Chapter 19 Dinner With a Side of Disapproval #3
"Tyler, keep your voice down," Mom hisses, glancing around the restaurant.
"Why? Are you embarrassed?" I challenge. "Because I'm not. I'm proud to be with Ethan, and I won't pretend otherwise to make you comfortable."
Dad places a calming hand on my arm. "Tyler, let's all take a breath—"
"It's fine," Ethan interrupts quietly. "Really, it's okay."
But it's not okay. His expression reminds me of something he told me once about his parents, how they'd gone from loving and supportive to cold and distant when he came out. How they'd tried to set him up with girls from church, pretending his sexuality was just a phase he needed to outgrow.
"It's not okay," I say firmly, looking at my mother. "Mom, I care about Ethan. A lot. This isn't a phase or an experiment. And if you can't respect my relationship, then—"
"Then what?" Mom challenges. "You'll throw away your family for someone you've known for a month? Really, Tyler, I thought we raised you to be more sensible than that."
Before I can respond, Ethan stands abruptly. "Excuse me for a moment," he says, his voice tight. "I need to use the restroom."
As he walks away, I turn back to my mother. "Are you happy now? You've made him uncomfortable, possibly hurt him, all because you can't accept that I'm dating a man."
"That's not fair," Mom protests. "I'm just concerned that you're rushing into something you don't fully understand."
"No, you're hoping that if you ignore this long enough, it'll go away," I retort. "But it won't. My feelings for Ethan won't change."
Dad sighs heavily. "Amanda, we talked about this. Tyler is an adult. He can make his own choices about who to date."
"But he's never shown any interest in men before," Mom insists. "This is so sudden, so out of character."
"It wasn't sudden for me," I tell her, lowering my voice. "I've had these feelings before, but never felt safe exploring them. Now I have, and I've found someone who makes me happy. Really happy, Mom. Why can't that be enough for you?"
She looks away, her expression troubled. "I just want what's best for you."
"Ethan is what's best for me right now," I say firmly. "And if you keep acting like this, you will force me to choose between you and him. Is that what you want?"
Mom's eyes widen, and I see a flash of genuine fear on her face. "Of course not."
"Then please, try to accept this," I say, my voice softening. "Try to accept him. For me."
Mom looks down at her plate, not answering directly. "I need time, Tyler."
Dad reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. "She'll come around, son. This is new territory for us, too."
I'm about to reply when Ethan returns, his face composed but his eyes revealing his distress. He slides back into his seat with a quiet, "Sorry about that."
"Everything okay?" Fingers settle on his knee beneath the tablecloth, reassuring.
"Fine," he says, with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.
Dad clears his throat. "So, Ethan, Tyler mentioned you're from Chicago originally?"
"Yes," Ethan nods, seeming grateful for the neutral topic. "North side."
"Beautiful city. Amanda and I visited last spring, didn't we, dear? The architecture tour was fascinating."
Mom nods stiffly. "Yes, very educational."
The conversation limps along through the remainder of dinner.
Dad valiantly tries to keep things flowing, asking Ethan about Chicago, his studies, and his plans.
Ethan answers politely but briefly, the earlier openness gone.
I keep my hand on his knee, a silent apology for putting him in this situation.
Mom makes a visible effort to be civil but continues to refer to Ethan as my "friend" and avoids asking him direct questions. When the waiter asks if we want dessert, I'm relieved when everyone declines.
As Dad signals for the check, Mom excuses herself to the restroom. The moment she's out of earshot, Dad turns to Ethan.
"I want to apologize for my wife," he says, his voice full of sincerity. "She's... struggling with this change, but she loves Tyler. She'll come around eventually."
"It's okay," Ethan says, looking surprised by the direct admission. "I understand it can be a shock."
"No, it's not okay," Dad says firmly. "You seem like a fine young man, and Tyler clearly thinks the world of you. That should be enough for us." He turns to me. "I'm proud of you, son. For being true to yourself."
Swallowing against the unexpected lump in my throat, I say. "Thanks, Dad."
Mom returns, and Dad handles the check over my protests. As we prepare to leave, I keep my arm protectively around Ethan's shoulders, showing my mom that I'm not backing down.
Outside the restaurant, Dad gives me another hug, then extends his hand to Ethan. "It was very nice to meet you, Ethan. I hope we'll have the chance to get to know each other better."
"I'd like that," Ethan replies, shaking his hand.
Mom hesitates, then offers Ethan a tight smile. "Goodbye, Ethan. Take care."
The four of us stand awkwardly for a moment before Dad says, "Well, we should get going. I have an early flight tomorrow. Tyler, I'll call you next week."
"Sounds good. Safe travels."
We watch them walk to their car; Mom’s back is stiff, and Dad’s hand is on her elbow. Neither of us speaks until they've driven away.
"I'm so sorry," Guilt crashes down, turning toward Ethan immediately. "That was awful. I shouldn't have pushed you to come."
Ethan shakes his head. "It's not your fault. You warned me your mom might be difficult."
"But I promised it would be fine, and then it wasn't." I run a hand through my hair in frustration. "She was completely out of line."
"It's okay, Tyler. Really. I've handled worse." His voice sounds calm, but the closed-off look on his face makes me worry.
"It's not okay," I insist. "The way she kept bringing up Cher and refusing to see our relationship was rude to both of us."
Ethan sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Parents can be complicated. Every Christmas, my parents still send me articles about therapy at the church." He attempts a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "At least your dad was nice."
"He was, wasn't he?" Trying to focus on the bright spot in tonight’s disaster. "I think he likes you."
"He seems great," Ethan agrees. "Very supportive."
We walk to Gavin's car without speaking, both stuck in our own heads. As I unlock the doors, I glance at Ethan. The streetlight shines on his face, and he looks far away.
"Hey," I say softly. "Are we okay?"
He looks up, seeming to come back from wherever his thoughts had taken him. "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?"
"I don't know. You just seem... far away."
Ethan shakes his head. "I'm just processing. It brought up some stuff about my parents."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not tonight," he says, offering a small smile. "Tonight, I just want to go back to your place and forget this dinner happened."
Pulling him into my arms, I hold him close. "I can help with that," I murmur against his hair. "And Ethan? Thank you for doing this. For meeting them, even though it was hard."
He looks up at me, his green eyes serious. "I'd do much harder things for you, Tyler Landis."
The way he says it, so sure and honest, makes my chest feel strange. I lean down to kiss him, trying to show him everything I'm feeling. How thankful I am, how sorry I am about dinner, and something bigger inside me that I'm not quite ready to put into words yet.
When we break apart, I rest my forehead against his. "Let's go home."
On the drive back to campus, Ethan is quieter than usual, looking out the window as the city lights blur past. I reach over to take his hand, and he squeezes mine, but his mind seems elsewhere.
The question won't stop circling my mind. Was tonight a catastrophic mistake? Has bringing Ethan to meet my parents so early damaged the something still growing between us?
My chest feels tight just thinking about it. In a short time, Ethan has become more important to me than I ever thought possible. I can't stand the thought of losing him because my mom was so close-minded.
"I meant what I said to my mom," I say suddenly. "You're what's best for me right now. I don't want you to doubt that because of anything she said."
Ethan turns to me, his expression softening. "I don't doubt you, Tyler."
But I can't shake the feeling that something's changed, that a seed of doubt has taken root. As we pull into the frat house parking lot, I make a quiet promise to myself that I'll show Ethan what we have is real, no matter what my mom or anyone else thinks.