Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
AARON
Aaron slowly blinked his eyes open, groaning as bright morning sunlight threatened to blind him. He started to roll over but found a strong arm draped across his stomach. His brow furrowed in confusion for all of three seconds before remembering everything that happened last night.
Shifting to his back, he glanced at Lars sleeping beside him. The man looked so at peace, so… happy.
So naked.
Aaron grinned. He couldn’t believe they’d slept together.
Well, literally slept. After the best blow job of his damn life.
It was unbelievable. He couldn’t believe he’d admitted to being jealous last night and that he didn’t want Lars with anyone else.
More than that, he couldn’t believe Lars seemed to feel the same.
And yet, there was no panic. Sure, Aaron was freaking out a little bit, wondering what this meant, but he didn’t regret it in the slightest.
Compared to the two people he’d gone home with a couple weeks ago, where he’d felt strange and out of place the next morning, this felt… right. It felt so natural waking up next to his best friend.
His stomach rumbled, giving him an idea. Aaron leaned forward to kiss Lars on the cheek then slowly climbed over him to get out of bed. Slipping on his boxer briefs, he crept out of the bedroom to go make them coffee and breakfast.
He was nearly to the kitchen when two things hit him at once.
First, the smell of coffee already filled the apartment. Meaning they weren’t alone.
And more importantly…
This was not his apartment.
Heart thundering in his chest, he took the last step toward the kitchen doorway. The smirk that greeted him had him groaning and tilting his head back.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Charlie said, sipping her coffee as she stood leaning against the counter.
“Oh God.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think of a way to explain this.
“Yeah, heard you saying that a lot last night.”
Aaron lowered his gaze to her once more and moved closer. “Dammit, Charlie…”
She chuckled and stepped to the side as he reached into the cabinet above her head for two mugs. He poured coffee then added sugar to both and milk to Lars’s.
How in the hell had he made it here instead of his apartment? He must have really been on autopilot. He hadn’t even noticed.
“Wait, when did you get home?” He glanced at her. “And how are you so perky this early? You were drunker than me.”
“It’s almost noon,” she said with a smile. “And I’m younger, so I bounce back quicker.”
At that, he snorted and glanced in her direction. “By a couple months.”
“As for us getting home…” She went on, not acknowledging his statement. “We weren’t far behind you. We saw you leave and were worried, so we started to follow, only to realize Lars had also rushed after you. You guys were already in your room by the time we got here.”
He internally groaned.
“Is now a bad time to say I knew something was going on last night?” Charlie asked quietly.
Aaron lifted his mug to his lips, savoring the warmth of the coffee, and turned to mirror her stance, leaning against the counter. “I… I don’t know what to say right now.” With a sigh, he added, “Except, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
He finally looked at her, really looked at her, the woman who’d been his best friend since birth.
The ex he’d left at the altar eight months ago.
Remembering the assumption Vi came to when they’d first discussed this, he realized he didn’t want Charlie to do the same.
Setting his mug down, he faced her. “For coming here last night. I genuinely don’t know how that even happened. ”
She laughed a little, and that was when he saw it. Or rather, the lack of it. She wasn’t mad or upset. Amused, yes, but not hurt.
He opened his mouth then shut it, unsure where to start. “Can we…”
Nodding toward the living room, he trailed off. She led him to the couch, and he grabbed the blanket off the back to wrap around him. Not that she hadn’t already seen everything in the past, but still. This wasn’t a conversation to have while sitting in one’s underwear.
“How long?” she asked as he took a seat next to her.
“How long what?”
Charlie set her mug on the coffee table then pulled a knee up to angle toward him. “You really want me to spell it out?”
Aaron gave a half-shrug. “Kind of. Because I don’t know where to start.”
“Okay. How long have you two been together?”
“I don’t think we are actually together.”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “How long have you been sleeping together?”
He took a deep breath. Crossing his arms, he leaned into the couch and wondered just how much to share. There was a time when he’d told Charlie everything, and the truth was, he missed that. He hoped one day they could get there again, but he didn’t know if it was possible.
“Aaron?” she said in a soft tone, scooting closer. “What’s going on? Why do you look so sad?”
He tried to smile, but it wavered. “I miss you.”
Her forehead wrinkled, and he realized how that sounded.
Shaking his head, he said, “No, not like that. I just, I miss talking to you, being open with you. I know I have a long way to go before I fully earn your trust, but I—”
Charlie cut him off by climbing to her knees and hugging him. She held on to him tightly, resting her head against his. He quickly pulled an arm out from under the blanket to return the embrace.
“I miss you too,” she whispered. “You can talk to me. I want you to talk to me.”
He nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m… bi.”
Lowering to sit again, this time leaning into him, she met his gaze. “How long have you known?”
