2. the beginning
Chapter two
the beginning
Dear Mr. Williams
Aaron slams the laptop shut before he can read the rest of the email.
There’s no way that he will be able to pay the minimum payment before the end of the month.
It was hard enough for him to get accepted, but he has already deferred his registration for his second year of university for three years due to financial difficulties.
All the money he had saved has gone into his mother’s treatment.
He knows he should give up on university, but Aaron has never been good at letting go of anything.
"Aaron?" James says, knocking on his door.
"Oh, do you want your laptop back? Is your shift over?" Aaron asks, opening the door.
"No. I came upstairs because a delivery arrived for you at the coffee shop," he says, handing a medium-sized box to him.
A delivery? Aaron hasn’t ordered anything, so he frowns, accepting it. When he opens the box, it has the logo of a designer clothing brand, and inside is a dark green silk shirt.
"What the fuck…?" Aaron asks, proceeding to read the card.
" I saw this shirt, and it reminded me of your eyes. I would like to see you wearing it. Please meet me tomorrow at 8 PM at the Magnolia Sinclair Hotel’s restaurant. Rion."
"Wow!" James says, running his hands through the shirt. "This shirt probably costs more than my three months’ rent. I thought you said you didn’t give him your contact details?"
"I didn’t. And that comment, does it mean I should raise your rent?" Aaron asks, eyebrows raised.
"Nope. But you know what will go really well with that shirt? Those black trousers your mum bought you for our uni registration party!" James suggests.
Aaron can see it. He loves those trousers too; they are a bit tight, so they are great for showing off his arse. He wonders if Mr. Asano is an arse man. No. He can’t think about that right now.
"Maybe. I guess we’ll never know because I’m not going," Aaron says, tossing the gift on top of his bed.
James tucks a stray blond hair behind his ear and watches him with a frown. "Why not? I mean, this guy is clearly into you."
"He just wants a boy toy. Someone to spend all his money on in exchange for sex and all that shit. I just… I can’t do it, James," Aaron says in frustration.
"I’m confused. You suddenly have shame when you need the money? Weren't you just crying about fumbling the bag a few days ago?"
Aaron sighs, "The money’s not the problem here.
When Mr. Asano was flirting with me, listening to my problems, I was falling for all of it, James.
He wants a specific type of relationship, and it’s gonna end badly for me if my little crush on him develops into something more. So, I’m just gonna let it go."
Aaron can’t afford to have his heart broken again. The money may be temptin,g but he needs to keep himself in check.
"Look, I get it. You’re probably not keen on getting into a relationship after how badly things ended between you and Dakarai, but… You need to put yourself out there, Aaron. Who knows, maybe he’ll end up developing real feelings for-" James starts, but Aaron cuts him off.
"Don’t go there, James. He’s way out of my league. If I’ve learned anything from the past, it’s to date within my own league. A guy like Mr. Asano would never look at someone like me as a partner, only as a sugar baby or boy toy," Aaron says, standing up.
"Aaron," James tries.
"I’m gonna go visit my mother. Can you hold down the fort in the coffee shop?" He asks.
He does not want any advice on this. He just needs to forget about his once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a millionaire. He’s doing what’s best for himself, right?
***
Aaron hates the disinfectant smell of the hospital because he feels helpless every time he's here, like right now, sitting next to his mother's bed. She looks even paler than the last time he'd seen her, two days ago. It makes his heart sink every time he sees her like this.
"This is great, Aaron. Your cooking has improved," Laura says with a smile, finishing the food that Aaron made for her. "I was worried how you would cope after I'm gone, but you've become pretty self-sufficient."
"Mum, don't-" Aaron starts to protest because he does not want to hear it.
He knows how slim the chances are of him ever being able to afford a private hospital and being able to churn out the €95000 for the procedure, including the hospital stay that his mother needs.
The queue for it in the public health system is also so long that it is hopeless.
However, he does not like to dwell on negatives.
"Honey, I'm getting two blood transfusions every single week, and the doctor is starting to worry that I'll start rejecting the blood.
My condition is only getting worse. I just...
" She sniffs, tears in her eyes. "I'm worried about you; you spent all your savings on me, and you couldn't go to university, and since I'm not working the mortgage, it all falls to you. Once I'm gone-"
"I'm going to start school next semester," Aaron cuts her off with a lie. "Yeah, I just paid my registration fees like yesterday."
