For weeks, they tried to avoid the topic of coming out, but the question lingered between them like a cloud. They knew that, eventually, the truth would be unavoidable.
One evening, as they walked by the lake, Ava stopped and looked at Emily. "Do you ever think… that maybe we could just be open about it? Just… be ourselves?"
Emily bit her lip, her heart racing. "I think about it all the time, Ava. But I'm terrified. My family… they'd never accept it."
Ava took her hand, her grip reassuring. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for. But when you are, I'll be there."
Emily smiled, a soft, uncertain smile. They sat in silence, the quiet understanding between them deepening their bond.