Sworn Off

Oliver had sworn off anything romantic. Being intimate included. He had far too many bad experiences. Even within the LGBTQ+ community. It didn’t help he’d been living in a small town where the LGBTQ+ community didn’t seem to want anything to do with him either. It proved there’s transphobia even within the LGBTQ+ community. He’d rather be celibate and a recluse than have anything to do with anyone. He’d been struggling to find a job. Until happenstance led him to a job as a Dishwasher. He didn’t care that it was barely above minimum wage. It was a decent job.

He’d kept to himself. He did his job, went home, stared at the walls surrounding him, watched movies and read books. He’d begun drawing again. His doodles were something he considered selling. An online store he’d created, along with marketing he’d done differently led to him being able to sell most of his doodles. At decent prices. He saved everything from selling his drawings. He saw himself leaving in six months. If that. He’d saved nearly enough to leave already. He’d been living with his transphobic father. He’d seen the decline increase. His father wasn’t taking care of himself after all.

He’d made a plan to leave. The few bills he had being getting to and from work along with a few other small things. His dad paid for everything else. It’d helped him save more. He’d managed to keep most of the food stamps. His work hours being little enough that he’d somehow managed to keep the majority of what he was given with food stamps. It’d helped lessen things. A confrontational argument with Lucian led to Oliver being homeless. He’d packed everything, booked a hotel room, and finished his current schedule before leaving town. Miami Beach being on the horizon.

He’d met Cameron at a Cafe on Lincoln Road. It’d been the first date he had in the six months since he’d moved to Miami Beach. He’d decided to take a chance on dating. It was a new place he was living in. He’d managed to find a job as a Dishwasher. He’d found more acceptance than he’d ever thought. Nobody cared much that he’s Transgender. They cared about if he could work. If he was a decent person. He’d taken a leap of faith by saying yes to a date with Cameron. It was just that to him.

Cameron had changed Oliver’s perspective on everything romantic. He saw Oliver for who he is. A human being wanting to go about life his way. That’s what life is about after all. People are going to have different experiences. Different outlooks. A different way of living through this thing called life. They’d opened up about their relationship over the next few months. People were happy that Oliver was finally happy. In ways he’d never imagined. In ways he’d never thought would be possible in his life. He’d already found happiness in the last six months. It was Cameron that sealed everything else.