Against The Stars by Christopher Hartland

Author:Christopher Hartland [Hartland, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay, scifi, romance, speculative, queer, bi, teen, ya
Publisher: Tiny Ghost Press
Published: 2023-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

At my front door, I take a deep breath. I’m about to head out to my first ever date. The butterflies in my stomach are taking up so much room I wonder if I’ll be able to eat anything at Gusto. I fidget with my shirt, trying to avoid making creases and worrying that it doesn’t quite fit right. I’ve never felt this self-conscious about how I look before. Is this going to happen every time I meet Seb now? Will I lose hours trying to get my hair to sit right? Agonise all day about what shirt to wear?

Or maybe that’s just how it starts. Maybe the closer you get to someone, the less you care about all of that. I guess the goal is for someone to like you for you, not for what you wear or how you look. But what do I know?

“Who’s the lucky girl?” Dad says from behind me. He’s standing in the living room doorway, smirking. I can see Mum over his shoulder with the exact same expression.

I haven’t told them the truth about tonight. They don’t even know Seb exists. As far as they’re concerned, I’m just hanging with Callum. Or, at least, that’s what I told them I’d be doing. It seems they didn’t believe me.

“No point trying to lie, son,” Dad says. “We heard you on the phone to Callum.”

My heart plummets.

He looks me up and down. “No one puts that much effort into how they look unless it’s for a date.”

They can’t know. I’m not ready for them to know.

“So,” Mum says, squeezing past Dad and looking far too excited. “Who is she? Do we know her?”

“I...”

“Is it that Jessica girl you always used to talk about?”

Dad laughs. “That was years ago. It must be someone else. Right, El?”

“It’s...”

“Is it one of Nikita’s friends?” Mum says. “They’re all very pretty.”

“She’s called Sarah.” I say it so fast it almost sounds like just one word. I don’t even know where it came from. I don’t know a Sarah. I’ve never known a Sarah. But I can’t tell them the truth. Not yet.

Mum and Dad look just like they did the day Simon brought Alyssa home. Like they’re picturing me at the alter on my wedding day and already picking out outfits for their grandchildren.

“What’s she like?” Mum asks.

“Whereabouts does she live?” Dad asks.

“Is she in your year?”

“Does she do well at school?”

“What are her parents’ jobs?”

“How long have you been dating?”

“Are you being safe?”

“STOP!” I shout. I’m standing up against the front door, every one of their questions an arrow pinning me against the wood. “It’s our first date, okay? You don’t need to worry.”

They deflate a little as they exhale their excitement.

“Can I go now?” I ask, nodding at the door. “I’ll be back before ten.”

Mum and Dad exchange a glance–a silent conversation passing between them, one I’m sure will be repeated aloud once I’m gone.

“Okay,” Mum says. “Be careful.”

“Always am.”

It takes everything in me not to slam the door when I leave.

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