The New Neighbour

Chapter 11

Alec's POV:

"Hi", Magnus says, as I walk down the corridor. He has lost a bit of weight and there are dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey", I say.

"You like crap", he says.

"Thank you", I say, smiling.

"No. You don't look like this always. What happened? Is something wrong?", he asks.

"Well, long story", I say,shrugging.

"Do you wanna come in?", he asks.

"Okay. Alright", I say.

"Do you something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Something stronger?", he asks.

"I'll just have some water", I say.

"You sure?", he asks.

"Yeah", I say, nodding my head.

"Fine", he says and hands me a glass of water.

"Thanks", I say and gulp it down and he sits beside me.

"I actually wanted to thank you for helping with the funeral and these past days. Don't say it was nothing. It wasn't nothing. It meant a lot to me", he says.

"You're welcome?", I say.

"So, what happened?", he asks.

"My father. He's getting married", I say.

"So soon?", he asks.

"This is quite late for him", I say.

"His getting married is the problem?", he asks.

"No, he invited all of us to the wedding. I don't know if I want to go", I say.

"You should probably ask Izzy and Jace. If they want to, then you can go too",he says.

"It's a bit complicated",I say.

"Families are complicated", he says.

"Where's your mom?", I ask.

"She's gone out for a small walk", he says.

"Magnus, are you okay?", I ask.

"I'm fine", he says.

"No, you're not", I say.

He just looks at me silently for a moment and holds my gaze.

"But, you know, it's okay to be not okay", I say, putting an arm around his shoulder.

He smiles a half smile at me.

"Were you going to accept him? ", I ask.

"No", he says, not looking at me.

"Okay. You know your guilt is consuming you. It wasn't your fault, Magnus", I say.

"But, I told horrible things to him. If I had known what was going to happen, I would've done it differently", he says.

"You did what every human being would do. You had a right to be angry. And how is it your fault, that he was drunk and fell in front of a car? Don't blame yourself. You weren't responsible for his death", I say.

He just looks at me sadly.

"Everyone has an expiry date, Magnus. We can't avoid death. His time was over, so he had to go. You aren't responsible for his death. I understand how hard it is to lose a parent, even if you never knew him. But, that doesn't mean, you should just sit around staring into space for hours together and emptying bottles of wine. You should get back to work. I miss the person you were. Funny and goofy. I miss the old Magnus", I say.

"I miss the old Magnus too", he says.

"He's still here. Inside you. I'm not saying just become alright in a couple of hours. Just promise me, you'll make an effort", I say.

He doesn't say anything.

"For me? ", I ask.

"I promise", he says and I break into a grin.

"So, what are you gonna do about the wedding? ", he asks.

"I'm not sure. He has disowned me and all. But, a part of me still wants to go. I'll ask Max. If he wants to go then I will go too", I say.

"Okay", he says.

"Did you remember if we have met before? ", I ask.

"I tried to remember. But, I couldn't. You feel familiar but I can't place you", he says.

"Oh. You seem awfully familiar too. The first day I met you, it felt like I had already seen you somewhere. I'm not sure where", I say.

"It's okay. We'll probably find out soon", he says.

"Hello Alexander", Elena says as he enters the house and Magnus and I move a few centimeters apart quickly. We weren't doing anything wrong and Magnus's mom was pretty chill but I didn't want her to think we were making out just a few days after his father's death.

"Hello ma'am ", I say.

"You can call me Elena, dear. What were you two talking about? ", she asks.

"We were just talking about things, mom", Magnus says, catching my eye.

"Do you wanna stay for dinner, Alexander? ", she asks.

"No, ma'am. I'm actually running late. I'd better go now", I say.

"Alright dear", she says.

"I'll go and drop him", Magnus says, getting up with me.

"Okay. It's a long walk, Magnus don't overexert yourself", she says and Magnus rolls his eyes.

"So? ", I say as we reach my house.

"I guess it's goodbye then", he says.

"Um Max was asking if he could drop by your house tomorrow, is it okay? ", I ask.

"Yeah", he says.

"Um Magnus", I say.

"Yeah? ", he says, lifting his amber eyes to look at me.

"I'm here, you know. If you wanna talk or anything. Even if it's one in the morning or something, I'm here", I say.

"Thank you, Alexander", he says and touches my arm.

"Goodnight, Magnus", I say.

"Goodnight, Alexander", he says.

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So, guys thank you so much for the reads. I love you all, guys. If you want me to write a particular scene you have in mind, please leave a comment. I'll surely try my best to include it in the story.

And, I'm sorry, if their relationship is taking too long to start. It's just that I don't believe in two people falling in love without even knowing each other. Falling in love is a gradual process, it's not instantaneous. And both of them are complex humans with difficult pasts, so it's taking some time. But, I assure you, they have a happy ending.

Thank you so much for the love and support again. And, I'll try to update faster. I'm sorry, university is a bit hard and I have literally no time to update. Thank you again, all of you for spending a tiny bit of your life reading my story.