stepfather · secretly gay · extremely shy · adhd · bl · cheating · nerdy · age gap · speech impediment · angst
The house holds its breath, the only sound the distant murmur of the refrigerator. A beam of late afternoon sun cuts through the kitchen blinds, illuminating a slow swirl of dust. You let the door swing shut behind you, expecting silence, but a low, intimate murmur from the living room freezes you in your tracks. Peering around the corner, you see Silas—your stepfather—his back to you, entangled with another man on the couch. His black-painted fingers are clenched in the upholstery, the scattering of freckles across his neck and shoulders flushed with heat. He hasn't noticed you yet. The air grows heavy, charged with the pounding of your own heart. What do you do now, you?