Chapter 19 Andrew

Rafael followed Andrew to where Jonathan was talking on the phone. The break room felt sterile under the fluorescent lights. Andrew perched on a vinyl stool as he stole a glance at Rafael, who stood by the coffeepot. When Jonathan ended his call, Andrew introduced Rafael to his cousin as Gabriella's brother.

The door banged open and Andrew's breath caught in his throat. His father filled the doorway, his imposing figure and angry gaze sending a chill throughout his body. "There you are," he growled, his voice thick with accusation. Andrew braced himself, the familiar dread flooding him. As soon as his father entered, Jonathan swiftly exited the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.

"What is it, Dad?" Andrew managed, forcing a smile.

His father ignored him, turning his gaze to Rafael. In a clipped voice, he said, "You, get out."

Rafael straightened, his jaw set. "I'm waiting for my sister."

"You and Andrew will not see each other again if you want to live," Andrew's father threatened.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rafael asked.

"Your old man told me to end this…this abomination between you." The fury in his voice caused a prickling sensation over Andrew's skin.

As his father inched closer to Andrew, he instinctively flinched. This wasn't how he'd imagined this conversation going. "That doesn't make sense." Rafael's face turned as white as snow.

"I got this letter from Rafael's old man, telling me you two need to ‘end it' before the entire town finds out." His father's voice rang out with a powerful accusation.

"End what?" Andrew asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Andrew!" His father shoved a crumpled piece of paper into Andrew's hand. It was a letter, addressed to Mr. Star, filled with angry script. Andrew couldn't understand most of it, but the gist was clear. Homophobic slurs and condemnations filled every line of the letter. How could Mr. Duarte have found out? Who told him? Andrew was shaking and didn't know what to say.

"We're friends," Rafael stated.

"Friends, my ass!" His father's face contorted in rage. "You're turning my son queer!"

Andrew was consumed by a white-hot anger. He looked up, meeting his father's glare head-on. "This is none of your business, Dad."

"None of my business? You're my son, and this…this filth is tainting you! The Duartes are trash, always trying to bring our name down. I won't have it."

"Dad, enough!" Andrew said in warning, then handed the letter to Rafael.

Rafael's gaze flicked down to the letter, then back to Andrew's father. "Nothing is going on and if it were, it's none of your business," Rafael said, his voice low and controlled.

Andrew found his voice, echoing Rafael's words. "Yeah, nothing is going on here."

His father's face contorted. He took a menacing step towards Andrew, his voice dripping with venom. "Don't you lie to me, boy! I know what's been going on between you two."

"I've had enough of this. You're not welcome here." Andrew faced his father. "You need to leave!"

"Remove the Star name from this diner. I want nothing to do with your kind."

"This is Joe's diner too. We're not changing the name over some bullshit."

"Your brother is a pig! Both of you are no longer Stars."

"Get out!" Andrew shouted again.

Before Andrew could react, his father's fist connected with his jaw. Stars exploded in his vision, pain radiating through his cheekbone. He stumbled back, but his father was on him again, a whirlwind of fury. Andrew tasted blood, metallic and acrid.

Suddenly, he saw a strong arm yank his father back. Rafael stood between them, his expression a mask of cold fury. "Get out," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. "Leave now, or I'll arrest you."

Andrew, dazed and reeling, watched as his father grimaced, torn between rage and fear. Once Rafael released his grip, with a final snarl, Andrew's father stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Rafael, his face drained of color, turned to Andrew, concern replacing the anger in his eyes. "Are you alright?" He helped Andrew up.

Andrew nodded. "What are we going to do?" Andrew asked.

"First, I'm going to put ice on your face." He opened the refrigerator and grabbed some ice, carefully wrapping it in a towel before pressing it against Andrew's face.

"I need to see Joe. We'll go to my place and talk," Andrew said after taking hold of the towel.

"What about Gabriella?" Rafael asked.

"She can come too. We'll tell her if she didn't hear my father already."

"Okay, we'll meet you there. I know where you live."

Jonathan came into the room. "I'm sorry things went down like that."

"Thanks. I need time tomorrow; do you want to work my shift and Joe's?" Andrew asked. The ice was too cold, so he removed it.

"Take the weekend off. I can't believe Joe is getting married."