“I kind of realized it in middle school. At least, that’s when the curiosity really started.
” He reached for her hand. “But you have to know, this has nothing to do with us or why I walked away. I promise. That was purely because I couldn’t hurt Aiden anymore.
I thought he’d moved on, but then I overheard him the day of the wedding talking to our mom, and I—”
“Whoa,” she said. “Breathe.”
Aaron slowed down, inhaling deeply. But before he could go on, she spoke first.
“I know that’s why you called off the wedding. We’ve been through this, Aaron, and I forgave you. Truly.” She squeezed his hand. “You need to learn how to forgive yourself and move on. If that’s with Lars, then I’m happy for you.”
He clenched his jaw, fighting the burning in the back of his eyes.
And then, it all came spilling out. Everything.
He told her about how he fooled around with Lars before asking her out.
He told her about playing house with him and the girls, and how much he loved it.
He even told her about the other night and how he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. How it led to more last night.
“Aaron,” she said when he finally finished. “I’m going to hug you again.”
Laughing, he opened his arms and welcomed it. They sat together like that for a long couple of minutes before he asked, “So… you heard us last night?”
“Yeah, you weren’t even trying to be quiet.” She giggled. “I suppose we deserved that after all you put up with while living here.”
His mind caught on the word ‘we’. “Shit. Aiden—”
“Oh yeah,” his brother’s voice said, and they both snapped their attention to the man in question standing at the edge of the hall with Lars right behind him.
The latter now fully dressed in his clothes from yesterday.
Both looked from Aaron to Charlie, all cuddled up on the couch while he was in his underwear.
Aiden shook his head, but amusement filled his gaze.
“You know, in other circumstances, this,” he pointed to the blanket partially around them, “might be concerning.”
Charlie pulled away from Aaron and stood to walk toward Aiden, all while keeping her smile in place. “So, you’re not jealous?” She stopped in front of him and put a hand against his chest. “Finding me sitting with another man doesn’t make you irrationally angry?”
Aiden let out a breathy laugh. “Do you want me to be mad and overreact?”
She shrugged, and Aaron rolled his eyes before glancing at the other man standing quietly beside them. The one staring at him with something close to fear in his features. Aiden wasn’t worried, but something was clearly upsetting Lars.
“If it was anyone else,” Aiden went on, “I’d already be throwing punches, babe.”
At that, Aaron chuckled and pushed to his feet. He pulled the blanket around him more. “Yeah, I’ve already been on the other end of that punch. So, let’s not go there again.”
“We’re good, Aaron.” The words held so much meaning, especially when Aiden’s smile turned softer. He released his fiancée to move to Aaron then paused. “I love you, you know.” He glanced over his shoulder at Lars then back. “I’m guessing this isn’t how you wanted to come out.”
It wasn’t a question, but Aaron shook his head.
“Come here.” Aiden wrapped him in a hug.
For the first time in a long time, Aaron hugged his big brother without the weight of all the lies and secrets on his shoulders. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I love you too.”
Aiden thumped him on the back a few times before clearing his throat and releasing him. Stepping away, he said in a teasing tone, “I think this makes us even on the whole, hearing-us-have-sex situation.”
“Dude, not even close,” Aaron said with a laugh, but it died out as he realized Lars still hadn’t moved or said a word.
Walking toward his friend slowly, he wanted nothing more than to comfort him, to make sure everything was all right because right now, he couldn’t tell what Lars was thinking.
“Hey,” Aaron whispered, taking his hand. “You okay?”
Lars nodded.
Aaron looked at his brother and Charlie then focused on Lars. “Come with me.” He pulled him to the spare bedroom—the one that was clearly very empty apart from the big furniture. He hadn’t even noticed all of his stuff was missing last night. Shutting the door, he faced Lars. “Are you okay?”
He hesitated a moment, seeming to debate on how to respond, before blurting out, “Last night wasn’t nothing.”
Brow furrowed, Aaron stepped closer. “What?”
“I know you’re looking for casual right now,” Lars said with a sigh as he went to sit on the edge of the bed. “I meant it when I said I don’t want to date around like everyone suggests. It’s just… not who I am. And last night, for me, wasn’t just a hookup.”
The corners of Aaron’s mouth curled into a smile.
“Stop,” he said, moving to stand between his legs.
“Your rambling is starting to sound like me.” Lifting the corners of the blanket, he wrapped it around Lars as he twisted his arms behind his neck, cocooning them inside together. “It wasn’t meaningless to me either.”
Lars’s hands raised to his bare waist. “Really?”
Aaron leaned in close, his pulse racing as he realized exactly what they were both saying. “You’re my best friend, Lawrence. I wouldn’t risk that for one random night together.” He brushed his lips across Lars’s in a soft kiss, before adding in a teasing tone, “No matter how drunk I was.”