Timothy’s Terrible Prompt Stories - 3. Prompt 356 Since when do I have to tell you everything?

“Since when do I have to tell you everything?”

Rob ran a hand through his messy blond hair and sighed. Eric was trying to piss him off in order to evade the question. His brother was way too clever, but this time Rob wasn’t going to fall for his ploys. He gritted his teeth and asked again.

“Eric, I already apologized and promised not to tell anyone else that you’re gay. Now will you please tell me why you’re afraid to come out? Or whatever the reason is?”

“I’m not afraid. And my reasons are my own. Why are you so eager for me to come out? Is it so that you can show your girlfriend how tolerant, accepting and mature you are? Is she the one who put you up to this? Just because I wasn’t interested in going out with her friend?”

“Keep Melanie out of this, please. You’re trying to distract me, Eric, but not this time. I want you to come out so you can have a chance of dating the guy you like. I want you to be happy.”

For the first time since they had got home, and Rob had followed his younger brother into his room and refused to leave, Eric turned away from the window and looked at him.

“Thank you for the nice sentiment, Rob, but I’m perfectly content as I am.”

The way Eric said it told Rob his gratitude was pure sarcasm, but it was the second half of the sentence which pissed him off.

“Will you stop being such an emotionless moron! You have this good-looking guy eagerly hoping for a date and…”

Eric cut him off, “What do you mean? I hope you’re not starting on this Nelson bullshit again…”

Rob took three strides across the room and grabbed Eric’s shoulders.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me that you truly don’t give a shit about Nelson and would refuse to go out with him. If so, I’ll never mention it again. If you do like him, tell me the truth, and I’ll stop bothering you about coming out.”

There was a long strained silence while the two brothers looked at each other. They were the same height, both blond with blue eyes, but Eric was slender and agile, while his brother was muscular and strong. Both of them knew Eric was smarter intellectually, but Rob had excellent people skills and instinctive good sense. Somehow his friends and teammates always listened to him and ended up following his lead or answering his questions honestly.

Eric knew he’d lost the argument. His shoulders slumped, and he nodded. “Yes, OK, you win. I’m in love with Nelson, and I’d do anything to be his boyfriend. But he’s way out of my league and ...”

Rob grinned and hugged his sibling, “No, he isn’t. He likes you.”

He dragged Eric over to sit on the bed and looked at him expectantly. Eric tried to act casual, but when Rob stayed silent and smirked at him, he gave up.

As always when he was annoyed, Eric got all haughty and formal. “I assume your silly grin is due to the fact you talked to Nelson and in your usual blunt manner demanded to be told the truth! And that you now have knowledge about his intentions and will use it to tease me. Stop playing games and spit it out, Rob. Try and convince me he’s worth it.”

“I can’t tell you if he’s worth it, Eric. After all, I don’t know Nelson. I can tell you he’s interested in dating you, but he won’t do it unless you’re out. He admitted as much in front of me and his friend. Who by the way said Nelson had already told him he likes you. So if you want to go to the Prom with Nelson, you know the price.”

Rob watched Eric’s face run through a range of expressions. Normally, he was guarded and controlled. It was unusual to see him so open and vulnerable. The blond jock’s heart went out to the kid brother he loved, even when he was haughty and distant. Rob knew it was a shield; a defense against the outside world who did not always appreciate the sharp mind and intellectual pursuits of his younger sibling. The problem was it also kept Eric from participating fully in life, in Rob’s opinion.

On occasion Eric would complain about the shallowness of the high school crowd. How they only cared about their looks, social status, parties and getting laid. People interested in academic success were mostly dismissed as queers, nerds or just boring.

Rob knew Eric avoided this fate only by the slimmest of margins. Being good-looking, a brilliant actor and into at least one kind of sport (even an obscure one like cross-country running) got him enough status to off-set the fact that he spent hours at the library and scored perfect As in most subjects.

Plus being the younger sibling of a popular jock, who clearly cared about his brother and reacted angrily to any disrespect or offensive remark, probably helped too. Not that Rob would ever point it out to his proud, sensitive and sometimes annoyingly oblivious brother. But he did want Eric to come out of his shell.

“Well, I admit coming out has been on my mind for a while. I’ll tell Mom and Dad tonight. And Maria and Tony when they pick me up for school tomorrow. Everyone else will just have to work it out for themselves.”

“YES!” Rob’s shout of glee was followed by an oomph from Eric as his brother tackled him on the bed. “I’m proud of you, bro! And I can’t wait for me and Melanie to double date with you and Nelson.”

“Get off me, you big oaf! And you’re getting ahead of yourself. I’ll have to take Nelson on a date first. Or preferably several dates, before subjecting him to the horror of you and Melanie.”

Rob rolled sideways and looked at his brother in surprise. “You mean you are going to ask him out?”

“Why not? Or is it that in your Neanderthal brain you consider me the girl in this potential relationship?” Eric sat up next to Rob and gave his older brother a withering look.

“No, but I just thought… Well, he’s older and more experienced, so…”

“Perhaps, but any relationship I’m in will have to be one of equals. If Nelson asks me out first, that’s fine. Otherwise, I’ll take the initiative. I’m not going through all the pains of coming out to wait around for Prince Charming to get off his ass. Now tell me exactly what he said after I left.”

Rob did his best not to roll his eyes at the euphemism Eric used for ‘stormed off in a rage after punching my brother in the guts’. With a Herculean effort he also refrained from using the same taunt of not having to tell Eric everything.

“Well, the first thing he said was ‘You want me to do what?’”