Aaron didn't know how much more he could take in one day.
Having to deal with Julian this morning had already been a rough start, but having to hear Adam talking about (Y/n) was the last nail to Aaron's coffin. Right this moment he'd rather be anywhere else than with Adam sitting at their usual table at the cafe near Bellemont Academy.
Adam had ordered some sugary drink of which Aaron couldn't be bothered to remember the name, and Aaron himself had ordered (Y/n)'s favourite drink.
It had been a while since he hadn't gone for a plain black coffee. He still liked it of course, but whenever he drank (Y/n)'s favourite drink it always made him feel closer to her and brought warmth to his day.
Adam had pointed out this shift in Aaron's habit once. Aaron had said he'd just needed a change of pace.
More than ever now, Aaron couldn't have Adam finding out about his feelings for (Y/n). Not because Aaron was scared of Adam in any way, but rather because he didn't want to have to fight with his best friend. As annoying as Adam was with all his delusional talk about (Y/n) and him being soulmates, Aaron still cared for his best friend.
He knew a fight would be inevitable though, as his love for (Y/n) wasn't exactly something Aaron could hide forever, even more if he intended on making her his one of these days. Which he absolutely did.
In the meantime though, he'd try to keep things as peaceful as he could between him and Adam. And if he had to fight Adam for (Y/n) at some point... Then so be it.
Aaron had lost too much for him to lose (Y/n) too.
"Have you spoken with Esme lately?" Adam's voice cut through Aaron's thoughts, brown eyes clouded with sadness and lips pulled down in a pout. "She hasn't been answering my texts and it feels like she's been avoiding me. Do you think she's angry at me?"
Aaron refrained from choking on his drink as he remembered Esme's distraught features when she'd been telling him about how Adam had strangled her.
Angry wasn't the right word though. Terrified of Adam would be more like it.
Aaron quietly sipped at his beverage. He knew things probably wouldn't turn out well if he told Adam about what Esme had said.
"No." A short answer, hopefully short enough for Adam not to notice this had been a blatant lie. Esme had been texting him, if anything Aaron had been the one not answering her texts.
Not because he didn't want to, he didn't have any beef with Esme and still considered her his friend. But he'd had other things in mind. Like (Y/n) and how to get her to love him back, or how to casually flirt with her without weirding her out.
This is a moment when Adam's advice would have been useful. Flirting came to him as naturally as breathing, and he didn't even have to try. And most of the time Adam didn't even try, he just acted like himself and people fawned over him. His father being the only exception.
Hopefully, (Y/n) wouldn't fall for Adam's charms too.
Hell, Aaron didn't even want to think about the possibility of (Y/n) falling for Adam, the very idea was headache inducing. But not only did Aaron have to worry about Adam, he also had to worry about Julian. (Y/n)'s flatmate who had the privilege of seeing her everyday.
Fuck, Aaron really hated the guy. And the idea that Julian had probably seen more sides of (Y/n) than he had drove Aaron crazy.
The fucker had probably seen her smile more times than he could count, had seen (Y/n) first thing in the morning wearing her pyjamas and bedhair, and he'd probably seen her right before bed with toothpaste smudged in the corner of mouth too.
All things Aaron had never been privy to.
Of course Aaron had his little collection of (Y/n)'s belongings and a very fertile imagination, but these could only go so far in quenching his never ending longing for (Y/n). And Aaron didn't know how long he could keep on pretending the little snippets he had of her were enough.
He wanted so much more. Hell if he could he'd spend every waking hour with (Y/n), observing her and taking in her beauty and all the cute little tidbits she had.
He guessed Adam and himself weren't so different in that regard. They were both greedy. Too bad they both had to be in love with (Y/n). For Aaron wouldn't share. He'd given up enough already in the years he'd taken care of his father.
"Aaron?" Adam called out to his friend who'd been silently staring at his cup for a hot minute now. If Aaron didn't drink his beverage any time soon it'd turn cold.
