[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 99: The Night Before Our Forever

~Alistair’s POV~

Alex smiled, looking relieved that we were on the same page. "Then it’s settled. A family dinner it is."

I nodded, smiling. "Yes, love. I choose that too... I think it’ll be more fun."

"Alright, baby," Alex said. "We’ll start making plans for it tomorrow."

Alex shifted on the sofa, pulling me closer until my head rested comfortably against his shoulder.

A quiet urge rose within me... to revisit the past, to return to the moment where everything between us first began.

"You know, Alex," I began slowly, my voice soft against his shoulder, "when I left for school, I never planned on getting into a relationship before going back home."

I let out a quiet breath.

"I didn’t even imagine I’d fall in love... let alone fall in love with a man."

I paused, then added gently,

"I’m just being honest with you tonight."

"Okay, love... I’m listening," Alex said softly, his grip tightening slightly as he rested his chin against my hair.

"The first time I saw you in class... you were so quiet," I said softly.

"It wasn’t just because you were good-looking, though you were the most attractive one there."

I shook my head slightly.

"But that wasn’t what caught my attention."

I looked at him.

"It was your focus... everyone was looking at you, but you weren’t looking at anyone, you didn’t care who was watching. You just did your thing and left."

"That’s what drew me to you."

A small smile tugged at my lips.

"You didn’t even know it, but I followed you to your car a few times before you even noticed me."

Alex chuckled, a deep vibration in his chest. "You were stalking me, Alis?"

"Maybe a little," I laughed.

Alex smiled faintly.

"I don’t know when you started noticing me," he said. "But I feel like I noticed you first. I just... didn’t dare to look at you properly. Every time I glanced your way, I’d quickly look away."

He chuckled softly.

"I didn’t know how to approach you. I was scared, honestly. But the truth is... I wanted to talk to you. Even before we actually started talking... I already wanted to."

He paused slightly. "I don’t know who really noticed who first," he added, "but I know I saw you... and I wanted you."

I smiled and looked at him.

"Your silence made you seem so composed, so classic... untouchable. I was already jealous even before we were anything, you know? Back when we had just started talking, just simple ’hi, hi’... even then."

I shook my head.

"At first, I was still trying to make friends, but once you started talking to me, just those simple ’hi’ and ’hello’... I didn’t want to be friends with anyone else anymore. I was scared you’d notice them around me and think I wasn’t your type... and then go for them instead."

"I didn’t want to share you with anyone."

A soft smile formed on my lips.

"And the first day you offered me a ride... God, I was screaming inside. I was so happy... like, really happy."

Alex smiled softly. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. "Yes... I was."

I moved my hand to his, tracing the lines of his palm slowly.

"The first time we had sex..." I said quietly, "We were both so new to it. We didn’t really know how to satisfy each other perfectly yet... but it still felt like the best. It was my first time being touched like that... and somehow, it still felt right."

I looked at him. "And one thing I love about you is that you never made me feel weird. Anytime I made a suggestion, you didn’t judge me."

A small smile formed on my lips.

"You’d just say, ’I’ll try my best... I’ll learn it for you.’ And you always asked if you were doing it right, if I was satisfied."

I shook my head slightly, smiling.

"It was a little crazy... but it was us."

"You were always more open than I," Alex said.

"I had to be," I teased.

"You could read my mind," Alex said quietly. "Whenever I was scared or felt like I was doing something wrong, you’d fix it before I even said anything. Do you remember our first argument?"

I smiled, my gaze dropping briefly to his lips. "Yeah... I remember."

"I was terrified," he admitted. "I thought if I spoke up, you’d just... walk away. But you surprised me. You just said, ’Can you calm down? Let’s have a drink first.’ We ended up having sex instead of fighting. That’s when I knew I had my dream man."

We both laughed, thinking about our messy, beautiful years abroad.

"Remember when I thought you were cheating because your phone wouldn’t stop buzzing?" I said, shaking my head. "I was so jealous... and it turned out you were just planning my birthday."

