both of her parents felt it was a might too soon and too early for their daughter to concern herself with boys and dating, especially when she was transitioning out of middle school into high school, where those following four years would be crucial to laying down the groundwork for her future… a future that she still seemed so uncertain and indecisive about.

Nevertheless, as far as either Mohammad or Diya knew, Ruby never seemed to express any further interest in dating after her brief romance with Spencer crashed and burned. After they learned about all that he did, from controlling almost every aspect of her life, to isolating her from her friends, to parading her like a trophy as part of his macho image, they were understandably angered their daughter had been used the way she had. Even if their daughter was growing up and becoming an independent young lady capable of making her own decisions, not to mention the fact that Ruby also owned up to her own mistakes she had made in their relationship, such as entering such more for status and the sake of finally having a steady boyfriend, they knew they had to let their daughter deal with the situation in her own way and not interfere with her affairs – even if they felt compared to speak to Spencer's parents about such and give them a piece of their minds.

Still, since then, Ruby had said nothing indicative of being interested in moving on to her next potential romantic partner, let alone dating in general anymore. Truth be told, they began to assume the ugliness of her tumultuous romance with Spencer left a lasting scar on her to the point that she had given up on love altogether. To hear she finally found somebody she wanted to go to her prom with had perked the both of them up significantly, especially since they, like many other parents, had only just learned of the prom's scheduled date in May, and were curious as to whether their daughter would even attend such a school function, and if so, with whom…

"Do tell us, Ruby, who this mystery prom date of yours is," encouraged Diya who was most eager to hear of with whom her daughter planned to make this next big step in her life.

Ruby swallowed the lump she felt jump into her throat before she finally dropped her big bombshell…

"It's… Shannon…"

She squinted her eyes shut, clenched her teeth, and braced herself for what she expected to be an eruption of a response from her parents' disapproval. However, neither of them seemed to disapprove – in fact, the smiles remained on their faces… they slackened a little, but definitely remained.

"That is still good!" Mohammad said.

Ruby's eyes shot open as she succumbed to a dumbfounded duck face; that was not at all the response she expected, and it took her by surprise.

"It is?" She asked.

"It is," nodded Diya. "This will be one of the most special nights of your final year of high school; it would be such a shame to miss out on it. Even if you have no date to accompany you, you can still go with a good friend. I'm sure boys will be asking for dances with a pair of lovely young ladies like you, who knows who you may meet and what it may lead to."

Ruby was almost tempted to just let her parents believe in such a notion if it would spare all of them any of the inevitable drama that was sure to arise from telling them the truth… however, that drama was as much unavoidable as it was inevitable, and the truth must prevail.

"No… you guys don't get it…" she said with a shake of her head, which brought about some understandably visible confusion for both of her parents. With a deep sigh, she finally cleared the air: "Shannon is my date…"

Her parents' visible confusion remained unchanged.

"Shannon is your date?" Diya asked in a tone that suggested she requested clarification.

"Yeah, Shannon is my date…" clarified Ruby. "Because… the truth is… me and Shannon… have been going out… for over three years…"

By now, her parents' confusion was heightened; the look on their faces was indeed that of someone who had an unexpected bombshell dropped on them.

"You what?" Mohammad asked.

"You and Shannon have what…?" Diya asked.

"Me and Shannon have been going out for over three years…" reiterated Ruby. "And… we've been keeping it a secret all this time… Shannon was afraid to tell her parents about it… but, obviously, everybody was bound to find out sooner or later… so… that weekend you guys let Shannon and her parents stay at the Riviera while their apartment was fumigated, we made a pact with each other: we'd both tell our parents about our ship at the same time, so neither of us would have to go it alone. Shannon accidentally spilled the beans about us to her parents today, so… I'm spilling the beans about us to you now…"

To say that Mohammad and Diya were blindsided by what they had been told by Ruby was quite the understatement, as they exchanged a look with one another – neither of them quite knew what to make of everything that had just come to light about their daughter and her friend. Her best friend at that.

"So… everything that you've said about Shannon being your 'bestie'…" Mohammad began.

"She is my bestie," said Ruby. "Our friendship's no secret… it's our relationship that's been a secret."

