7. Aiden
Chapter 7
I’m just walking into my apartment when my phone rings. I unlock my door and dig it from my pocket. My stomach sinks when I see Payton’s name flash across the screen. I’ve been waiting for this phone call.
I slide to answer. “Hey.”
“Don’t hey me, Jackass. What the hell were you thinking?”
I kick the door shut behind me and sink into my recliner. “I wasn’t.”
“Obviously. You knew your crush on Oliver was reciprocated, so why the hell didn’t you just ask him out?”
“I don’t know,” I groan. “I saw him on the site and just went for it. I’m a dumbass.”
“No fucking shit.” She gets quiet and then sighs. “Look, I know you fought what you felt for Oli growing up because of your dad. But you don’t have to do that anymore. What you did is fucked up, but it’s fixable.”
“What do you mean?” I say carefully.
“If you repeat any of this, I’ll deny I said anything and then chop your balls off. Are we clear?”
“Clear,” I say with a chuckle.
“Oliver is at Jace’s right now with him and Toby. He’s willing to forgive and forget, but your work is cut out for you. You not only almost threw away years of friendship with Oli, but you did the same by lying to Toby and Jace.”
“I’ll fix it. I swear, Pay.”
“Yeah, well, you better. Oliver thought he betrayed me and was torn apart over it. I never want to see my brother like that ever again, Aiden. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Good. Now, why the hell have I never met Jace and Toby?”
“I don’t know. You’re never around anymore.”
“Do you have a relationship with them?”
“Sort of? I’m not sure what you call it, but we were only with each other until Oliver.”
“So, you work for a kinky website now? Nice.”
I laugh. “That’s not all I do. I still have the real estate business and do that in my free time.”
“I know we don’t talk as much as we used to, but I am proud of you, Aiden. All things involving Oli aside. You broke free of your dad’s bullshit and built your own empire.”
“Thank you, Payton.”
“Don’t thank me. I expect to be paid handsomely for this pity phone call. You’re loaded.”
“I hate you,” I laugh.
“I hate you more. I’m going to jump off here and head to work. Make this shit right with Oliver, Jace, and Toby.”
The call disconnects before I can reply, and I shake my head. I lean back in the chair, thinking how different things could have been if I had just admitted to Oli how I felt.
I knew I was gay at a very young age, but I always hid it from my dad. My mom took off when I was young, and he’s been bitter ever since. Not that he was any better before that, but her leaving made him worse. Payton was the first person I ever opened up to because Oliver was gay, and I knew she’d understand. She helped me through a lot of hard times. As we got older, I started looking at Oliver as more than my best friend’s little brother. I watched him grow from this awkward, skinny kid to this gorgeous teenager. Then my dad found my porn, and my life almost exploded. He called me every derogatory name in the book, even going as far as trying to kick me out at sixteen. That’s when Payton stepped in, saying we should pretend to be a couple. It’s not like it would be any different; we were always together anyway, but it made me stuff my feelings for Oliver even deeper. There’s only a two year difference between us, but I always felt the age gap was much more significant. I know that was fucking stupid now.
Had I admitted to Oli that I wanted him, would I have ever met Jace and Toby? I can’t imagine my life without them now. They’ve been there for me since college. It would also mean that Oliver wouldn’t have met them either. I know I messed up. I’ve never argued that, and I deserved to be frozen out. Jace was the only one who would talk to me, and while he was always cold, at least he heard me out.. I haven’t talked to Toby since that fateful night at Jace’s.
I was on my way over there because I hadn’t heard from them and could hear the moaning from the living room. I figured it was just Toby and Jace fucking, so imagine my surprise when I walked in, and Toby had Oliver bent in half like a fucking pretzel. I watched as Toby finished inside him and listened as Oliver promised he was theirs. Then everything went to shit when my jealousy came out, and I accused them of fucking him behind my back.
My phone rings again, and my stomach flips when I see Toby’s name. I slide to answer. “Hello?”
“I have a lot of shit to say.”
“Okay.”
“You’re a fucking coward.” I close my eyes and let my head drop back on the chair. “You have no idea what you could have had with Oliver if you’d just told him about your stupid crush.” I don’t miss the emphasis on the fact that he said I could have had. “But, I’m glad you didn’t because I wouldn’t have gotten to be with him. Do I hate how it all started? Yes and no. I hate that he was hurt, but I won’t take that night back when we all shared him. With that being said, he wants to talk to you.”
“What about you?”
“I called, didn’t I, dickhead?”
“Yeah, but does that mean we’re okay?”
“That depends on how your conversation with Oliver goes. Come to dinner at Jace’s tonight at seven. Don’t be late.”
He hangs up, and it doesn’t escape me that he’s the second person to hang up on me today.
Fun times.
