"Does it sound weird that I call him that? It's like I'm in high school," he said shyly.
Bianca shrugged her shoulders. "Who the fuck cares? Call him what feels right to you, as long as he doesn't care." She got him a few pastries, and he made tea for both of them while he told her everything he could about Othello, leaving out the whole crime family thing. As he talked about his relationship with Othello, the more he realized his doubt was seeping away. Sure, they would have problems, and Othello's occupation might rear its ugly head one day, but he couldn't run at the first sign of trouble.
Othello had allowed him to walk away before they started out, and he was the one to pursue a relationship. With his mind made up, Des enjoyed his Baklava and pastel de Nata and hung out with his friend. Before they left for their shopping trip, he took Othello's credit card out of his pocket and set it on the counter. It was a nice gesture on his lover's part, but Othello didn't need to take care of him financially; he could do that on his own.Maybe if their relationship was deeper or they were married, he wouldn't mind.
Marriage. The word echoed in the back of his mind for the first time in his life, and he grinned when it didn't scare him in the least.
Othello sighed tiredly,slumping down in his seat as the car drove out of the airport parking lot. He was running on so little sleep and couldn't wait to sink balls deep inside Des the way he was strung so tightly. But it would have to wait until later since they had his folks' anniversary party to attend. His meeting with the Zoraki Law clan went far better than he expected. It could also be that Othello and their leader once knew each other in college but had lost touch since Zoraki changed his name and clan. As a boon for taking out his competitor clan, Zoraki ensured that the authorities wouldn't be looking in his direction or even know that he was in the country. All records of his presence would disappear. Othello pulled out his cellphone and called his father, who had called while he was on the plane.
"Was your business trip fruitful?" Alessandro asked.
"Of course, I’ll tell you the details later."
"Good. On a different subject, tell me, Son, will I meet your young man tonight?" Alessandro chuckled.
"I still want to know who told you about the party," Othello said.
"I have my ways of getting information," Alessandro said. "And don't try to evade my question."
"You already know him." Othello shook his head. Alessandro had been curious about who he'd been seeing, but Othello had been mum about it, even going so far as to tell Tallen and Marco not to say anything. "It's Doctor Desmond Ellington, or should I say former doctor."
"Tell me it's the son and not the father." He laughed.
"You have jokes, old man." Othello smiled.
"Why shouldn't I joke around? I'm celebrating love, and both of my sons are also in love or starting to figure out what it is. Someday, I'll be a grandfather of one, hopefully, two."
"Don't you think you should wait a little for Emilia to have this baby before hoping she'll get pregnant so quickly?"
"Now look who's got jokes," Alessandro grumbled, making Othello laugh. "You know damn well I was talking about you."
"Papa, Des and I aren't ready for children. Plus, we have more pressing issues to take care of. Not to mention, I'm not sure if Des wants kids. He has his new life all planned out, and I don't want to delay it any further. If we ever get to that point, then we'll get there. If not, there's no rush."
"You were always a sensible child and even more so as an adult. Anyway, your mother is calling for me. I'll see you tonight."
Throwing his phone on the seat next to him, Othello closed his eyes, hoping to get a quick nap before he got to his place. The conversation with Alessandro came back to him. Since he'd broken things off with Phillip, Othello hadn't thought about children. Did he want a couple of rugrats? Sure, but he wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't in a rush. Neither he nor Des seemed to be in a hurry to have them, and they hadn’t eventalked about it. He was enjoying the pace of their relationship. There was no need to change what was working.
Later that evening,Des and Tallen pulled up to The Gilded Orchid Hotel and got out of the car. Des stared at the large, imposing building as he tried to avoid the flashing cameras. Over the past few weeks, he'd come to know that Othello and his family were well known, but he hadn't expected the press to be here. Even with all his money, Des never considered Othello's family to be local celebrities. Seeing the press made him more nervous and excited at the same time.
He knew Othello was back since Tallen had told him, but he was on pins and needles since he would officially meet Maria and Alessandro. He brushed the creases out of his pants. He was grateful for Bianca, who’d helped him pick out his suit. Since Des wasn't up on fashion, according to Bianca, he must go with a famous Italian designer named Aurelio Di Firenze for a midnight-blue single-breasted three-piece suit. He'd combed his hair back, pulling it in a low bun, showing off his features and diamond studs.
"Are you ready?" Tallen asked as they made their way up the stairs.
"Yeah," he said, carrying the gifts he'd bought, praying that Othello's parents would like them. "Do you think we can avoid the press?"
"Sure, come on, I know another way in."
Tallen led him to the back, bypassing the press, and entered through the kitchen, and no one batted an eye at them or asked them questions, so it was easy to guess that Tallen had done this before. In the past couple of days, he and Tallen had grown close. He didn't talk about Othello as much, but Des could see he truly respected the man. Des had found out that Tallen had a crush on a manager from Othello's club named Lucy, and they are slowly moving from being friends to something more.
When they walked into the hotel, Des couldn't stop staring at the grandeur of the design, a mixture of old world and new. The marbled floors, silver- and purple-accented walls, and soaring ceiling, and the impressive crystal chandelier hanging in the center gave off a warm golden glow in the reception area. Tallen led him to the ballroom, which was equally elegant as the rest of the hotel, but what really caught Des's eyes was the handsome man who stood out among everyone in the entire place.
He was dressed in an all-black pinstripe suit except for the blood-red tie, which added a splash of color. He looked so good from head to toe that Des couldn't take his eyes off him. Othello was standing next to his parents and brother, with a beautiful pregnant woman sitting beside them. They were greeting the guests as they came in.
As if knowing he was being stared at, Othello looked away from the person who had walked over to his group, and their eyes connected. Des wanted to rush over and kiss the ever-loving daylights out of him, but he held back.
"Hey, Doc, you should go over and say hello to Miss Maria and the don. I can take the gifts you bought," Tallen said, causing him to look away from Othello.
"Uh...that would be great, thanks." He handed the neatly wrapped boxes over to Tallen."Do I look good enough to meet the parents?"
