Page 108 of Ambiguous
I stare at Julian and relax at the gentle look in his eyes. Then I brace myself. “It might take them a while to come around, since for years I’ve only been with Kurt. And also, well…”
“They may have heard of me before,” Jules supplies.
“Right.”
I bite my lip. Jules is wearing a tailored sapphire blue velvet jacket, dark gray striped trousers, and pointy shoes. And piles of diamonds—two dragonfly diamond brooches on his lapel, several rings, and an inch of bracelets on his wrist.
Fuck, he looks sexy in a luxe-louche way.
“Are you going to be okay, Sam?”
“Yeah. It’s just that you mean something to me. And I don’t want them treating you like this is a passing fancy.”
He studies my expression and smiles, then leans in and gives me the lightest brush of a kiss. “Likewise. And since you’re not a passing fancy, I think we’ll be all right.”
We walk up to the glass doorway, and I knock and open the door, our usual protocol.
Everyone’s gathered in the living room, chatting and drinking wine.
“Mom, Dad, Pop-Pop, Grandma?” I say, as we walk in holding hands, “This is my new boyfriend, Julian.”
Their jaws drop. They look like fish. Or some big-eyed creature fromStar Wars.
My mom recovers fast, setting down her wine, standing up, and straightening her skirt. She walks over to us and gives me a quick hug, then holds out her hand to shake Julian’s. Her head turns to me. “When you said you were dating someone, you should have told me who it was. Julian, so nice to meet you. I love your music.”
And, oh god, now I remember that she does.
So now I have to share Julian with the whole world and also my mother.
That feels like just a bit too much.
My dad and grandfather come over, and we exchange introductions and get drinks before dinner is served.
I can see my grandfather react to Julian, but he recovers quickly, smiling and shaking his hand. I can see the calculations going on in his head. Will Julian Hill win him more votes or take them away?
He pulls me to the side and gestures between Jules and me, dropping his voice to a murmur. “I’m going to assume this relationship will hold off on coming to light until after the first Tuesday in November?”
“Well, that’s something I want to discuss with you,” I say. “I really don’t want to wait that long. It feels like I’m cheating on Jules when I’m still with Kurt for the cameras, and I don’t want to hurt either of their reputations.”
My grandfather makes a dismissive gesture. “As long as you stay out of the limelight, it will be fine.” His look hardens. “You will do that for me, right?”
I sigh. “Let’s talk about it later, okay?”
He nods as if he thinks he’s won, as usual.
But I meant it about talking later.
Julian, for his part, is utterly adorable, shaking hands and smiling. He takes selfies with my mom and grandmother and appears completely at ease, as usual. He’s the kindest, most polite person I’ve ever met.
He’s tall and bright, a shining star. He clicks with my family. I’ve been so scared that Julian, with his gender-bending fashion choices, might be too much for them, that he’s not the “right kind of gay” and that they’d disapprove of our relationship for fear of losing votes, that I’d forgotten they’re human beings who care about me. They should be good with this.
My stomach unclenches.
When we sit down to dinner in my grandparents’ formal dining room, Jules takes the seat next to me, his legs spread so his knee touches my thigh. It’s comforting and arousing.
Kurt has never given me this kind of support. Kurt’s a friend and confidant but not a true lover or partner.
With Jules, it’s real.
