FALLING | MxM (completed)

Chapter 9

Aiden looked at her. She was really beautiful and unique. Inside and out. He wondered if she knew how beautiful she was. If anyone had ever told her that.

"Lili, have you ever been in love?"

She seemed to be surprised by the sudden question. "Yeah, I loved my dog. I love Kurt and Edwin. I'm even starting to love you."

Aiden wasn't sure if she knew what he really meant. But then he understood he had been looking at her weirdly, and she laughed out loud.

"No Aiden, I haven't loved anyone like that because I don't even love myself."

Lili stood up, stretched her limbs, and took another deep breath before turning the other way. After a few steps, she turned to Aiden again.

"By the way, you're wasting your time on that book." She said.

"Why? The author has a distinctive way of thinking. I like it."

"The author is a mess and doesn't even know what's what herself."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I'm the author. And take it from me when I tell you to throw that into the garbage can."

Aiden had been thinking about what Lili said the whole day. Kurt and he had both kissed her. There was clearly more than just kissing going on between her and Kurt. And then she mentioned Edwin. Had they kissed too? He didn't know why it was somehow important to him in the first place. He was playing with his food, not really eating anything when a tray was put in front of him on the other side of the small table. He looked up, and it was the doctor in all his beautiful glory. His black hair had grown longer during Aiden's stay, and it gave him a softer look.

"What are you thinking so deeply about, genius?" Edwin asked him with a smile on his face.

Aiden raised an eyebrow, not sure if it was an insult.

"I'm not sure how I should feel about the nickname."

"You're a genius! What's there to not be sure about?"

"Eh, whatever." Aiden knew that he had achieved more things in the short years he had lived than many other people. If that implied him being a 'genius', then so be it. But he wasn't going to be cocky about it.

"So? Penny for your thoughts?" Edwin insisted.

"Did you just come here to get information outta me, pretty boy?" He narrowed his eyes at the other as he pulled his lips into his mouth.

"Oh my god, was it THAT obvious?!" Edwin overreacted, putting one of his hands on his chest and the other on his cheek.

Aiden giggled at the doctor's goofiness.

"Edwin, can I ask you something personal?" He said after a moment of hesitance.

"Hmm, go on." The other replied while chewing on his food.

"What's your relationship with Lili?"

Edwin seemed taken aback by the question, but tried to act nonchalant.

"Why do you ask?" The doctor said, looking down and stabbing the steak with the fork in his hand.

"Just curious. She has mentioned you a few times, and you came to her room that time... and... forget it. I'm just being nosy." Aiden waved his hands to show he didn't need to answer.

"She's my sister." Edwin replied, looking at his food tray and still chewing.

"Huh? But she's.."

"Black? I know. She was adopted." Edwin cut him off.

"Oh..." Aiden felt wrong for asking in the first place.

"It's okay. It's better to not bring the adoption thing up in front of her, though."

"I won't. Promise."

Edwin nodded. Aiden looked at him while he separated all the vegetables from his food.

"What kind of doctor doesn't eat vegetables seriously?" Aiden asked teasingly.

"The kind that hates the mentioned species with all his guts?"

Aiden couldn't help but laugh at the disgusted look on Edwin's face.

"You're like Ian. He would kill you if you even mentioned the word 'tomato' in front of him." He said without realizing it himself.

"Ian? Well, he is a very intellectual being then."

"He is." Aiden gulped down a glass of water and started stuffing his mouth with food.