I felt my cheeks heat up at his question. Suddenly, I felt like an inadequate simpleton compared to him.
"Well erm truth be told, I've not really left the state. I couldn't afford to," I told him.
Lucias quirked an eyebrow at me.
"You couldn't afford to? Your family may not be as wealthy as mine but they are not far off, aren't they?"
I shrugged my shoulders and went back outside. Of course, I was trying to avoid the question but he followed me, making me feel like I had to explain.
"My parents were always working when we were young. Lisa was more outgoing so she was always somewhere with friends but I was an introvert, didn't have any friends so I spent my time at home. Then …"
I paused and took a deep breath.
"I came out to my parents when I was fourteen. Lisa had always encouraged me to come out, but I was always afraid of how they would react. I was right to be afraid, I shouldn't have listened to Lisa."
"Why not?" he asked as he leaned against the balcony wall next to me.
"Well, my parents told me never to mention it again. I was told to tell no one and focus only on my studies. That was when they started to spoil Lisa. She knew what she was doing. She'd always wanted more, hated sharing our birthdays so this was her way of pushing me out."
I wiped a stray tear and sighed with a shrug.
"Lisa always got to celebrate her birthday with a big lavish party whilst I would have the odd small family dinner. She got expensive gifts and I got small presents filled with school supplies."
"After I graduated high school, with honours by the way, they said they would pay for university but only in Phoenix. I wasn't allowed out of state, too expensive. I went to Grand Canyon University. They hoped by sending me to a Christian school … how did they put it? 'It would straighten me out'."
"Did they actually say that?" he asked.
"Well, she said a lot more than that, but those were the only three words that I can remember as she repeated them. Anyway, I told them I would go if I could live on my own, either on campus or off it. They said they would pay for a small apartment but I would have to get a part-time job to feed and clothe myself."
"So you got a part-time job, whilst you studied? Did your sister have the same restrictions?"
I shook my head, "Nope after she just barely managed to graduate, she got to go to an out-of-state college in California. They paid for an apartment for her and a couple of her friends and sent her extra money every month."
"What did you study at school?" he asked.
"Business management, despite how they felt about me they always said I had to take over the business one day along with my sister. Dad's obsessed with heirs running the business," I sighed.
"Did your sister study that too?"
"No, she studied performing arts, she always wanted to be an actress. Always wanted to be in the spotlight."
"What did you want?" he asked, turning to stare at me.
I lowered my head and shrugged, I had no answer to that. I'd never been asked what I wanted so I never thought of it. There was no point anyway, even if I knew I wouldn't be able to do it.
"So, you've been working with your father all this time and your sister has been just doing whatever she wants?" he asked.
"Yeah pretty much," I sighed, rubbing my face.
"Isn't she supposed to work with the company? Wasn't that what you said you two were supposed to do?"
I nodded and sighed once again.
"They wanted her too, but she kicked off and they gave in. Father insisted I now had to do it all."
Lucias nodded and stared back over the landscape below us. The weight of my parent's expectations and their indifference finally took its toll on me. I sighed and gave a big yawn.
"Tired?" he asked and I nodded.
Sluggishly, I went back inside and looked around. Lucias followed me and chuckled as I noticed only one other door. I figured it was the bedroom and I doubted he wanted to sleep in the same bed as me so instead I headed for the sofa.
"What are you doing?"
"Well …" I paused. "I'm going to sleep on the sofa."
"You don't like sleeping on a bed?" he smirked.
"No, of course, I do. I just thought you would want the bed."
He nodded as if understanding that I actually meant he wouldn't want to sleep in a bed with the gay guy who tricked him into marrying him.
"Get some sleep, we'll continue talking in the morning," he told me before walking off.
I nodded and watched him walk away. When his door shut I melted into the sofa with a groan.
"I can't believe I told him all that! What a loser! He's probably in there right now thinking how pathetic I am."
My phone dinged, it was a message from Lucias. How did he get my number? Why is he messaging me when he could just come out?
'For now, don't contact your parents. Tomorrow, we'll discuss what will happen next - L"
I replied with an 'Okay.' Actually, I had thought about calling them but what would I tell them? Their gay son messed things up and there is a possibility that the contract, to save our family business, could be voided.
They would most likely say that I sabotaged this on purpose to get back at them. Despite getting good grades, always doing as I am told I was always to blame for anything that went wrong.
I lay down and stared up at the ceiling. Life can't get any worse, can it? My phone pinged again bringing me out of my thoughts. I froze, it was from my sister.
'Heard you got married to the old man. Guess you always had a twink/daddy fantasy. Hope you're enjoying being screwed by an oldie who needs medication to get it up. Make sure you get paid for giving up your ass lol..'