Alex laughed softly. "We’ve been through so many crazy things."

I smiled, looking at him. "Yeah... and whatever tried to break us only made us stronger."

I reached for my phone, scrolling through my music library before glancing at Alex.

"This just reminded me of a particular song," I said. "It came to mind just now, and I’d like to play it."

Alex tilted his head slightly. "What song?"

I smiled faintly. "Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez."

He nodded. "Play it."

I pressed play gently.

"Let it play while we keep talking... it fits the mood."

The soft melody filled the space around us, wrapping around the quiet.

I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder.

"I never thought I’d fight this hard for love," I murmured. "Sometimes I questioned if it was worth all the pain, but every time I looked at you, I found my answer. With you... It was always worth it."

Alex leaned down and kissed the top of my head as the music swelled.

"And I’ll keep making it worth it, Alis," he said softly. "Every second of it."

The music continued to play softly as we sat there, wrapped in each other’s presence.

Eventually, the weight of the day and the emotions of the night began to settle in. We were exhausted, but it was a good kind of tired, the kind that comes from finally being understood.

We walked back inside, the house feeling more like a home than ever before, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, the house felt lighter, like everything from the night before was still hanging in the air in a good way.

As we sat down for breakfast, sunlight streamed through the windows, and Alex’s mother joined us.

Alex reached across the table and took my hand before looking at his mother.

"Mom, Alis and I were talking late last night," he said. "We’ve decided to skip the bachelor party. Instead, we want to have a family dinner, both our families and our closest friends, all together under one roof."

Her eyes lit up instantly, her coffee cup pausing halfway to her lips. "A family gathering? Oh, that’s a wonderful idea, Alex. Truly. It’s exactly what this family needs before the big day."

"We wanted to ask for your help," I added, giving her a sincere smile. "You’re really good at planning things like this... and honestly, we trust your taste more than anyone’s."

She beamed, clearly energized by the idea. "Leave the food, the arrangements, and the atmosphere to me. I’ll make sure it’s a night no one will forget."

She glanced at me, "I want your family to feel completely at home, Alis. I’ll take care of everything."

With the dinner plans now in her hands, Alex and I felt a huge weight lift off us. We finished breakfast in good spirits, then got ready and headed out for our final suit fitting.

We stepped into the shop and tried on our suits. This time, everything fit perfectly, and we both looked good in them.

Since everything was ready, we decided to take them with us instead of having them delivered.

When we got home, we placed our suits neatly in the closet.

After settling in, we sent messages to our close friends and family, informing them that we would be hosting a family dinner two days before the wedding.

The responses came in quickly. Most of our friends were excited, but some of them started teasing us with traditional advice.

"You know you two are supposed to stay apart for the forty-eight hours leading up to the ceremony, right?"

Julian and a few others even suggested that I should stay with them at a hotel for those two days, just to keep the "tradition" alive.

Alex immediately refused.

"There’s no need for that," he said. "We already have our blessing. Nothing is going to happen. I’m not leaving you, and you’re not leaving me. I don’t care about superstitions, we’re staying right next to each other."

My friends kept pushing, saying it would be a fun "last hurrah" at the hotel, but Alex remained unmoved.

"Will Andrew be there?" he asked. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

I nodded. "Yeah, he’s my friend too."

"No way," Alex said immediately. "If you’re going to that hotel, then I’m coming with you. You can go in and see your friends, I’ll wait in the car. When you’re done, I’ll pick you up and we’ll come back home together."

I couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t want any friction, and honestly, after everything we had been through, I didn’t want to be away from him either.

In the end, we reached a compromise. I could spend time with my friends during the day, but Alex would come to pick me up at night, and we would return home together.

With that settled, everything moved smoothly.

Alex’s mother informed us that the plans for the dinner were already in place. The arrangements, the food, everything had been handled perfectly.

And just like that, the day of the family dinner arrived.