Notebook

Sixteen

For a few minutes that morning, Aiden woke up on cloud nine. Things couldn't be any more perfect.

Despite being painful, his conversation with Nathan the previous night felt incredible. He'd unburdened his soul to the white-haired boy, who passed no comment or judgement on what he heard; he accepted openly.

Nathan had been pretty pissed when he heard the details of what had happened back in London. But not at Aiden, as expected. He didn't blame him for what happened; he didn't suggest being open about his sexuality caused the situation.

For the first time, Aiden had divulged harsh details of his story to someone he trusted implicitly—details he hadn't shared with the police, his parents, or his cousin.

In return, Nathan was pretty forthcoming about his situation. He shared the story of his accident and his abandonment, although he hated talking about it.

And that kiss!

Every second was heavenly. It couldn't be any better.

Just thinking about kissing Nathan's soft, velvet lips as he cupped his cheeks gave Aiden goosebumps and set his heart racing. Nathan's gentle hand caressing his scar.

He was the only person Aiden allowed to touch it besides his mother; to study and understand the trauma behind it.

Aiden sighed, his eyes still closed as he tightened his grip around the other boy's waist, clinging to the slim frame as he dozed.

It didn't take long for Aiden to feel incredibly warm. The heat Nathan exuded wasn't the typical comfortable kind. The body beside him wasn't the usually pleasant temperature he was used to. It was hot. 

Nathan was burning hot.

Cracking an eye open, Aiden peered at the boy, wondering if he'd put some extra layers during the night. Much to his surprise, Nathan hadn't changed and was still in the light scoop neck t-shirt he had fallen asleep in.

Sitting up to avoid disturbing him, Aiden frowned, looking the white-haired boy over as he slept. He looked...off.

When they'd gone to bed the previous night, the older boy looked fine, just exhausted. He dozed off mid-conversation and remained asleep throughout the night.

Now, Nathan wasn't right. His pale skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat as droplets rolled down his neck and collected on his collarbone or seeped into his shirt. His hair, normally fluffy, became sticky and clung to his face in damp strands while he slept, making him frown and flinch.

The longer Aiden watched Nathan, the worse he seemed to look. His pinkish-white skin looked grey, and his body trembled in Aiden's arms.

With every convulsion, the pink-haired boy could see the older one wincing and his breath hitching.

"Nathan?" He said, wiping the wet hair away from his eyes and slicking it back. The brief brush against his forehead shocked Aiden. The skin was burning up.

Nathan didn't open his eyes when he heard his name, trying hard to control his breathing and suppress the pain. Every part of his body hurt.

His shoulder was screaming, but so was the rest of him. Every joint in his body ached. He couldn't compare it to anything other than the very accident that had left him broken for life.

Nathan had never felt pain like it, even in some of his worst flare-ups. If he moved or breathed too hard, he would scream, and he didn't want that.

He just wanted to look at the pink-haired boy beside him to make himself feel better.

He wanted to sit up and kiss those beautifully plump lips again, as he had dreamed of for weeks. Nathan wanted to stroke his smooth skin, run his fingers along the thin line across Aiden's cheekbone, and rake his fingers through the pink strands of his hair.