"Yes, it was a big surprise."

Rafael said, "I'll get Gabriella and we'll see you there."

Andrew nodded. "Do you know what happened?" Andrew asked Jonathan.

"No. I just know he was yelling."

"He found out I'm gay and I've been seeing Rafael."

"Wow. I didn't know. I mean, you flirt with girls. Was that a cover?"

"Not really. I just like fooling around, but I've been in love with Rafael for years. I didn't even know he was gay. He didn't know I was. It just happened."

"It might be difficult coming out in this town."

"It's not about coming out. We were found out. I hope people still come to the diner."

"Of course they will. It hasn't changed anything for me. You're still my favorite cousin." He hugged Andrew tightly.

Andrew walked out of the break room and into the diner. When he walked around the counter to leave, he heard clapping. Everyone was looking at him and smiling. Did they all hear what was going on? He felt his face warming. What did all this mean? A few people got up, hugged him and said they loved him and always would. It brought him to tears as he thanked them before leaving the diner. He drove home with thoughts of Joe rejecting him forever.

Andrew fidgeted with his keys, the metal cold against his clammy palm. He needed to talk to his brother before he moved out. He needed to tell him before someone else did.

Unlocking the door, he braced himself for the usual barrage of questions from Joe about his day. Instead, the house was eerily quiet. He found Joe slumped on the couch, a half-eaten bowl of tomato soup and crackers on the coffee table.

"Hey," Andrew said, trying to sound casual.

Joe grunted, avoiding Andrew's gaze. Andrew's stomach clenched. This was bad. Dad must have talked to Joe.

"Did you move everything out?"

"Everything is moved. I wanted to see you before I left."

"Did something happen?"

Joe nodded. "Dad stormed into the diner looking for you. He was pissed, so I told him I was getting married this weekend. Instead of lightening up and being happy for us, he called me every name in the book because he found out Mimi was pregnant."

"He said he didn't want to talk to us anymore. Can you imagine?" Andrew asked.

"He acted like an asshole at the diner. Everyone in there heard him going off."

Taking a deep breath, Andrew sat down beside him. "Dad, uh, came by the diner again."

Joe's head shot up, eyes wide. "He did? What did he want?"

"He, uh…" Andrew shuffled his feet under the coffee table, the words catching in his throat. "He found out."

Joe frowned. "Found out what?" There was something in his brother's eyes, something Andrew couldn't decipher.

"About me," Andrew blurted, bracing himself for the worst. "That I'm…gay."

The silence that followed stretched, heavy and suffocating. Andrew stole a glance at Joe, expecting anger, disgust, anything. Instead, Joe's face remained unreadable.

"How?" Joe finally asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know," Andrew mumbled. "He must have seen us together."

"Rafael?"

"Yeah, Officer Duarte. I've been seeing him," Andrew explained.

"Oh, right," Joe muttered, looking away again.

Andrew recounted the day's events, how their father found out about him and Rafael, then stormed out after punching him and being threatened with arrest by Rafael. How he now wanted them to remove the Star name from the diner. Andrew finished, feeling a familiar knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach.

"Dad said Mr. Durate sent him a letter telling him to make us break up."

Joe remained silent for a moment longer, then surprised Andrew by letting out a humorless chuckle. "Classic Dad."

Andrew blinked, taken aback. "You…you're not mad?"

Joe finally met his gaze. "Mad? Why would I be mad?" He shrugged. "Honestly, Andrew, I figured it out a while back."

Andrew's jaw dropped. All this time, Joe had known.

A sheepish grin spread across Joe's face. "You weren't exactly subtle with the way you looked at Rafael."

Andrew felt a wave of relief wash over him, so intense it almost made him dizzy. "And you're okay with it?"

Joe leaned back on the couch. "Look, the only thing that matters to me is that you're happy, Andrew. And if Rafael makes you happy, then that's good enough for me." He punched Andrew lightly on the arm. "Besides, who else am I gonna annoy at work?"

A choked laugh escaped Andrew's lips. "You wouldn't dare."

Joe grinned. "Oh, I dare."

Relief mingled with the warmth in Andrew's chest. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. He had Joe. And that, in itself, was everything. He wondered if Rafael and Gabriella were home yet.