I woke up the next morning feeling like I had slept for the first time in a year. For once, I didn't have dreams that left me anxious. I just slept. I didn't have work until that night so I enjoyed the cocoon of covers I had enveloped myself in.

I heard a knock on my door.

Who the fuck is waking me up?

I didn't answer but the knocked again. I figured if it was an intruder they wouldn't have knocked.

"Alex?" I heard coming from the other side of the door.

It was my cousin Laura.

"Grrrrr." I muttered in contempt. I wanted to sleep.

"Making sure you're alone in there."

I laughed, "Yeah it's just me."

She entered with way too sweet of a smile on her face. I knew I was about to have to do something I didn't want to.

"Good Morning, favorite cousin of mine."

I rolled my eyes, "What do you need?"

Laura sighed and cut the crap. "My car is in the shop. Can I borrow yours?"

I shook my head, "No one drives Bluey but me."

And maybe Tyler.

"Come on, Alex, I want to go surprise Gavin. It's our anniversary today."

"How many years? Twenty?"

She rolled her eyes this time, "Officially, it's four years. But I think we started liking each other when we were in diapers."

I curled my nose slightly, "You two got together when he was in the tenth grade and you were in eighth? Ew."

She stuck her tongue out at me, "It's only a two grade gap."

"Laura, you started school early."

"Oh whatever. Who cares anyways. I'm seventeen now too."

Barely.

"I can drop you off. I'd like to see Dylan anyways."

Laura's brother Dylan was roommates with Gavin. He had been distant the last year or so and no one could figure out why. When any of us tried to get information out of Gavin it was like hitting a stone wall. Laura couldn't even crack him.

Laura clapped her hands together. "Thank you Alex!"

I threw on some sweats and we headed out. Their apartment was only a ten minute drive away and yet I hadn't seen Dylan in months outside of James' graduation a few weeks ago.

Laura knew the path to the boys' apartment a lot better than I did. I could guess she spent a lot of time over here with Gavin.

I went to knock and she said, "Don't bother I have a key." 

Laura grabbed a key ring out of her purse and dangled it as proof. I stepped aside and let her have at it. She opened the door and we saw two bodies fly apart.

Did I just see? No. What the fuck?

I couldn't process at first what I had seen. But there Dylan was, out of breath, shirtless. The other person was a muscular, dark chocolate, Black man.

"Fuck, Dylan, I thought you were gone to Jaylen's this weekend."

Jaylen? Who the fuck is Jaylen? Laura knows this guy?

"Gavin's not here, Laura. He went to the gym. Won't be back for a while."

I could tell Dylan was trying to keep his cool but he was pissed that his little sister had just walked in on this. Or was it because I was here? 

We just stood there awkwardly.  

I decided to break the ice, "I'm Alex, their cousin." 

I pushed past Laura to greet this stranger.

"Jaylen McQueen." I held out my hand and he shook it. I could see the tension start to melt a little in him at least. 

I looked over at Dylan, "Is this why, you've barely been home this last year? Dude you live ten minutes from us and I saw you more when I lived in Texas than I have seen you since you graduated."

"It's complicated, Lexi."

"Does Aunt Clair and Uncle Jim know?"

"No!" Laura and Dylan said at the same time.

"Neither does James." Laura added.

"Only Gavin and Laura know."

"Gavin because he lives here and Laura because she basically lives here."

Dylan nodded shyly.

"Okay, cool. I'll keep my mouth shut. But honestly, who the fuck cares? You like dudes? Just dudes? Girls too? Who the fuck cares?"

"I like her." Jaylen quipped. "Where are you from with that sweet southern accent?"

I smiled, "Texas."

"Love it."

He sounded so sassy. I loved him instantly.

I looked back at Laura, "Why don't I just take you back home and you can text Gavin to come and get you when he's done with the gym?"

She nodded, quietly. 

I looked back at Dylan, "You know I love you no matter what, right?"

Dylan nodded slowly. I walked over and gave him a hug.

He hugged me tighter than I expected, "Love you too, Lexi."

Laura and I headed back out to my car.

She was trembling, "I cannot believe I just outed him." She started sobbing.

"It was an accident."

"He's going to be so mad."

"Laur, I'm not going to say anything. To anyone. Not James, our parents, Tyler, anyone."

"He's been struggling with this for years Alex."

"Being gay or telling everyone?"

She wiped a tear away, "Both. He was the big hockey jock. People had expectations for him. He never felt like he could be himself."

I nodded, "I get it. It's hard to live up to other's expectations of you. This is his life Laura. He can't hide it forever. If everyone in our circle can handle Reece and Ryan they can handle Dylan."

"I keep telling him that."

Laura looked at her phone then, "Gavin," she said before answering.

I could tell he was heated too. Sounded like Dylan had beat her to calling him. I sat there quietly while they hashed it out over her needing to call first. It was one of the few times I had ever heard these two fight.

Usually they were very cookie cutter. 

When Laura was done she wiped a tear from her eye and said, "Fuck it. Let's just go home. I don't even want to see him today."

"It's your anniversary Laura."

"Yeah and he seems to not even realize that. So why should I care?"

"Let me see your phone."

"Why?"

