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[lilwenney]

THEY LIKE ME MORE

pairing: alex x female!reader warning(s): small alcohol reference  word count: 1.4k words  a/n: a little tiny thing requested because we’re all softies for the boi

Sweet laughter erupted in the back garden, carrying well over fences for the neighbors to hear, carrying in through the sliding screen doors and into the kitchen just off the patio. Standing in front of the sink with a drink in hand, she looked through the small window and to the garden, watching on while Alex, his brother, and his father all laughed together. They had the same laugh, and it was quite endearing. 

It was a beautiful Father’s Day in the UK, and for the first time, (Y/N) met Alex’s family. They woke up early and took a train from London that morning, arriving just right after breakfast. While most were scared at the thought of meeting their significant other’s family, she stepped on the train with slight nerves, but the moment she was in the house and being greeted with hugs and large smiles, every nerve flew away and was replaced with joy. 

The whole day was spent together as a family. They had lunch at the kitchen table and then moved to the garden for drinks, Alex took her on a tour of the house and to his old bedroom, and (Y/N) jumped at the first chance to help his mum with dinner. 

While doing so, she got to sit back and watch how well Alex meshed with his family. People always assume that everyone is on good terms with their family, or at least they work well together, because after all, they are the ones who raised them, but sometimes it couldn’t be less true. 

When she watched his dad grab him the second they stepped out of the car, when she watched Alex grab drinks in the kitchen and laugh with him over something related to football, she felt an overwhelming sense of what could only be described as jealousy. 

(Y/N) never had a good relationship with her father, and it wasn’t something she often talked about either. Her relationship with him went as far as being genetically related, but they struggled to maintain a closeness as she grew up, therefore resulting in a broken connection later in life. She talked about her family life so little that Alex, even after as long as they had been together, had no idea of how distanced she was from him. 

And when she saw the way Alex and his father interacted that Father’s Day, she felt jealous, she felt saddened, and began to replay the small good moments she had with her own father in her head, as sparse as they were. 

The condensation on the glass pressed cold against her palm as she took a drink, listening to the sliding door open just a few feet away. She looked over and watched Alex step into the kitchen with her. He was at her hip a second later, pressing a swift kiss against her cheek. 

“You know, you can come out and sit with us. Don’t have to stand in here and stare out the window longingly.” She smiled briefly and turned her head, allowing him to kiss her quickly.

“I’m waiting for my husband to return from war.” She joked and Alex laughed, pecking her lips once more. “I will be out in a second. Your mum has a few things she needs done before dinner and I’m trying to help her.” She motioned towards the kitchen island where bowls sat half-filled and vegetables laid to be peeled. 

Alex looked at her for a second, noticing the way her smile faded fast, how her mind seemed elsewhere, and then he nodded. He trusted her to tell him whenever something was going on, so he let it slide for the time being. “Okay,” he nodded, “just don’t take too long. I want you to come out here and talk to everyone.” 

She nodded. “Okay, I won’t be long.” 

And she turned away from him, swiftly talking back to the kitchen island where she began to grab things to throw in a salad. Alex paused, watching on while she grabbed the vegetables and started cutting them, tossing them into a bowl. He didn’t say anything else before turning and talking back out to the garden, reuniting with his brother and dad. 

No less than ten minutes later, she and Alex’s mum carried out plates and bowls of food to the back garden, sitting them on the table so everyone could gather around for dinner. (Y/N) walked around the table, and lowered down next to Alex. He placed a hand on her thigh when she sat, and they shared a smile and a quick kiss before dinner started.

Over the span of the evening hours, while they ate dinner over beers and a lot of laughs, Alex couldn’t help but notice the way that she was acting. From her small laughs to the way she was holding herself back while talking, Alex realized she felt out of place. 

Even though he didn’t bring it up after dinner or on the train home that night, her actions lingered in the back of Alex’s mind, and be brought it up as soon as they stepped foot in his flat later that night. The door clicked shut behind them and Alex tossed his keys down with a sigh.  

“Is everything okay?” He asked, watching her pull off her jacket, tossing it over the back of the sofa.

She turned to him and raised a brow. “Yeah, why?” 

“You have just been... acting weird all day.” Alex toed off his trainers by the door. “And I don’t know if something is wrong or maybe we rushed meeting my family-” 

“Oh no, Alex, no, I love your family.” (Y/N) responded quickly when she lowered down onto the edge of the sofa. “They were so welcoming and nice, and I haven’t felt so surrounded by joy in a really long time.” 

Alex walked further into the flat. “I thought that maybe you didn’t like them. My dad was trying so hard with all of his jokes to get you to laugh.” 

She cracked a small smile at the thought of his dad going out of his way to tell all his hidden dad jokes just to get a reaction from her. That was something that she missed out on while growing up.

“Seriously love, what’s going on?” He sat down on the table in front of her, taking her hands in his, causing her to lift her head and look directly at him. “You know that you can tell me anything.” 

“I know,” she whispered. Looking down at his hands on hers, she gently rubbed the pad of her thumb along his wrist. “I didn’t have a dad like yours growing up, Alex, and I still don’t.” Her eyes met his again. “I haven’t talked to my dad in a long time, and seeing how you talked and laughed with your dad…” she shrugged, “it just felt weird being around a loving relationship like that.” 

Alex’s grip on her hand tightened, and she let out a small breath. “You didn’t tell me that.” 

“It’s usually not something I tell anyone. And it never really bothered me until now.” She said before meeting his eyes again. “I’m sorry if I ruined dinner, I was just… somewhere else in my head, I guess.” 

“No, no, don’t apologize. You didn’t ruin anything.” 

Alex swiftly moved to the sofa and they found each other in the middle, leaning on each other for support. He slowly slid his arm around her shoulders, giving her a second before kissing the top of her head. 

“Don’t apologize. I just wish you had told me so I knew how you felt. And you didn’t have to go today if you didn’t want to.” 

“I wanted to go, love, I did. I’m happy that I did.” She raised her head to look at him once more. “And I should have told you about my dad.” 

“It’s not going to change anything. Your relationship with your family doesn’t change how I see you, or how my family sees you.” 

She raised a brow at him. “How does your family see me?” 

“Well,” Alex leaned back on the sofa, pulling her with him and she smiled, curling up against his side. “You are the first and only girl I have ever brought home, so they are pretty excited about that, and considering my mum told me to bring you back soon, I would say that they see you like I do.” 

“As your girlfriend?” 

“I sure hope so, I didn’t bring you around because you weren’t.” He said and they laughed together. (Y/N) leaned up and pressed a kiss against his jaw, and then his cheek. “I give it an hour before you’re added to the family groupchat.” 

“Oh, your brother already added me to a groupchat.” 

Alex stilled. “What?” 

She laughed and pulled the phone out of her back pocket, unlocking it and allowing Alex to look at the thread of messages that had been sent over the course of the last hour. It was a few text, mostly dumb memes and reaction photos. A part of her was already starting to feel close to them. 

He scoffed. “I’m not even in this groupchat! It’s just you and my entire family!” 

She laughed and snatched her phone away, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “They might like me more than they like you now.”