On Monday, Maryse called Luke and asked him to meet her at a nearby cafe at 10.30am, and then asked Alec to meet them there at 11am.
Maryse and Luke arrived and greeted each other.
Maryse briefly outlined the situation and said that the boys would be along shortly to explain everything in detail. In the meantime they had coffee and talked.
"It's been a long time since we sat together like this. Are you all right? Have you finally found happiness? " asked Maryse, thinking about the past.
"I had 10 happy years, but I've been alone for a while. To this day, I regret not fighting for you, but accepting your decision, you know?" said Luke quietly, as he took Maryse's hand across the table and held it in his palm. Maryse did not pull away. It felt good to be cared for, to be respected as a woman and treated kindly. She almost didn't remember that feeling. She blushed.
"I also regret not encouraging you more." Maryse replied sadly.
"How are your days?" she asked
"I've been focusing on my work since I buried Agatha".
They talked about the past and present, calmly, in agreement. Meanwhile Luke continued to hold Maryse's hand.
The boys arrived and introduced themselves. Then Magnus got up to order the coffee.
"Mom, Luke, you guys want another one?"
"I'll have a cake, dear, thank you."
"I'll have another coffee, black."
Magnus returned a short time later with a tray full of coffee. Alec jumped up and took it from him.
"Let me help you, love," he said.
They had coffee and told Luke all about the case. About the attack on Magnus and the domestic violence Robert had committed. Luke was horrified to hear what Maryse and Alec had to endure at home.
"Magnus, I remember your case. I even worked on it. I remember how easily we caught the gang, and I remember how upset we got when we heard the verdict. Those bastards deserved jail time, not a fine. But unfortunately there was nothing we could do. Our hands were tied. We gave all the evidence we had during the investigation. But now that we can connect the law firm to the case, we can start investigating and even ask for a retrial in your case. Have you brought the pendrive?"
"We made a copy," Alec said, and handed it to Luke.
"Luke, what do we do now?" asked Alec.
"Nothing. I say again, nothing. This gang is dangerous. If your dad or his colleagues get wind that we're investigating them, they could destroy the evidence. Stay calm and away from the case. This is important. If you draw their attention, it could damage the investigation, not to mention your own safety. And you don't want that, and neither do we. My team and I are launching an official investigation. I'll keep you informed. Here's my phone number. You can always reach me on that. If you see anything unusual, you can call even at night."
"Thank you Luke"
Magnus and Alec said goodbye and headed home. They didn't live far away, so they walked.
Did you see how mom held Luke's hand the whole time? It feels strange, but I'm happy for them. Mom deserves happiness.
"Yes, they were so sweet. Alexander. I hope your father doesn't find out before time. Listen, I don't know if this is relevant, but I saw Camille again today. She was at the café. When I placed my order, she was sitting at a corner table in the back. I thought she hadn't noticed me, but isn't it weird that I saw her twice in a short time?"
"I don't know, I don't think so," Alec reflected. "After all, you haven't been out much so far, she might live nearby and it's all a coincidence. Anyway, do you have any photos of her? To see what she looks like, so I can get to know her the next time I see her."
"No, I've thrown everything away that was related to her. But you know what? I'm sure we can find her on social média, she always liked to post photos of herself on Instagram."
"You have an account?" asked Alec.
"I had, but I deleted everything when I came home from the hospital. It was all photos of the two of us. It was under my own name, so readers didn't follow it, only friends, who by then turned out not to be friends at all."
"When you finish your book, have you thought about making an official account? Or will the publisher take care of that?"
"I don't know, until now I didn't have an official account for my books. But it might be worth a try."
"Magnus, have you even told the publisher that you're writing again?"
"No, but when we had our meeting I was asked to do the book editing, but I asked for time. At the time I hadn't decided what I wanted to do. That was one of the reasons I invited Catarina to dinner. I promised her I'd decide by then. But she thinks I just want to take a rest. She doesn't even know that I write."
"So, what do you think? Will you do it? Have you written since then?"
"No, and yes. I decided that yesterday. When I sat down to write, it was like it used to be. I didn't have to think, I just wrote and wrote unstoppable. So I made the decision. I'm not going to take the editorial job now, and I'll tell Catarina at dinner that I'm writing again. Catarina will literally blow her mind if she finds out, I think. I can't wait to tell her. Since I'm writing this under my own name, I don't want to hide like I did with my previous books."
"I'm proud of you, sweetheart. I can't wait to get it done."
"You know you can read it if you want, right?"
"I know, but I don't want to read it in advance. I want to read it when it's done and you get your hands on the first publisher's copy. I want to read that."
They got home, but Alec told him to keep going. They stopped in front of Lisette's shop.
"Come on, we're going in." Alec said
Lisette saw them, her lips curled into a wide smile. Alec didn't even have to ask, she came out with a red rose in her hand.
"Honey, the usual" she handed the rose to Alec and hugged him.
"Magnus darling, this is the second time I've seen you out for a walk recently. This boy is a very good influence on you."
