57. Out Of The Closet

"What a long ride this is, not that I'm complaining."

Rey's eyes may have been fixated on the journey ahead, but his mind was relieved to see Ari's giddy side. Not once did he inquire of their destination, rather, he enjoyed the road trip that often times, he'd raise his hand to allow the breeze to pass between fingers, and laughed from the feeling of it.

"We are almost there."

"I said I'm not complaining." Ari's response was filled with so much excitement that Rey almost forgot the happenings of yesternight.

'Yea, there is no doubt I really like him to let what happened go.' Rey thought to himself and checked the time. 'If I'm not mistaken, my sister should be home by now. Having her there will make things easy for me... For Ari and I.'

"Manager Ari, I'm truly happy right now. I wish we can remain like this forever."

"I hope so too."

For the remainder of their journey, Ari had passed out. It was Rey that had woken him up informing him they'd reached their final destination.

Seeing that Ari was still trying to comprehend where they were, Rey took his hand and pulled him towards an old looking bungalow. The place appeared to be an old middle-class neighborhood, and judging from how each of the houses were constructed, it seemed it's occupants were mostly members of the armed forces veterans.

"Sonny!" A rather mature looking lady appeared from behind them. She ran towards Rey, embracing him tightly as if she'd not seen him for a long time. She was jubilant that tears began falling from her eyes. A few moments later, Rey's sister opened the main door, coming out with an older gentleman, who Ari assumed was Rey's father judging from how much they looked alike.

After exchanging pleasantries, the woman turned to Ari and took his hand, guiding him towards the house. For a while, Ari was left dumbfounded with what was happening before him that he hardly said a word, unless spoken to. They dined together, Rey's parents often inquiring after his welfare and that of his sister. They seemed like a happy family, but one question still remained in Ari's mind.

What in the world was going on?

"I'm dating Manager Ari." Rey blurted out shamelessly, reaching underneath the table to hold Ari's hand tightly. "He is my boyfriend."

His remark sent his parents to remain stiff, but their expression read what Ari had feared the most.

"We are dating because we like each other..."

"Sonnie..." Rey's mom interrupted. "W-We missed you so much... W-Why don't we talk about this over some tea or...or maybe once our food settles down."

'I knew it.... They are disgusted...' Ari was panicking but mostly, he was filled with rage over the set up. 'So this is what he meant by going on a date...and from the looks of it, his sister knew about it as well. No wonder she had already left when I woke up.'

"Yes son. Your sister brought us a lot of gifts from the city." Rey's father appeared uncomfortable with the conversation as well. "We were waiting for you to come so we can open the gifts together."

"Listen to your father Sonny." Rey's mother was practically begging. "We haven't seen you for a long time."

"I do not think I will have the courage to speak of this matter later if not now." Looking at a rather rigid Ari, Rey went on. "Actually, I have thought about doing this long and hard. I even considered avoiding coming home but I couldn't." Looking back at his parents, Rey took in a deep breath, then exhaled. "I didn't come here to ask for your approval, nor do I need anything from you. At the end of the day, it can't be helped. You remain my parents and I should extend the respect to let you know the person I'm seeing."

"Your sister already informed us that you were bringing a guest over." Rey's father spoke, then cleared his throat nervously. "We are just happy to see that you are doing alright, and excelling at your job." Seeking to change the subject, his father added, "We haven't seen you for a while so we assumed we may have done something to offend you."

"Yes Sonny. If we had known you were staying away because of this, we'd have invited your friend sooner."

"He is not my friend. I liked him first therefore pursued him."

Rey's parents jaws dropped, they couldn't hide their shock even if they wanted to, but Rey's sister appeared to be the most astounded.

"Don't look at me so ghastly. I was bound to find someone else someday."

Seeing that her parents were still speechless, and Ari wishing for the ground to swallow him, Rey's sister jumped into the rescue. "I support him Mom and Dad. Manager Ari is a good person for my brother. As a matter of fact, Rey wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for Manager Ari, not that anyone would date my brother but you know how he was. He is a completely different person now."

"You are not wrong about him changing alright." Rey's father finally spoke. "We just never expected this kind of extensive change." Looking at Ari, he added on. "I'm more fearful of what this gentleman has to endure being with your brother, and a mischievous woman as his sister."

Rey's mother burst out laughing, Esy following suit. For a moment, Ari's tension eased up but when he felt a gentle squeeze from Rey, he deciphered that not all was over just yet.

"Son, you could have at least asked for your partner's permission before outing him like that." Rey's father said. "This is a huge step for him as it is for you and I noticed that from the moment he got here, he has been bewildered. He must be feeling burdened by your confession."

"Not at all." Ari gave out a nervous laugh. "It is true that I am surprised, however, I wish to have met you two under different circumstances. I would have come prepared..."

"Manager Ari," Rey interrupted. "My parents would have found out eventually, and they'd begin asking me about you. I have no intention of hiding you, neither do I want to stay in hiding."

Reaching for Ari's other hand, Rey added on. "I'm tired of agonising over this. I'm tired of being too careful and playing it safe. At the very least, my parents should know the person I plan on having a future with. Nevertheless, I ambushed you today since I knew you'd never have come with me if you knew what I was up to. For that, I'm very apologetic."

"Emm..." Ari was feeling extremely uncomfortable. He glanced at Rey's parents and all of them, including Esy seemed more mortified with Rey's words, rather than his actions.

"You must really like this gentleman Sonny...and... W-We appreciate your honesty, but don't you think you need time to think this over? You've had girlfriends before."

"Mom, I wan't to be in Manager Ari's future. If the two of you accept it, I'll be grateful and if you do not, I will not hold it against you. With that in mind, I beg of you to not disrespect my partner. All I know right now is I am coming clean, and I've accepted who I am. I've equally welcomed the change that has come a long with it, neither do I regret choosing to be with Manager Ari.

I love him, and that's that."