The Price of Love

Chapter 31

Alex's PoV

His face contorts into a mask of sheer horror as he turns to look at me. I feel a piece of my world shatter, never to be fixed again. In slow-motion it seems, his beer drops from his hand and he turns and runs. I stand up, almost trip over the chair, and give chase. I follow him as he weaves through the palace, turning into different hallways and running through rooms. I nearly catch up to him, but he slams a door in my face and I hear the lock click. I rattle the door knob, my heart getting torn into shreds for multiple reasons. "John! John, open the door!" I beg. I never beg. "John! John, please!" I rattle the doorknob again. I hear muffled sobs from within, and my heart is torn even more. "John! John! Open the fucking door!" I scream, tears sliding down my face. When I continue to be ignored, I slide down onto the floor, crying myself. "Just open the fucking door and let me talk to you." I beg. "Please Jacky." The door slowly opens. I scramble inside the room and slam the door. Then I slap him across the face and start sobbing into his chest. He hesitantly wraps his arms around me.

"A-Ale-" He starts.

"Shut up until I get control of myself." I sob. He remains silent for the next sevenish minutes, awkwardly hugging me, until I've calmed down. Then I shove him off of me and start pacing back and forth. "Why?" I demand. "Why would you keep this from me for the past five months John? Was I not important enough? Did you not love me enough? Was that it?" My voice starts to rise in anger. "Did you think I wasn't trustworthy enough?" I wheel around to face him. "Tell me what it is!" I yell. "Tell me what it is so I can fix it so this sorta shit won't happen again!" I crumple onto the floor and bury my face in my hands. "Just tell me what it is about me that made you withhold this information for the past five months." I beg, grabbing onto his leg and hugging it. "Please Jacky." I sniffle. "I'm half drunk and overly emotional right now, please just tell me." His arms wrap around me and he lifts me up into his lap, hugging me close to his body. I feel a tear fall onto my head.

"Dear boy, it wasn't you." He whispers, cradling me. "Don't cry, my love. Calm down. There you go. Calm down. Good boy. I was terrified you would hate me if you found out, I've heard you go on and on about South Carolina."

"I'm sorry Jacky." I sniffle, pressing my face into his chest. "I-I w-wouldn't ha-have if-if-if I kn-knew." He kisses my cheek.

"It's alright. I'm not mad." He says softly. "I love you more than anything in this life, 'Xander."

"I love you too, Jacky." I mumble, calming down. "But you were starting to scare me. I-I thought you weren't gonna come back."

"I was planning on visiting you tomorrow." He says, kissing my forehead. "Dad made me help get ready for tonight, so I couldn't slip away to see you." I nod into his chest and he covers as much of my face as he can with gentle kisses until I start giggling and playfully push his head away.

"Jackieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." I whine. "Stoooooop. That tiiickllles." He chuckles and runs his fingers through my hair. After a few minutes, he gently lifts my face up so he can kiss me properly. It only lasts for a few seconds, but I don't mind. I stand up and pull him to his feet. He tips his head to the side in confusion as I back up a few steps and bow to him. Music from downstairs filters into the room. "My dear, may I offer you this dance?" I ask, extending my hand and grinning up at him. He laughs and puts his hand in mine.

"Of course, dear boy." He smiles. I straighten up and put my other hand on his waist. We sway gently to the music, moving around the room. I hum softly to the music and lay my head on his chest after a few minutes. A thought pops into my head. I dismiss it, but it keeps coming back. So I start thinking about it and put a lot of consideration into it, weighing whether or not it's worth it.

John's PoV

Words cannot begin to describe how relieved I am right now. He doesn't hate me. He does still want to be with me. He's dancing with me in my room, his head on my chest. His quiet humming falls silent after a little while, and I bite my tongue. I want to ask what he's thinking about, but I don't. You don't disturb Alexander Hamilton when he's lost in thought. It's a rule. About ten or fifteen minutes pass before he finally opens his mouth to speak. "John, I have a serious question for you, and I want you to answer honestly." He says, looking up at me, his voice the most serious I've ever heard it. I swallow nervously as his violet eyes bore into me. "Will you marry me?" My heart misses a beat. I feel my jaw drop.