Gay Taking Hard | Firefox |

"The rest of us," Marcus said simply. "You’re so busy being 'strong' and 'resilient' that you’ve forgotten how to let people in. Being gay in this world is tough, yeah. But you don't have to take the hits alone."

Leo stood in the middle of his new apartment, surrounded by half-taped boxes and the echo of a life he was still trying to assemble. He had spent years "taking it hard"—not in the way the jokes implied, but in the way silence weighs on a person. He took the snide comments at work with a tight smile; he took the distance from his parents with a shrug; he took the loneliness of the city with a heavy sigh.

Marcus walked over and handed him a clean rag for his hand. "You take everything so hard, Leo. You carry it like you’re the only one allowed to feel the weight." gay taking hard

"Dammit," Leo hissed, leaning his forehead against the cold wood. He didn't move. He just let the frustration of the last decade settle in his chest. Marcus set his end down. "You okay? It’s just a dresser."

Leo looked at the blood soaking into the rag, then at the half-furnished room. For the first time, he realized that "taking it hard" didn't mean he was failing; it meant he was feeling. He had been so afraid of being vulnerable that he’d turned his life into a fortress. "I don't know how to stop," Leo admitted. "The rest of us," Marcus said simply

"Start with the dresser," Marcus grinned, gripping the handle. "I’ve got the heavy end. You just guide it in."

His friend Marcus was helping him move. Marcus was the kind of guy who didn't say much but noticed everything. As they struggled to pivot a solid oak dresser through a narrow doorway, Leo’s grip slipped. The wood barked against his knuckles, drawing blood. But you don't have to take the hits alone

But today, "taking it hard" meant something different. It meant finally leaning into the difficulty of being honest.