Yes! Yes. I'm sure I've had this conversation with you before at some point, but being true to yourself or whatever really isn't as simple as Polonius would've had you believe, and I find this such a problem in queer communities. It's okay to decide that something else in your life is more important than being out, it's okay to acknowledge that sometimes there's no good choice. I am really, really pleased you liked this story - it has more of me in it than most and my friends' responses to it have been so... comforting, for lack of a better word. <3 Heartening, perhaps.

(Oh, and thank you for the rec, too! :))