Kiss Me Tenderly

Ex Fiance? Ex Fiance?
I stared at him, jaw set, anger pulsing in an almost frightening hum through my veins. Alex paled, took a step back. I took a deep breath to steady myself.
“Ex Fiance? What happened?” my teeth ground together, trying to keep a semblance of self control.
Alex’s eyes darted around the room, eyes restless.
“Can we talk about this later? There are kids here, I don’t feel like airing my dirty laundry in a daycare center” Alex hissed, keeping his voice low.
“Fine. Your house or mine?” my arms were folded across my chest, still not letting the whole “ex fiance” thing go.
“Mine. I get off in a few, just follow me.”
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Before we left, I was pleased to note that Alex had dumped the roses into the trashcan to rot.

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“So, ex fiance?” I prompted, settled on the couch at his apartment. Alex sighed, knees sinking into the worn couch. We had arrived at his apartment complex just moments earlier. I had been shocked at how run down it looked, the paint chipping off almost every doorway, many missing their brass numbers, duct tape coating the places where glass used to be.
He sat facing me, slender fingers tangled in his lap.
He wouldn’t answer, glaring at his fingers. Every so often, he would suck in a breath like he was going to say something but he simply exhaled and continued fiddling with his fingers.
I was starting to get worried when the fifteen minute mark passed.
“Alex?” I reached across the couch, pressed a hand to his shoulder.
He lifted his face and I gasped.
His light brown eyes were full of sadness, riddled with deep pockets of self doubt. He just looked so broken.
“He lied,” he said softly, his voice cracking. My heart absolutely shattered for him. Out of empathy of course.
“What? What happened?” I grabbed his hands and squeezed them, keeping my eyes locked on his.
“He said he’d love me forever and... Then he left and... I.. Just wasn’t good enough,” Alex hiccuped through the last few words, the tears that were welling up in his eyes, splashing down his cheeks.
It was like someone had punched a hole in my chest and let the freezing cold winter air blow through it. I couldn’t move, I just stared while Alex broke to pieces in front of me. It was difficult seeing him cry, so difficult, that I couldn’t help but pull him into my lap. I wrapped my arms tight around his shaking body, let his tears run down my neck and soak into my shirt. The sounds of children at play echoed from down the hall as I rubbed little circles into the small of his back to comfort poor Alex, his small cries muffled in my neck. I didn’t realize he was holding-clutching- onto my shirt until I felt his fingers twist and curl in the fabric.
Eventually, his tears slowed, the warm, wet flow stopped, the silence punctuated by Alex’s occasional snuffle.
“You alright?” I questioned gently, unthinkingly pressing a gentle kiss to his dark brown hair. He stiffened at the feel of my lips on his head but then relaxed against me, snuggling into my arms.
“Y-Yeah. It’s been building for a while so... I guess I just had to get it out,” Alex said quietly into my shoulder.
Suddenly, it hit me: We were snuggling.
And I liked it.
I shrugged off the thought and hugged Alex tighter. All in the name of comfort, right? It wasn’t my fault that Alex was absolutely adorable and smelled ni-
No. We’re not going to go there. Not when Alex is still so fragile.
“Stop thinking so hard,” Alex bumped my nose with his, shaking me out of my reverie. His lips were hilariously close to mine. A small smile was on his lips as his eyes slowly slipped closed.
I could just push forward just a littl-
“Daddy?”
We both looked up, shocked.
Three children, two dark haired, one blonde, stared at us with wide eyes.
Alex was the first to react. “Yes, Owen?” He still hadn’t removed his hand from my shirt, seemed content to just leave it over my heart.
Which was pounding admittedly fast.
But Owen turned his big green eyes towards me.
“‘re you gonna to be my new daddy, too?” He was bold and blunt for a five year old.
“What?” I was shocked. My gaze flickered from Owen, who was standing in the doorway with a stony expression fixed on me, occasionally looking at the threadbare carpet, to Alex, who was looking at his son with an expression akin to horror.
“‘re you gonna ‘dopt me too?”
My eyes flickered back and forth even faster, saw Alex climb as quickly as he could out of my lap, untangling our legs. He led the children out of the room, hushing Owen as he went. I heard them go down the hall, heard a door open, Blue’s Clues turn on in the next room, and the quiet hush of a door brushing against worn carpeted floors.
The sound of Alex’s feet padding down the hallway filled the almost uncomfortable vacuum of a silence.
The sigh of the old couch breathed out into the air.
This whole time, I remained frozen.
‘Are you going to adopt me too?’
What?