The day dragged by while I waited to go to Jace’s. I’m a mixture of nerves, excitement, and fear as I walk onto Jace’s front porch. Having no clue what to do, I ring the doorbell. It’s opened seconds later by Jace.
“You ring doorbells now?” he asks.
“I didn’t know if I could just walk in.”
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be stupid and get your ass in here.” He steps to the side so I can walk in. He shuts the door behind him and gives me the signature Jace hard look. “I reserve the right to stop this conversation at any time. Oliver has the right to stop this conversation at any time. You’ll sit with your mouth shut and listen to what he has to say. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Good.” He spins on his heel, and my eyes land on his neck.
“What the fuck happened?” I ask and push the bruise.
“Fucking Toby,” he growls. “He bit the fuck out of me.”
“Why?” I laugh. It shouldn’t surprise me because Toby can be a feral little fucker.
“Payback.” He doesn’t elaborate, and I don’t feel like I have the right to push. I’ve been in the middle of Jace and Toby before. I know how they can get. “Oliver will be down in a minute,” Jace says when we get to the living room.
He walks into the kitchen, and I sit down on the couch to wait. Oliver walks into the living room minutes later, swamped in one of Jace’s hoodies. My throat goes dry, and for once in my life, I have no fucking clue what to say. Oliver smiles shyly and sits in the chair. “Hi.”
“Hey,” I croak. Jesus Christ.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Yeah.” I run my fingers through my hair and blow out of breath. “I’m so damn sorry, Oli.”
“You hurt me. I thought I was going to lose my sister over the shit that you pulled. If I had stuck around, you would have explained everything, but that doesn’t make up for what you did. You took my innermost secret from that site and took advantage of it. That was my fantasy. I wanted it to be anonymous for a reason. I was ashamed of what I wanted and felt like you threw it back in my face.”
“That wasn’t my intention at all. I just saw your name, and I wanted us to be the ones who did it. I knew we could protect you and take care of you. It turned my stomach to think of anyone else touching you.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me? You knew I felt the same way, so why not come to me?”
“I wish I had a better answer, but I was scared. So much time had passed, I was afraid you’d turn me down.”
“You’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t someone I was willing to lose.” Oliver’s mouth forms a little ‘O’. “Payton might have been the one to cover for me, but I learned the most from you. The way you were unafraid to show who you really were while I was buried so deep in the goddamn closet I couldn’t see an inch in front of my face.”
“I was terrified, Aiden. My dad didn’t handle it any better than yours.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t devise a major cover story while telling your dad that you were just curious. I didn’t come out to my dad until college.”
“Does he talk to you?”
“Not really. He checks in, but we haven’t seen each other since the day I left home.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be. I don’t need someone that toxic in my life. I’m proud of who I am. I’m just not proud of what I did to you.”
Oliver sighs. “I want to forgive you and am willing to do that. But you need to know that I’m with Jace and Toby.”
“I’d expect nothing less. I’m happy for you.”
“But I also refuse to come between you guys.” Oliver twists his hands nervously in Jace’s hoodie. “That night, no matter what happened after, was the best night of my life. And you were a part of that.” My breath catches, and I refuse to breathe until he finishes his thought. “I’ve never felt so good in my life. I knew something was familiar about you the whole time, but I was so lost to it all that I couldn’t figure it out. My brain and body knew I could trust you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I want you to go back to normal with Jace and Toby.”
“Is that it?”
He shakes his head, and his cheeks start to darken. “I want to give you a chance. We just have to go slow.”
“I can go as slow as you need me to, Oli.”
He nods and laughs nervously. “I thought about what it would be like to be with you growing up. I got the chance and didn’t even know it.”
“You’ll get plenty more chances,” I promise. “I won’t mess this up again.”
“I know you won’t,” Jace demands, walking into the living room. He reaches a hand out to Oli, and he slides his hand into Jace’s without hesitation. Jace pulls him to his feet and kisses him deep and slow. I know it’s a test to see how I’ll react, but all it’s doing is making me want this even more. Jace pulls back from Oli, pecks his red cheek, and looks at me. “Let’s eat.”
I follow them into the dining room, and Toby jumps into my arms, wrapping himself around me like a fucking spider monkey. “Fuck, Toby,” I grunt, tucking my hands under his ass.
“I missed you, dickhead.”
“I missed you, too,” I laugh.
“You hurt him again, and I’ll murder you.” He pulls back, gives me a sloppy kiss, and slides to the floor.
We sit at the table, and it’s awkward at first, but then the conversation starts flowing naturally. We talk about old times and laugh at the dumb shit we used to do. Oliver tells us some of the stuff him and Leland have gotten up to. I watch Toby and Jace take turns feeding a blushing Oliver and don’t feel an ounce of jealousy. I know Oliver is willing to give me a second chance, but I also know Jace will make me work for it.
Bring it the fuck on.
I’m not going anywhere.