Dictator s Daughter by Lorena Angell

of Chandra which,
Sean thought, was pretty darn good for a boy, and at the same time,
insanely disturbing. “Sean, honey, are you sure we want daisies?
Wouldn’t you think roses would be more appropriate for a wedding? A
rose symbolizes love, and aren’t we in love?” Eli’s voice turned
into Sean’s. “Well, I guess roses would be better, but I really
like daisies.” “But daisies are so...so... childish.” “Childish? I think they are simplistic in nature and I would
think the fact they are white would make them ideal for a
wedding.” “Oh Sean honey, you misunderstood me. Daisies are
adorable. If you really want the color white, we’ll get white roses
for the main bouquets and daisies for the flower girls.” “Well,
alright.”
    Eli went back to his normal voice. “Don’t you
see what she did? She manipulated you into thinking she
compromised. She wanted roses and she got roses. Your daisies will
be there too, but, at the most, maybe ten flowers.”
    “So what?! So she got her way, it’s her
wedding. Guys don’t really care about these things.” Sean brought
his cocoa mug down to the table top abruptly causing the liquid to
splash out.
    “Well, it seemed to me you really cared about
having daisies, and by the way, it’s your wedding also.”
    “I don’t think...why do you...you know what,
I’m going to take a shower. Do you need anything before I do?” Sean
asked gruffly.
    Eli shook his head.
    Sean got up and went into the bathroom and
closed the door. Once he’d climbed in the shower and had water
sprinkling over his head, he thought about the daisies. He decided
he would put his foot down and demand an even amount of roses and
daisies, which would be a real compromise. His thoughts turned to
Eli. What was his deal? Why did he even care if Chandra manipulated
him? How did a young man understand so much about relationships and
compromise?
    He finished his shower and dried off with a
towel. He wrapped it around his waist and walked out into the
bedroom, quietly. Eli was lying on his back, asleep on the bed.
Sean walked over to his dresser to get a pair of boxers and tank
top. He dropped his towel and stepped into his boxers and put on
his top. As he turned to pick up his towel, he thought he saw Eli
close his eyes. Sean walked back into the bathroom, thinking to
himself, was Eli just watching me change? It hit Sean like a
ton of bricks; Eli must be gay.
     
     

Chapter 4
     
    Sean’s state of mind demanded he get to the
bottom of this right now. He walked over to the bed and sat down
cross legged, facing Eli. The room was dark, but Sean could see Eli
enough to know his eyes were open.
    “Eli, I need to ask you something.”
    Eli didn’t say anything.
    “Are you…do you…I mean…are you,” Oh, this was
not going well. “Do you prefer men?” Sean spit it out quickly.
    “Are you asking me if I’m gay?”
    “Well, yes, I am.”
    Eli chuckled but reassured Sean, “I’m not
gay.”
    “Why is this funny to you?”
    “I never thought I would be asked that
question.”
    “Well, I don’t know how to explain your
behavior in any other way.”
    “What behavior do you mean?” Eli asked
innocently.
    “Well, you look at my body and that’s a
little weird for me. You have an incredible amount of interest in
my personal life with Chandra, and you are quick to give me tidbits
of advice I didn’t ask for.”
    “Well, somebody needs to.”
    “Why do you feel that way?”
    “She treats you like crap.” Eli got up from
the bed and started limping toward the bathroom.
    “Why would you care how anyone treats
me?”
    Eli turned around, stopping dead in his
tracks. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He started
pacing back and forth in the bedroom and took a deep breath, “No
one in a serious relationship should ever be treated like a
doormat. No person should feel like they have the right to belittle
the person they supposedly love, or elevate themselves above the
other. When