"Just let me see your goddamn phone."

She handed it over and I called Gavin back.

"What now?" Gavin answered angrily. 

He was obviously expecting it to be Laura and that pissed me off even more.

"Excuse you?"

"Alex?" Gavin's tone completely changed. 

Really, asshole?

"You didn't even give Laura a chance to explain why we were coming over."

"It doesn't matter, Alex. She doesn't live there. It's not like in high school. She can't just barge in on people."

"Even on their anniversary? She can't surprise her boyfriend on their anniversary?"

Gavin was quiet for a long moment. I almost thought he had hung up.

"Fuck. That's today? I am an asshole."

"Exactly. Now, I am going to take Laura back home. We are going to get her looking even prettier than she looks right now. You are going to get your ass back from the gym, shower, pick up some flowers, and meet us back at her house so you can grovel and make this up to her. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He sounded like a child who had been caught cheating on a test.

"Good. See you in an hour." 

I hung up and handed the phone back to Laura. New tears were flowing. I hoped they weren't sad ones.

"Thank you, Alex." She reached over and hugged me as best she could from the awkward angle in the car.

I hugged her back and said, "Any time. It's a hard situation we just got thrust into. There are a lot of layers to it. We just have to give Dylan time to work it out."

She nodded. I put the car in drive and headed back to her house. Aunt Claire was making cookies. Uncle Jim was having a beer and watching a hockey game with him and James. 

I couldn't have written a more plain Jane moment. I felt bad for Dylan. He felt like he couldn't share his life with his family and here they were having to live life without him here for these small moments.

Laura and I went upstairs to her room to get her ready for a date. By the time we had finished her hair and makeup Gavin was texting that he was on the way.

I went to get the door while Laura was touching up her makeup for the third time that hour. I felt a softball size lump in my throat. Gavin wasn't the only one walking up the driveway.

Dylan and Jaylen were in tow too.

"Laur, get down here!"

"I'm coming!" She made it to the bottom of the stairs at the same time Dylan and Jaylen were coming in. Her jaw dropped.

Dylan hugged her even before Gavin could. 

"Love you." She said tearing up.

"Love you too, little Sis."

Dylan let us get in front of him. Laura and I went to sit on the couch with Gavin and a very confused looking James. Dylan came in the room holding hands with Jaylen. 

Uncle Jim sat up in his recliner and put the footrest down. "Honey, Dylan's here, with a ... friend."

Aunt Claire came racing into the room, "Well this is a surprise! It's not even a holiday and you're gracing us with your presence."

Dylan let go of Jaylen's hand to hug his mother.

"Gavin was coming by to get Laura for a date. I thought maybe Lexi could get Tyler and all of us go out on a triple date?"

Aunt Claire and Uncle Jim looked confused.

"But honey who is your date?" Aunt Claire finally answered.

Dylan gestured and said, "This is my boyfriend, Jaylen. I wanted you to meet him."

Dylans words hung thick in the air. I looked over at James who looked like someone had hit the reset button on his power mode. Uncle Jim looked the same. 

"Well I always thought you would bring home Max one day and tell us you were dating. When did that end?"

Now my jaw was on the floor.

Max? Max Flores?

Dylan's mouth was also wide open, "You knew about Max?"

Gavin was up on his feet now, "Max? Wait what the fuck? Max?"

"Mom, you know you just outed him right?" Laura added.

Aunt Claire put her hand over her mouth, "Oh I am so sorry. Forget I said anything." 

She looked at Jaylen who looked just as confused as the rest of us.

"Who's Max?" He finally said.

Dylan wiped his face with his hand and replied, "Long story." 

Uncle Jim looked at Claire, "You knew?"

"I'm his mother. We pick up on these things."

James looked at Dylan, "I always thought most of you were butt buddies."

"James Wyatt Harrison Jr.!" Aunt Claires mom voice came out.

James held up his hands and said, "What, they've all been friends since they were like five. Are you shocked at the idea that they would all eventually... ya know?"

Gavin looked almost menacingly at James, "Watch it, James. You're towing a line there."

"And Jake has a girl friend. Logan is practically non existent these days so who knows what he's into. But you know Gavin isn't gay." Laura seemed to be doing a checklist out loud. 

"So you're gay?" Uncle Jim seemed to have just made the connection.

"I don't want to label it. But I am dating a man, yes."

Uncle Jim seemed to mull the idea over in his head for a moment then looked at Jaylen, "Do you like hockey?"

"My dad has season tickets to the Leafs. I grew up on it so yeah."

Uncle Jim nodded and then looked at Dylan, "Okay, he can stay."

Dylan's shoulders relaxed. The tension that had been there for the last year could finally start to melt.

Aunt Claire hugged both the boys. I started to text Tyler to see if he could come out too. Luckily, they weren't playing until later that night so he was free for a few hours. 

This was going to be fun filling him in. I wondered if everyone else would keep quiet about the Max revelation or if it would get out too? It wasn't my place to tell Tyler that. This was another instance where keeping my mouth shut would be the better idea. 

With as close as our families had been the last decade or so, I was shocked that Max and Dylan had been able to keep their secret for so long. It just proved that we all had pieces of ourselves that we would rather keep quiet.