The fact that Ruby and Shannon had been keeping all of this a secret made Ruby's parents wonder what the exact nature of this relationship between the two of them was even built around, or if they were even on the level, which was why Diya began a line of questioning to elicit further details out of her daughter – and very specific details at that.

"So, you and Shannon have been at this for over three years, you say?" She asked.

Ruby nodded.

"Have you been on dates?" Diya pressed.

"Yeah," nodded Ruby again. "We've been on several dates. Movies, dinner, dancing, seeing shows, you name it."

"Have you kissed?" Diya pressed a little harder.

Ruby began to feel as though she was being interrogated, but she had to suppose that these sorts of questions were bound to arise from her parents once she revealed her big secret, and she had nothing to hide from them… not anymore.

"Yeah," she nodded once again. "We've kissed more times than I can even count… the very first time I kissed Shannon was way more magical than the first time I kissed Spencer."

That was true. The first time she and Spencer shared a kiss, they felt nothing; no spark, no passion, no intimacy, no love, nothing. The first time she and Shannon shared a kiss, they both felt all of the above, and even more; it was at that moment Ruby knew without a shadow of a doubt that Shannon was whom she was meant to be with all along, not Spencer.

Diya shared another look of intrigue with her husband before she pitched Ruby a rather hard-hitting question…

"Have you had intercourse?"

That question struck a raw nerve with Ruby.

Truthfully, she was very much ready to be intimate with Shannon, and had been for quite some time – she had even done her own homework on the matter… that is, once she learned how to clear her browsing history, cache, cookies, and temporary internet files, lest either of her parents were to snoop through her personal laptop. After all, health class had only offered but a basic understanding on how it worked between a man and a woman (mainly to academically explain how human reproduction worked), not so much between a woman and another woman – that much she had to research on her own. Her research took her into some rather explicit areas online in which she learned about a number of different methods and techniques in which two women can make physical love to each other, and even watched some videos of the acts being performed. Or, to sugarcoat it: Ruby studied lesbian porn. Between what she had read and watched, and knowing that Amy and Rex had already taken their relationship to that level, Ruby experienced her sexual awakening; after a few –ahem- 'private practice sessions,' she was ready for the real thing with Shannon. Upon first mentioning this to Shannon, her Jewish girlfriend fainted, and behaved rather awkwardly any time the subject was subsequently brought up. Shannon just was not ready for this yet – not because she didn't want to (because, unbeknownst to Ruby, she, too, had done some homework of her own –albeit none of it explicitly pornographic- to get an idea of how they could go at it when the time came), but because she wanted to save herself for marriage. It was a matter of principle with her, as she regarded sex as something special and sacred to be enjoyed responsibly and respectfully between two people bonded in holy matrimony. Not that Ruby was aware of her girlfriend's chastity principle, but she had correctly figured that Shannon wasn't comfortable with the act just yet. She hoped the strip poker game from last year she and Luan had conspired together on would help make Shannon feel less uncomfortable about such, and while it did seem to help coax Shannon further out of her comfort zone, it was clear she still was not ready for such yet… but, what was also made clear was that Ruby and Shannon had no intentions to engage in the act with anybody but each other: even if she may not have shared in Shannon's principle of saving herself specifically for her future spouse, Ruby had a principle of her own in saving herself specifically for Shannon, and only Shannon.

Still, Ruby failed to see why the intimate details of her sex life –or lack thereof- was any of her mother's business… but, as long as she was finally opening up about hers and Shannon's relationship, and for the sake of transparency, she spelled it all out for her…

"No, Mom, we haven't," she said rather bluntly. "Shannon has boundaries, and I respect her boundaries, because I respect her…"

As Diya and Mohammad absorbed what Ruby had told them regarding the sorts of activities she and Shannon had been engaged in, as well as the details regarding how long they have been together, and even how much she preferred kissing Shannon over Spencer, they tried to make sense of just what it was their daughter was trying to tell them, of which Mohammad believed to have figured out…

"Well, Ruby… from what we can ascertain from all of this, then what you are saying is you—"

Although Ruby did not always necessarily get along with her parents, she was never disrespectful to either of them – even in spite of how prone she was to argue and combat, she always let them say whatever they needed to say without interruption. In that moment, however, she had a pretty good feeling as to what her father was about to insinuate, and decided to cut him off at the pass.

