Book of Love

by David Horne

  The drove to Alfie's childhood home was filled with smiles and idle chatter.

  Chapter Eight

  Matt and his mother, Daphne, checked out the large home. It wasn't outlandishly lavish but it did stick out like a sore thumb by being a newer built Victorian. The house was three stories tall. The wooden siding was a pale blue with white around the window frames. The whole house had elegantly carvings. The house had a circular tower that started on the second floor and had two stories making the tower a stand out feature of the house.

  The garden was modest in design but it was filled with all different colored roses. It was a very charming house. Mr. Bailey was standing outside, no doubt waiting for them.

  Matt watched as the car drove up the driveway. The car stopped to allow them to exit. Then it was driven the house where the garage was no doubt.

  Climbing the three stairs to the front porch, Alfie was hugged by his father. It was a hug that screamed how much the man loved his son. A small stab of jealousy pierced Matt’s heart for a few seconds.

  However, it was gone just as quick. Alfie's father looked at Matt and his mother. A small smile crossed over his face, which was welcoming and warm. "Welcome to the Xavier family estate. Well, the one in America at least." Alfie snorted as he shook his head.

  Daphne walked up and held out her hand in the way of greeting. "Good evening, Mr. Bailey. I have heard a lot about you from your son. It is a pleasure to meet you."

  Mr. Bailey took Daphne's hand and shook it gently.

  "Pleasure is mine. Please call me Oscar." He looked at Matt. "That counts for you too. No more mister anything," Oscar said with a smile.

  Matt saw Alfie give a great big smile behind his dad. It made Matt breathe easier. Once inside, the mother-son pair was treated to the beautiful airy foyer. The floors were a shiny deep cherry wood, the walls painted a cream color, the wall to their right held a large mirror with a console table underneath it, bowl and pot plant. The wall to the left was covered in photos. Matt moved to see the photos. Alfie walking with him to stand beside him.

  There were the typical childhood photos of an absolutely adorable Alfie. One of him as a baby, as a toddler and then as a child. Some showed him without some teeth, having lost his baby teeth. Then came the absences of pre-teen and teenager photos as kids get more camera shy. Matt looked at the family photos and saw that each year, there seemed to be one taken.

  Alfie watched Matt as he walked down the hall to look at more of the photos. He could hear his father behind him explaining the photos and what age he had been and what he had been up to in said photos.

  Noticing the older gentleman in the photo, he had blond hair with streaks of white hair, a clean-shaven face and similarly dressed like Oscar. Matt saw the man in photos before Alfie was born, when he was born and then up until the man must have passed away. What was remarkable to Matt was that the man aged very well.

  "He passed away in his sleep," Alfie said when he noticed where Matt was looking at.

  Matt made a hum before he pulled Alfie closer to him. He gave Alfie a one-arm hug.

  "I bet he's so proud of you," Matt said softly as he continued to look at the photos again from the start to see if he could see Alfie's mom. It was while he was looking through the family photos that a wedding photo caught his attention. The man was clearly Oscar, and the woman next to him had to be Alfie's mom. The woman had a soft face and the same color eyes and hair as Alfie.

  "Your mom is beautiful," Matt said as he stared at the woman. Now knowing what she looked like, he went back to the family photos and found what must have been the year she married Oscar. Matt noticed that the last photo the woman was in was one year before Alfie's grandfather was no longer in the photos.

  "She was. I miss her every day." Matt looked down at Alfie, who had placed his head on Matt's shoulder. Matt wanted to ask so badly, but he never needed to. "She passed away from cancer."

  Matt pulled Alfie closer into a proper hug. "I know she's looking down at you, and she's so proud of you."

  Alfie swallowed passed the lump in his throat. He wrapped his arms around Matt's waist. "She would have liked you."

  Oscar and Daphne watched the scene. It was clear to Oscar that the two had at least talked about their feelings. He watched as Matt rubbed Alfie's back.

