Alfie couldn’t believe his eyes. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when Malachi—or Chi as he’d told Alfie to call him—said he was taking him to meet Axel, but it wasn’t this… this hidden gem.
It felt like something out of a painting, like it was too idyllic to be real.
“I can’t believe this is here.” Alfie tried turning in his seat, but he winced as his sore body protested the move. “How is this here?”
Malachi’s voice had Alfie turning to face him. “My family settled here well before the other villages were built. It’s our land and has been for a very long time.”
“Wow, it’s amazing,” Alfie sighed. “It feels so peaceful.”
Alfie couldn’t put his finger on why, but he felt like he’d come home, which was ridiculous seeing as he’d never been here in his life. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was having, that this was where he was meant to be.
“How does this exist?” Alfie’s eyes bugged out as he took in his surroundings. It was like something out of a Disney movie. All that was missing were birds that could sing.
“Well, we built it,” Malachi said. When Axel glanced his way, he could see a grin on Chi’s face that showed the man was teasing.
“Obviously,” Alfie replied, his tone dry. “I just meant, like, how is this hidden?”
“We like our privacy, and if you notice, the road isn’t paved, and you have to go pretty deep in the forest to find it… very few humans know it’s here,” Malachi replied.
That had Alfie turning to look at the other man instead of taking in the sights before him. “Humans?” Alfie couldn’t stop his chuckle. “You know you could have just said people, right?”
Malachi simply smiled, then he started pointing out things as they drove past them. “That’s the food pantry. I guess it’s as good a name as any. We have frozen and dry food that gets trucked in for us. Anyone can stock their houses that way.”
“So no Tesco runs for you guys, huh?” Alfie said.
“Well, unless we forget something. But my papa is pretty thorough when it comes to keeping us stocked up.”
“Your parents live here?” Alfie asked.
“Oh yea, you’ll meet both my dads. They were on holiday, but they came home right around when Axel met Malek. They adore your brother,” Malachi said.
“Axel has that effect on people. He’s the nice one of our group.” Alfie looked outside the window. His heart dropped into his stomach—at least that was what it felt like. He was nothing like Axel… what if that made Malachi not like him?
What do you care if he likes you, Alfie? You’re here to see Axel, not to try and get into something with him.
“I’m sure you’re just as special as your brother.”
Alfie turned towards Malachi to find the man’s eyes on him, something in them drawing him in.
“You don’t have to say that,” Alfie said, looking away quickly when it felt like butterflies had taken residence in his belly.
“Look at me, Alfie.” Malachi’s voice had him turning, not even thinking aboutnotdoing as he was asked. “I will never, ever lie to you.” Malachi held his gaze for a brief moment before he focused on the road again.
Alfie didn’t look away though. For some reason, the words resonated in his heart. Maybe after Rupert, he needed to hear that more than ever, and even though he’d just met the man, he believed every word.
For lack of a reply, Alfie went with something random. “Was I imagining it, or did we drive past a GP surgery?”
Malachi chuckled. “You definitely didn’t imagine it. My papa, he’s a doctor, or was a doctor…”
“So you guys thought, ‘hey why not put a GP out here…’” Alfie realised he was in a whole new world, one where people could afford owning estates in the middle of nowhere and had their own doctor’s office.
Something finally occurred to him. “You said ‘dads.’ Does that mean you’re adopted?”
When he realised how rude that question might have seemed, he covered his mouth with his hands, and gasped, “Sorry!” then whispered, “It’s none of my business.”
The car finally came to a stop, and when he looked up, it was parked in front of a large white house. Alfie didn’t know much about architecture, but he knew for a fact a house like this in Manchie would be well over a million pounds.
“This is my home,” Malachi said.