"Okay, before you start dishing out the labels… I'm not gay… let's just get that straight…" as soon as Ruby said that, she could just imagine Luan responding to how that came out of her mouth with one of her big laughs – it even made her wince at how cringe worthy her previous sentence came out with such wording, despite not even attempting to be clever or witty; she was just trying to make a point, and she continued: "I'm not gay… I'm not… anything…"

The looks on her parents' faces told her they could not quite comprehend what she tried to explain to them, but she foresaw this very thing happening. She knew it would be this part of her testimony that would be the most difficult for them to understand or make sense of, but she tried to explain to them to the best of her ability…

"Shannon is bi, I'll go ahead and put that out there… she likes boys and girls… but, I don't… I've never liked girls, I've never been hot for girls, I've never wanted to go out with girls… and I'm still not… it's just Shannon, it's only Shannon… and it's got nothing to do with her being a girl… I just fell for her… I don't know why, I just did…"

Ruby could feel an enormous amount of tension as she saw the looks her parents continued to give her. So stern. So serious. Maybe even judgmental? Maybe even a little disapproving? She couldn't quite tell, even though three and a half years of High School Theater helped her learn how to read and gauge her audiences a lot better than she ever could before. The one thing that was still certain to her in the moment was that it seemed as though her parents could not quite grasp the idea of their daughter being romantically involved with somebody of her same sex, despite her claims that she is not a homosexual, nor did she identify as anything LGBT-related… and for that, she could not blame them in the least. She struggled with how she could possibly explain this particular aspect of her life and romance to them in a way they could possibly understand, but it was in that very moment she remembered the little piece of advice that Daniel and Candice Tannenbaum had imparted onto her prior to leaving their residence earlier that evening: rather than dwell on trying to figure out how to explain any of this from the mind, just speak straight from the heart. That much, she felt certain she could do…

"Look… I know you guys don't understand any of this… I barely understand it myself… all I understand is what's in my heart… and my heart loves Shannon… and you can yell at me, scream at me, curse me, even call on the Hindu sky daddies to smite me, but that won't change anything; nothing will stop me from loving Shannon!"

The look on Mohammad and Diya's faces made it clear they were aghast to hear their daughter speak to them in such a manner – especially that 'Hindu sky daddies' remark. Ruby, meanwhile, was very much aware of such; she had gotten worked up from her testimony and let that do the talking for her when she should have been more mindful of her words and how she said them to her parents.

"Okay, that was out of line, I'm sorry… it's just…"

By now, any sort of assertion or confidence Ruby may have possessed had flown right out of the window, and her vulnerable side had all but taken over at that point. With a tear in her eye and a choke in her throat, she finally delivered her closing statement…

"Maan? Pita? Please don't take Shannon away from me… please… I need her…"

Ruby had already lost Shannon twice before under circumstances that were not at all pleasant, and she could not bear the thought of losing her again, as she nearly broke down in front of her parents. Mohammad and Diya, meanwhile, exchanged another look with one another as they took into consideration all that their daughter revealed to them during the course of her conversation. The fact that Ruby exhibited genuine emotion throughout her testimony, and did not speak of anything with any sort of indifference or carelessness seemed to speak volume that her parents thankfully picked up on.

"You sound very serious about this, Ruby," noted Diya.

"Serious like a heart attack," sniffed Ruby. "I know the best thing about moving to Royal Woods for you guys was buying the Riviera… but the best thing about moving to Royal Woods for me was finding Shannon… Shannon coming into my life has been like the difference between night and day… I never realized I never knew what friendship really was until I met her…"

"We always said your friendship was inspiring," said Mohammad.

"Yes, seeing the two of you come together in admiration and respect, and opening your eyes to each other's cultures has been such a beautiful thing," agreed Diya, and it truly was a spectacle that pleased both of them to witness amongst their daughter and her friend to be able to come together as they had despite being from two different cultures, two different backgrounds, and maybe even two different worlds.

