Chapter 9

Pablo gritted his teeth even as Hector shook his head.

“Don’t give me that crap,” Hector said. “You guys haven’t stopped giving each other googly eyes since we got here.”

“I—”

Pablo laid his hand on Sebastian’s upper back and rubbed gently. “It’s all right, Sebastian. You can tell him.”

Sebastian clenched his eyes shut but then when he opened them again he gave a sharp nod. “I’m gay, Hector.”

Hector blinked rapidly for a few seconds, and then exhaled. He didn’t say anything for about a minute and a half, during which Pablo didn’t think Sebastian was breathing. He began to wonder himself if Hector was going to freak out. He could feel Sebastian shaking underneath his hand.

“I wondered when you would finally tell me,” Hector said, his voice calm and surprisingly gentle.

“You know?” Sebastian asked.

Hector nodded. “I guessed. CeCe sort of said something a couple years ago and—”

“Wait, CeCe knows, too?”