When I was a kid I had a sort of semi-romantic fling with another boy. We were both very discrete about this and no one ever knew, of course.
While I felt a little unsure about being that way with another boy, at the same time I really enjoyed having this secret male relationship , and I genuinely loved it when we would have sex. To me it was so satisfyingly all-male and it felt so significant .
Recently, now some ten years later, when I was talking to my mom, she admitted that she suspected what was going on, although she never said anything because she did not want me to feel embarrassed. She saw nothing wrong with two boys having this kind of friendship, and told me how she had had a romantic indulgence with another girl when she was at that same age. It was so enlightening talking about this. It's a shame that people can't be so open and honest, although I'm happy that my mom and I seem to have no secrets from one another, even on things like this.