"I had no idea I was going to, like, fall for her… I just did… and she fell for me…" added Ruby. "She's honestly treated me better than any boy I've ever dated… I wish I realized how I felt about her sooner… maybe I'd never have all that drama with Spencer or any other boys if I had…"

That was something of a source of internal conflict for Ruby, who still had some difficulty letting go of her past. As she had just mentioned, a part of her deeply wished that she knew about her feelings for Shannon much sooner than she had, it may have saved her a lot of drama in the past, particularly the drama that pertained to her doomed romance with Spencer. On that note, that was something she possessed but a smidgen of envy toward her girlfriend: she had been Shannon's only love, whereas Ruby herself had dates with a number of boys upon entering the dating scene as a teenager, although Spencer was the only one she was tied to steadily. Compared to Shannon, she felt like a used car, and specifically a one-owner model at that; if she thought too long and hard on it all, it made her wish she had only ever belonged to Shannon to balance the scales as it were. Another part of Ruby, however, actually came to appreciate what she went through with Spencer; even if they both went through many mistakes together, they were mistakes that Ruby was able to learn from so she could avoid repeating them with Shannon, otherwise, who knows what sort of mistakes she may have made that could very well have cost her the best thing that ever happened to her (for the most part, that is… it would be best to never ask her about the time she tried to take charge of their relationship to make things easier for an inexperienced novice like Shannon).

Through it all, the looks on her parents' faces had softened considerably, which further helped to calm and ease her nerves.

"It sounds as though that all of this is sincere, and not just some sort of an experiment or phase you're going through," commented Diya.

That explained the line of questioning. As deeply rooted in their Indian heritage as they were, and being practicing Hindus to boot, neither Mohammad nor Diya were at all ignorant of western culture. And, they were teenagers once themselves; they knew that many western teenagers were prone to phases steeped in curiosities pertaining to sex and sexuality, and that, more often than not, those curiosities were satisfied through experimenting, including boys experimenting with other boys, and girls experimenting with other girls… and even in some other cases, it may not even have been about satisfying any actual curiosities whatsoever, it may have been nothing more than just chasing after the rush that came with cheap thrills. Nevertheless, one thing that was always as clear and plain as the noses on their faces was that in spite of her upbringing, their daughter had been very much immersed into western culture; for all they knew, her activities with Shannon could very well have been just the two of them experimenting and/or seeking cheap thrills with each other. And that was something they wanted to rule out… they wanted to be sure their daughter knew exactly what she saying, knew exactly what she was doing, and knew exactly what she was getting into, and that she was not just doing anything that was careless, meaningless, reckless, irresponsible, or unsafe for the sake of seeking such thrills.

"Even I thought it was a phase at first," confessed Ruby. "I mean, I never had feelings for a girl before… but I never felt closer or more connected to anyone like I did Shannon in my life… I thought maybe I was confusing how close we are as besties for a crush, since I never had a bestie before… not a bestie like Shannon, anyhoo… but… I couldn't deny I felt something for her… and I started noticing I was… starting to… have the hots for her… I mean… she's so cute and so charming… she's irresistible… how could I, like, not fall for her?"

Her sincerity made it all the more clear that this was no phase Ruby was going through, or that she was trying to satisfy any curiosities or seek cheap thrills with another girl; this young lady was clearly very much in love with another young lady of whom she was so fond.

And for that, Mohammad and Diya were very much pleased for their daughter.

"Well, betee, one of the wonderful things about living in a country like America is that people have the freedom and the right to love and be loved…" said Mohammad. "Or, they should... leave it to a certain sect to try to revoke such a freedom and right out of their own hatred and bigotry..."

Ruby resisted an eye roll, as this was one of the many things that she did not see eye-to-eye with her parents on. She never understood it: her parents were born in America, they lived their entire lives in America, the only times they had ever even been to India were strictly for business trips, and/or to visit extended family who still lived in the city Mumbai (formerly Bombay), from where their family had immigrated generations ago. On top of that, as Shannon had learned from her personal studies on the Patels' ancestral nation, Mumbai was the most affluent and economically thriving major city in all of India – it was even known as, 'The City of Dreams.' It was not as though their family came from some poverty-stricken third world country to seek a better life in a more civilized nation in the western world, and yet, from Ruby's perspective, her family always acted as though they were fresh off the boat, and had come to the land of opportunity. She just did not understand how their minds worked in that respect.

