Chapter 53: Before We Become Husbands

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Before We Become Husbands

He wanted Elisha, but marriage without even having a proper courtship first was a lot to take in. He thought about it for a while before slowly relaxing against him, the steady beat of Elisha’s heart calming him as they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, soft sunlight filtered through the curtains. Elisha woke up first and propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Henry, who was still fast asleep against his chest. The thought of Henry becoming his husband soon made him smile.

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Henry’s temple, then his cheek, before gently brushing his lips against Henry’s mouth.

Henry let out a sleepy, annoyed huff and turned his head away, burying his face deeper into the pillow.

Elisha laughed softly. "Alright, alright. I won’t disturb you."

Before pulling away, he gave Henry’s covered backside a light, playful pat, then slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, after brushing his teeth, washing his face, and taking a quick shower, Elisha returned to the bedroom. Seeing Henry still curled up under the duvet, he smiled and climbed back into bed. He wrapped his arms around Henry’s waist from behind and pressed a few warm kisses along his back.

Not long after, Henry finally stirred. He blinked sleepily, shifted, and rolled over to face Elisha.

"Good morning, pretty," Elisha whispered, his eyes full of affection.

Henry blinked away the last of his sleep, a soft smile touching his lips as he wrapped his arms around Elisha’s neck and pulled him closer. "Good morning."

Elisha smiled. "Tell me... why do you always turn your back to me whenever I try to kiss you good morning before I get out of bed?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Because I don’t like it. You always end up disturbing my sleep."

Elisha chuckled and pressed his forehead against Henry’s. "What if I wake you up and tell you we should have sex?"

Henry gave him an unimpressed look. "I wouldn’t answer you. I hate being disturbed while I’m sleeping."

"Pretty, don’t say that. I’ll definitely disturb you whenever I need you," Elisha teased with a mischievous smile.

Henry narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at him. "You dare not."

Elisha laughed softly before changing the subject. "Alright, let’s talk about something else. When we get married, do you want to move into my house, or should I move into yours? Or maybe we could buy a new house together and start our life there."

Henry’s smile disappeared. He shook his head firmly. "Don’t bother. I’ll stay in my house, and you can stay in yours. There’s no need for us to move into each other’s houses."

Elisha blinked, surprised by Henry’s response. Then he smiled, thinking Henry was joking. "Pretty, married people live together."

"Well, I don’t want us to live together," Henry replied stubbornly. "We don’t have to do what every other married couple does."

"But married couples usually live together," Elisha reasoned, tightening his arms around Henry. "You love me, right? Don’t you want to wake up beside me every morning?"

"I want to stay in my house, and you can stay in yours," Henry insisted. "You can come visit me whenever you want."

Elisha studied Henry’s face, realizing he was completely serious. He chuckled. "Don’t worry. You’ll change your mind once we’re married. You won’t want to leave your husband sleeping alone every night."

"No, I won’t change my mind. I’m telling you right now," Henry argued, crossing his arms.

"You will," Elisha murmured with a teasing grin.

Henry rolled his eyes and buried his face against Elisha’s chest with a soft sigh. After a quiet moment, he lifted his head and looked up at him.

"What time are we supposed to go see our parents? And... I think we should tell them that we are not ready and—"

Elisha gently interrupted, placing a finger over Henry’s lips. "There’s nothing stopping us, baby. We’ve known each other our whole lives, and we’re sure about what we want. Why wait any longer? Let’s go there today, face them together, and hear what they have to say, okay?"

Henry looked into Elisha’s steady eyes. His confidence eased some of the uncertainty in Henry’s mind.

Henry nodded slowly. "Okay."

They stayed in bed a little longer, holding each other before finally getting ready for the day. Henry reached for his phone on the nightstand and called the maid, asking her to bring their breakfast upstairs.

A few minutes later, the maid delivered breakfast and quietly left them alone. They ate together, talking occasionally as they prepared themselves for the meeting ahead.

Once they finished breakfast, they showered and dressed before leaving the house together. They headed straight to Elisha’s grandparents’ estate, where both families were already waiting for them.

The luxury car moved smoothly along the quiet morning streets. In the backseat, Elisha noticed the tension in Henry’s shoulders. He turned toward him and saw the worry still written across his face.

Elisha moved closer, wrapping an arm around Henry’s waist and pulling him against his side. With his free hand, he gently cupped Henry’s chin, tilting his face up before pressing a reassuring kiss to his lips.

When they pulled apart, Elisha brushed his thumb over Henry’s cheek. "What’s wrong, pretty? What are you thinking about?"

Henry let out a nervous breath and looked down at his hands. "It’s just... everything is happening so fast. I don’t think I’m ready to get married yet. Our parents probably jumped to this because of the leak. They might think we’ve been secretly together all these years. If we don’t stop them today, they could start making wedding plans immediately. We could end up getting married in a week or even a month. It’s just... too soon."

Elisha softened and cupped Henry’s face with both hands. "What are you scared of, baby? Tell me."

"I’m not scared of us," Henry said quickly, looking into his eyes. "It’s just... the permanence of it all. We haven’t even had the chance to date normally."

"I promise you," Elisha whispered, his voice firm with certainty. "I’ll never hurt you. I’ll treat you like my absolute best every single day for the rest of our lives."

Henry let out a shaky sigh and bit his lower lip. "I know you will, but—"

"Come on, stop overthinking it," Elisha said gently. "This might be our chance to stop them from meddling in our lives. Let’s take it. We’ll figure everything else out along the way, okay?"

Henry searched Elisha’s eyes for a moment before slowly nodding. "Okay."

Elisha smiled. "Good. Now... kiss me."

Henry let out a helpless laugh, wrapped his arms around Elisha’s waist, and pulled him into a deep kiss. When they finally parted, Henry rested his forehead against Elisha’s chest, smiling. "You’re so fucking handsome, Elisha."

Elisha chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "And you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on."

They held each other for a moment longer before settling back into their seats, ready to face both of their families together.

Not long after, the car slowed to a stop in front of the grand iron gates of Elisha’s grandparents’ estate. The driver immediately stepped out and walked around to open the back door.

Elisha stepped out first, then turned back and reached his hand into the car. Henry took it without hesitation and stepped out beside him. Their fingers intertwined as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder for a moment, taking a deep breath...