New Beginnings

Chapter 10

It was Saturday. The morning sun was bright, waking Marley from his sleep. His eyes shot to Alexander, who rested his head on Marley's shoulder. He smiled, seeing his friend look so calm. He turned his gaze to Shai, who was now crying.

Marley picked her up gently, patting her back gently. "Good morning, Shai. Xander needs to sleep, so let's leave the room."

Bonnie heard the cries and woke up too. "Mornin'," she greeted the two.

"Morning. Could you look after Shai whilst I make breakfast?"

"Of course," she smiled, taking the crying baby. "She must be hungry. I'll give her some milk."

Marley walked to the kitchen, making a simple breakfast: porridge. Bonnie and Shai played in the living room while waiting for the food. "What would you like to do today?" Marley asked.

"Anything's fine. Oh, there is a new aquarium I've heard about. It should be close by."

Marley smiled. "Sounds fun. I'm sure Shai will enjoy it."

Bonnie smiled, continuing to play with her child. "Is Alexander coming?"

"Oh, yes. He's just tired."

In Marley's bed, Alexander squirmed around, unable to get in a comfortable position. His eyes shot open, widening at the sight of an unfamiliar bed. The dark-haired man sat up and looked around the room. Right. I'm at Marley's house. His mind wandered to last night when he cried in front of Marley again. Well, on him. Alexander covered his face with his hands in embarrassment.

A few moments later, Alexander shifted his legs to the floor and walked to the kitchen. He took his glasses off briefly to rub his tired eyes. "Hey," Marley smiled. "Good morning."

Alexander put his glasses on, gazing at the smiling man before him. "Good morning."

The dark-haired man stood beside Marley as he made breakfast. "Feeling okay this morning?"

Alexander nodded, looking to the floor. "Sorry about last night."

Marley nudged him with his arm, giving a reassuring smile. "Don't be. I'm glad you're comfortable enough around me to share your emotions." Marley searched for four bowls to serve the porridge in. "You said you had a difficult time being vulnerable with your past relationships, but you've been vulnerable with me. That shows you've grown. I'm proud of you."

The other man's stomach filled with butterflies as he smiled. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Breakfast was ready a few minutes later. Marley served it up, and they all ate together. "We're going to an aquarium today," Marley informed Alexander. "Is that okay?"

"I've never been to an aquarium."

Marley's mouth dropped slightly. "Are you serious?" Alexander nodded. "Well, I'm honoured to take you to see one. Bonnie and I went as kids quite a bit."

"Evander refused to go with us, however," Bonnie laughed.

"Evander?" Alexander questioned.

"He's our older brother. Sorry, I never told you about him."

"Oh, where is he?"

"He lives in Scotland, so we don't see him as often as Bonnie and I see each other. He visits us every couple of months though."

"Right," Alexander replied.

"You should ask him to come down soon!" Bonnie suggested.

"I will."

They finished their breakfast and got dressed for the day. Alexander borrowed Marley's clothes which smelt of him. The dark-haired man's face flushed at the smell. He dug his hands deep into the coat he wore when they stepped out into the cold.

Marley pushed the pushchair as Bonnie guided them to the aquarium. Shai napped as the adults figured out where to go. "Ah! There it is," Bonnie pointed to a building in the distance.

Once they made it into the building, they paid for their tickets and walked into the aquarium. Alexander's eyes lit up as he gazed at the sea creatures. They stood in front of a normal-looking tank, admiring the animals.

"So, what do you think?" Marley asked, nudging Alexander's right arm.

"It's beautiful," Alexander replied, not taking his eyes away.

Marley smiled, admiring Alexander's amazed face. "Wait 'til you see the rest."

Shai wriggled in her seat with her eyes opening. Bonnie took her out, showing her the aquarium. She babbled excitedly. Bonnie passed her to Marley, and he pointed to the different creatures for her.

They walked into a different room. The tanks were larger, showing more remarkable animals. The water reflected onto the roof, creating beautiful patterns. "Wow," Alexander whispered. "I would have loved this as a kid."

"Too bad Marley wasn't your friend when you were young," Bonnie chuckled. "He always begged me to come with him to the aquarium."

Alexander smiled. "Hey, Xander," Marley took Alexander's hand, pulling him into a tunnel. The sea life circled them as they walked through it. "Look at this."

"It's amazing." Alexander looked at Shai, seeing her eyes sparkle. "Look, Shai."

Marley noticed he was still holding Alexander's hand. His face turned pink, and he quickly removed it. Bonnie chuckled, staring at the two. Guess I'm third wheeling.

"You must have had a fun childhood then," Alexander chuckled.

"Hm?"

"If you went to aquariums like this, I'm sure you went to other amusing places."

Marley stayed silent with nothing to say. "Did you and your brother do things like this?" Marley asked, changing the subject.

"We had a big age gap, so no, not exactly. We were close though. Even if he was nine years younger than me."

"Makes sense," Marley replied.

They finished looking through the aquarium and then had some lunch at a restaurant. This wasn't an over-the-top restaurant, however, like the last.

After they ate and went to Marley's house, Bonnie said goodbye to the three. Shortly, Alexander said farewell too, leaving Marley and Shai alone once more.