Chapter 59: He Wants the Wedding, Not the Home

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: He Wants the Wedding, Not the Home

Henry just beamed, leaning forward to press a quick, affectionate kiss to Elisha’s cheek before turning right back to happily admire his giant bouquet of roses, humming softly to himself.

They held each other tightly for a long while, surrounded by petals and roses, until the excitement of the day slowly settled into a quiet, peaceful warmth.

Eventually, they made their way downstairs hand in hand and shared a quiet, intimate meal in the dining room. After dinner, they returned upstairs to the bedroom, where they spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and holding each other close.

Elisha spent the entire weekend pampering Henry, making sure he did nothing but rest, smile, and enjoy being cared for.

By Sunday night, however, reality called. Elisha had to return to his own home so he could prepare for the upcoming workweek.

After a sweet, lingering goodbye and one final kiss at the door, Elisha stepped outside, where his driver was already waiting for him. He slid into the back seat, and the driver pulled away from the estate and drove him back to his private home.

As soon as Elisha walked through the front door, he took out his phone and called Henry to let him know he had arrived safely.

The phone rang twice, but Henry didn’t answer.

Assuming Henry was already exhausted from the busy weekend and had fallen asleep, Elisha didn’t think much of it. He smiled to himself, locked his phone, headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, and settled into bed for the night.

The phone rang twice, but Henry didn’t answer.

Elisha went upstairs to his bedroom, took off his clothes, and sat on the bed. He wanted to call Henry again, but decided to quickly talk to Vanessa first. He scrolled through his recent calls, found Vanessa’s number, and called her.

Vanessa answered on the second ring, and they spent the next twenty minutes talking about the plans they had already discussed, simply going over a few things to make sure everything was settled.

"Alright, leave the rest to me," Vanessa finally said with a reassuring laugh. "Get some rest, Elisha. You’ve got a busy week ahead."

"Thanks, V. Talk to you tomorrow," Elisha replied before ending the call.

As soon as the call ended, Elisha decided to try Henry again. He dialed his number and waited as the phone rang.

Ring... ring... ring...

Still, Henry didn’t answer.

Elisha sat quietly on the bed and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was getting late. If they couldn’t talk that night, he could always call Henry in the morning.

He decided to shower and get ready for bed. Afterward, he changed into his pajamas and returned to the bed. Before settling in for the night, he picked up his phone and sent Henry a message.

Goodnight, pretty. Sweet dreams. I’ll call you first thing in the morning.

He locked his phone, placed it on the nightstand, and slipped beneath the covers. With a soft, contented smile, Elisha closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains as Elisha slowly stirred and opened his eyes. He glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was almost 8:00 a.m.

Before doing anything else, he reached for his phone and swiped across the screen to check for missed calls or a message from Henry.

There was nothing. Henry hadn’t called back or sent a single message.

Elisha frowned, sat up against the headboard, and immediately dialed Henry’s number.

It rang a couple of times before Henry answered.

"Hello?" he said.

"Good morning, pretty," Elisha said, keeping his tone light and affectionate.

"Good morning," Henry replied.

Elisha shifted against the headboard, running a hand through his hair. "How was your night?"

"It was fine" Henry murmured.

A brief silence followed, and then Elisha heard the soft sound of Henry chewing on the other end of the phone.

Elisha paused, his brow furrowing. "Are you just waking up now?"

"No," Henry replied, taking another bite of his breakfast. "I’ve been awake for a while. I’m having breakfast now. I’ll be leaving for the office soon. I have a meeting at nine."

"Alright," Elisha said, trying to remain calm. "But didn’t you check your phone? I called you several times last night, and you didn’t pick up."

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by the faint clink of silverware against a plate. "I saw it. I’m sorry, Elisha. I was in a rush this morning. I was actually thinking I’d call you back after my meeting ends."

"It’s fine," Elisha replied gently. "You don’t have to apologize for being busy. But you could have at least sent me a quick message to let me know."

That seemed to irritate Henry.

"Elisha, that’s enough," Henry said, his voice turning sharp. "I told you I have work to do, and I’m running late. I have a meeting to get to. I’ll call you later, okay?"

Elisha paused, then swallowed his disappointment. "Alright. Have a nice day at work."

"You too," Henry muttered.

"I love you, pretty," Elisha said.

