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When Kev heard the front door open, he paused the documentary he was watching on the BBC iPlayer and hurried out into the hallway. He watched Darren enter the house, and he instantly knew something was wrong. Darren was hanging his head, and his face was tense like he was angry or sad. Kev hurried towards him, desperate to know what was wrong.
“Dazza?” He said softly.
“Hello, Kev,” Darren said, his voice weak.
He kicked off his shoes and went into the living room without saying anything else. Kev followed after him, and found Darren sitting slumped on the sofa. He looked totally drained. Kev sat down beside him, and picked up Darren’s hand. Darren smiled weakly at him, but didn’t look up.
“What’s wrong, Dar?”
“I’ve just had a bad day,” Darren said to the floor.
“Would telling me about it make you feel better?”
Darren shrugged. “I don’t know, Kev.”
“Well, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Kev said, hoping he could make Darren feel better. He hated seeing him like this.
Darren took a deep breath. “Well, you know how it’s usually bearable at mother and father’s house? Well, today, it wasn’t. It’s just... my sister’s husband was there. And the last time I saw him... well, he took the piss out of me. And he did again today.”
Kev squeezed Darren’s hand. “What did he mock you for?”
“I mentioned that we went to see The Tempest at the Globe last week. He found it hilarious, and then he started mocking my accent. I know it sounds trivial and rather pathetic, but it was just so draining.”
“It’s not pathetic, Dazza, dear,” Kev said firmly.
“And then, of course, my father has always been funny about our relationship, hasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Kev said, “he has.”
He hated Darren’s father; in fact, that was the main reason why he didn’t go to this family meal. He remembered the looks his father gave them for holding hand, the comments about them sharing a bedroom, the way he questioned how his son could have been gay, and certainly the way he didn’t stop Darren’s cousin saying the most horribly homophobic things to them. Basically, he was a horrible person.
“Yes, and he wasn’t very nice either,” Darren continued, his voice starting to wobble. “He made several ‘jokes’ about our relationship that were not only offensive, but also not remotely funny. Even Mother didn’t stop him. It was bloody horrible.”
Darren’s bottom lip trembled, and, before Kev could say anything else, he broke down. He sobbed pitifully, grabbing hold of Kev’s arm as he cried as though desperate for the contact.
“Come here,” Kev said, and he pulled Darren into a hug.
As he rubbed his partner’s back, Kev knew he hated Darren’s family, and was also incredibly grateful that his own family wasn’t so bigoted.