Aiden heard the knock at the door but didn't even open his eyes to the sound. He knew that it would be Chase again, tying his best to coax him out of bed. He knew why Chase was getting so worried. He hadn't left the apartment in two weeks. He had spent the majority of his time in bed, scrolling through photos of he and Oliver.
The knock sounded again. He rolled over, away from the door. He heard the door open but he didn't even glance towards the person. He felt like he didn't have the energy for it even if he had tried.
"Aiden?"
The voice wasn't Chase's. It was softer, higher. "Ava?" he asked. He was confused, how did Ava get into his apartment? Better yet, why was she there?
"Can I come in?"
Aiden turned to face her with a sigh. He sat up. "Why are you here?"
He suddenly knew why she was here. He had figured that Oliver would have sent someone over to get his stuff. Oliver's cardigan still hung in his closet. His cologne was sitting on the shelf in the bathroom. His t-shirt was in Aiden's drawers. Aiden didn't want to give the stuff back. He didn't want to lose the only reminders of Oliver that he had left.
She looked nervous. Ava stood in the doorway with her fingers linked in front of her and an anxious look on her face. "Can I talk to you?" she asked.
Aiden sighed again. He patted the sheets next to him. "Yeah." He really didn't want to talk to her. He wasn't sure what Oliver had told her, but he knew he wouldn't have spoken favourably about his actions.
Ava walked slowly into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. She crossed her legs and lent with her elbows on her knees. She started to say something but then paused. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Aiden looked down at his dirty shirt and shrugged. "I don't know anymore."
"What happened on that trip?" Ava asked nervously. "I know that this is crossing a line but I need to know what's going on."
"What has Oliver told you?" he asked.
"I haven't seen Oliver in weeks," Ava replied. She sighed as she looked around the room. "He won't return my phone calls, he won't answer the front door when I knock. I even went to his office and they said he hasn't been there in weeks."
Aiden sighed. Oliver must have been a wreck to ignore his best friend and miss work. "Really?"
Ava nodded slowly.
"You aren't here to get his stuff, then?"
Ava shook her head. "I'm here to find out what the heck happened in New York."
"You should talk to Oliver," Aiden told her.
"How?" Ava demanded to know. "I want to help him but I can't unless I know what's happened."
"Did you see the photo?" Aiden asked her.
"The one of Pierce?" Ava asked. Her expression told Aiden that she didn't think the two were related. "Does Pierce cheating have something to do with it?"
Aiden nodded. "I was the reason that photo got published."
Ava gasped. Her hand covered her mouth. "You....You took that photo?"
Aiden shook his head. "It was all a big misunderstanding. His sister hired a private investigator to follow Pierce and he took the photo. Then Rosie gave the photo to me to destroy but she wanted to know who the girl was so I sent the photo to my friend at Celebrity Today. I shouldn't have sent the one with Pierce's face in it but I did, thinking it would never be seen. Then my friend leaked the photo."
Ava's expression changed. "It wasn't your fault that it was published. Your friend betrayed you!"
"I know," Aiden sighed. "Oliver believes that I got it published on purpose, for money."
Ava looked shocked for a moment, but her eyes turned sad. "With his history, do you blame him?"
Aiden considered that. "Yes. He knows me. He knows me better than I know myself and yet he still thinks that I am capable of exploiting he and his entire family for money."
"His past boyfriends have-"
"I know about Luca," Aiden told her. "I am not Luca."
Ava's expression told him that she was surprised at how much he knew. She blinked a couple of times. "I know you aren't, but you don't know how damaged Oliver was by what happened." She lent closer to him, her expression pleading. "You have to explain it to him again, you need to make him believe the truth."
"He didn't even give me the time of day to explain it a first time. He just took everything at face value. The things he said to me-" Aiden felt a tear rush down his cheek. "I can't even begin to explain how much his words hurt me."
Images of their fight made their way through Aiden's mind and he shuddered. Oliver hated him. The man he loved wanted nothing to do with him. He blinked back tears.
"You need to talk to him, Aiden," Ava said quietly. "I don't know what he said to you, but I'm sure he was caught up in the moment. He loves you, and he will remember that once he knows the truth and has had time to cool down."
Aiden shrugged. He really wasn't sure. He didn't know if Oliver would listen to the truth even if he screamed it at him. He remembered the look in Oliver's eyes before he stormed out of the hotel room and it sent another pang of hurt into his chest.
"What if he doesn't believe me?" Aiden asked.
"Then you keep trying to tell him the truth until he does," Ava said. He reached over and grabbed his hand. "You don't give up on the people you love, and I know that you love Oliver. You can't let this be the end of your story."
Aiden nodded. "What if he won't speak to me?"
"Then we will knock his door down," Ava replied matter-of-factly.
Aiden tried to smile. "I'll go to his house today."
Ava nodded. Aiden hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't worry so much. I have faith that it will work out," she told him.
Aiden sat up straighter as he pulled back. He pushed his hair behind his ears and took a deep breath. "I should have gone to his house sooner. I just, I was so hurt that I couldn't. I didn't think about it from his perspective."
"He's not in the right here," Ava assured him. "He should have believed you in the first place, and believe me, he will be getting some harsh truths next time he talks to me."
Aiden smiled at her. "Thank-you for coming over today."
"I'm always up for a good impromptu intervention."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Aiden felt his hands shaking as he stepped out of his car. Oliver's house somehow seemed more intimidating than it had before. The walls seemed to be taller, the windows wider, the path longer. He had thought about calling before he got in the car, but he knew his call would have been ignored. He had called Oliver twenty times the night they had fought and twice that in the days after, but each and every call had been sent to voicemail. He hadn't tried again after that. It was too painful to hear Oliver's voice telling him to leave a message. He couldn't hear it without tears pushing at his eyes and the ache in his chest getting deeper.
His converses hit the path to the front door and he walked slowly. He kept his eyes on the windows, seeing if he could see Oliver inside. He froze when he saw Oliver's silhouette through the window. He almost turned back towards his car, but his feet didn't hesitate, he kept walking towards the front door.
He waited a few seconds before knocking. When he did knock, it felt like his fist was made of bricks. He heard footsteps and then nothing. Oliver was at the front door. He was sure that Oliver was looking at him through the peep hole. He waited thirty seconds and the door didn't open.
"Oliver?" he called out towards the wooden door.
The door didn't open.
"I know that you're in there," he said loud enough for him to hear. "I want to talk to you."
He paced back and forth in front of the door. He pulled his phone out and tried to call Oliver. He could hear the phone's ring through the door. Oliver ignored the call. "Come on, Oliver!" he called out. He was getting annoyed now. "I want to explain it all to you! You can tell me to leave after if that's what you want!"
Aiden heard the sound of a key entering the door. It opened a crack. He could just see Oliver. He looked like a mess, with dirty hair, a stained shirt and old shorts. The giant dark circles under his eyes told Aiden that he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were angry. "I don't want to hear your side."
Aiden sighed. He stepped closer to the door, his hand on the doorknob. "Hear me out, please."
The door slammed shut.
Aiden sighed. He threw his head into his hands. "Oliver!" he called out but got no response.
Aiden felt like he had just had his heart ripped out again. The man he loved was on the other side of that door, but wanted nothing to do with him.