Wildflowers by Hayden Winston

Author:Hayden Winston [Winston, Hayden]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, bisexual, cisgender, contemporary, family drama, friends-to-lovers, coming of age, coming out, #ownvoices, tearjerker
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2021-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Ansel and Luca made their way back into the house from the backyard. A wad of loose blades of grass stuck to Ansel’s shoes, and he hurriedly wiped them clean on the outdoor mat. The boys strolled into the living room to find Isabelle tucked up on the couch with a thin blanket. She was watching a comedy special.

“Well, remember I had her first,” Isabelle said seemingly out of nowhere.

“What?” the boys both answered almost in unison.

“Ally Beckman. We hooked up once during summer camp, right before seventh grade,” she clarified, smiling slyly. “Sorry, Ansel, beat you to it.”

Ansel laughed. “Thanks for the heads up, but we’re friends.” He sat down beside her and noticed he’d received a text. Ansel pulled his phone from his pocket and saw the message was from Regina. He opened it begrudgingly. It read:

It’s time to talk decisions. Meet me in an hour at our favorite coffee shop downtown.

The lack of details, other than the fundamental ones, did not frighten Ansel. If this had been before he had moved to Philly, it might have. He might have read the tone and realized that she was being ominous on purpose. Typical Regina. Though he wasn’t afraid, he did feel something in the pit of his stomach. It was a dull, nauseating feeling. He knew whatever she wanted to talk about would not be pleasant. He inhaled, the air of the room filling his lungs, sweeping out with a steady exhale.

Luca walked over to him and put his hands on Ansel’s shoulders in an effort to calm him down. He began massaging.

“I’ve gotta go meet Regina.”

Almost instinctively, Luca replied with one word, “Godspeed,” and he finished up the shoulder message and released his friend.

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Ansel thanked Luca and headed inside. He gathered some clothes and went straight into Luca’s guest bathroom. He showered and shaved away the shadow that had taken over his face since he’d left Philadelphia. He was to meet Regina at her favorite coffee shop, which conveniently was only about eight blocks away from Luca’s house. The trip would take fifteen minutes or less on foot. He peered at himself in the large single mirror that covered most of the bathroom wall it hung on. If he was perfectly honest, he had to admit he had grown tired of lying. He was tired of the façade he had to paint for his family.

He was tired of keeping his story afloat. It had become a full-time job. When he first started at Walden College, his parents bought him an ultra-expensive camera. This was no big deal at first, since he was actually attending classes. However, once he stopped, he knew he had to either come clean or keep up appearances. The former did not feel like it was a viable option at the time, so Ansel opted for the latter. He took a million and one photos with that ultra-expensive camera.

He disguised the good ones as projects and sent the occasional copy to his mother.

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