There was a brief hesitation before Henry finally replied, "I love you too."

Then Henry ended the call.

Elisha lowered his phone slowly and stared at the blank screen. His chest tightened as the silence settled around him. He had been looking forward to waking up and hearing Henry’s voice, but the conversation had left him feeling strangely empty.

He sat there for a moment, thinking about how differently Henry was handling their relationship. Eventually, he pushed the thought aside, got out of bed, and began getting ready for the day.

He stepped into the bathroom and took a hot shower, hoping it would wash away some of the frustration from their morning call. Afterward, he wrapped a towel around himself and chose a sharp, tailored navy suit that fit him perfectly. He applied a few sprays of his favorite cologne before putting on his cufflinks.

Once he was dressed and ready, he went downstairs to the dining room, where a light breakfast was waiting for him. After breakfast, he headed outside, where his driver was already waiting beside the car.

As Elisha approached, the driver opened the back door for him. Elisha slipped into the back seat, and the driver closed the door before walking around to the driver’s side. He got into the driver’s seat and pulled away toward the office.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the office. Elisha stepped out of the car, took out his phone, and sent Henry a quick message.

Hey, pretty ❤️ I just got to the office. Hope your meeting is going well. Have you started yet?

A few minutes later, Henry replied.

Yeah, Eli. We started a few minutes ago. I’ll talk to you later.

Alright, my love, Elisha replied gently before locking his phone and turning his attention to his desk.

As the day went on, a notification appeared on his phone. It was a message from his mother with two digital proofs of wedding invitation designs. The older members of the family had narrowed the choices down to those two and wanted him to pick the final one.

Elisha replied immediately.

Let me consult Henry first, Mom, and I’ll get back to you.

His mother replied with a reassuring, Alright, son.

Elisha forwarded both designs to Henry right away, asking which one he preferred. A short while later, Henry picked his favorite, and Elisha agreed with his choice without hesitation.

He called his mother back to let her know their decision.

"We’re going with the second design, Mom."

"Alright," his mother replied. "The designer said the physical cards will be delivered to us in two days. I’ll have yours sent to you that same day so you two can start sending them out."

"Alright, Mom."

Before ending the call, his mother brought up something else.

"By the way, have you talked to Henry about moving into your house? When does he plan to move? Your wedding is less than two weeks away now."

Elisha smiled faintly as he glanced out the office window.

"We still have time, Mom. Henry will move in right after the wedding."

"That’s fine," she said with a small sigh. "Alright, son. I’ll let you get back to work."

"Thanks, Mom. Bye."

After the call ended, Elisha immediately pulled up Henry’s contact and called him. He wanted to tell him about his mother’s question and discuss a few more wedding plans.

When Henry answered, Elisha’s voice softened.

"Hey, pretty. How’s your day going?"

They talked for a few minutes before the conversation naturally turned to the wedding. When they started discussing what they would wear, Elisha brought up their wedding suits.

"For my suit, I want that designer from Italy to make it," Henry said. "He’s the one who always makes my suits."

Elisha chuckled softly. "Babe, you mean our suits, right? Not just yours."

"Alright, alright," Henry replied. "I just said my suit because I assumed he’d be making yours too."

"No, pretty. From now on, you have to say ’our.’ It’s not just about you anymore. We’re building a life together."

There was a brief pause on the line. "Alright," Henry said, sounding a little indifferent.

Elisha smiled and let it go.

"That reminds me," he said. "My mother asked me earlier when you’re planning to move into my house. She’s already excited for us to be settled."

"What?" Henry’s voice immediately changed. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her you’d move in after the wedding," Elisha answered honestly, picking up a pen and tapping it lightly against his desk.

"Why would you tell her that?" Henry snapped. "I already made myself clear. No one is moving into anyone’s house. I’m not moving in, Elisha. Call her back and tell her the truth."

Elisha froze. The pen slipped from his fingers and hit the desk with a sharp clatter. The smile disappeared from his face.

"What are you saying, Henry?" he asked, confusion and hurt creeping into his voice. "You agreed to marry me. We’re getting married in two weeks, and you don’t want to move in with me? What are you even saying?"

"I’m saying exactly what I mean," Henry replied coldly. "That’s my decision, and it’s final."

"What’s going on with you, Henry?" Elisha asked, his voice filled with disbelief...

Next Chapter dropping soon ❤️📖