32 REUNION

Ngrrrr! Ngrrrr!

"Your phone!" I hear Julian say lazily, shaking me awake.

"Ugh!" I groan.

I stretch out my hand without opening my eyes, reaching for my phone where the sound is coming from, but I can't quite reach it. With a sigh, I realize I have no choice but to wake up.

I open my eyes and gently move Julian off me, making him lie where I had been, since he had somehow ended up on top of me.

When did we fall asleep? I can't remember, but I think it was after the fourth moment that finally knocked us out.

We're in the living room. I swear, if by some magic someone were to walk into this house and find us like this—clothes scattered all over the floor, both of us completely naked—they would probably faint from the sheer shock of it all.

I walk toward the sound of my phone, which I now realize is under the coffee table. My body feels so exhausted, but just thinking about last night and how it went so well makes me smile stupidly.

Especially when I think back to the moment when Julian kept encouraging me to keep going. And there's this thing he said that I don't even know if he remembers, but it stuck with me. He said, "Let's keep doing this every day, even if we can't have kids ourselves—we can always use surrogates." It's funny, he talks a lot, but what he said actually makes sense. We could have kids after all.

Bending down, I finally pick up my phone. When I see the caller ID, my hand freezes, and I almost drop the phone in shock. Why on earth is he calling?!

"Are you alright? Who is it?" Julian asks, sitting up but immediately lying back down, grimacing. I can tell he's uncomfortable, probably from last night's activities. I'll have to get him some painkillers.

"Adam? Are you okay? Who's calling?" He asks again, more insistent this time. I must have looked tense, lost in my thoughts and not answering him.

My phone stops ringing for a second, then rings again.

"It's my dad," I say flatly.

"What?" Julian looks genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, and I'm not picking it up," I reply, determined.

"You've gotta pick it up at least to hear what he has to say," Julian suggests, looking at me with concern. After a pause, I reluctantly decide to pick it up. But if he starts throwing shit at me, I'm hanging up on him immediately.

The moment I answer, my dad's voice comes through loud and clear.

"Finally! You picked up. I thought you were going to ignore me for the rest of my life. Anyway, Adam, did you really give up on the company? You want me to sell the one thing we've worked so hard for? I know your mother and I haven't been the best parents to you, but we want you to know we regret it. I've decided not to sell the company, mainly because of the hard work you've put into it. You've made it the shining example among many. I also want you to know that it's falling apart, and we would like you to come back and be president again."

I'm speechless. I can barely comprehend what I'm hearing. They regret it? He needs me?

"I hope you still remember that I'm gay and I have a man I love," I say, pushing to see how he reacts.

"I know that, and I've seen how much he loves you," he responds.

"So?" I ask, still unsure where this is going.

"So, it's fine, Adam. You do your thing. Whatever feels right for you."

Holy crap. I can't hold back anymore—I'm crying. I don't care that they treated me so badly before. If they really regret it, I'm in. This is everything I've ever wanted—to have my parents treat me like any other loving parent would treat their son.

We're both in shock. Suddenly, my mother's harsh words echo in my mind, and all the light that had been building up inside me quickly darkens. Her words land like painful thuds in my head, making me rethink everything. Maybe I don't need them after all.

Julian, still processing everything, seems speechless too. But in his confused, surprised expression, there's also a hint of happiness. Why would he be happy? Did he get his job back?

"I told you they'd come around!" he says, his happiness now more obvious.

"And you're happy because? Ready to go back? Are you happy that you got your job back, or what?!" I feel a surge of anger and betrayal. "I refuse to believe you don't know that they're asking me to come back because they want to imprison me back in the company!"

"Of course, you know I'm not happy about the job!" Julian says, his voice rising. "Why are you talking like this? Let me tell you something, Adam—I can live on this planet without working, but I'll never go hungry. You think it's the job making me happy? That's just bullshit! These are your parents, Adam! I'm happy because they finally get it! They made a mistake and are willing to admit it. I'm happy because you'll get to be with them at peace. That's all you've ever wanted. They messed up, but you still wanted them, and you still loved them. You might say I make you happy, but I see that there's a part of your happiness that's still missing. They won't take advantage of you again, you know why? Because I won't let them. No one will abuse or take advantage of you when I'm here with you. I'm not telling you what to do, but I suggest you give them a chance to be your parents. And if they mess it up again, that's it."

"I'm sorry I said that," I say, feeling stupid. I walk over to the couch where he's sitting. How could I say something like that to him?

"It's okay," he says, pulling me into a hug. He's truly the best thing that's ever happened to me. "Oh shit! They're still on the phone!" Julian suddenly says, and that's when I realize I never hung up.

"Adam," my dad's voice crackles through the speaker. "We're not asking you to come back just to take advantage of you. We truly regret what we did as your parents. Your mother has been crying since the day you left, regretting how she treated you. She felt guilty, and she never had the courage to call you, but she's sorry for everything. She'd be happy to see you. Personally, I've never hated you, son. I love you. But I thought there was no way for you to love a man. If you didn't marry a woman, our family line would end. I tried so hard to push you into what I thought was right, not realizing I was hurting you. I'm sorry, son. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us and consider coming home."

Then he hangs up.

I don't think I've ever heard my dad say he loves me before. And for that reason, I'm heading home right away, just to hear him say it to my face.

With my husband.

THE END