But the point her father made was that, unlike some other countries where LGBT rights are still not recognized –particularly those in the eastern world- they lived in a country where such rights, while still needlessly controversial and debated, are at least recognized, and in many cases, observed.

"Oh, yes," nodded Diya in agreement. "You falling in love with another woman is… surprising, to say the least… it's… not something either of us could have imagined… especially not after all of those dates with other boys you've had…"

"Be that as it may… I don't believe either of us could imagine a better woman for you to fall in love with than Shannon…" added Mohammad. "A very, very lovely and charming young lady, indeed… maan and I have always enjoyed her visits, and including her into our festivities…"

Diya had a little chuckle as her husband's point brought an amusing thought into her mind: "Now that you mention it, it's as though she was becoming a part of our family in a way that even we were unaware of."

Ruby's raven eyes became almost like saucers as she listened to her parents' commentary on her having fallen in love with someone like Shannon, and of their opinion that they felt as though Shannon had become a part of their family in recent years – it was something that brought Ruby even more happiness, especially after Candice Tannenbaum told her earlier that same evening that she and Daniel loved her like she was a part of their family as well.

"Even pita and I have witnessed what a good influence she has been on you," continued Diya as she returned her attention to their daughter. "We were most pleased to see your social life finally blossom once you reached your double digits… but, you never seemed to get in with the right crowds, let alone make meaningful relationships with anybody… it seemed that you were always just competing in popularity contests…"

That was also true, and to be reminded of such brought about a defeated sigh from their daughter. From the time she had grown out of her awkward, ugly duckling phase when she began attending middle school, and up through the first semester of her freshman year in high school, Ruby had drifted through one social circle after another. Once she had gotten a taste of what it was like to be cool and popular, she developed an insatiable appetite for even more, and aimed to keep flying higher and higher like the social butterfly she had blossomed into. Her goal became to be one of the coolest and most popular girls in all of Fern Valley Middle, and when she learned from her parents they would be moving to a somewhat larger mini-metro like Royal Woods for her freshman year, that goal became to be one of the coolest and most popular girls in all of Royal Woods High. It was also true that she never established any meaningful friendships or connections among the people she socialized with, and usually kept them at arm's length; she just was not aware and did not realize it at the time. Even though her friends lists on social media were into the hundreds, she barely knew any of the people she claimed to be friends with, she just liked seeing her numbers increase – it was more for status and reputation than anything else.

That all changed when she met Shannon.

"I can't even describe it…" confessed Ruby as she continued to speak from her heart. "She's just so… fascinating… she always sold herself short, when there's so much more to her when you peel away her layers… she can do everything… I never met anyone like her, I just… I wanted to know her… and the more I got to know her, the more I saw… we were so much alike… like we were just meant to be friends… meant to be besties… meant to be together…"

"You never know when, where, or how that special someone will come into your life," said Mohammad.

"And from what you have told us, it sounds very much like Shannon is your special someone," added Diya, although the smile on her face transformed into a more serious look. "But keeping this a secret from us for all these years?"

"I'm sorry... it's just you guys are so… so… traditional…" strained Ruby, for lack of a better word. "I didn't think you'd approve of me being in a ship with a girl… I was afraid you'd take Shannon away from me, and I couldn't bear the thought of that… and even Shannon… Shannon was afraid her family would disown her altogether… some of her family, like her grandparents, are, like, really rigid and uptight about this stuff, she's got a pretty good idea they'll never approve… at least her parents do…"

As disappointing as it may have been to hear that some of Shannon's family would possibly disapprove of their romance, it was still pleasing to hear that her parents approved of such; Mohammad and Diya had gotten to know Daniel and Candice Tannenbaum, and thought very highly of the both of them, as well as the daughter they had raised.

"I should hope so," commented Mohammad.

"Candice and Daniel are such lovely people, it would be a shame if they did not approve of what Shannon has with you," added Diya.