"Yes, Lisette, he is."
"Come and give this old florist a hug, let me have a good day being hugged by such handsome boys."
They all laughed, gave Lisette a big hug, kissed both sides of her cheek at the same time, and said goodbye.
Alec handed the rose to Magnus, who thanked him with a kiss.
"Alexander, can we walk a little more?"
"If you like, I'd love to. But please let me know immediately if you feel uncomfortable. Where shall we go? To the park?"
"I don't know, this is the park where... I'd like to go, but I have to think about it. Can we go to the nearby bookstore? I haven't been in a bookstore in a long time."
"Let's go, sure," said Alec.
They walked to the bookshop, holding hands, Magnus holding the rose. They walked through the streets and Magnus felt something strange.
"Alexander, have you noticed that we are walking hand in hand, I'm holding a red rose, and we haven't had a single negative comment? People don't look at us wrong-eyed.
"Yes, maybe because we have the sparkle of sincere love. That's what they see in us. Love is love. Lisete said that to me when we first met"
Slowly they reached the book store, went inside, and were immediately hit by the fresh smell of paper.
"Magnus, I haven't seen you for a thousand years." The shopkeeper greeted them.
"Maya, yes, it's been a long time. It's good to see you too. This is Alexander, my love. Can we look around, please?"
"Take your pick," Maya told them.
They picked some books "Magnus, they sell your book here? Does Maya know who you are?"
"She doesn't." Magnus said
"Maya," Alec went to her. Do you have the book 'I Accept Myself' by Matthew Archer?"
"That one always goes fast, but I'll check the catalog. I thought right, I don't have any of it, I've ordered it, but we're waiting for the third edition, it's a very popular book. It'll be at least 3 weeks before it arrives. Shall I put one aside for you? "
"No, thanks, we'll look in. I'll take these now."
They paid for the books. They said goodbye and left. Magnus took Alec's hand and pulled him to the other side of the street.
"Where are you taking me Magnus?"
"I'll try, let's go. Just hold my hand tight. I'll show you a place where there are always few people." Magnus said, leading Alec into the park. Across the walkway to the shore of a small lake where there was a hidden spot of soft grass under a tree. They settled down. They sat side by side under the tree, Magnus leaning against Alec's shoulder. Alec held him, stroking Magnus' soft hair. They sat in soothing peace, watching the ducks swimming in the lake.
"Alexander, to my surprise, I have no bad feelings. It's so good to feel the outside world, I've almost forgotten how good it is. I've spent so much time within the four walls. Now we're sitting here, I can smell the water, feel the warm sun on my skin, hear the birds chirping. I can feel you, the movement of your muscles as you caress me, I can feel your love without words. Thank you. If you were not with me, I would not experience all this beauty again."
"Magnus, it took your strength and your determination. I'm glad you're open, that you want to discover more and more. And although I can see that you are sometimes hesitant, that you are cautious, it's only natural. At the same time, you're very brave because you're not afraid to try new things. Know, that I am always here for you. And if you ever have a bad feeling, please don't hesitate to tell me."
Alec said as he looked Magnus in the eye. Then to his lips. He moistened his lips with his tongue, the tip of his pink tongue running along his lower lip. Magnus could only control himself until now, he leaned in and suddenly licked Alec's protruding tongue. Their mouths pressed against each other, Alec's soft tongue tasting Magnus's tongue, his upper lip, and when they ran out of breath, they looked at each other and were lost in each other's gaze. And then Alec's phone rang.
"I'll ask him, hold on a second," Alec said into the phone.
"Magnus, Clary called, she said she's free this afternoon, we can go to her place if we want. But of course no pressure, only if you really want to and you're ready for it."
"Let's go" Magnus said without thinking.
"Clary, I'll call you back in 5 minutes okay?" said Alec and hung up the phone.
"Magnus dear, won't this be too much for you today?"
"It doesn't feel like so much, the world has opened up somehow and I'm hungry for experiences."
"One more thing, are you ready to take your shirt off?"
"Clary Jace's girlfriend, right? Is she nice? Can I trust her?"
"The cutest girl I have ever met. She's tiny, not even up to my shoulders, and draws as pretty as I've ever seen anyone. And she's brave, too. She can defend herself when she has to. I like her."
Let's go and see. If it feels like too much for me, I'll let you know, I promise. Let's get a cab.
Alec called Clary back and they were on their way.
Then Magnus saw her again.
"Alexander, look over there, by the tree, on the bench, with the pram, that's Camille. I'm getting scared, like she's everywhere we are."
"I don't know, she's with a child, maybe she's just walking with her, but it's getting weird for me too. Should I call Luke? "
"Nah, I don't think so. What should we tell him? Twice today we saw someone from my past that we probably just ran into by coincidence. Look, she's not even there anymore. The bench is empty."
You're right. Let's go find a cab. They walked out of the park. They got into a taxi, which took them 20 minutes. The tattoo shop was empty, only Clary was there.