"You put your arms around me and I'm home".

~Christina Perri

Alex

My father's sister, Aunt Claire, a quiet woman with strong opinions, was a homicide detective. She had joined the police force, out of spite towards my father, since he looked down on women on the police force. By now she loved her profession. She, alongside my grandfather, were amongst the few family members I could stand. Sadly, she couldn't come today.

The aunt, that arrived last night, was an extrovert who stuck her nose in everyone's business. Aunt Susan, who was a CFO at some make-up factory, had come along with her two kids -her husband, Lucas, coming today. Her kids, twelve-year-old girl Sarah and seven-year-old Balthazar, were both stubborn and entitled.

And of course, my mother's family was flying in from New York. My grandparents, an elderly couple who judged everything, were about to arrive. And I was contemplating whether to raid our liquor cabinet.

Spent a day with my relatives or get murdered by my father?

Getting murdered seemed rather appealing right about now.

My mother's brother Sean was also coming; a widowed family man, and his three children, Alexa, Riley, and Paul. They were, respectively, five, nine and fourteen years old. Five years ago their mother had died from a car crash, on her seventh month of pregnancy. She hadn't survived, but the doctors were able to save sweet, little Alexa. From the whole bunch, Alexa was the one closest to me.

She loved to hear me play music -not that the others didn't- but Alexa... she loved it. To some extent, I saw the passion I possessed in her eyes when she watched me. The others had an average expression of awe when they saw my fingers dance over the piano keys.

"I don't like it," Sarah said examining me, or should I say, my hair. I tried so hard to not roll my eyes until I saw my brain. Yes, sweetheart, I didn't do it for you. "I mean, I get the appeal of colored hair -it's different. But yours is ugly". I smiled with anger at her, clasping my hands together so I couldn't do anything I'd regret. She was not even twelve, yet she had the attitude of a forty-year-old soccer mom. Annoying little brat.

"And it's so long... it's girly," Bal added, taking -as usual- his big sister's side.

"Hair is hair, it doesn't matter if it's long or short," I told him, with a flat voice. Both children gave me a hard glare. My hair wasn't even that long. It barely reached my jawline.

"Kids stop berating your cousin. We're here to celebrate his birthday," their mother scolded, moving her wine glass to her lips. "Though, why did you color your hair?" she asked, sitting down next to me. We hadn't seen each other for the better part of two years, and two years ago my hair still had its natural color. I had in fact colored my hair a year and a half ago.

"He wanted to rebel!" said Chris, who came up behind me, messing up my hair. I had almost forgotten he would be joining us.

"No, I was in the mood for a change," I corrected and pushed his hands off me.

"Hm," Aunt Susan muttered with a sideways glance and lots of judgment. Oh, shut up already!

"Alex? Happy birthday!" a soft feminine voice called, and I turned to look at Anna, my brother's official girlfriend. I rose and returned the hug she offered. Finally, someone I liked.

"Thank you," I told her and pulled her to come and sit down next to me. I hoped my expression made it clear to her that I needed saving.

"So, how's school?" Anna asked, making Aunt Susan nod along, as she wanted to hear the answer too.

"The same as always..." I said.

"Alex got into a fight last month," Chris noted, sitting down next to Anna, on the couch's handle.

"A fight?" Aunt Susan repeated shocked.

"I was defending this classmate of mine," I explained vaguely. I swear to God Chris...

"Was he being bullied? Bullying is bad..." Sarah quickly said, flicking her brown hair back, and fixing her skirt to not get wrinkles.

"This kid left my school because my friends bullied him..." Bal added, not looking even the slightest regretful.

"And you are still friends with them?" Anna asked softly. The boy nodded, his dark brown hair bouncing at the movement.

A kid had left his school because of his friends bullying him and he wasn't even remotely upset?

"The kid was annoying," Bal noted, shrugging.

Where is Alexa?

As soon as I heard the doorbell, around fifteen minutes later, I bolted to it. I couldn't stand them any longer. I felt as if I was suffocating. My grandparents were standing by the door and both gave me a wrinkled sour smile.

"Happy birthday, Alexander," my grandfather said, and he walked past me as a thank you left my lips. My grandmother followed him and then a black-haired little girl jumped onto me.

"Alex!" she squeaked at me.

"Alexa!" I replied, mimicking her tone.

"It feels like I haven't seen you for an eternity," she moaned.

"It's only been five months," her father said, rolling his eyes at us.

"To us, it's an eternity," she replied, with a huff. I set her down and turned to greet her siblings and father.

