**Chapter 1: The Unwanted Invitation**

Charlie was having a lovely conversation with his boyfriend Nick Nelson on the phone. "I swear you’re such a silly goose," Nick said, chuckling. "Am not," Charlie replied, laughing. With a giggle, Nick asked, "How’s your eating going, baby?" Charlie's heart skipped a beat at the affectionate term. "It’s OK," he said, his voice softening. "I really like it when you call me, baby," he added, feeling a warmth in his chest. "Oh yeah," Nick said, his voice low and soothing. Just as they were getting into a nice rhythm, Charlie's sister Sarah appeared in the doorway of his room, eavesdropping on his conversation. "Who are you calling?" she asked, her voice dripping with curiosity and a hint of malice. Charlie quickly ended the call, not wanting Sarah to know about his relationship with Nick. "I’ll call you back, sweetheart," he said before hanging up the phone. He glared at his sister, annoyed at her intrusion. "It’s none of your business," Charlie said, crossing his arms. Sarah smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I bet it’s your boyfriend, isn’t it? You should invite him over for dinner," she suggested, her voice laced with sarcasm. "So you can steal him away from me?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, confused by her comment. "No way," he said firmly. But Sarah was undeterred. She suddenly sprinted out of the room, yelling downstairs, "Mom, she yelled!" Charlie rolled his eyes and lay back in bed, thinking the conversation was over. However, he was soon interrupted by his mother's voice calling him from downstairs. Charlie reluctantly got out of bed and made his way downstairs. "What?" he asked, his tone annoyed. "Why didn’t you tell me that you had a boyfriend?" his mother asked, a curious expression on her face. Charlie sighed, anticipating where this conversation was headed. "Mom, know—" But before he could finish, his mother raised her hand, silencing him. "No discussions. I want him to come over for dinner. Is that understood?" Charlie's eyes widened in alarm. He knew his mother meant well, but having Nick over for dinner, especially with Sarah's meddling, could be a disaster. Charlie nodded reluctantly, his mind racing with thoughts of how to handle this situation. He had a feeling that his life was about to get a lot more complicated. Little did he know, this was only the beginning of a chain of events that would test his relationships with his family, his boyfriend, and himself.