[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 75: When Love Starts Counting Days

~Alistair’s POV~

Alex looked stunned. "One month? To convince her? How am I supposed to—"

He trailed off, running a hand through his hair, his eyes flicking to me before turning back to my mother. His voice softened, heavy with desperation.

"Am I allowed to come here? Can I at least come and see Alis?"

My mother met his gaze. "You can visit," she said. "You can come and check on him. But he stays here, under my roof, until everything is settled... once and for all."

Alex let out a long, shaky breath and nodded. "Alright, Mom. I understand."

After they finished the rest of their conversation, the heavy tension in the room finally began to ease. Alex thanked my mother, his voice filled with a sincere, raw gratitude for the chance she was giving us.

He stood up, clearly anxious to get home and start the fight for our marriage.

But the moment his eyes met mine, he froze.

There was worry written all over my face... and something else.

A quiet longing.

Like I wasn’t ready for him to leave.

He saw it. And just like that... he couldn’t bring himself to walk out the door.

He turned back to my mother one last time.

"I’m going to spend a little more time with my husband before I go," he said quietly.

She gave a permissive nod. Without a word, Alex and I walked out of the living room together, retreating to the privacy of my bedroom.

The moment the door clicked shut, the world seemed to shrink and be safer.

I turned to him immediately, my hands trembling as I helped him out of his jacket, then bent to loosen his shoes.

I just... needed him here with me, away from everything else.

We climbed onto the mattress, and I practically crawled into his lap, draping myself over him like a vine.

I rested my head on his chest, my ear pressed against his heartbeat.

We didn’t say a single word. I just clung to him, as clingy as I’d ever been, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing.

For an hour, the only sound was the ticking of the clock and the quiet rustling of the sheets. Eventually, the exhaustion of the past few days caught up to me, and I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep right there on his chest.

When I finally woke up a few hours later, the room was dim, lit by the soft glow of fading afternoon light.

I lifted my head slightly... and found Alex looking at me. His gaze was so full of raw devotion that it made my breath hitch. We stared at each other for a long, quiet moment before he leaned down, capturing my lips in a slow, lingering kiss.

When we pulled back, he brushed a stray hair from my forehead. "You haven’t been sleeping well, have you?"

I just nodded against his chest, unable to lie.

"You don’t have to worry," he murmured. "I will do everything in my power to make sure my mother accepts you. I’m going to fix this, Alis."

"What if she doesn’t?" I asked, the fear creeping back into my voice.

"What if she doesn’t?" I asked, the fear creeping back into my voice.

"Babe, stay positive. Don’t go to the negative side," he assured me, pulling me tighter. "Everything’s going to be fine," he said gently. "She’ll come around... she has to."

I looked at him, searching his face. "What are you going to do now?"

He sighed, his brow furrowing slightly. "I don’t know exactly yet... but I’ll figure something out before I leave."

He paused, like he was trying to ease the heaviness between us.

"Anyway... are you okay?"

I felt a small stir in my stomach and nodded, a shy smile forming.

"I’m fine, baby... I’m just a little hungry."

Alex chuckled, a wicked glint returning to his eyes. "Hungry for my cock? Or for your stomach?"

I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, and I playfully tapped his chest. "Babe! I’m hungry for actual food!"

"What kind of food? Don’t be shy, just say it."

I smiled, feeling a little lighter. "I’m hungry for pasta and chicken."

"You sure you don’t want my hot dog instead?" he teased, his grin widening.

"Stop it! I’m serious, I need real food," I laughed, the sound unfamiliar... but warm, filling the room again.

Alex watched me, his expression softening into pure adoration. "Don’t ever stop smiling, baby. I love to see it. It’s the best thing in the world."

"I love to see you smiling, too," I murmured.

"Then let me take you out to eat," he said, sitting up.

I hesitated. "Will my mom allow that? She’s being pretty strict."

"Your mom trusts me, Alis. I’ll handle it."

Alex slipped his jacket back on, and I quickly changed into something decent.