"Riley, Paul, Sean, how are you doing?" I asked them, giving to all of them from a small, fast hug. I could feel Alexa holding me tight by my dark blue, button-up shirt.

"Oh, we're fine. Happy birthday," Sean replied and walked to the living room with two of his children, leaving Alexa with me.

"So, how are you doing, baby girl?" I asked her, picking her up and heading towards the living room with her.

Alexa shared a lot of features with my mother. She had her blue eyes, with the brown ring near her pupil, and her light brown hair. That meant that she also looked a lot like Chris, but hey, she was way cuter than my brother.

"Did you know that cats are able to see in the dark? Mister Huffington never told me that!" she replied, playing with my hair. Mister Huffington, her cat, was an old black Persian with the most beautiful blue eyes. "I'm thinking about getting him a wife but Dad doesn't want another cat. How are you doing?"

"The usual..."

"Say, Alex, what do you know about soulmates?" she, then, asked making me stop short, moments before I entered the living room.

"They, um, understand you better than anyone. They're always there for you and they love you..."

"No, I meant about the soulmate bond," she urged me.

"Well, it's like talking on the phone, but without the phone. Why're you asking?"

"Because Paul said his bond was formed, but he and his soulmate don't go along well," she explained, lowering her gaze. Oh...

"He's fourteen, boys his age don't go along with girls that good," I told her, dismissing it. Had I started talking with Hunt back when we were fourteen we wouldn't be going along either.

Now with everyone here, time didn't seem to pass at all. Without trying to look rude, I occasionally checked my phone, but I was quick every time. My father would hang me if he saw me on my phone.

From politics to religion to social problems. Those were the discussions we were having. I didn't understand why we were even discussing them since everyone agreed on everything. Weren't discussions supposed to have lots of different opinions? Maybe change points of view? Well, not in this household.

"We're considering changing school. This cannot be acceptable," Aunt Susan was saying to my father. We were sitting at the dining table, Aunt Susan filling up another glass of wine as she spoke up.

"We don't care if she wants to identify as a dog. But she cannot expect kids to understand it. And the fact that she is forcing it is disgusting," Lucas went on, agreeing with his wife. Noticing almost everyone's confused expressions he rushed to explain. "Balthazar's teacher told the children she was genderqueer without consulting the parents. She even expects them to use gender-neutral pronouns".

"Being genderqueer means that they may express feminine, masculine or neither attributes". The words were out of my lips before I could catch them.

All sets of eyes fell on me and I sank in my chair. Well, shit.

"Whatever," Susan said through gritted teeth, "she is forcing our child -"

"To instead of saying 'she' say 'they'? How horrid!" I replied with as much as sarcasm as I could muster. The stares got even more pointed. I could tell my father was about to explode, considering he was red from fury. Fuck it. "And comparing genderqueer people to dogs is extremely offensive. Not that any of you care about that".

"Alexander..." my father started saying.

"These are actual people you understand that, right? They have lives; they work; they love just like everyone. The only difference is that they face constant discrimination from people like you!"

"Alex! You are being rude and you're interrupting a peaceful dinner. You're acting the same way you acted during Clifford's funeral!" my father yelled, sitting up from his chair and leaning towards me. Immediately, I shot up too.

"During Clifford's funeral, I was upset and mourning. Excuse me for having a heart. And do you honestly expect me to sit back and listen to you offend other people?"

"Are you high again?"

"Alex, how are you doing?"

My father's and Hunter's question came at the same time and something inside of me broke when I heard them both. Without answering either, I turned around and left my house. I could hear someone calling after me, but I didn't stop. I didn't care. I couldn't take it. I needed air.

"Alex?" Anna whispered, meeting me at the front door. She was holding Alexa by the hand and both had a similar face of worry.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked them and turned to my car.

"Alexa wanted to follow you, so I offered to escort her. How are you holding up?" Anna explained and grabbed me from the shoulder as I unlocked my car. "Where are you going?" For a second I was left biting my lower lip. Finally, I turned around.

"Can you two keep a secret?" I asked them, my voice cracking.

"Absolutely," Anna said shaking her head.

"You know I can," Alexa replied with pride she was too young to have.

"Come on".

Without further explanation, we got into the car and I started driving. I didn't say anything to them until we arrived and even then I only told them to follow me.