  They made their way deeper into the home. The living room had dark blue couches, more deep cherry wood. The dining room was linked to the kitchen were lovely smells were coming from.

  A warm glow filled the dining room from the fireplace as the wood crackled and popped on occasion. The orange flames brought warmth into the whole room. Matt smiled when he saw bookshelves, even in the dining room.

  Taking their seats, Oscar at the head of the table, Alfie to his left and Matt next to him while Daphne sat on Oscar's right. Oscar had not taken his seat but walked into the kitchen.

  Matt looked at the table. The table runner was a deep charcoal gray. The plates were an elegant light blue china with a gold rim. The table center was a small golden pot with a few roses, no doubt from the garden. There were two wine glasses, one for red and one for white. Matt luckily knew that much from the expensive dinners his dad had taken them on.

  There was a clink and a clanking noise. Oscar then came out with an ice bucket and brought the ice bucket to the stand. There was already a white wine bottle resting in the ice.

  The man asked everyone if they wanted wine, everyone wanted, and thus he poured half a glass. He then went into the kitchen again. Alfie rose even when his father told him not to. They both brought out the soup and quickly served some roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup. It was rich and full of flavor.

  "Did you make this?" Daphne asked Oscar. The man smiled and looked down at the soup. "It is one of the few dishes I can cook thanks to my late wife who taught me. Alfie is the better cook. They both loved to cook together."

  There was a small hint of sadness, but the happiness in the man's eyes gleamed as he looked at his son. Alfie smiled back and took another mouthful. "It tastes just like hers."

  After they settled into dinner, the soup went down quickly, with compliments to the chef. With Alfie's help, they cleared the table from the used dishes. Alfie then came out with a bottle of red wine and asked before he poured everyone a glass of deep red wine.

  The main course was a hearty lamb stew with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. The meat was tender, and the potatoes smooth. It also went down great with the guests.

  Once the main course was eaten, the two Bailey men got up and cleaned the table. They all then went to the living room for a palate cleanser of lemon sorbet. That was something that Matt and his mom had never had a lemon sorbet before, and they both enjoyed the novelty of it.

  After the tangy treat, they moved back to the dining room. The plates had been taken back into the kitchen, and deep dessert plates and dessert wine glasses had been placed on the table. They all took their seats and waited for Oscar to bring out the dessert dish, a warm apple crumble and custard to go with.

  Matt groaned in delight. Alfie snickered as he watched Matt gobbled up his plate and ask for seconds from an equally amused Oscar. Daphne just smiled at her son, glad to see her son so happy.

  With dessert finished, Matt and his mother went back into the living room and sat down. The room also had a fireplace, but it was not lit yet. The house might not have looked lavish, but Daphne saw the designer brand furniture. "I wonder how big the Xavier estate is," she wondered out loud more to herself than her son but saw the shrug he gave.

  "I don't know, and frankly it doesn't matter to me. Alfie could be a one bookstore owner, and I would still be with him."

  "Well, I’m glad to hear that." Alfie came into the room with a tray, four tumblers and a decanter of whiskey on top. Oscar came in with a small bucket of ice.

  "I, myself, am glad to hear that my son's wealth is not the thing that gained your affections," Oscar said as he dropped ice into the glasses. Alfie poured each a wh
iskey, looking up at Daphne to ask with his eyes if she wanted, she smiled and nodded.

  The clinking of ice was the background noise for a while. Oscar then went about starting a fire to chase the increasing chill the night brought.

  "To answer your question Daphne, the Xavier estate has more than over a hundred stores. Some are like the one Alfie runs for now and most likely will run the entire estate from. We have other smaller stores, and some are unique to older and rare books. We even have some businesses that restore old books and sell them to museums," Oscar explained, taking the occasional sip of his whiskey.

  Daphne went on to ask more questions such as which books they had restored and where they were now. Alfie had toed off his shoes and cuddled into Matt's side, holding his whiskey tumbler with both his hands, taking a sip here and there. Matt had his arm thrown over Alfie's shoulder, holding him close.

