Until you came along (english)

Chapter 19

Sitting on his bed, Alec dialed Magnus' number for the hundredth time at least, so much so that he knew it by heart now. But when he wanted to press the call button, Isabelle entered into Alec's room. She was out of breath, as if she had run a marathon. She took off her coat and caught her breath.

"Isabelle, what's going on?" Alec said.

"t's ... it's Magnus!"

Alec stood up from the link.

"Something happened to him?"

Isabelle sat on the bed to rest a little.

"No. Everything is fine. But I have great news. I convinced him to talk to you."

"Is that true?"

Alec couldn't believe it. He really thought that everything was over, that their relationship was over, that his heart was on his own. His sister had given him hope.

"What did you do to convince him?"

"I was very convincing. I even begged him because he was really reluctant at first! But Alec, I warn you ... no more lies now! I told him you were going to explain everything to him. Don't do like other times because I assured him that you will be 100% honest with him."

Alec's throat tightened. How was Magnus going to react knowing the whole truth? But he knew it was the only solution. And that's what he should have done from the beginning. 

"Don't worry Alec," said Isabelle, smiling. "If you explain everything, Magnus will understand. He'll know that it's not your fault. As I told you, you just have to be honest. And believe me, if Magnus really wouldn't want to be with you anymore, he wouldn't have agreed to talk to you. So, he has a little confidence in you. And he still has hope that everything will be fine."

"And ... what did he tell you when you saw him?" 

"As soon as he saw me, he nearly slammed the door in my face. Fortunately, I don't give up so easily! I didn't tell him about what happened with Jason, I told him it was up to you to explain. He told me he couldn't be in a relationship with someone who lied and ... cheated on him," Isabelle added. 

 "But I didn't cheat on him!!! 

"I know it, Alec! But Magnus doesn't! How do you expect him to suspect that a guy is harassing you for years if you don't tell him anything? He can't guess by himself!

Alec didn't answer, but he knew his sister was right. 

"Besides," said Isabelle, "put yourself two seconds in his shoes. How would you react if you'd see someone kissing Magnus?" 

 "I would be mad." 

"That's it ! Magnus's anger is therefore justified. All he knows is that he saw a guy kissing you. He arrived in the middle of it all, so you have to understand him! It's normal for him to be angry. And if he feels that, it's because he loves you, otherwise he won't care. And until you tell him everything, he will continue to believe that you have cheated on him, even if it is not true. 

Isabelle moved closer to her brother and put an arm around his shoulders. 

"Believe me Alec, yourself couldn't have lived with these lies. Basing a relationship on lies is the failure of a couple. You should have told him for a moment or another. Now is the right moment. You have a chance to recover Magnus, so don't ruin everything." 

Alec nodded. 

"You're right. Thank you so much Izzy. We must stop these secrets and these lies. I want to be with Magnus and I intend to get him back." 

Isabelle smiled and grabbed Alec's phone. She handed it to him. 

"Go ahead, call him. It is the right time."

~

After Isabelle's departure, Magnus decided to call Ragnor to tell him about the situation. He immediately answered.

"Magnus? So, is everything  fine ?" 

"Yeah, we can say that..." 

"Let me guess. She came to talk to you about Alec." 

"Precisely." 

"And what did she tell you?" 

"She said that I should listen to him, that he didn't cheat on me, that it's more complicated than that ... Anyway, I was expecting that."

"And ... did you agree to talk to him?" 

"Yes, I did." 

"Will you forgive him ?" 

Magnus sighed. 

 "I don't know, Ragnor. First, I will listen to him and see what he has to tell me. Then, I'll see." 

"Magnus, you're my best friend. If Alec isn't okay and that he regrets what happened, don't break up with him. Despite everything I said, I can feel that you're happy with him. And I know that he is happy when he's with you." 

"Thank you Ragnor. I miss him so much, you know. But I can't get out of my head what I saw. Seeing him kissing someone else, that's ... unbearable. If I agreed to talk to him, it's because I would like to understand what really happened. 

"I understand. I have to go, but you'll tell me everything later, okay?" 

"Of course. See you, Ragnor!" 

 After hanging up, Magnus settled on his couch, his phone still in his hand. He didn't know what to do. Should he call Alec? Was Alec going to call him? Several minutes passed where he remained undecided. When he decided to call him, his phone rang. It was Alec. He looked at his screen before answering. 

"Hello?" 

"Magnus?" 

Alec's voice was full of hope and full of happiness. The tone he had was so relieved that Magnus's heart sank. For a second, he forgot his anger and resentment because he was happy too to hear his voice. But he recovered quickly, remembering the previous events. 

"Yes." 

"Are you okay?" 

Magnus took a dry voice. 

 "Are you really asking me if I'm fine? Seriously?"

"Magnus, you really have to let me explain to you ..." 

"Don't worry, I'll listen to you. I promised Isabelle that I will do it." 

"Thank you." 

There was a moment of silence. Magnus didn't' know what to say. For his part, Alec was happy and sad at the same time. Happy because he finally had news of Magnus but sad because he felt that Magnus listened to him reluctantly. He wondered if Magnus was doing this just because he had promised it to Isabelle. Would he still want him? Did Magnus still care about him? All these questions were in Alec's mind and it hurt him so much. It hurt him to think that Magnus wouldn't want him anymore. 

"Can I come to your place?" Alec asked after a moment. 

"I'm waiting for you," answered Magnus. Then he hung up the phone and put it on the table. But as soon as he did it, his doorbell rang.  He frowned. Alec wasn't that fast? He got up and went to open the door. But as soon as the door opened that he was violently punched in the face. That made him lose his balance and he collapsed on the floor.