Reaching down I grabbed the spare key, hidden behind a fake rock, I knew about and unlocked the front door. Alexa followed me with a skip in her pace -she loved it when I shared secrets with her; they made her feel special-. Anna was a bit more hesitant, but she did follow me. A couple of moments after I knocked I heard someone fumble with the lock.

"Dad, I told you not to forget-" Hunter stopped short, seeing who was standing before him. "Alex..." he whispered.

"Hunter meet Alexa, my cousin, and Anna, my brother's girlfriend. Girls meet Hunter... my soulmate," I introduced them, making both Hunt and Anna stare at me wide-eyed. Alexa, on the other hand, smiled at Hunter and gave him a hug.

A few minutes later, we were sitting in the living room, Alexa and Aurora having gone to Aurora's room. Hunter was sitting next to me, holding my hand, while Anna was sitting on an armchair to our left.

"We've known for a month now," I was telling Anna.

"And your parents... they don't know?" she asked, still trying to wrap her head around it.

"My father knows I'm gay. And he also knows we're dating. He's even met Alex," Hunter replied. "He's fine with it. He's always been fine with it".

"It must be torture for you..." she, then, said to me. "Hearing your parents, Chris... your whole family being homophobic".

"From what Alex tells me they have issues with all queer people," Hunter interfered.

"Yeah, but you guys are gay so..."

"Actually, I'm bisexual. I like girls and boys," I corrected her.

"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming". And again, she fell silent. We spent some moments in silence until Aurora and Alexa returned.

"So, your soulmate is a boy," Alexa said, coming to stand before me. I nodded, not moving my eyes from hers.

"Yes, I only like boys, while Alex likes boys and girls," Hunter told her gently. I turned my gaze to him. He was currently wearing glasses, this big, squared black one's that even though seemed odd to my eyes, suited him.

"My daddy and Alex's dad call people like you fags. I once heard Bal and Paul once use that word. But I feel like it's a bad word... is it a bad word?" I gave Hunter a sideways glance.

"Yes, it is a bad word," I told Alexa.

"It's a word that tries to put us down for loving each other. At the end of the day, though, Alexa, love shouldn't be judged," Hunter added, pinching her cheek. She giggled at the touch and looked at me.

"I like him. Keep him," she told me. Smiling, I turned to look at Hunter.

"Yeah, I like him too," I replied. He was wearing a baby blue T-shirt and light grey sweatpants. His hair was a mess and I could make out some paint on his hands. Had he been painting?

"Does he know your secret?" she, then, asked making me snap towards her with wide eyes.

"Not until now..." I told her, smiling painfully.

"What's your secret?" Hunter asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"I, um... have a tattoo," I replied not looking at him.

"What?!" Anna exclaimed.

"What is it?" Hunter asked excitedly.

"Well, I can't show it to you right now..." I replied and looked at him.

"Where is it?" he, then, asked with an even bigger smile cracking his face. I could hear Anna just muttering small "oh my god" over and over again, but I didn't turn to look at her.

"Next to my hip bone," I answered, moving my finger over the left side of my lower abdomen. "It's the word 'crescendo', a music term, and it means to slowly increase the intensity. Get stronger," I explained not breaking eye contact with him. Suddenly, Anna cleared her throat making us both turn to her.

"Your parents will be worried. We should get going".

"I don't care about them. Though Alexa's father shouldn't have to worry," I replied and she sat up.

"We'll wait downstairs. It was nice meeting you Hunter," she hastily said and practically dragged Alexa out of the house. Without saying anything, Aurora went back to her room and closed her door.

"So," Hunter started clearing his throat, "do you want to talk about what happened with your family, Cliff?" My expression fell and I flinched back. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize, I don't mind. But I don't want to talk about them anymore," I told him and leaned towards him. I stopped right before our lips met and waited for him to close the gap between us. The kiss got deeper and deeper and then...

"Hunt, why is Alex's car parked..." Hunter's father stopped short as he reached the living room and caught us making out. "Oh, hello Alex," he greeted me and went to put down the groceries he was holding to the kitchen.

"Um... Aaron, hi," I said, scratching the back of my neck. It felt weird calling him by his first name, but he did insist.

"How come you stopped by Alex?" Aaron asked with a smile as he approached us.

"I had a family gathering and I... couldn't take it anymore," I replied my voice breaking. I felt Hunter's hand on my shoulder and I lowered my gaze.

"Well, feel free to stay here until you cool off," he said and turned around to head back to the kitchen.

"Thanks, but I really should get going," I called back and stood up. "I'll tell you if anything else happens," I told Hunter, gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and left.