Page 80 of Tangled Up In You
The article started off with Mark Harris—the writer—talking about the events of the past few weeks and how there’d been various rumors circulating about Corbin’s silence on the matter. So many people wanted answers, and his silence had done nothing but add fuel to the fire.
And now he’s here to tell his story,the article read.
Mark:First of all, thank you for agreeing to the interview. It’s not easy to have your personal life on display like this.
Corbin:No problem. Thank you for having me.
Mark:So, everyone wants to know…is it true? Are you gay? And if so, why did you feel the need to keep it quiet all these years?
Corbin:(nervous smile as he runs a hand through his hair) You just cut right to the chase, huh? Yes. I’m gay. I wish it would’ve been my decision and on my terms to come out, but I guess that’s why I wanted to do this interview. Not just to confirm one way or the other that I’m gay but also to explainwhyI didn’t come out sooner.
Let me start by saying: I amnotashamed to be gay. That was never the issue. What held me back all these years was my fear of how people would react, not just in my everyday life but also in my career.
I didn’t want my sexuality to define me.
Mark:That’s a powerful statement. Do you feel that’s what happens to other celebrities?
Corbin:Not only with celebrities, but everyone. The world is obsessed with who’s sleeping in whose bed. And if you’redifferent—I hate using that word—then you’re made a spectacle. I didn’t want to be Corbin Taylor, the gay quarterback. I just wanted to be Corbin—to be known for what I did in life, and not narrowed down to who I loved.
Mark:Speaking of love…is there a special guy in your life?
Corbin: (Smiles) Yes. There is. I’m not going to say more about him—yet—but he’s the main reason why I’m even here with you right now. He gave me the courage to face all of this. Despite the recent turmoil, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
And to any young guy or girl who’s reading this right now, struggling with your own truth…know you aren’t alone. You belong in this world, and you deserve to be happy too.
After finishing the rest of the article—that went on to discuss Corbin’s goals for the future and his relief at finally being able to be himself—I debated on calling him, but with lunch already being so short, I decided to go to the teacher’s lounge to heat up the lasagna I’d brought instead.
Standing in front of the microwave always seemed to last ages. Waiting for my food to heat, I smiled as I recalled parts of Corbin’s interview; how he’d mentioned being in love. I was thankful he didn’t call me out in the article, and I knew it wasn’t because he was ashamed of my ‘nobody’status, but more so because he didn’t want to invade myprivacy like his had been.
All of my coworkers seemed to know, however, by the sly smiles they gave me as I stood in the teacher’s lounge.
The math teacher, Christina, was sitting at the small table by the window and reading something on her tablet. She was only six years older than me, so out of the faculty at the high school, I was closest to her. We shared a love for the classics, which was how we started talking over the years. Oftentimes, we’d sit at lunch and discuss ideas to get the students more engaged in learning and bounce thoughts off each other.
“Mind if I sit?” I asked, motioning to the empty chair across from her.
She jumped and hid the screen on her device. “Oh, of course I don’t mind. Sit.”
Pressing my lips into a line, I sat down and tried not to laugh. “You’re reading Corbin’s article, aren’t you?”
“That obvious?” she asked as a sheepish expression crossed her face. When I nodded, she gave a defeated sigh before taking a drink of her iced tea. “Is it crazy to say I already kind of knew? After seeing you two together these past months, it was clear as day.”
I didn’t think he and I’d been that obvious, especially in public, but it wasn’t surprising that Christina had picked up on it.
“That man looks at you like you’re the sun and he’s just the planet circling it,” Christina said, regarding me with a warm smile. “It’s not every day you find someone like that.”
For the rest of the day, I was in a sort of haze. Just like Corbin had said in the interview, I’d never been so happy. Being a major worry wart, I often thought of everything that could go wrong when things were going great in my life.
Like when Cor and I’d been eighteen and talking about our future of going to the same college and spending our life together…and then having it all crash and burn. It was just second nature for me to worry and stress.
I no longer felt that way with Corbin.
Call it fate or call it coincidence, but finding each other again after all these years and both of us still having that spark, I knew we could make it through anything.
***
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I said to Corbin, who was currently adjusting the camera on his laptop, giving me a close-up view of his bare torso and unbelievable muscles.
“Well, believe it, baby,” he replied in that sexy voice of his. “I’ve never had cam sex. How the fuck does this…oh, okay. Got it.”
