Chapter 14

Aaron Kowalski had helped.

Not that Aaron knew that. He hadn’t done anything. Luca certainly hadn’t told him. But Aaron Kowalski was as straight as they came—just like it had been Tav-and-Luca for years now, it had been Aaron-and-Emily for even longer. Aaron liked girls. It was a fact, just like he was blond and his dad was Polish. Aaron was straight—and yet Aaron fussed over his hair every day more than Emily fussed over hers, and wanted to be an actor. He spent more time at his amateur dramatics club than he did at school.

And Aaron being…well, being a bit gay without being gay, that had helped. It had helped Luca realise he wasn’t going to magically change now he knew he liked guys, and it had helped him tell himself—when the fear got too much—that maybe there was a hope his family would realise it, too. That if Aaron could be gay and like girls, Luca could be straight and like boys.