Chapter 101 CHAPTER 101

Chapter 101 CHAPTER 101


Ethan Hartley

My eyes fill with tears upon seeing my parents there… and Angela too. The scene pierces all the way through me, because for a second I remember that dream.

Everyone is laughing.

Everyone together.

Exactly like this.

"What is it, love?" my mother asks, approaching quickly. "Why are you crying?"

Biel runs his hand along my back, a silent caress that sustains me.

"I…" My voice falters. "I'm just happy. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Angela… for this."

Angela moves closer and touches my face with tenderness.

"You don't need to thank us, dear," she smiles, emotional. "We are celebrating your recovery. It's a small party but made with love. So much love."

She stares at me with sweetness.

"Now enough with the crying. Swallow those tears."

I obey, pulling air in, trying to contain the tears. She smiles, satisfied.

"That's it. Good boy."

I let out a weak laugh, still emotional.

My mother approaches a bit closer and, carefully, takes the bouquet of roses from my hands. She observes the flowers attentively, her eyes still misty.

"This bouquet is beautiful, my son."

A huge smile opens on my face, the kind that comes without effort.

"My beautiful giant baby gave it to me."

The silence lasts less than a second before everyone bursts into laughter.

"Love…" Biel makes an exaggerated pout, crossing his arms. "You shouldn't say that right here, especially when my mother is present."

The laughter returns, looser, lighter, filling the living room with something that hadn't existed there for weeks.

"I'm going to put these flowers in a pitcher with water; otherwise, they will wither," my mother says, already stepping away with the bouquet in her hands. "A bouquet this beautiful deserves to last longer."

The smile remains on my face.

My father approaches and wraps me in a tight hug, the kind that says everything without needing words.

"Thank you for coming back to us, son," he whispers in my ear.

I squeeze the hug as best as I can.

"Thank you for not giving up on me, Dad."

He pulls back, runs his hand over my head, feeling my hair strands.

"You're looking even more handsome with this hair growing back."

I laugh, lighter.

At that moment, Biel hugs me from behind, without ceremony.

"Handsome, nothing. He's becoming even hotter."

Everyone looks at him at the same time. Biel flushes on the spot and hides his face in my neck, drawing general laughter.

I take a deep breath.

"I… want to tell you something."

Silence falls. Everyone stares at me. I feel Biel's body grow tense behind me—attentive and apprehensive.

"The doctor came to talk to me today," I begin, my heart racing. "He said that the cancer… is regressing."

For a second, no one reacts.

"What?" my mother asks, almost voiceless.

I smile, the tears returning.

"He still doesn't know how to explain it. He didn't speak of stages. He just said it is regressing."

I swallow hard before continuing.

"But he also said that this doesn't mean it's over. That now, with my body stronger, we will need to resume chemotherapy with more care. In my own tim..."

I don't finish the sentence.

I am spun in the air suddenly, my feet leaving the floor, a laugh escaping loud as Biel lifts me up without even realizing his own strength.

"THANK YOU, GOD!" he shouts. "THANK YOU FOR HEARING US!"

He lowers me quickly, as if remembering my fragile body, and places me back on the floor with care. He holds my face between his hands, kissing my cheek repeatedly, his eyes full of tears.

"This is a victory," he says firmly, as if he needs everyone to hear. "A victory, understand? Even if there is still chemotherapy… even if the path remains difficult… this is God saying we are on the right track. I had faith."

He says it, laughing and crying at the same time.

"I knew it. I knew He would hear us. And I believe the day will come when you won't need to do any more chemotherapy."

My mother approaches first, crying without trying to hide it. My father comes right behind her, his hand heavy and steady on my back. Angela tries to stay strong for a few seconds but ends up giving in too.

Soon we are all together, in a tangle of arms, tears, and smiles.

No one says anything else.

They don't need to.

Because, even with treatment, even with fear, even with the path still long…

The cancer is regressing.

And that is a great victory.

We loosen ourselves from the hug little by little. The tears dry, the smiles remain, and the air feels lighter.

"Now let's eat," my mother announces excitedly. "We still have a lot to celebrate."

Biel intertwines his arm with mine, and we head to the kitchen together. A foolish smile forms without me being able to prevent it. The entire scene feels like an echo of that dream—everyone gathered, laughing, excited. In the exact same way as the dream.

We sit at the table. My mother begins to set the plates, one by one, carefully.

"Help yourselves."

I notice then that everything there is light. Nothing heavy, nothing that would hurt a still-sensitive stomach.

I begin to eat slowly, and, at the first taste, my chest tightens in a good way.

"I missed your food so much, Mom," I confess sincerely. "I couldn't stand hospital food anymore."

She smiles, the way only a mother knows how to smile.

"Now you're going to eat plenty of your mother's food."

I laugh low, agreeing.

Biel rests his hand on my thigh, a discreet, continuous caress, while he talks to my father. The touch anchors me there, making a foolish smile bloom.

I observe the table. The voices, the laughter, the exchanged glances.

All simple.

All real.

And I feel it.

A peace so great that it almost scares me.

As soon as lunch ends, my mother and Angela begin to collect the plates. Biel stands up to help, and I do the same, still slowly, respecting my body's limits. My father organizes the table, as he always did, in silence.

"Now go rest, my love," my mother says, approaching to kiss my cheek.

I smile, feeling that ancient care that never changed.

Biel holds my hand, and we head to my room together. Upon entering, I stop for a moment. I look around, recognizing every detail, every corner.

"I missed my room so much…" I confess in a low voice.

The door closes behind us. Biel approaches and kisses my neck slowly.

"And I missed you," he says, hugging me from behind. "Being able to have you like this, close… in my arms."

I turn around to face him and kiss him. A kiss that carries longing, care, and necessity. His hands find my neck and my waist, and my body responds with the same urgency. There is something contained there, something that was kept away for far too long.

We pull apart when we run out of air. He holds my hand, observing the ring.

"Before, it used to be loose… now it seems even more perfect."

I smile, foolishly, and kiss his chin. We walk over to the bed. We sit down. We take off our shoes almost at the same time. Biel leans against the headboard, and I settle between his legs, resting my back against his chest. His chin rests on my shoulder, and the hug comes firm, protective.

"Love…" the voice comes out hesitant. "Let's get married."

The grip around my body increases a little.

"I want to have you as my husband. To wake up by your side. To take care of you." He takes a deep breath. "After everything that happened, I can't stay away anymore."

His face buries itself into my neck.

"I'm sorry… I think I've built a dependency."

I smile lightly.

"Don't apologize." I place my hand over his. "Because I depend on you too."

I take a deep breath before answering, feeling the weight and the truth of the decision.

"Yes… let's get married."

His body goes tense for a second.

"Really?" he asks, almost voiceless.

I turn my face, smiling.

"Really. I want to get married. I want to live what we have. I want to wake up by your side and to take care of you too. I want this, Biel."

He holds my face and kisses me. An urgent kiss, full of joy and happiness. When we separate, he scatters kisses all over my face, making me laugh.

"I promise to make you the happiest man in the world," he says excitedly. "Now that I don't need to spend twenty-four hours at the company, I'm going to take care of you. We are going to have a huge, beautiful, fun wedding…"

I laugh, caught up in the excitement.

"I want a giant cake. Even if I can't eat it all."

He kisses the tip of my nose.