Page 37 of His Dirty Obsession
“Speech,” someone shouted, and dad stood up, a glass in his hand. He wasn’t usually one for words, so this was unlike him. He kept it short and sweet, as was his wont.
“Thank you all for coming today. Mel and I never thought we’d make it this far. Most would say they’ve had a blessed life, and we have had that. We’ve two wonderful children who, quite frankly, would try the patience of a saint.”
Everyone laughed as Ava and I looked at each other. The cheek of it.
“Joking aside though, we have been blessed both in having these many years together and having Ava and Ben. They’ve grown up to be the best children anyone could ask for. Thanks again for coming, and let’s raise our glass to Mel.”
Everyone toasted them, and as Ava predicted, once the cake was cut and eaten, many of the guests drifted away, leaving us with Mum and Dad and Aunt Edith.
“So, when’s the next big event?” Aunt Edith asked, looking between Ava and me.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” I said, holding my hands up. “We’ve only been together a month, and we can’t get pregnant.”
“Same here, although we could get pregnant,” Ava said.
“Ugh, you two are no fun. What have I got to look forward to now?” Edith looked thoroughly disappointed. “I think we should place bets. Ava first or Ben?”
“And on that note, I think we’ll be going.” Ava stood, pulling Shane up from the sofa.
“I think we’ll be going too,” I said hurriedly. Definitely time to go.
After the usual goodbyes, Xavier and I walked to the tube station, ready to board the train back home.
He spoke first. “So, who do you think will be first? Us or Ava?” I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.
“I don’t know. What do you think?” I’d admit I was a little surprised by his question. It’d been a month, that was all, but I had high hopes for our relationship.
“Who knows what the future brings, Ben? Who knew that me moving into your place would get us here?” He bumped me with his shoulder as we walked.
Who knew indeed?
We spoke no more about it. In fact, we didn’t really say much of anything on the trip home, both of us lost in our own heads, and by the time we got home, Xavier was yawning.
It had been a long day, and we were both tired. I had an early morning meeting, so after a quick shower and a drink, we both went to bed, and for the first time in a while, we settled down to sleep, Xavier lying on my chest as usual.
He went to sleep first. I’d swear he only had to put his head down and he was asleep, whereas for me, it often took a while.
Tonight, all I could think about were his words. It was too soon, wasn’t it? Neither of us was ready for that kind of commitment. Were we?
Could we go from obsession to marriage?
Only time would tell, but one thing I knew, I was willing to try.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Xavier
“Ben, hurry up. We’ll be late,” I shouted up the stairs. That man couldn’t be on time to save his life.
I looked in the mirror, struggling to tie my tie. I hated wearing them, but at weddings, they were expected. OK, not all weddings, but at the kind of formal wedding we were heading to, a tie was required.
“Can you come help me with this?” I asked as he came up behind me. “I’m more used to taking my clothes off, not putting them on.”
“Here, let me do it for you.” I turned to face him and couldn’t believe how good he looked.
His dark-blue suit fit him perfectly. He’d lost a little weight over the past few months, despite my protests. I loved him the way he was, but I had to admit, it looked good on him. He’d not done it for me, but for himself, saying it made him feel better.
