Dearly Beloved

vi. The Coming Out

Waking up beside Billy was the most wonderful thing in the world. He looked so peaceful and cute when he was asleep. His lips were a bit parted, his eye lids extended to their maximum and his hair was untidy but nice to look at. Dom ran softly a finger down Billy’s cheek. This move woke the boy up. He beamed at Dom.

“G’Mornin’.”, he said sleepily.

“Mornin’ sweety. “ Dom placed a short kiss on his boyfriend’s nose and got up, though he didn’t want to.

“Can’t we stay at home today? Call school and tell we’re sick?”

Dom burst out laughing.

“And this comes from the perhaps most responsible student ever! No, my luv, we have to get up.”

After putting on his jeans he once more lay down beside Billy and nuzzled his neck.

“I also would like to stay here with you…” Dom paused. “…but my mum would kill me if she found out. And she would. Come one, it’s already ten to eight!”

Dom started childishly jumping up and down on the bed while crying “Wake up! Wake up!” until Billy finally did.

They ate breakfast together and took off to school. Dom didn’t want to cycle today, he wanted to spend the rest of the time before lessons started with Billy. And telling him about yesterday evening. He had decided that it had been a mistake not to tell Billy. Yesterday had been a bad time though, with getting to know that guy and stuff.

“My Mum found a new guy.”

“What?” Billy sounded surprised. “Ah thought she never wanted to…”

“Yeah, I thought that, too. Seems we were wrong, huh? What I wanted to say is that guy she met ate dinner with us yesterday evening. And I kind of got a bad feeling about him. He’s untrustworthy.”

“What makes ye think that?”

“It’s the way he speaks, so…slimy you know. I don’t like that guy.” He paused to calm down. “He’s a teacher by the way, so he kept asking me all these school questions and so on-”

“What’s his name?”, Billy suddenly interrupted Dom.

“Josh. Josh Holloway. Why?”

“Believe it or not. He’s our new history teacher.”, answered Billy holding out a little paper.

Dom stopped walking, jaw dropped and eyes wide open.

“You gotta be kidding me. He said he was a teacher but he didn’t mention a word that he would be teaching here! Bastard!” He started moving his feet again, but he was shaking with rage. “How the hell do things like this happen???”

“Ye remember Miss Burke got sick and couldn’t teach for while? Like yesterday? Well, guess what, she wasn’t ill at all. She got pregnant and decided to move away with her new husband. It’s all said in the leaflet we got yesterday at school. Tell me, Dommie, where’ve ye been the last few days?”

“This has to be some kind of practical joke!” He gnashed his teeth. “And if it is, it’s not a good one!”

But it wasn’t. Dominic could see it for himself when he entered his class room and Josh was already standing there with the Principle. He introduced Josh to the class as “Mr. Holloway” and that he would be the new History and English teacher here at their school. Dom sank into his chair. He wanted to dig a hole and hide himself in there for the rest of the school year. Hell on earth. Thanks, Mum.

“We will start with a little European History. Who can tell me…” and the rest of the sentence didn’t even reach Dominic anymore. He focused instead on Billy’s neck, which was in front of him and imagined himself nibbling, kissing and licking it. That was the best he could do right now. He couldn’t possibly pay attention to “Mr. Holloway’s” lesson! This was simply ridiculous! Out of pure boredom he wrote a little note and secretly passed it over to Billy.

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

“Dominic, Billy, can you please pay attention! Billy, what you have got there? Give me that please.” Dom couldn’t stand Josh’s so called politeness but the worst thing was that Josh had caught them. And if he really read the note it was all over. Please don’t read it, please don’t read it… And apparently Dom’s praying helped. Josh only took the note and put it away in his trouser pocket. Billy meanwhile made “thumbs up” behind his back to give Dom the sign that he had read the note and agreed with it.

Five minutes left till break and Josh didn’t mean to stop his lesson. He went on teaching, giving homework and then – at last – shortly before the bell rang he released the class. Well, almost the whole class.

“Billy, Dominic, could you please come to my desk.”

The bell rang, the pupils stormed out of the room, until Billy, Dom and Josh were alone. At once Josh took out the note and – read it out loud.

“Hey Billy wanna have some fun after school I really need to feel you after this whole crazy circus love Dom.”

Dominic’s facial color turned red and he looked like his head was transforming into a tomato.

“Now, I am not against homosexuality but keep your gang-bang out of my class. Detention for both of you this afternoon. And not for being gay but for not paying attention. I’m sorry our first school meeting has to end that way, Dominic, but you’ll see it will only do you good. Both of you.”

Josh’s voice hadn’t risen or had been angry, but calm and steady, as if he would talk about the weather. He let them go after he had said what he wanted to, but not before telling them which books they should borrow from the library for detention.

“Great. Now he knows me all way through.”, Dom whispered as both Billy and him made their to the library.

“Didn’t ye tell him that ye were gay?”

“No. It kind of was mentioned yesterday but me and Mum changed the subject very quickly.” Dom sighed with pain. “I didn’t mean to come out to him that early. And in that way.”