Aiden pushed his plate to the side. "That was incredible," he told Chase.
Chase sipped at the last few drops of coffee from his mug. "I know right," he said as he placed the mug down. "Not a bad start to your twentieth birthday."
Aiden smiled. He looked around at the little indie café that Chase had dragged him to. It was a tiny place with only a handful of tables. He and Chase had the best table, right next to the huge archway window that looked out at a little garden out front. He didn't know how he hadn't found this place before. Aiden was surprised that he was actually having a good morning. He usually hated his birthday and he didn't want to celebrate it, but Chase had pulled him from his bed at seven that morning and taken him to the café. Even with Aiden mumbling and whinging the entire time, Chase had driven him out to the café with a smile on his face and constant reminders of what a good day he was going to have.
"Well, you did wake me up quite abruptly this morning," Aiden muttered, "so I wouldn't exactly say that."
Chase just smiled. "I am going to make you celebrate your birthday whether you like it or not."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "You know I'm not a fan of birthdays."
"You woke me up at midnight on my birthday and threw streamers in my face!"
Aiden shrugged. "Okay, so my hatred for birthdays might be limited to my own birthday."
Chase pushed his plate to the side. "I know that your eighteenth birthday was a disaster, but I don't want that one event to ruin your birthdays for the next fifty years."
Aiden didn't know what to say. He nodded. He was glad that he had Chase.
"I have a little something for you," Chase told him.
Aiden watched Chase reach into his backpack. He pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table.
"You didn't have to get me a gift," Aiden told him.
"Just open it," Chase replied.
Aiden pulled open the envelope and pulled out a card. It was blue with bright red letters. Happy Birthday, it read. He opened the card and two slips of paper slipped out onto his lap. He picked them up and read them.
"Tickets to an art exhibit?"
Chase nodded. "Emerson's sister is a painter. She has an exhibit in the city all of next week. I thought you might like to go with Oliver on the Friday night. I'll be there too, with Emerson. It will be fun."
Aiden slipped the tickets into his pocket. "Thanks Chase, that sounds awesome." He was looking forward to the exhibit. He was mostly looking forward to getting to know Emerson more. A double date with her was bound to be more fun than one with most of Chase's previous girlfriends.
"So, how's things going with Emerson?" he asked. Chase hadn't revealed many details about his date with her a few weeks prior.
"Really good," Chase told him. "We are going on our fifth date tonight."
"Fifth?" Aiden asked. He didn't know about any more dates. "When did the other four happen?"
Chase laughed. "Well, you would know if you had spent any time at the apartment these last few weeks."
Aiden didn't realise how much time he had been spending at Oliver's place. "Have I really been MIA that much?"
Chase nodded. "I've basically been living alone."
Aiden bit at his lip. "I'm sorry."
Chase shrugged. "You don't have to be sorry! You and Oliver are spending time together, I think that's great."
"What did I do to deserve a friend like you?" Aiden smiled over at him.
Chase smiled back. "So, speaking of Oliver. How are you two after he told you about his real job?"
"Good. Great even," Aiden told him. "I can see him opening up to me more and more every day."
"Do you know why it's taken him so long?"
Aiden played with a sugar packet that was lying on the table. "I don't know for sure. I know bits and pieces. I know that people have used him before. I know that he and his father don't have the best relationship. I think it's a combination of a lot of things."
"It's good for him, that he's finally letting you into his life. Don't you think?"
Aiden nodded. "There was something that Ava told me at that dinner party, she said that I was helping him more than I knew."
"What does that mean?"
Aiden shrugged. He dropped the sugar packet. "I think he's been really damaged by what people have done to him. He's never let a boyfriend meet his friends. He hasn't even invited most of them to his own house. He's secretive, but I think he might be healing, maybe."
"I don't doubt it."
"What?" Aiden asked.
"I don't doubt that you are helping him. I see the way that you two are when you are together. I've seen Oliver when you aren't in the room, and it's like he's a different person. You bring out a light in him."
Aiden smiled down at the table. He didn't know why that made the blood rush to his cheeks. "I've noticed it too. He's different around me. I couldn't know for sure, for obvious reasons, but I feel like I see a side to him that no one else sees."
"You're right."
Aiden smiled. "So are you dropping me home on your way to work?" Aiden asked.
"Not exactly."
"You have work today, don't you?" Aiden asked.
"Take a look outside," Chase told him.
Aiden looked up and through the window. In the garden stood Oliver, the most casually dressed he had ever seen him, with flowers in his hand. Aiden turned his eyes on Chase. "Did you organise this?"
Chase nodded. "Happy birthday."
Aiden laughed. He basically ran from his seat and out into the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he called out to Oliver. "You told me that you had to work!"
Oliver shrugged. "Chase told me to say that."
Aiden couldn't keep in his laugh. "I can't believe you two conspired against me when I said I didn't want to do anything for my birthday."
Oliver extended the flowers. "I can't believe that you believed me when I said I wasn't going to get you a present."
Aiden took the flowers. "What happened to flowers being too impersonal?"
"They are, but this is just the start."