Ruby had to take a moment to really absorb and comprehend the conversation she just had with her parents – it seemed to have gone a lot better than she expected, and for that, she was deeply grateful… but she still needed the assurance that she heard and understood them correctly…

"So, you guys… you guys are… like… cool with me being with a girl?" She asked them. "And… a Jewish girl who's, like, not even Indian or Hindu?"

Her parents succumbed to smiles of amusement all over again.

"Why would we not approve of such?" Diya asked. "After all, we do have German relatives in our family."

That was also true – alas, it was the language barrier that resulted in Ruby's great-grandmother being given the unfortunate name of Rubella – a German virus, but it was also what inspired Mohammad and Diya to name their daughter Ruby, because to them, their daughter was like their precious jewel.

"And love… true love is unconditional…" added Mohammad. "It does not conform to religious doctrine, societal norms, nor gender restrictions… what matters is not your different cultures or faiths or creeds, but that your love prevails in spite of those differences."

"And you and Shannon seem to already have accomplished that much," noted Diya. "Seeing what makes the two of you the same, instead of focusing on what makes you different… that is what has made your friendship so inspiring to us, as we've said… and, I suppose, that makes your overall relationship also inspiring."

"So… you guys approve?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"We still have a lot to talk about…" said Diya; much of such talk had to pertain to what sort of future the two young ladies could possibly have together, especially considering their daughter had been so indecisive about her own future, and if it may possibly mean that it would fall upon Shannon to support her should theirs evolve into a long-term or even permanent relationship – that is if Shannon herself had any definite plans for the future. "But, if you are truly in love with Shannon, and want to be with her… if she makes you happy… then yes, betee, we approve."

Ruby's eyes widened even more as she looked upon her parents; she really, really wanted with all of her heart to believe they meant what they said.

"For realsies? You guys really mean it?" She asked in all sincerity.

Mohammad and Diya nodded in unison; they really meant it.

Ruby could hardly believe it; it all felt like a dream to her… maybe it was a dream, it was pretty late, after all… Even when she left the Tannenbaum residence earlier, everything about what happened felt so unreal, she had to have been walking through a dream. But, if this was a dream, then it was a dream come true. She could not hold back any longer as tears of relief and joy lined the bottom of her puppy-like eyes.

"Dhanyavaad…" she croaked her thanks to them in Hindi.

What happened next took everyone in the room by surprise: Ruby made a tremendous leap from the foot of the bed and nearly tackled both of her parents into a big familial group hug. Mohammad and Diya were temporarily impaired and disoriented… it had been so long since their daughter had expressed any sort of affection toward either of them – at least since she was a little girl. Admittedly, at times, it did not even feel so much like she was a daughter anymore, it was more as though she was just somebody who lived in their home rent free; the older she got, the more distant and disassociated she seemed to grow from them, and it was something that disappointed both of them greatly. Whatever distance there was between them, emotionally speaking, had completely vanished in that moment – it had been replaced with love and appreciation. As Ruby wept for joy, Mohammad and Diya embraced her as tightly as any loving parents would of their daughter. Ruby had gotten exactly what she sought from her parents: their approval of her being in a romantic relationship with Shannon; she nearly drowned in pure, unadulterated elation over this. She was not even sure if she could contain her excitement in relaying all of this to Shannon when she saw her at school tomorrow, but she knew it was something she had to tell her first thing.

And that, dear readers, is how Shannon and Ruby eventually finally came out to their parents; how fortunate for both of them that their parents accepted and approved of their romance. There still is more to this particular element of the plot that will be addressed in a later chapter, but until then, at least our two cinnamon rolls no longer have to live in hiding.

Also, because I have a feeling Albertson may possibly come at me with our customary baseball bat if I don't point this out, some of what you have read in this chapter regarding the Patels' concerns that Ruby may have only been experimenting and seeking thrills with Shannon was partly inspired by, of all things, one of his lemons... and because I also have a feeling he would like me to give him some more free publicity, said lemon of his is (in)appropriately titled Satisfying Curiosities... so, if you really want to read about a Lincoln/Ronnie Anne/Clyde/Sid orgy... well, you know where to look.