  "I’m glad that you two are finally together," Oscar said, looking at the cuddling pair. Alfie just smiled at his father while Matt gave a relieved and truly happy smile, showing how much his acceptance meant to him.

  "I plan on moving into the apartment once my lease is over," Alfie revealed, and the pair saw the satisfied smile on both parents' faces.

  Shortly after the whiskey was drunk, goodbyes were said, and promises of more outings and dinners were made.

  The car dropped them off first. The driver was more than willing to drive Daphne home as it was far too late to get a taxi. It was safer that way, and Daphne was more than happy to have a safer way home. She kissed both men on the cheek and climbed into the car. The red tail lights drifting off into the distance.

  Matt and Alfie came back to an excited Sam that kissed their faces all over. Having fed Sam before they left, both men did their nightly routine and climbed into bed. This time in Alfie's bed.

  Smiling, Matt ran his fingers down Alfie's back as the man rested on top of him while Sam had claimed the one corner of the bed.

  Alfie had drifted to sleep. His face was relaxed and body lax where it rested against Matt. The last thing he saw before sleep claimed him was the resting face of his liberator .

  Chapter Nine

  Five months had passed, and the relationship had only grown. They had some small agreements about small things that were quickly talked out. They had agreed to never go to bed mad at each other.

  The lease on Alfie's apartment had come up when it was three months away from expiring. Alfie had informed the landlady that he would be moving out and in with his boyfriend. The old lady smiled and patted his arm. She wished him good luck and a long and happy life.

  Alfie had decided to sell most of his furniture from his old apartment and keep small items. Like an old bookcase, obviously his books, pictures and a very, very old chest and some other knick-knacks.

  With the money from the furniture, they decided to make the apartment their own with new furniture and paint. They did it in small increments..

  ***The happy couple spent most of their time together but still have their “me” time. Alfie had his office and Matt in the living room, watching his sports and studying for his upcoming exams.

  When Alfie saw Matt getting too worked up, he would either take Matt by the shoulders and lead him to the couch to their bedroom to smother Matt with kisses.

  The other way Alfie got Matt to relax was with something tasty to eat. It usually got Matt to stop what he was doing and take a small break to enjoy what Alfie had made for him.

  Alfie would always, no matter what route he took, help Matt afterward by reading his notes and books he needed to learn from out loud, stroking Matt's hair with soft and gentle fingers.

  It worked wonders as Matt stressed less and learned more as Alfie made Matt take regular breaks and fed him healthy foods. What surprised Matt the most was Alfie signing them up to a gym. They decided to go to the gym in the mornings, only for an hour, just to do cardio and use the showers as Matt still could not put a lot of stress on his knee.

  His knee did get stronger the more they went to the gym. Alfie had gotten more fit as well and had learned to love his morning jogs. They soon started to do more and make their morning gym time slot longer by half an hour.

  Both men loved the healthy changes it brought to the other. They fell more and more in love as time passed. They also earned more about the small habits of the other.

  Matt learned that Alfie got unusually quiet when something was bothering him and was not likely to just say what was bothering him. Matt learned that it was usually small things that the man overthought and that just like Matt, when he studied too hard, Alfie needed Matt to remind him to breathe and relax.

  Admittedly Alfie was easier to get out of his overthinking marathon by just gripping him by the shoulder, kissing the man all over his face with butterfly kisses until he was near giggling and then dragging the man to the couch, pushing him to sit down on the three-seater couch, in the middle. Then he would go to the kitchen to make some tea and scour the pantry for some cookies.

  Alfie would always smile at him with gratitude. He would then snuggle up to Matt. Matt would have one leg on the couch with Alfie snuggling up to him. They would stay like this until they both fell asleep.

  Life was honestly good.