Why is she saying all this? Is she going to leave him, too?
She is the person he loves most in the world, and she is everything to him, yet just like his father, she is going to leave him behind, alone, with no one to take care of him.
He needs her desperately, but they both know that her health continues to deteriorate.
At the very least, Aaron wants her to go in peace without worrying about him.
If she thinks he's going to school, then he can have a better future, so she will stop worrying.
Even if it is a lie, he wants her to be happy.
She sits up straighter and looks at him with hope in her eyes. "Really? Oh honey, I hope you didn’t get a student loan; you know those are terrible to pay back."
Right, she would worry about that. "Don't worry, Mum, I didn't borrow it; my, um, my boyfriend paid for me. That kind of money is no skin off his back," Aaron smiles.
But his mother frowns, "Aaron, don't tell me you got back together with that horrible Cummings boy? After he broke your heart like that? Do you remember how condescending he was when he found out that we needed money?"
"It's not him, Mum. He's someone I recently started dating. I didn't tell you because it's new. His name is... Rion," Aaron tells her, his lie growing. "He cares about me, and I didn't ask him for money; he offered."
She looks at him uncertainly, but then nods her head, smiling. "That's wonderful! I'm glad you've found someone who cares so much about you. Bring your registration letter; I want to brag to the nurses that my son is going to university."
"S-sure. I'll bring it by in a couple of days. I left it at home. So, when are you getting your bone marrow aspiration results?" Aaron asks, changing the subject.
Later, when Aaron leaves the hospital, he resigns himself to finding a way to forge a registration letter or... get the money and actually register. There is only one way for him to get that amount of money in one day.
***
The hotel is truly deserving of its four-star status, Aaron thinks as he walks in there, into the lobby. He looks around, unsure if he should even walking on these fancy tiles.
"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?" the receptionist asks when Aaron reaches her.
"Oh hi, I'm um... I'm meeting someone here at the hotel’s restaurant," Aaron tells her.
"Okay, do you have a reservation?"
Aaron is not sure, but Mr. Asano said he should come here at 8, so that means something, right? "I think so, it's under-"
But before Aaron can finish his sentence, the receptionist's eyes widen and she straightens up. "M-Mr. Asano, welcome," she says, looking behind Aaron.
Immediately, Aaron turns around, and sure enough, the man is standing behind him. In the past few days, Aaron has convinced himself that he exaggerated Mr. Asano’s attractiveness; however, he is proven wrong.
The man is out of his formal suit, instead dressed casually with a pressed white shirt that probably costs ten times Aaron’s entire outfit, no tie, and hair combed neatly.
Aaron has to take a deep breath to calm himself down as those grey eyes travel over him, because fucking hell, Rion Asano is hot.
"I’ll be at my usual table. Send someone," Mr. Asano says to her, eyes still on Aaron. "Look at you, Aaron. Aren’t you a delightful sight for sore eyes?"
"Thank you," Aaron says, looking down with a smile. He’s glad that his date appreciates his effort. He even used some of James' girlfriend, Elena’s foundation that she left in James’s room to brighten up his face a little.
In a few seconds, a flustered waiter comes to lead them to their table, and Aaron walks in front of Mr. Asano casually, maybe swaying his hips a little more than usual. He is wearing trousers that make his arse look good, so he’s hoping that the man is enjoying the view.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" The waiter asks, hands shaking a little.
"Wine. Red. Your oldest one. Bring the food menu when you return," Mr. Asano says shortly.
"Um… I’ll have your best cocktail," Aaron says when asked what he would like. "Why does he look so nervous? Is it his first day or something?" He asks once the waiter leaves. He is sitting opposite Mr. Asano in the booth.
"Oh, my company is a major investor in this hotel. It’s in their best interests to keep me happy," he says casually.
Right. Of course. He says that as if the fact that he owns part of this amazing hotel is nothing. Unbelievable.
"I was right, it seems. That shirt brings out the colour in your eyes. Your beauty is truly unmatched," Mr. Asano tells him, watching him intently.
Aaron feels like someone is squeezing his heart inside of him, taking away his breath. He looks down. "Don’t be fooled, Mr. Asano. You know what they say: clothes make the man. You’ve got great taste."
"I do have great taste. In clothing, and men."