Together, we walked back into the living room.

Alex approached my mother with quiet respect and asked if he could take me out for a meal. He promised that no matter how late it got, he would bring me back himself.

My mother looked at us for a brief moment, her eyes moving between us.

Then she nodded.

"Okay."

"Thank you, Mom," Alex said. We walked out hand-in-hand, stepping into the fresh air and heading toward his car.

As we reached it, I looked at him curiously. "Did you drive yourself here all alone again?"

"Yes," he said, unlocking the doors.

"Why didn’t you ask the driver to bring you?" I asked.

"I just wanted some time alone with you," he admitted as we pulled out of the driveway. "I already felt something was off... and I didn’t want anyone else around."

Alex drove us around for a while, the familiar streets and quiet movement of the city slowly easing the tension in my chest.

Eventually, he pulled up in front of a high-end Italian restaurant.

We were seated in a quiet corner, away from everyone else.

Over plates of pasta and chicken, we talked about everything... and nothing at all.

For a moment, I almost told him to take me home with him... or to just run away with him.

I just wanted to be with him.

I watched him as he talked, smiling, saying sweet things, making promises he truly meant.

And all I could do was sit there, quietly smiling back at him... like everything was okay.

After we finished eating, we didn’t go straight back.

Instead, Alex drove us to a luxury store so I could restock a few things. Since I hadn’t planned to stay away for long, I only brought a few essentials with me. Now, I needed my skincare, my colognes... all the little things I couldn’t go without.

Alex insisted I get everything, even things I might not need, staying close to me the whole time as I picked out my usual brands.

When we were done, Alex went to pay. Then he carried all the bags to the car, placing them carefully in the trunk.

As he climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the engine, the reality of the situation settled back over us. We headed back to my mother’s house.

The moment we pulled into the driveway, the car had barely stopped before I unbuckled my seatbelt.

I didn’t want to get out.

I turned to Alex, and before he could say anything, I leaned over the console and climbed into his lap.

My lips found his in a desperate kiss.

My hands clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer, as if letting go would break something inside me.

I kissed him until my breath grew uneven... until the tears I’d been holding back finally slipped free.

"When..." I whispered against his lips, my voice shaking, "when are you coming back to see me?"

Alex let out a soft, breathy laugh, his hands steadying me on his lap. "You’re acting like a baby, Alis. Be a man for me, just for a little while."

"I’m a baby," I said softly, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "I don’t want to be strong right now... I just want to be taken care of by my husband."

He pulled me closer, his arms firm around me, his voice dropping into that low, soothing tone that always calmed me.

"I’ll be here soon, I promise," he said softly. "Anytime you want to see me, just call me. Before you even hang up... I’ll already be on my way."

I leaned back slightly, my eyes watery as I looked at him, then wrapped my arms around him again, I didn’t want to let go.

"Don’t go yet," I whispered. "Just stay tonight... please."

Alex sighed, his thumb tracing my jawline with a bittersweet tenderness. "I can’t, baby. You know we only have one month. I need to start working on this now. Every hour counts if I’m going to get my husband back home."

I let out a long, shaky sigh and nodded. I knew he was right. With one last, lingering kiss, I finally let go. Alex hopped out and opened my door, helping me carry the bags of skincare and clothes into the house.

Inside, he was every bit the gentleman—dropping the bags in my room before going to my mother to say a respectful goodnight.

When he turned toward the front door, I followed him, not ready for it to end.

We stepped back out into the cool night air.

By his car, we held each other again... just a little longer.

Stealing a few more soft kisses, quiet and unhurried.

Until reality caught up with us and we had no choice but to let go.

Alex stepped into the driver’s seat and rolled down the window, waving one last time. "Call me if you need anything. I mean it, Alis."

"I will, baby," I nodded, my arms wrapped around myself as the engine roared.

I stood there on the pavement, watching his taillights fade into the distance. He was barely out of the driveway, and I already missed him so much it felt like I was hollowed out.

~Alexander’s POV~