New Beginnings

Chapter 26

Marley, Alexander and Shai enjoyed their dinner together, sharing laughter and smiles. The golden-haired man tied up his hair in a messy ponytail to wash up the dishes after they had eaten. Alexander, on the other hand, cleaned up Shai, getting her ready for bed.

It would be one of Shai's last nights sleeping under Marley's roof. It was a weird feeling. The cot beside Marley's bed would be gone in only a matter of days. Shai's toys that she loved to babble about would no longer be scattered across the living room floor. 

"Goodnight, Shai," Alexander smiled, putting the child into her bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, holding her little hand as her eyes slowly shut. Shai would be going to live with her mother—Alexander was happy for her. She deserves to be with her real parent and grow up with them. Alexander may not have had a great childhood, but he hoped Shai would be happy with hers.

Marley walked through his bedroom door, seeing his lover take care of his niece. "You must have the magic touch," he smiled, sitting beside Alexander.

"Why's that?"

"She never sleeps that easily when I put her to bed."

"Maybe you're not doing it right," he smirked. 

Marley nudged Alexander playfully. "Not true!"

A loose strand of hair fell from Marley's messy ponytail. The dark-haired male pulled the hair tie out of the golden hair and rolled it back on Marley's wrist. Alexander looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up. "Y-Your hair it's..."

"Hm?" Marley tilted his head innocently.

The dark-haired man felt his stomach flutter thinking of the words he wanted to say. "N-Nevermind, forget it," he stood, about to walk to the kitchen.

Marley grabbed ahold of his lover's hand, looking into his beautiful brown eyes. "No, please. I want to hear it."

The golden-haired man's eyes shimmered in the light, making them look like the ocean. Alexander sighed softly as he looked away from Marley. "Your hair is beautiful."

The golden-haired man's eyes sparkled, and his face turned red from blushing. "Xander..." He stood up, and he held Alexander's chin with one hand to turn his lover's face to him. He pressed his lips against Alexander's, and they slowly moved together. It was a soft buttery kiss that both of them desired. Marley removed his lips from his lover and looked into his brown eyes. "I love you. Those words coming from you mean a lot. Your sweet words make me flustered." Marley smiled warmly, with their foreheads touching each other. "I feel like a teenage boy again with a big crush when I'm with you."

Alexander's face was flushed and his heart raced. He couldn't form what to say when his partner said such things about him. Marley kissed him gently on the forehead, sensing Alexander was nervous and he stepped back. 

The dark-haired man looked Marley in the eyes, seeing him standing awkwardly. "Do you still want to talk?" 

"Hm?" Marley's head jolted up. 

"You wanted to talk about yourself before. Are you still up for it?"

Marley nodded, "Yeah," he said with a tone that was unfamiliar to him. It was a sad tone. "Let's talk in the lounge."

Marley sat in the corner of the sofa, leaning back on it for comfort. "When I was a kid, I had a lucky life. I had a nice house, me and my siblings got along, and my parents were—well, the best parents I could have asked for. We were all close and happy together. Mum and Dad had always wanted to go overseas. They had a whole plan of what they would do in certain countries. So, when I was seven, they had enough money to travel, leaving Evander in charge of Bonnie and me. They had only planned on going for a week because they would miss us, and they knew Evander would be cranky if he had to babysit us any longer. 

"So, they travelled overseas. They were overjoyed. They didn't pay for the best accommodation because they wanted to spend most of their money on things they'd never seen before. It was a shabby motel in a shabby area."

Marley stopped for a moment, thinking about his story. "They had been gone for over a week now. We didn't receive any calls saying they were staying longer until one night at eight o'clock. An unexpected voice phoned us. Our parents had died."

Alexander's eyes widened as he stared at Marley's saddened face. "M-Marley..." Alexander placed his hand on his lover's. "I'm so sorry."

A tear slipped from Marley's blue eye as thought of the phone call that night. "It was an uncle and aunty of ours that we barely knew. They called us and told us they were responsible for us. They hadn't told us anything else. They didn't even say how my parents died, they just said they would come around our house by morning.

"So the next morning, they came around and we packed up our things and drove to their house.  As we drove, our uncle, who is my dad's brother, told us what they knew about our parent's death. They had died in a plane crash. 

"I don't remember much that day. I only recall crying my eyes out on Evander's shoulder. Since he was the oldest, he tried to keep calm for Bonnie and me. 

"After that, we stayed with our uncle and aunt. They don't have any children of their own, so they didn't have much of an idea of how to look after us. My aunty occasionally lost her temper with me because I wasn't very cooperative. I hated change, and everything was moving so fast that I couldn't keep up with it.

"Evander and I would even fight, telling me that we're all upset and we just have to push through it. We drifted apart. Bonnie would talk to Evander since she had a better understanding of his feelings, and I felt the world turn against me. I felt as if I was alone and nobody understood how I felt.

"It wasn't until I was around fourteen when Evander apologised for his behaviour. We became much closer, and I felt a weight on my shoulders lift. Life became easier from then on and I didn't feel alone anymore."

Marley's eyes connected with Alexander's. "Anyway, thank you for listening-"

The dark-haired man wrapped his arms around Marley's waist tightly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Marley," Alexander mumbled on his lover's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay now."

Marley returned the embrace, digging his head into Alexander's shoulder. "Xander, you should visit your mother. I know your relationship with your parents isn't strong, but if something bad ends up happening to her, your might regret not seeing her one last time." Marley took a deep breath in, "I know I would do anything to see my parents one more time."

Alexander rubbed Marley's back gently, "Okay—I'll go see them."

"Just," Marley inhaled Alexander's scent, "I hope nothing happens to you when you're flying."

"You can come with me."

"I-I've never been on a plane."

The dark-haired man pressed a gentle kiss on Marley's shoulder. "I haven't either, but Marley we will be safe. Nothing will happen."

Marley slowly let go of his lover and pressed his lips against Alexander's. It was passionate and full of emotion. A tear dropped from the golden-haired man's eye as he pulled back. "Alright."

Alexander smiled as he caressed Marley's face. "Where are your parents right now? You haven't introduced them to me yet."

Marley chuckled as another tear slid from his eye. "They're about a half an hour's drive from here. Near my uncle and aunty's house. I can take you there tomorrow after work?"

"I'd like that."

Marley hummed as he rested his head on Alexander's lap. "Does that mean when you visit your parents, you'll introduce me to them?

"Yeah," Alexander played with Marley's beautiful hair. "Not sure how they'll react, but it doesn't matter what they say."

"I'll win them over," Marley smiled.

Alexander rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "Come on, let's go to bed. We have another busy day tomorrow."