Aiden looked down at the flowers. They were simple, four bright yellow sunflowers. "They are beautiful. I love sunflowers."
"I know you do," Oliver said. He leant over and kissed Aiden. "Happy Birthday."
Aiden reached up and pulled Oliver's face closer to him. He was starting to think that he might actually have an amazing birthday. When they pulled away he looked at Oliver's outfit. "What are you wearing?"
Oliver smiled down at his light blue board shorts and black and white tank top. "What's wrong with this?"
Aiden shrugged. "I've never seen you dress so casually in all the time I've known you."
Oliver laughed.
Aiden felt something touch his arm. He looked over and Chase was standing next to them, extending a duffle bag towards Aiden. "Here you go."
"Why do I need such a big bag?"
"You'll see," Chase replied, not giving away any other details.
Aiden looked at Oliver sceptically. "Where are you taking me?"
"So impatient," Oliver replied with a shake of his head.
"He is, isn't he?" Chase piped in. Chase and Oliver shared a knowing glance.
Aiden felt extremely out of the loop, but also extremely loved. It was a weird combination. "You weirdo's, tell me what we are doing today."
Oliver laughed and wrapped his arm around Aiden. "You'll see."
"Have fun!" Chase called out after them as they walked to Oliver's car.
Aiden balanced the flowers in one hand and the bag in the other as he reached up to kiss Oliver on the cheek. "I don't know what you have planned but thank-you. You didn't have to take the day off work for me."
Oliver pressed a kiss to Aiden's forehead. "For you, I'd do anything."
Aiden felt a warm feeling in his tummy. "I know you would," he said in reply, and he meant it.
Aiden watched the signs as they drove out of town. He tried to guess where they were going, but Oliver wasn't having any of it. He stayed silent about their destination the entire time. Aiden ended up texting Ava's number in case she would tell him. Ava, however, was no help at all. She just sent back a message that said it was a secret but that he would love it.
Eventually, Aiden just let it go and relaxed. He watched out the window. He saw the water in the distance and figured that Oliver must have been taking him on a beach day. He didn't say anything though, he didn't want Oliver to feel like he wasn't surprising him.
He ended up closing his eyes with his head against the passenger side window. It felt like only a second later that Oliver was shaking him awake. He hadn't realised that he had fallen asleep. He opened his eyes quickly and blinked into the light. "What? Are we here?" he asked.
"We sure are," Oliver told him.
Aiden looked out the window. They were at a house. He didn't know what was going on. "Where are we?"
"This is Robert's brother's beach house. He's loaning it to us for a few days."
Aiden felt his jaw drop. The house was beautiful, painted white and navy with huge windows. Aiden could see how close the house was to the water. It was basically on the sand.
"This is incredible!" Aiden said. He bounced out of the car and practically ran to the front door. He peered inside.
"I've got the bags," Oliver called out.
Aiden laughed when he turned around. Oliver had three bags draped over his body and was struggling up the driveway.
Aiden ran over to him and took one of the bags. "I got a little carried away, sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Oliver replied. "I'm just glad that you like it. I was worried we would get here and you would say that you're afraid of water or something."
Aiden laughed. "I'm definitely not afraid of water."
"That's good," Oliver said, "because we are going to be swimming a lot."
He let them into the house. Aiden dropped his bag the second he walked through the door. The floors were wooden and the furniture was all oversized and extremely expensive looking. Aiden explored the entire place. He found a huge kitchen and a couple of bathrooms. He found a few small bedrooms and then one master bedroom. The bedroom was spectacular and featured a four-poster bed with a delicate white curtain draped over it. The room had a giant window that featured a view of the water.
He walked back out into the living room. His gaze searched for Oliver, who he had abandoned again. He saw Oliver standing out on the balcony. He opened the glass sliding door and stepped out. The wind hit him instantly and blew his hair into his face. He grabbed a hair tie from his pocket and tied it up at the back.
"This place is spectacular," Aiden told him. He stepped past Oliver and lent against the railing. He looked out at the view. He could see people swimming in the ocean, a couple walking a dog, a family making sandcastles.
Still looking out at the ocean, Oliver wrapped his arms around Aiden from behind. "You are spectacular."
Aiden laughed. He reached up and looped his hands around Oliver's arms that were resting on his chest. "Thank-you for this."
"You deserve it."
Aiden turned in Oliver's hold so that they were face to face. He pushed himself up on the tips of his toes so that he could reach, and kissed Oliver. He lost track of time for a while on that balcony, his mind getting lost in Oliver's touch.
"Please tell me that my camera is in the bag Chase packed for me," he muttered when they pulled back.
Oliver sent him a weird look. "I sent him four messages to remind him."
Aiden laughed. "Thank-god. I want a lot of photos from this weekend."
"Do you want to go and get it now?"
Aiden nodded quickly. "I just want a quick photo of you looking out at the water. Is that okay? Any maybe a few of the house, and a few of the water."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. It was getting weird seeing you without the camera around your neck anyway."
Aiden laughed and ran inside to find his camera. He didn't think he had ever felt so happy in his life than he did here, with Oliver.
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