"Alex, I said I'm sorry." I reached for his arm where he sat on the opposite side of my bed.

He pulled away. "Why would you do that?"

Well, at least the hour-and-a-half-long silent treatment had ended. "I wasn't thinking!"

"You tongued me in front of our family!" He sniffled.

Was it really worth crying over? "Why are you crying?"

"I'm so embarrassed I could fucking die, Liam! For Christ's sake."

I climbed across the bed and wrapped my arms around him from behind. "Don't die."

"Get off!"

I tumbled back as a pillow smacked my face.

"You don't get it. Oh my god." Alex pivoted to look me in the eye. "Liam, listen. You don't think, and that's your problem. Don't ever do something like that again."

I understood what I'd done was inappropriate. Even my dad had raised his voice and Daniel Santos never raised his voice. "I'm sorry... I won't."

Alex sighed and touched my hand. "I'm still a little shaken, so―"

There was a knock at my bedroom door.

"Come in."

Mama Camejo stuck her head in. "We're ready to talk, but first I want to speak with Liam in private."

Alex's apprehensive eyes shifted from me to his mother. Slowly, he stood up and went to the door.

"We'll be down in a moment," his mom assured as he sent me a wistful look. As he left, she took a seat on the bed beside me. Once she was sure he was down the stairs, she began, "To be honest, I'm reluctant to support this."

My heart stopped and I couldn't make eye contact.

"Alex is my only child. He's been through a lot. Up until that summer, I would have supported anything. Up until that summer." She turned her head towards me, wanting me to understand what she meant.

And I did. Things would be different if I'd kissed Alex back at that party before high school. If we'd started dating then. But that's not how things had gone. Because of me.

"Christmas a year ago, your parents told me what you'd been through and I supported you being friends again. Friends."

She touched my hand like her son had earlier.

"But Liam, you put my baby through a world of hurt, so I'm worried to trust you with his whole heart again."

I knew it. I knew my sin. And the fact that I didn't have the right to love Alex.

"So, promise me you'll care for it like it's more precious than your own. Live for him, no less than I do."

I nodded adamantly at the woman with dark frowning eyebrows, unsure what words to use to let her know his heart already was―that I already did.

"Okay." She released my hand and slicked her black hair back into her bun. "Let's go downstairs."

I followed her to the living room where everyone else was already sitting on the couches and Lily on the rug at the coffee table. King was asleep on his bed in the corner, and I wished I could trade places with that clueless animal right then. Ms. Camejo sat next to my mother and I sheepishly sat on the loveseat beside Alex.

"Lily, go play in your room," my mom said, arms folded.

Lily looked up from her Wonder Woman Barbie. "Are you going to talk about sex? I'm already ten. Do I have to leave?"

"Lil―"

"I want to hear about Alex and Liam too!"

A heavy huff left my mom's lips while my dad, who had returned to his regular passive self, gave a pensive smile of resignation.

"Hm, so, since when have you been dating?" he asked.

Alex glanced at me, so I replied, "We started dating when I visited him this past semester."

Ms. Camejo frowned and twisted her mouth in displeasure.

"So you've been keeping it from us for two months?" my mom demanded.

"We haven't seen each other for two months!" I immediately replied, tossing out my hand.

Alex, more calmly, tried in our defense, "We wanted to tell you in person." He shot me a sharp look. "Properly tell you."

My mom leaned forward in disbelief. "That you're dating after fifteen years of cat and mouse drama? You didn't want to pick up a phone?"

Cat and mouse? I peeked at Lily who was watching intently. When our eyes met, she shrugged.

My dad sighed his My-Wife-And-I-Are-Not-On-The-Same-Page-But-This-Is-The-Woman-I-Married sigh. "So your plans for living together in Toronto, now that we know you're dating, is there anything you left out that you want to tell us now?"

Tía Rosa spoke for the first time to joke, "They're getting a one bedroom!" Other than Lily, she was the only one to find the remark humorous. Thankful for Lily's support, she winked at the little girl. "Now, tell us how it happened."

My dad interrupted, "We still haven't talked about the rules we have to lay down."

"Rules?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Public affection, sleeping over―"

"Who confessed first?!" Lily asked, bouncing on her knees.

"Just be mindful of your surroundings," my dad continued.

"No sexual activity in the house," Alex's mom blurted then waved her finger. "Either of these houses." She stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt, clearing her throat. "I'm going to go clean up."

