New Beginnings

Chapter 28

The day had finally come. Something new came into Marley and Alexander's lives but it only lasted for a few months. Bonnie was finally ready to look after her daughter and take full responsibility. 

However, the two adults were not upset. They knew this meant everything to Marley's sister. They knew this wasn't a goodbye, for they were still family, and they would see them every so often. 

There was something else, however, that was weighing on Marley's mind. Something that Alexander and himself were going to do the following day.

"I think Shai's all ready," Alexander said to Marley as he fixed the child's clothes one last time.

The golden-haired man picked up Shai, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "You look beautiful, princess."

Someone expected knocked on the door a few seconds later. "Hello, sister," Marley greeted.

"Hey, Marley," she smiled sweetly. Shai was in her brother's arms, babbling to the woman before her. "Good morning, Shai." Alexander stood by Marley's side, putting his arm around his back. "I can't thank you two enough. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't looked after Shai for all those months. Thank you."

Marley looked to the child who wore a smile on her face. He pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You're welcome, Bonnie. I had lots of fun looking after her." Marley looked to his right where his lover stood, "We both did. It was Shai who brought us together in the first place."

"Shai's going to miss you two," Bonnie grinned, "but you'll see her when I come to visit."

"You two take care," the golden-haired man passed the child to his older sister.

"We will," Bonnie turned to walk to her car. "I'll see you soon?"

"Yes, goodbye."

Alexander leaned his head against Marley's shoulder as they watched Bonnie walk with Shai in her arms. His eyes twinkled with the extra moisture in them. He knew it wasn't goodbye, but it was a goodbye to him being somewhat of a parent. It was a new chapter with just him and Marley. Something felt heavy in his stomach as he thought of the memories with all three of them. Shai had brought them together. Alexander blinked away the tears rimming his eyes, and brought his sleeve to his face, wiping them away. 

"Are you crying?" Marley gently asked.

"No, I'm not!" Alexander buried his face into Marley's shoulder.

The golden-haired man beamed, wrapping his arms around his lover. "It's okay, Xander. We can have a child of our own someday."

Alexander chuckled, "You idiot."

Marley laughed with Alexander, holding him close. "Oh, have we packed everything we need for tomorrow?"

"I said it's all done before. You don't need to worry, everything will be okay."

"I know," Marley hummed. "It's just I've got so much to lose."

The dark-haired man clung his arms around his lover. "I know how it feels. Every day I'm with you I feel an immense amount of happiness that it scares me. There's a voice inside my head saying something will happen. But I don't want to live listening to that voice anymore."

"I don't want to listen to it either," Marley inhaled Alexander's scent.

Alexander smiled, lifting his head to gaze into his lover's eyes. "Come on, I'll make you some breakfast."

"You're an angel," Marley beamed.

———————————

The two had the house to themselves. It felt empty — like something was broken apart, but they have each other, and that's what matters. 

It was around 7:00 PM when Alexander was in the kitchen, making something delicious for both of them to eat. The warm lighting in the house made the evening calm. Marley's eyes setting on his lover quietly make food in his kitchen made him calm. The golden-haired man offered to help, but Alexander insisted that he should take a break and relax. 

The night was peaceful. The only noise heard was the knife Alexander used to chop the vegetables. Marley smiled to himself, for he had an idea. He brought out his speaker and clicked shuffle on his playlist. 

'Eyes Without A Face' quietly played in the background as the blue-eyed man made his way to the kitchen. Marley sneakily wrapped his arms around Alexander, nuzzling his face into his back. 

"M-Marley, what's this for?," Alexander smiled.

"Nothing. Do I need a reason to hug my lover?" Marley beamed.

"No..." the brown-haired man blushed. He kept his head low so Marley couldn't see it.

The golden-haired man hummed contently, "You're blushing aren't you?"

Alexander turned around to face his partner whilst rolling his eyes. "Marley, I can't cook dinner for us if you keep distracting me."

Marley held Alexander's chin, directing upwards so he could place a kiss on his lips. "Sorry," he said lovingly, "I'm just beyond happy to have you."

Alexander smirked as he felt heat rise in his cheeks. He grabbed Marley's white shirt, pulling him into a kiss. "Me too, but I'm starving right now, and you're making me wait longer for my dinner."

The blue-eyed man's cheeks flushed at the sudden action. "Sorry, my love," he beamed, "should I find a movie for us to watch later?"

"Sounds good. Not a long movie though. We have to wake up early in the morning."

The next hour was again peaceful. Alexander quietly cooked in the kitchen whilst Marley sat in the living room, scrolling through his laptop to find a movie. "Dinner's ready," the dark-haired man interrupted the quietness.

"Great, I just found a movie for us to watch," Marley beamed.

The blue-eyed man set the movie up on the television as Alexander brought their dishes to the living room. It was relaxing — just the two of them. 

"This is delicious, Xander," Marley smiled as they began the movie. "You're perfect husband material."

"W-What?" the dark-haired man blushed.

"Nothing," Marley laughed.

Alexander rolled his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. "That wasn't 'nothing'."

"To put it in better words, I can't wait to marry you."

"Shut up," Alexander averted his gaze to his left, away from Marley. In all honesty, Alexander was relieved to hear that come out of Marley's mouth. He loves Marley — of course he would want to marry him. But none of his previous relationships had even gone this far. He's never been connected to his lovers before. However, with Marley, Alexander feels like it's his first relationship all over again. It's completely different to how his previous ones were. For the first time in Alexander's life, he's with someone who fully understands him — who'll be there for him whenever, even if he's a total jackass sometimes. 

Marley briefly put down his plate and rubbed the dark-haired man's shoulder. "Sorry if that made you uncomfortable or anything." Marley paused, "I know you've only had two other relationships and they didn't work out, so marriage is a huge step, and we've been together less than a month. I'm not saying to get married now of course, but I would definitely someday like to call you my husband and-"

Suddenly, Marley felt  his boyfriend's lips on his own. Alexander kissed him deeply before slowly inching his face away. "It doesn't make me uncomfortable. Marley, haven't I told you how much you mean to me? I want to marry you someday too, and that will be the happiest day of my life."

The golden-haired man smiled sweetly. Alexander lay his head on Marley's shoulder as he stared back at the television. "We're missing the movie," Xander muttered.

Marley rested his head gently ontop of his lover's. He chuckled at Alexander's muttering, "I love you," he gently spoke.

The brown-eyed man held onto both of Marley's warm hands with his own. "I love you."