The false calm immediately dropped away and her eyes narrowed. “And what did I walk in on, Hector Luis? You taking advantage of that poor boy? I didn’t bring him here for you to paw at him.”
Hector flinched at the use of his first and middle names. He was in trouble, but not as much trouble as if she’d used his full name. Then it clicked what she’d said. She wasn’t concerned that she’d walked in to find her son kissing another man. She was upset because she thought he was taking advantage of Miguel.
“I’m not taking advantage of Miguel, Mamá. I swear. I like him, and we’re trying to figure things out.” He paused for a moment. “You’re not mad that I was uh…kissing another man?”
Lupita drew herself up. She didn’t come any higher than Hector’s breast bone, but he still took a step back.
“Hector Luis Castillo Rivas! What kind of woman do you think I am? I’ve loved Miguel since he was a baby. He’s gay, and I’ve never judged him or treated him different because of that. Do you think I’d be a hypocrite and judge my own son for having those same feelings?”
Hector shook his head. “No. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t.” She gave him the mother of all side-eyes, but stopped berating him. “You were very close when you were boys. To be honest, I’m surprised nothing has happened between you before.”
“It hasn’t,” he confirmed.
“Then why is it happening now? Convenience?”
“Not convenience. More like realization.” He got another side-eye, but this one wasn’t as intense.
“I still think you need to be careful not to take advantage of Miguel. He’s had a rough couple of years. He needs someone who can be there for him, make him feel good about himself. Not someone who hides him away from their family.”
“I’m not hiding anything, Mamá.”
“Then why haven’t I heard about this before now?”
“We’re just taking it slow. That’s all.”
Lupita eyed him silently for several long moments. Hector was a half second away from squirming like a guilty teenager when she finally spoke.
“As long as that’s all it is. I have to go, but you think about what I said.”
Hector nodded and leaned down for his mother to kiss his cheek. He watched her get in the car and drive off, thinking about what she’d said. He wasn’t hiding Miguel away, was he? Maybe not intentionally. That was just how it had worked out. But maybe he did need to make that leap and come out of the apartment. If he was comfortable kissing and dry humping Miguel on his couch, he ought to be comfortable being seen with him in public.
He went back inside. Miguel was still where he’d been when Hector left. He looked up, worry all over his face.
“What did she say? Was she mad? Is she going to tell my mom? Oh my god, my mom is going to kill me for not telling her what was going on with us.”
“She told me not to take advantage of you. She was mad, but at me, not you. And I’m pretty sure she’s calling her as we speak.”
“Great. Aunt Lupita hates me because she thinks I turned her son gay.”
Hector laughed and went to sit next to him. “Hey, didn’t you hear what I said? She was mad at me because she thought I was taking advantage of you. You on the other hand are the innocent angel who needs to be taken care of.”
Miguel wrinkled his nose. “I’m not.”
Hector tipped his chin up. “You are. And in case you might be thinking it, I’m not ashamed of you. You know that, right?”
Miguel nodded. “I know.”
“Good. Because it’s time for us to go out on a date.”
Chapter 11
“You’re nervous.”
Miguel got out of the SUV and stepped to the side so Hector could close the door behind him. He started to deny that assessment, but he decided it was better to be truthful. Besides, his silence and clenched jaw during the drive there made his anxiousness pretty obvious.
After mutually agreeing to take the next step and venture out in public, they’d decided to go to the movies. Hector had been surprisingly gung-ho, immediately picking a film to see and getting dressed to go out. Miguel expected him to be more hesitant on his first date out with another man, but so far that didn’t seem to be the case.