Family Ties, Broken Hearts

"Repeat what you just said!" Olivia's father yelled. "You want to do what now? Become a lesbian? Not in my house, you're not." David Bennet's face was now a deep red from anger, the veins on his neck bulging.

To the side was Margaret Bennet, Olivia's mother. She was no longer looking at her daughter, but merely sobbing into her hands. Occasionally, she'd mutter, "Where did I go wrong?"

"Have you even thought about what this type of thing would do to my...our reputation?"

David was a wealthy and influential businessman. Valuing his perceived reputation highly, he would often place societal expectations above his and, by extension, his family's happiness.

Turning so his back was to Olivia, he said, "You will stop seeing this girl. Immediately." He then placed a hand on Margaret's shoulder. "Michael and his parents will be over this weekend for dinner to discuss your engagement."

"But, Father!" cried Olivia.

"That's final! That is the end of the matter." David then strode out of the room, leaving Olivia and her sobbing mother.

"Mother, please? Help me? I don't want to marry Michael! I don't, and won't ever, love him," Olivia begged her mother.

Margaret briefly looked at her daughter, shook her head, then continued sobbing.

The tears that Olivia had been fighting back finally broke free. With the anger welling up inside her, she wiped her cheeks and ran out of the house. She ignored the calls from her mother as she jumped into her car and drove off.

Tears limiting her vision, she drove erratically down the street, fumbling with her phone as she tried to dial Riley. Initially, the phone went through to voicemail. After the third attempt, Riley picked up.

"Hey, babe? How did it go?"

Olivia could only sob into the phone.

"Oh, baby. What happened? It didn't go well, I take it? Tell me where you are; I'll come to get you," Riley said.

"I'm just driving around," Olivia managed between her deep breaths. "Near the park."

"Alright. Stop driving now and send me your location. I'll come and pick you up. You're in no state to be driving," Riley pleaded.

"Okay." Olivia pulled over to the side of the road, then sent Riley her map location. Resting her head on the steering wheel, she cried as she waited.

After what felt like forever, there was eventually a knock on her window. She looked up to see the smiling face of her lover, the girl who had brightened up her world.

They slowly drove back to the dorm rooms in silence. Olivia rested against Riley's shoulder. The tears had finally stopped, only because she had no more to shed.

Once inside, Riley pulled her to the bed and made her lie down. Covering her with a blanket, she said, "Get some rest first, okay? Sleep. Then we'll talk after you've had some rest."

Olivia just nodded, then closed her eyes. She could smell Riley on the pillows, which gave her heart some comfort.

When she woke in the morning, she could feel an arm wrapped around her waist. Looking over, Riley was still sleeping peacefully. Olivia gently kissed her on the forehead.

"Morning, my love," said Riley with her eyes still closed. "Are you feeling any better this morning?"

"Not really," Olivia said as she snuggled into Riley's body. She wanted to remember this warmth. Always.

"So, what happened?" Riley asked, then patiently waited for her to answer.

"My father ordered me to stop seeing you. He claimed that I wasn't really gay. He's in denial. My mother just cried to herself. She wouldn't even look at me."

"My baby... Come here..." Riley hugged her more tightly. "And then?"

"He said that I had to come back for dinner this weekend to discuss..."

"Discuss what?"

"My engagement to Michael," Olivia started to weep again.

Riley had some understanding of the type of life that Olivia had been raised in and the amount of pressure she'd been enduring over the years from her parents' expectations. It was completely different from the free and easy lifestyle that Riley had grown up in.

"So, what do you want to do then, babe? You know that I'll support you, whatever decision you make," Riley comforted.

"I don't want to do anything. I just want to stay here in bed with you," she pouted.

"Then that's what we'll do," Riley laughed.

For the remainder of the day, the two just lay in bed. Occasionally, they'd watch some TV or order in some food. But other than that, they just enjoyed each other's company.

The following day, as Olivia walked out of the shower, she said, "I can't avoid this, can I?"

"No, babe. You can't. Go home this weekend and talk to your parents. Maybe they'll have had some time to think about it and process it," Riley suggested.

"That's what I love about you... Optimistic to a fault," Olivia laughed.

Riley threw a pillow at her head. "I love you too."

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