Alex's hurt and concerned eyes followed his mother's back. As my mother stood up and trailed behind her friend, I worried their disapproval would get to Alex. Would our relationship end before it'd even started? Would Alex lose trust in me like his mother had?

"Well?" Tía Rosa prompted.

Lily hopped onto the couch between us and linked her arms around ours. "I think Liam confessed first! He loves Alex more than anything, it's crazy! Am I right? Did Liam confess first?" Her hazel eyes peered at Alex expectantly.

"Yes," Alex said, then raised his voice loud enough for our mothers in the kitchen to hear, "he did! I was reluctant to believe him at first after everything we've been through! But it was CLEAR how much he ADORES me so I DECIDED TO GIVE LOVE A CHANCE!"

His attempt to sell our union was so obvious that I couldn't help but snort.

My father nodded. "I really wish the best for you two."

He wasn't smiling, though. I mean, I could tell he was sincere, but his expression made it clear he didn't think things would go smoothly. I didn't get why. Now that Alex and I were together, on the same page, life was sure to be smooth sailing. Everyone was worrying for nothing. And my mom was just being petty. Alex and I were perfect together.

By the end of the night, things were back to normal. There was no mention of the change in Alex and my relationship again, granted there was also no more public flirting.

Lily scrambled up from Tía Rosa's lap, her damp curls now braided neatly after her shower. Tía was flexing her fingers while hiding a grimace. "Alex, Liam, let's play cards!"

"It's bedtime, Lily," my mother said.

"But―!"

"They'll be here tomorrow. They've got to go home now."

Alex smiled. "That's right. Liam and I aren't going back to Toronto until my graduation in June. I'll be here for the next month." He gave her a hug.

"I wish I could live in Toronto with you two."

Alex's shoulders tensed along with mine. "You can visit when you're older," I said dismissively. I loved my sister, but no one would intrude on my honeymoon phase.

"Liam, can you tuck me in?"

"You still need tucking in? You're ten!"

"It means read to me!"

"You're ten and you still get read to?"

Lily wrinkled her nose in frustration and put her fists on her hips. "It's reading together, just like watching a movie!" She looked at me like I was the silliest person alive. "We read Lord of the Rings for 30 minutes. That's it! It's not a big deal." Now she was acting like a teenager.

"Okay, okay." It's not like I really had a problem and Alex was going home anyway. I wanted to kiss him goodbye. Would the cheek be okay? Lily took my hand. "I'll see everyone tomorrow."

"After church," Mama Camejo said.

I exchanged looks with Alex. "You're going to church?"

"Of course he is!" She grabbed his arm. "He always has."

"Oh." I'd been raised Catholic in a loose sense, but since Lily's birth, my parents seemed to distance themselves from The Church. We went to mass on holidays but that was about it. "Okay. Call me?"

"Yeah." Alex removed his wrist from his mother's grip to come hug me. It filled me with reassurance until I saw Ms. Camejo's sad frown.

"I love you," I whispered in Alex's ear.

He cupped my face, smiled, then pecked me on the lips. "See you tomorrow."

Not wanting to see anyone's expressions reacting to our affection, I immediately turned around to lead Lily up the stairs.

Why a ten year old was reading LOTR was beyond me. Nonetheless, she was engrossed in listening and correcting my pronunciation of words until I closed the book at the end of 30 minutes.

"Alright. Bedtime."

Lily stopped leaning on my chest as I moved to get off her twin-sized bed. King took my place as Lily scooted to the center and laid down, pulling the covers to her chin. "Liam."

"Hm?"

"Are you gay or bi?"

Not only did the question catch me off guard coming from my little sister, but I didn't know how to answer it. Liking both Selena and Alex meant I had liked two genders, but the label 'bi' somehow felt dishonest.

"You can tell me," Lily said, misunderstanding my hesitation. "I'm already ten."

"I love Alex," I decided to reply. "That's what matters, right?"

"Did you lie to Selena?"

Did I... what?

"Did you?"

"I loved Selena."

"Did you love her because she was like Alex?"

Either someone bribed Lily to ask these questions or I'd severely underestimated the emotional intelligence of 10-year-olds. "Goodnight, Lily."

Lily was quiet for a moment as she gazed at me. "Goodnight."

I turned off the light and began to close the door.

"Liam?"

"Yeah?"

"We love you."

That 'we' both broke and mended my heart. And kind of creeped me out because I could swear that sometimes my little sister was an adult in a child's body. Still, I smiled, despite knowing she couldn't see me behind the door. "Thanks, Lily. I love you too."