Roommates & Soulmates

Ch69: Magnus's Wonder

Flying first class had been outside of Magnus's comfort zone. Being picked up in a limo complete with a driver who greeted Magnus as sir had shocking, but none of this compared to arriving at their destination. Alec's house wasn't a house at all; the structure was far too large and elaborate. The word mansion or manor came to mind, as Magnus took in the elegant fountain surrounded by a road that was clearly only meant to drop people off since there was no where to park. The water was of course frozen; it was December, but that didn't stop it from being beautiful. Through the expertly shoved snow Magnus could tell that the road itself was made of bricks rather than pavement, and the whole place felt to Magnus like it was a picture of out one of Tessa's Jane Austen novels. Once you got past the grounds, there was the building itself. The front entrance was centered on the circular road and stood out from the rest. On either side the mansion, continued old beautiful brick walls with sophisticated windows with flower boxes under them that Magnus could only imagine looked like eden during the summer months. Magnus knew gardens like these had to have gardeners, and he very much suspected it was someone's full time job to keep these grounds looking as lovely as they were.

Magnus took a surreal moment to bask in the fact that falling for a guy he'd met at a party somehow had brought him here to this place. Magnus had to suppress a laugh as he thought what his aunt would say when she arrived tomorrow. He could remember oh so well his phone call with her explaining their new holiday plans.

"So what you're saying," Aleida spoke slowy as if unsure she'd understood correctly. "Is that your boyfriend, who I haven't even met yet, wants to fly me half way across the country to spend Christmas with his family."

"Um," Magnus said. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to spend Christmas with me," Magnus said tentatively. "And I want to spend Christmas with you."

"And he can just do that?" Aleida said over the phone. "Just up and invite strangers to his parents house."

"Seems so," Magnus replied.

"What has your heart gotten you into this time, Mags," Aledia sighed, but Magnus could tell she was smiling.

"Either an awkward dinner, or a wonderful vacation," Magnus replied. "We shall have to wait to find out." Aledia's laughter had filled his ear after that. Then she'd asked for flight details, and the matter had been resolved.

Now Magnus could imagine, only too well, the look on his aunt's face when she lays eyes the mansion her crazy nephew has dragged her to, with its tall stoic columns all covered so perfectly in snow that it looked like icing on a cake. The elaborate wreath on the door completely the look, but it still seemed like it had come straight out of a magazine.

"Magnus?" Alec said, waving his hand in front of his boyfriends face. "Earth to Magnus. Come in Magnus."

"You live in a Museum," Magnus stated seriously. He'd indeed been to- and worked in- Museums smaller than Alec's house.

"Museums don't have pools," Alec laughed. "Or tennis courts though that's covered in ice at the moment. It looks better in summer, but come on." And he grabbed Magnus by the hand and lead him up the stone steps toward the door.

As the door opened- Magnus took in the entrance hall. The circular pattern was again repeated with an elegant centerpiece in the middle of the room, defining it. Two grand staircases went up on either side leading to the same landing. They had dark wooden railings, but everything else in the room was bright, mostly white, with shades of gold. It seems so silly to Magnus to have two sets of stairs going to the same place. It was almost as ridiculous as a set of stairs going nowhere. Light entered the room through windows on either side, windows that went up two stories. In fact, the whole room was clearly two stores high. On top of all this, the place was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Magnus had always loved Aleida's holiday decorations for their homey feel. This place was quite the opposite. The decorations here were perfect, too perfect. Symmetrical rows of holly ran along the railing. Again, Magnus felt like it must be someone's full time job to keep the place elegantly festive.