  Matt’s father had tried to contact him by cellphone, email and some of his old friends who came back to him with their metaphorical tails in a submissive manner. Matt was quick to tell them that they had shown their true faces and that he wanted nothing to do with them. He had a new life and love. His mother was happy. He had a good relationship with his lover's family, who, according to Alfie, adored him.

  It was, however, to be expected that his father would have one last-ditch attempt at getting something out of Matt. It was what his dad did that surprised him.

  It was a calm day when the bell above the door rang, gaining both Matt and Alfie's attention. Matt groaned softly, making Alfie look at him with concern.

  There standing at the door giving the store the same look like Matt's father was a man on the tall side. He had dark brown hair that was graying at the temples. His suit was obviously expensive and on the thinner side as spring had fully settled in. Alfie could easily spot a designer suit. The man smelled of expensive.

  All in all, an arrogant man with too much money and a too big of an ego.

  Next to him was a typical rich daddy's girl, Instagram influencer wanna-be. Matt noted that she had changed her hair color from the platinum blonde to a hazel brown. It didn't look bad, the girl was pretty in the traditional way, meaning, just like all the other pretty girls on the internet.

  She had on the latest fashion, from head to toe. She took off her sunglasses and sneered as she looked at the bookstore interior. Her father seemed to have more manners as he kept his face from showing what he was really thinking.

  The man saw them first, his face had yet to change. His daughter, however, looked at Matt and smiled a flirty smile.

  "Hi Matt, so nice to finally meet you," she said as she walked to the counter. She then tried to go behind the counter, but Alfie stepped in her way. "I am sorry, but only employees are allowed behind the counter." Alfie had his no-nonsense voice and face on the play.

  The girl-woman pouted and batted her eyelashes at him, but Alfie remained unmoved. She sighed with a tilted back head. She then moved to stand before Matt with the counter between her and him.

  "What do you want Bella?" Matt asked, his arms crossed. Alfie had learned that Matt would only cross his arms when he was waiting, but it was a “slouched at ease” posture. The other was when he was mad. He still had a more relaxed posture. The last reason Matt crossed his arms, he was very uncomfortable. Alfie knew it was that one now as Matt was nearly as stiff as a board, and his lip twitched to hold back the grimace his face wanted to pull into.

  "Well, I wanted to finally meet you. Of course, I mean, I have heard so much about you from your dad. Well, you sound like one hell of a guy," she said, leaning forward and smiling in a flirty
manner. Matt just looked at Alfie with a look in his eyes that said, “See what I was talking about?.”

  Alfie racked his brain for an excuse to get the two out of his shop, but nothing came up.

  "So, I was wondering if you would like to get lunch with me?" she asked, placing her elbows on the counter. This move made her chest more noticeable. Matt didn't look at her breasts once.

  Matt looked at Bella like she grew a second head. "Why would I do that? I don't know you," Matt said as if that was a very much reasonable reason, which it was to an average human.

  Alfie watched with a feeling of dread and slowly reached for his cellphone and texted his father, asking him where he was. Alfie had to fight the sigh of relief when his father said that he was nearby and would be at the store in a few minutes.

  Bella looked at Matt, disbelieving. No one had ever turned her down. The hunk of a man didn't look at her boobs even once. He did, in fact, look like he wanted to bolt at any second. The blond man at the mouth of the counter was looking at her with unreadable eyes. However, his posture said that he didn't want her in the shop.

  Looking at her dad for help, the man stepped forward and held his hand out for Matt to shake. But, Matt just stared at the man, waiting for him to just say what he wanted to say.

  "Hello Matt, I'm Bella's father. You can call me Mr. Rogers. I am here because your father informed me you refused to meet Bella. So, I decided that we would just come to you."

  Again, Matt looked at the elder Rogers like he grew a second head.

  "I refused for a reason," Matt spit out with clinched teeth.

  Alfie moved behind the counter to stand beside Matt. He arched an incredulous brow. "I know for a fact that Americans can see when someone doesn't want anything to do with someone or something,” Alfie spoke, looking between the two Rogers.