Adam didn't know what was going on with his best friends lately but they'd both been acting insanely weird. First Esme had stopped answering his texts out of the blue and now Aaron was zoning out on him thinking about god knows what.
Well, about Esme Adam did have his idea of why she'd stopped talking to him. But he didn't have a choice! He couldn't let Esme disrespect his relationship with his darling (Y/n)! What kind of boyfriend would he be if he let others doubt their love?
Surely not the kind of boyfriend (Y/n) deserved, and certainly not the kind of boyfriend he wanted to be.
Adam was (Y/n)'s prince and knight. It was his role to protect her and their love. And for that, he'd do anything. Even if it meant getting a bit rough with his best friends and putting them back in their place.
And that's exactly what he'd done with Esme, he had put her back in her place after she'd insulted (Y/n)'s love for him.
So as sad as Adam was things had come to this, he didn't feel sorry. Not one bit. And if he had to do it again, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Because he'd done this out of love.
"Remember Adam, as long as your actions are guided by love and resonate true to your heart, they are worth it." His mother had said to him, and his father had seconded her words with a nod.
His parents had done crazy things to be together, from going against their social status to braving their Adam's mother's expectations.
Adam's mother came from old money and her parents had always had high expectations for their daughter to marry someone of her stance. But she'd fallen in love with his father, a poor man from the working class. It had taken years for Adam's mother's parents to accept their union and welcome Adam's father into the family.
As a child, Adam loved hearing all about his parents' love story, dreaming about the day he'd find his own princess and build his own love story that he'd later on tell to his own children.
And now he had finally found it, he had found his own darling! And he'd do anything to protect their love, just like his parents had.
That would make good stories to tell their beautiful children in the future! And surely vehiculate the same values Adam's parents had given to him as a child: love was everything and every action committed in the name of it was perfectly justified.
Of course, Adam had no idea this wasn't quite what his parents had meant back then.
"I'm gonna ask (Y/n) out after the showcase." The words slipped past his lips before he could even process them himself. But he'd been thinking about this for a while now and looked forward to telling Aaron all about his plans for confessing to (Y/n). "It's the perfect occasion! We'll be on stage and under the lights of the projectors-"
This time Aaron really did choke on his drink.
"You're what?" Aaron said through his teeth, the tight hold he had on his self control quickly slipping away from his grasp.
Adam's smile only widened, all too happy to repeat himself and tell Aaron more about what he had planned for the big night. Butterflies swarmed his stomach just thinking about it, he could barely rein in his excitement!
"I'm going to ask (Y/n) out on the night of the showcase!" He repeated, "I think that's the perfect opportunity for us to confess our love to one another, in front of everyone!"
Aaron's blood boiled in his veins, jealousy snaking around his heart and obscuring it from all light.
He hadn't expected Adam to confess to (Y/n) any time soon. Then again Adam had never been the kind to take it slow. Aaron needed to find a way to prevent this from happening, and fast.
Or, he could take the risk and use this to his advantage. If (Y/n) was to reject Adam herself, that would make things a whole lot easier for Aaron. Of course there remained the possibility of her liking Adam back, but Aaron had a slight feeling Adam's love confession would be a massive fail.
Yes, Aaron had to count on his instinct and Esme's judgement, she did say (Y/n) had no romantic feelings for Adam after all. Surely Esme was right, right?
There only was one way to find out. And hopefully this would turn in Aaron's favour.
"I don't think that's a good idea. It'll make (Y/n) awfully uncomfortable." Aaron deadpanned, eyes falling to the cup in his hands. He traced the brim with his fingertip, idly avoiding Adam's gaze. "Maybe take your love confession backstage? It's more intimate."
Adam took a second to analyse Aaron's suggestion, and although he was convinced (Y/n) would say yes he couldn't deny the fact that maybe confessing to her somewhere more private would be more appropriate. As much as he wanted for them to scream their love on rooftops for everybody to hear, Adam would wait for another occasion.
An excited smile bloomed on Adam's lips.
This would be the best night of his life.