Chapter18-Fight For Our Rights
July 30th, 2012
It’s the next morning. Andrew and Alyson slept in their hotel room, and woke up around noon. They didn’t have a gig until Tuesday. So they were allowed some rest. They ordered room service, and ate some food, while lying in the bed naked under their covers.
Andrew laced his fingers with her fingers, and squeezed her hand. He smile at her lovingly. She noticed, so she squeezed back, and said, “I love seeing your smile. It’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”
He blushed slightly, and said, “Aly, you make me the happiest man on earth. There’s no way I can see myself with any other person, regardless of gender.”
He then kissed her cheek, and then asked nervously, “Aly?”
“Hmm?”
“What do think about…marriage? You know, you and me, getting married?”
Alyson was surprised by this question. She and Andrew never talked about getting married. The only time that was ever brought up was when they barely 16, and he presented her a promise ring.
She saw his expression slowing turning heartbroken. So she said with a small smile, “Andrew…I would love to marry you. I would love to spend the rest of my life with you.”
With that, Andrew smiled brightly. Then she said with a sad frown, “But my parents don’t approve of you. Back when we were teenagers, I visited them on Hanukkah. They, along with Melissa and my grandparents, were bashing you. They were saying how they don’t approve of your past as a grade school bully, and being raised liberal and agnostic. They expected me to marry some preacher’s son, or rabbi’s son.
“But I didn’t want to date picture-perfect men. I still don’t to this day. But if they thought you were bad back then, they’ll think you’re worse now. I mean, you dated two men; you did a striptease for charity; you’ve been appearing in your underwear in the photos. They'll tell me I’m sleeping with a homosexual pornstar.”
Andrew thought for a moment, and sighed. Then he said, “But I’m not gay. I’m bisexual, and I’m a lot more comfortable in showing off my body now than when I was a teenager. I’ve grown up so much compared to almost ten years ago. Besides, we’re adults. Shouldn’t you be able to love and marry whoever you want without your family’s permission? Besides, have you talked to them recently?”
“You’re right, and no I haven’t. I haven’t spoken to them since that Hanukkah night. I remember telling my mom that if she won’t accept you, she won’t see me at all. And that was it.”
With that, Andrew put his arm around her, laid her head onto his shoulder. Then Alyson said, “But you’re right. We’re adults. We’ve been away from our parents for years now. We’ve made a lot of decisions on our own, stupid and smart. Why should I go ask my parents’ permission to marry you?”
“But?”
“I would like my dad to walk me down the aisle, and hand me to you. I miss my parents, and I still love them, but I know they won’t attend the wedding.”
Then she became teary eyed as she continued, “I want them there. I want them to see me marrying the man that I have loved for years. But they don’t support me. They expect me to marry Mr. Perfect, and I’m sure they expect me to still be a virgin. But I’m in love with a flawed man, and I had sex with him. I’m not their perfect little girl. Then again, I was never their perfect, little Christian girl. I was always a rebel, always have been, and always will be.”
With that, Andrew kissed her head, and hugged her tightly. At the same time, he was concerned. Apparently, Alyson wants to marry him, but she’s scared of her parents. She’s scared of what they’ll say, even though she knew they think of him. He felt he needed to do something.
It’s now evening. Andyson returned to their condo after a day of being in their hotel room. Andrew felt like talking to Bailey, so he went to her room. She saw him, and asked, “What is it?”
He asked, “Bailey, can I talk to you?”
She nodded her head. He went in, and closed the door behind him. She was on her chair, and he sat at the edge of the bed. She asked, “So, what’s on your mind?”
He blushed as he stammered, “It’s Alyson. She…I want…I want to marry her. Like, be…be her husband.”
Bailey sat there in shock for a second, then she squealed like a fangirl. Andrew smiled, and said, “But you can’t tell Aly this.”
Bailey said excitedly, “Okay, but still! This is amazing!”
He laughed lightly, and said, “Well, she kind of knows I want to marry her, but there’s a problem.”
With that, she frowned. She asked, “What’s wrong?”
He explained, “It’s her parents. They don’t, well, they didn’t approve of me when we were teenagers. And it’s very likely they hate me now, all because I’m comfortable with showing off my body, and the fact I had two boyfriends…though I don’t count Justin as a boyfriend.”
Bailey nodded her head, and said, “But you’re both 23. We haven’t been living with our parents since we were 15. We’re in another country, in another city. Besides, Alyson loves you. She has always loved you, regardless of what her parents say about you.”
“I know, but I feel like I should do something to make her parents change their minds. I’m not related to any preacher. I’m agnostic. Maybe I should convert to Judaism or Christianity just to please her family. Maybe I should start becoming a practicing Christian.”
Bailey was apparently not too pleased to hear this, so she said, “Andrew, you don’t do that. I get you want to make her parents approve of you, but Aly will grow distant from you if you try to change yourself to become her parents’ ideal man. She loves you the way you are. She was always attracted to your drive to fight everyone and everything. You were her ‘bad boy,’ the boy her parents wouldn’t approve of.”
Andrew gave a small smile, and said, “I’ve always kind of knew I was her version of a ‘bad boy.’ It makes sense. I was a not-sleeping-around whore, I was an arrogant bully, and I had agnostic beliefs. Yet, she always found me attractive. I was cute-looking back then. I wasn’t sexy like Nick Carter or Justin Timberlake at the time, but she chose me anyway.”
Bailey smiled, and said, “Exactly. She has always loved you for you. Somewhat for your looks, but it was your personality that she loved. Look, don’t change yourself to please her parents. Be yourself. Besides, Aly told me her sister has finally approved of you, and her cousin, Jake from The Extras, has always approved of you.”
With that, Andrew smiled slightly bigger. He was still nervous about Alyson’s parents, but he knew she loved him for him. Now he knows his next step.
YOU ARE READING
The One: Scandalous Redemption (The One Series-Book10) (ORIGINAL DRAFT)
Romance(This is the original draft. This story is actually almost finished as it I only had one chapter to write or two left. I'll try to post them to get this one completed. Once again, read at your own risk, and don't critique this work.) [WARNING: MATUR...
