18. PETTY
The Next Morning
"I'm really sorry for shoving you yesterday. I don't know what came over me," Aiden whispered.
"It's fine. I'm over it," Julian muttered, hugging Aiden from behind. They were half-awake and still in Julian's bedroom, neither of them in a rush to get up and get ready for the new day.
"Everything that Price told me kind of shook me up. And then having to see all those pictures of that crazy bitch, learning more about the baby, it just..." Aiden sighed, not wanting to reflect back on what all he uncovered yesterday. "It got to me. And on top of that, none of what Price uncovered explains why she's after to me. It's almost like we're back to square one."
"I wish I could take your pain and frustrations away. I hate seeing you like this," Julian said as Aiden turned around to face him. Hickeys painted Aiden's neck and chest, and Julian could do nothing but blush in knowing that he was the reason for them being there.
"What's that weird look for?" Aiden smiled lazily, eyeing Julian in a confused manner.
"Nothing," Julian chuckled, bringing his eyes back to Aiden's. "Since Price bitched out on us, I was thinking that we could drop by Clarissa's ex's place. We could talk to him and see what he has to say for ourselves. And maybe we can get Clayton or Joshua to watch over his house, just in case she pops up there again. What do you think?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me." Aiden moved to climb on top of Julian, kissing him softly on the lips. "I think Clayton will be a good candidate for the job. That way, we won't have to put up with him around here for a while."
"I can't believe you're still going on about him." Julian laughed. "I don't like him! Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about. I'm all yours, baby."
"I like the sound of that," Aiden smirked, gliding one hand underneath the covers. "Say it again..."
Before Julian could speak, both men froze in place after they heard Kyle's voice coming from up the stairs.
"Shit! What the hell is he doing here?" Aiden jumped up from the bed in a hurry to put his clothes on, not wanting to get caught by his brother but also to see what he wanted at this time in the morning.
Meanwhile, Julian remained in bed and looked completely unfazed by Kyle being just a few feet away from him and Aiden.
"You gonna get dressed, or...?" Aiden said to Julian.
"Because your brother is here?" Julian replied in a nonchalant tone as he sat up in bed, stretching.
"Yeah, that's precisely why!" Aiden exclaimed in a panic. "He can't catch us like this. I have enough shit on my plate and I don't need him finding out that--"
"Look, I know that I said I'd be your dirty little secret, okay?" Julian cut Aiden off. "I for sure said that but I never once agreed to hide who I am from people, and that includes your family."
"For the love of God, can we not do this right now?" Aiden shot an unfavorable look Julian's way as he finished getting dressed. "Just put some clothes on before he gets here. That's all I'm fucking asking."
"Fine, sorry," Julian said, climbing out of bed.
"You're making this a bigger deal than what it needs to be, you know that, right?" Aiden replied in a sour tone.
"What I know is that you're not ready to come out to your family," Julian shot back. "What I know is that you seem to not understand that I'm already out, Grayson. I'm not going to play 'straight' and rush to throw on clothes just because Kyle is here. God forbid he sees you half-dressed and in the same room as me. I can't fathom how disastrous that'd be for him." Julian's sarcasm did nothing but piss Aiden off even further. "Sorry if I sound harsh, but I'm just not capable of doing what you're wanting me to do."
"And what might that be, exactly?" Aiden asked, voice low and tense.
"Play pretend," Julian replied.
"Well, I won't lie. It's unsettling to know that you don't have my back when its pressed against the wall." Aiden rolled his eyes and then stormed out of Julian's bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
"Aiden! Holy shit, where have you been, man?" Kyle came from around the corner and pulled his brother into a hug before Aiden could even acknowledge his presence. "Have you not been out of this house since being in the hospital? And why haven't you been answering anyone's phone calls? Mom's been worried sick about you! When I got that crazy ass letter at the office yesterday, I figured I'd stop by to see how you were holding up now that the crazy bitch is back in the picture." Kyle finally took a second to breathe after rambling. "Anyway, how are you holding up, man?"
"I'm good," Aiden spoke in an even tone, though his attitude was in the dumps thanks to his mini-argument with Julian.
"Really? Because you don't look so good," Kyle said. "Something wrong?"
"Yeah, actually," Aiden replied with a heavy sigh. "You know how much I hate it when people drop by here unannounced, Kyle. Tell me why you're really here because there has to be something else you want from me. You never just pop-up randomly to see how I'm doing."
"Seriously, Aiden? Is that how little you think of me? You honestly think that I don't care about your well-being, that I'm always up to something when it comes to you?" Kyle shook his head and tried not to show just how hurt he was by Aiden for thinking that he'd come here with an ulterior motive.
Kyle knew that he fucked up with Aiden in the past when he sent him to the Worldstar Event knowing that Clarissa was still out there somewhere trying to get him. Kyle knew he messed up big time, but he didn't once think that Aiden still held a grudge over it.
"Honestly, I just came to see if you were doing okay. Clearly, you are, so I'll go." Kyle turned around to leave almost as quickly as he came. "Since you can't pick up the phone to call our mother, I guess I'll tell her that you're still alive and breathing."
Aiden watched his brother walk off in a rush. He stood there in silence and did absolutely nothing to stop Kyle. Aiden was taking his frustrations with Julian out on Kyle and he knew that he was wrong to do so, but that wasn't enough to get him to stop Kyle from leaving and to apologize for being such an asshole.
"Damn it!" Aiden muttered under his breath when he turned around and marched towards his bedroom. "What the...! Are you serious?" Aiden stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Julian leaning against the door frame of his room, fully clothed, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Were you eavesdropping on us?"
"You know you were wrong for that, right?" Julian ignored Aiden's question. "Be pissed at me all you want, but don't take it out on your family. I wasn't trying to make you mad with what I said earlier. I just-"
"Save it! I don't want to hear it." Aiden finished walking to his room. He shut the door behind him, but it didn't close all the way because Julian came bursting in. "I'm not going to fight with you, so please just get the hell out and leave me alone."
Julian stood his ground while Aiden scowled at him from a distance.
"Listen, when all this started for us, I said that I won't force you to come out. I meant that," Julian said. "I'll be patient for as long as I can, and when the time comes for you to tell people who you really are, I'll be there to support you. But until then, you have to respect me and what I stand for. If you want to keep your distance from me when your family is around, fine. But don't expect me to act any different. You can't get mad at me for—"
"Julian, just please stop while you're ahead," Aiden murmured. "I get it. So save the long ass speech. I don't need to hear it."
"Okay," Julian said.
"Great. Now, are we done here?" Aiden sighed, thoroughly annoyed, mostly at himself. "I'd like to bathe and get dressed so that we can go and talk to my stalker's ex-boyfriend." A few seconds later, in a sarcastic tone, he added, "There's nothing better than starting the day off with a little bit of crazy."
"I'll leave you to get dressed." Julian turned and left the room, reluctantly, and headed back into his own bedroom.
He sat on his bed for a few minutes hoping that Aiden would come over and ask if he wanted to join him in the shower, possibly to do some making up after their petty fight. However, as the minutes passed, Julian realized that Aiden wasn't over.
Aiden was in one of his moods and he needed to blow off some steam alone.
Julian can't say that Aiden didn't warn him early on; patience is something that he most definitely needed to have if he wanted to continue this little rendezvous with his semi-intolerable boss.
. . . .