All things considered, I was relieved when we finally reached the restaurant that Seth had been talking about. It looked relatively small from the outside, but the warm light spilling out of the windows and the name of the place, Giovanni’s, blinking above the entrance in red, white, and green made it much more inviting than its neighbors.

“Here we are,” Seth said and opened the door for me.

I was engulfed in the heavenly smell of fresh pizza and pasta as soon as I crossed the threshold. Most seats were occupied, but Seth guided me towards a table in a less noisy corner of the restaurant. We had barely sat down when a huge guy with an even huger moustache walked up to us and slammed the menu down on the table.

“Welcome to Giovanni’s Pizzeria,” he boomed. “I’m Giovanni!

Let me light you a candle for some more romanza.”

Seth chuckled, reaching over the table to pat my hand. “Thank you, that is exactly what we need.”

I pulled my hand back, unable to keep myself from laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Frowning, the man pocketed his lighter.

Seth sent me a questioning look. After I gave a small nod, he explained, “She’s gay. We’re best friends.”

“Well, that’s good, bambina,” Giovanni said, patting my head with one giant hand. “You’re too pretty for him anyway. What are you two ordering?”

While Seth was busy gaping at him, the expression on his face somewhere between incredulous and offended, I gave Giovanni my order.

When he left to get us drinks a moment later, I said, “I wish people reacted like that every time I came out.”

“By crushing my self-esteem? Wow,” Seth laughed.

I couldn’t help but smile as well. At the table next to us, a child knocked over a glass, making both of us look over for a second.

Meeting my eyes again, Seth was more serious. “Why didn’t you tell him yourself?”

I shrugged, running my finger along a dent in the table. “I don’t know, I just don’t really feel comfortable saying it out loud yet. Is that bad?”

Seth hummed quietly, blowing a strand of dark hair out of his eyes. “No, it’s normal. Internalized homophobia is a bitch.”

“Agreed,” I laughed.

I wasn’t sure if it was our interaction or the fact that we had momentarily found shelter from chilly Gloomswick, but sitting here with him, a reassuring warmth had settled over me. It was nice having someone as easy to talk to, who understood the way I was feeling and could put a name to it. There was a kind of vulnerability and comfort in it that I hadn’t known before, when the only people I could talk to about my sexuality had been my parents, who, even though they tried, could never understand everything I was going through.

Giovanni returned with our drinks and two plates of pizza a moment later. While I had ordered a small one, Seth had ordered one in the biggest size available.