New Beginnings

Chapter 30

A/N TW: Homophobia/ Homophobic slur

Alexander and Marley finished their food at the cafe, and they got a taxi to take them to the hospital, where Alexander's mum was resting. The dark-haired man was restless as he and his lover were driven to his parents. He hadn't spoken to them in years. He didn't want to talk to them. 

"This is it." Alexander stood outside the hospital, dreading walking inside. 

Marley put an arm around his lover's shoulders and reassuringly rubbed his arm. "It'll be okay, Xander. I'll be beside you the whole time."

"Okay," Alexander grabbed ahold of Marley's hand, and they slowly found their way to Alexander's parents.

They stood hand in hand in front of the door, which led to Alexander's sick mother. Every single memory came rushing towards the dark-eyed man from the time spent with his family. As he grew older, he distanced himself from his parents, for they let go of him at a young age. 

Alexander slowly opened the door and slipped his hand away from Marley's, dodging his boyfriend's eye contact. The door creaked open, revealing his mother sitting up in her bed, and his dad standing with his arms crossed as he impatiently waited for his son. 

"Alexander," his father sternly said, "you're finally here."

The dark-haired man awkwardly thinned his lips and gave his dad a slight nod. "Yeah, hi."

"Who's this?" his father squinted at the red-haired man. 

"He-" The right words couldn't come out of his mouth. He promised his boyfriend that they'd stick together as lovers in front of his parents, but even when Alexander is deeply in love with Marley, saying the words 'my boyfriend' felt unfamiliar. It had only been roughly a month since they became a couple, and Alexander found it hard to show his love for Marley in front of the world. 

His brown eyes darted around the room as his cold hands shivered with fear. "He's my friend, Marley. He's never been to Canada before, so he wanted to join me."

"I heard you were bringing a girlfriend, Alexander," his mother spoke at last. Alexander first noticed the bags under her eyes. They drooped with black seeping through it. Her skin was white as the winter's snow. Those memories of Elias came rushing towards him, like a flashback scene in a movie. Alexander remembered his poor brother's face as he lay in the bed in the hospital. Even though he looked like he was living his last days, he smiled through it — he always smiled. 

He ignored his mother's words, not only because he had no girlfriend, but as he examined how his mother looked, he lost track of what she had said. "How are you feeling?"

She sighed as she gazed upon the white sheets, "I've felt better before." She looked at her son and weakly smiled, "How have you been these past years?" 

Alexander couldn't remember the last time he had seen her smile. It wasn't a joyous one of that, but it was a smile. "I'm fine. I have a stable job that will support me and my future-" Alexander made eye contact with Marley, and he felt his cheeks flush as he thought of what to say, "future family," he finished his sentence. 

"Good," Alexander's father nodded. 

"What about you?" his mother looked to Marley.

"Oh," the golden-haired man looked surprised that she had taken notice of him. "I work at the same office as Xander. That's how we met."

"That's good. Seems like you two have a hopeful future ahead."

"Soon as you have kids," his dad added.

"I'm not ready for that yet," Alexander awkwardly sighed.

Alexander's father sternly looked at him, "You're twenty-eight. You should be ready for that sort of responsibility now. You said you had a girlfriend where is she?"

"I—" his hands shook as he tried to think of something to say. Marley saw his lover's hand shake, so he grabbed ahold of it, despite knowing the consequences of doing it. "I never said I had a girlfriend. M-Marley is my boyfriend."

His mother and father's faces dropped, which filled Alexander's body with anxiety as he waited for them to speak. "Boyfriend?" his father repeated. "Alexander, we didn't raise you like this!"

"YOU DIDN'T RAISE ME AT ALL!" Alexander cried. 

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME YOU UNGRATEFUL FAG!" Alexander's father pointed at him with his eyebrows deeply furrowed. 

The dark-haired man's face flushed pale. Being around so many supportive people, he lost sight of what lay in the actual world. Alexander felt his chest build up with many emotions all at once. 

His father looked to Marley, who was equally taken back as Alexander. "What did you do to my son?" Alexander's dad gritted his teeth. "Rot in hell you bast-"

"STOP IT!" Alexander yelled. "Marley has been nothing but good to me! He's the reason I'm here!" The dark-haired man looked his father straight in the eyes, "I never wanted to come back, because I knew you wouldn't have changed, but Marley suggested we come. He's helped me with so many things in my life and has cared for me. How does a person like that deserve to go to hell?"

"Living that way is unhealthy and unnatural. People who are like that are mentally—"

"You can't treat me like a kid and expect me to listen to you!" Alexander's eyes watered with rage. "I'm an adult, and I make my own decisions whether you approve of them or not. Marley is staying with me." A tear left his eye as he sniffled. "I'm finally happy. I've found someone who will stay by my side, and who will love me unconditionally. Does it really matter if it's a man or a woman?" 

Alexander grabbed his lover's hand and he slammed the door behind them. Marley's hand was warm and comforting, and he interlocked it with his partner. There was silence between the two until they walked outside of the hospital. "I'm sorry, Marley," a couple of tears fell down Alexander's cheek. 

The golden-haired man pulled his lover in for a hug. He lay one hand on the back of Alexander's head, and the other rested on his back. "No, I'm sorry for making you talk to them."

"I knew they would say something awful. It felt like I was my younger self when I got yelled at by my dad. I forgot that unpleasant feeling."

Marley gently rubbed the back of Alexander's head. "Don't listen to him, okay? Many people are supportive, but they're will always be a few who cannot stand us. It's just our job to tune out the things that we don't want to hear."

Alexander remained quiet for a moment with his face buried in Marley's shoulder. "Okay," he simply whispered.

They stayed outside in the warm air, with a breeze curling around them. Marley took his lover's hand and they walked down the streets of Canada not having to say anything — but just being by each other's side.