The Lie:
It’s a preference. It’s not natural.
The Truth:
The first time he felt attracted to another, he was twelve years old. His parents had sheltered him enough that he had never heard the word “homosexual”. So why couldn’t he get the brunette’s body (some would say it was lanky; the boy saw its elegance) out of his mind? Why did he keep imagining touching that other boy’s sides? Was that natural?
It didn’t feel wrong to him. But he was wise enough to keep it a secret from his parents.
***
“I wish I were a girl,” he tells his aunt.
She laughs. Her steady hand applies eye shadow to her daughter’s eyelid. “Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I could wear makeup.” I could like boys.
“Oh.” She knocks a brush on her wrist. “Hm. Boys can wear makeup.”
Her eyes meet his. He holds her gaze.
“Boys can do all those things.” She taps his nose.
Unfortunately, that is not his parents’ truth.
I got this idea from the Three Things Challenge. Loved the prompt.