Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
“Which two?” Dad asks immediately, and I know he’s praying inside that it wasn’t MIT.
“Copenhagen and Melbourne.”
Oliver grins. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding when you told me you applied to some ‘randoms.’” He air quotes me.
“Yeah, well…” I shrug. “I got into a few of the randoms too. And I’ve been strongly considering, um, Sydney.”
“Australia?” Dad raises his eyebrows. “That’s a long way from here.”
“I know. And I get it—the University of Sydney isn’t as elite as an Ivy, but the biomed program is strong, and…I think I might go.”
The table falls quiet.
Mom is frowning at me. “That’s wonderful that you got in, honey, but we didn’t even know you were applying overseas. Why did you keep that from us?”
“I wanted to wait for the acceptance letters before I decided anything.” I fiddle with my dessert fork, avoiding their eyes. “And, um, since we’re talking about things I’ve kept from you—”
Ava groans. “No. Don’t you dare tell us you have another biological sibling.”
“No, nothing like that.” I swallow, the pressure mounting. This is it. “It’s about my boyfriend. Will. And…uh…Beckett.”
“Beckett?” My mom tilts her head, confused. “Will’s roommate?”
I exhale in a rush. “I’m seeing Beckett too. I’m in love with both of them.”
The confession hangs over us like a mushroom cloud. For a split second, I regret everything. And I’m not even done yet.
“We’re all moving to Sydney together.”
More silence.
My parents are staring at me like I told them I just saw a unicorn in the backyard. Ava’s jaw is scraping the floor. And my brother…well, he has a strange look in his eye, which I can’t decipher, and before I can even try, Oliver blurts out the mother of all bombs.
“I’m getting a divorce.”
We all spin toward him. My mom’s fork clatters onto her dessert plate.
I blink. “Wait, what?”
He slumps back in his chair. “I wasn’t gonna say anything, but apparently today is let’s spill all our secrets day, so…yeah. Katherine and I are getting a divorce.”
“A divorce?” Mom echoes.
“Yes,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s been a long time coming—we’ve been having problems for a while. But we didn’t want to say anything during the holidays, and then the longer I kept it from you, the harder it’s been to say it. And, well…here we are.”
I gawk at him. “You’re seriously dropping this news now? At Dad’s birthday lunch?”
“Me? Really?” Oliver shoots back. “You literally just dropped an ‘I’ve got two boyfriends’ bomb. At Dad’s birthday lunch. So it just seemed like the time to—”
“I’m a lesbian,” Ava blurts out.
What is happening right now!
My gaze is bouncing around the table like a Ping-Pong ball. My parents look the same way they do when I’m trying to show them how to use a new app on their phones. Mystified and outraged. I don’t think they’re mad at the news we’re sharing but that it’s all coming out now. In Ava’s case, literally coming out.
“You’re a lesbian?” I exclaim. “Since when?” She’s only ever dated guys. Publicly anyway.
Now that all eyes are on her, Ava blushes, squirming in her seat. “I’m a late bloomer, it seems. To be honest, I thought I was asexual for a long time. I’ve never been attracted to any of the men I dated, but I also wasn’t drawn to women either. But, um, the boyfriend I’ve been telling you guys about? Ash? That’s my girlfriend. Her name’s Ashley.”
For a beat, nobody moves. Dad sits with his fork halfway to his mouth, frozen.
Then, all at once, the tension breaks.
I laugh, the absurdity of the situation hitting me. I glance at my parents. “Swear to God, if you two tell us you’re swingers or something…”
Dad finally puts his fork down, shaking his head with a grin. “Absolutely not.”
Mom, meanwhile, wears an uncertain expression as she looks around the table. “Just so I’m clear—were you all keeping these significant life changes from us because you thought we would disapprove?”
Oliver is first to answer. “No. I was just embarrassed,” he admits. “Never saw myself as being a divorcé.”
A sheepish Ava goes next. “I didn’t think that either. I was still coming to terms with it myself. I guess I needed the time to work through it.” She glances at me. “That’s why I never said a word about the Harrison thing, Char. It was frustrating seeing you keep it from everyone, but I was doing the same thing, so I stopped pushing the issue.”
I nod. It makes sense now. I was always so surprised she didn’t tell my parents about Harrison.
“Charlotte?” Mom prompts.
I lick my suddenly dry lips. “I thought you might disapprove,” I confess. “Dating two guys isn’t exactly normal.”
“Nah, poly’s all the rage,” my sister argues. “It’s basically mainstream now.”
I shrug. “I have two boyfriends. That’s fucking weird, okay?”
Oliver snorts.
Mom speaks up again, her tone brooking no arguments. “Guys, here’s the thing: we love you. All of you. For who you are. It doesn’t matter if you have two boyfriends or no boyfriends or you’re getting divorced or dating a girl. We love you, and nothing will ever change that.”