3. the needs #2
Aaron nods quietly. Rion is acting normal again, so maybe Aaron imagined his aloofness earlier?
That must be it. He cannot help but worry that Rion is already tired of him.
Otherwise, why hasn't he touched him at all today?
If he pulls out of their relationship before his mother's transplant, then it will be a disaster.
He must do everything possible to keep Rion's affection.
Aaron is too consumed with his thoughts to notice that they have arrived at their destination. He is therefore completely startled when there is suddenly a person right up in his face, looking down at him from their glasses.
"Oh, you're finally here, Rion. I've been waiting for ages to meet him," they say as Aaron steps away from them. The person wears a long lab coat, and carries a clipboard while their long black hair is tied back, but appears dishevelled.
"Cut it out, will you? You’re making him uncomfortable," Rion says, stepping between the two of them.
The person grins, pushing up their glasses. "What’s this? Your protective instinct has been awakened again, has it? So this is the little kitty that you’ve got your eye on."
"Er, who are you?" Aaron asks, keeping Rion as a shield between them.
"Oh, where are my manners?" they say, flustered, and pulling a chair out for Aaron, "Please, sit! I’m Dr. Mara Cole, the Hospital Manager for Middlehan Heart Hospital."
Aaron blinks. "Why are we meeting the Hospital Manager?" he whispers hastily to Rion.
"I told you," Rion says, taking a seat next to Aaron. "They're in charge of your mother’s care. So, Mara, how’s it looking?"
Wait, the manager of the best fucking hospital in the city is looking after his mother? In what world is this even possible? Just who the hell is Rion Asano that someone like this is at his beck and call?
"Oh, yeah, Mrs Williams’ condition is quite critical.
Her cells are deteriorating alarmingly fast; I honestly thought it might be cancer, but no, this is the worst case of aplastic anaemia that I have ever seen.
" While they are talking about something so serious, Mara has an excited glint in their eye. "Ah, it’s quite fascinating; I’d love to study her more, but unfortunately, we have to do the transplant as soon as possible. "
"How soon is that? I told you I have a conference in Marley next week, and I want to be here for Aaron during the entire process," Rion asks them.
"Aaron, huh? You are one lucky kid to have fallen into this guy’s lap," Mara says, eyes shifting to Aaron. "Well, I’ve taken a look at your samples as well, and it is quite out of this world. You and your mother have similar DNA and the same blood type, and yet, comparing your two samples, it’s like night and day!
You do not even have a little bit of her condition at all!
I would love to get another blood sample from you, just to see what makes you tick.
Perhaps after the transplant, you can come by for a few sessions, and I can-"
"Mara!" Rion warns, as it looks like they are getting carried away.
"Ah, right, sorry. How does four days from today sound? It won’t take much time for you, Aaron, less than two hours for the whole process," they say, composing themselves.
Wait, this soon? After all these years of waiting, praying, and watching, this doctor wants to do the surgery in less than a week.
Is that alright? Aaron cannot help but marvel at how quickly things get done when money is involved.
So, he just needs to keep Rion happy for four days, then? He will not let this opportunity slide.
"Yes, it’s fine. Tell me what I need to do," Aaron answers hastily. He listens attentively as Mara informs him about the process.
Later, Aaron finally visits his mother to break the good news to her. He has no idea how to tell her what’s happening. If his mother finds out he’s sleeping with an older man who's paying for her treatment, she will not be happy about it.
Well, Aaron thinks bitterly, he’s not actually sleeping with Rion.
His mother is in a single room, and it is bigger than the main bedroom at Aaron’s flat.
The walls are bare, but it smells good, not the disinfectant hospital smell.
There are beautiful flowers by her bedside and a nurse close by her all the time.
Even though it has only been a day since Aaron saw her, his mother looks less exhausted and better already.
"Aaron!" She smiles when she sees him and sits up by herself.
"Hey Mum. You look great," he says, hugging her.
"Thanks to you. I’ve had doctors and specialists fussing over me since yesterday. I don’t know if I’m dreaming or what. Aaron." She looks at him seriously. "What’s going on? We can’t afford this."
"Ma, I spoke to the haematologist, and they said that they'll do the transplant in four days. Just hang in there a bit for me, and you’ll be fine," he tells her, taking her hand.
A multitude of emotions flow through her face. "Are you serious? Already? Aaron, who’s paying for this? I can’t accept it if you put yourself in debt for my sake. You should know better after what happened to your father!" There is worry instead of happiness in her voice.
Yeah, he can’t tell her about his arrangement with Rion. He will just have to lie to her for now. "It’s not a debt. I... I found Xander."
Immediately, the worry evaporates from her face and is instead replaced with elation. "You found your brother? How is he? Is he doing alright? Wait, he… he’s paying for this?"
He will let her believe the lie that Xander actually cares about the two of them. "Yeah. You know he works for a major investment company called ASHI, right? He’s an executive there. He was very upset when he found out about your condition, and he wanted to help."
She smiles, and there are tears in her eyes. "I see. He was always such a kind child. Where is he? I should thank him."
"Er... he’s had to go for a business thing out of town. He’ll be back after the transplant." Gosh, Aaron is digging himself deep into a hole with these lies.
"I see," she nods. "I’ll get better quickly so that I am myself when I meet him. Your father would be so happy to see us all together."
It takes all Aaron has in him not to let out an annoyed sneer at her bringing up his father.
This, everything good that is happening in their lives, is no thanks to Charles Williams. Aaron took his fate into his hands; there is nothing in his life that he owes to that man who never took care of him, who died young, leaving his wife and children with virtually nothing.
Aaron will not voice any of this, not while his mother is still sick, but there is no way that he will ever forgive his father.
"Right," he says instead. "Get some rest, Mom. I’ll come see you tomorrow again."
***
Over two weeks after they finally did the transplant, Aaron is at home, looking at his phone, willing it to ring.
Aaron sighs, lying down on the sofa; he’s just been to another checkup at the hospital.
While he's feeling fine now; he’s worried about his mother.
Things are finally moving in the right direction for her, so whatever happens now, he will know that he did his best. After all, according to Mara, it was a success, but they just need to monitor her for a little longer.
She has the best doctors in the city looking after her and making sure that she will be alright.
The problem is Rion. In the past two weeks since his mother was admitted to Middlehan Heart Hospital, Rion has not touched Aaron once.
Yes, he has come by to see Aaron at the coffee shop twice, and he did stay by his side at the hospital the whole way through, but they only talked, laughed, and held hands, nothing more.
Aaron wants more, and he doesn’t understand why Rion keeps pulling away.
He has helped him so much, and Aaron wants to thank him to show him his gratitude, and he also really wants to be held in Rion’s arms again.
For the fifteenth time, Aaron sighs in frustration.
"What’s up with you?" Elena asks from where she’s sitting on the sofa opposite Aaron’s, running her hand through James’s hair as his head is lying on her lap.
"I just don’t get it. He’s obviously attracted to me, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t do all this for me. So, why isn’t he letting me in?" Aaron asks.
"Rion still hasn’t called you?" James asks.
"What’s the big deal? If your boyfriend is hesitant, just do what I did—make the first move. It’s that simple," Elena says with a shrug.
"But the last time we were intimate, I initiated it. I don’t want to seem like I’m desperate or anything. I can’t just keep seducing him," he says, sitting back.
James watches him for a moment from where he’s lying on Elena’s lap, then he sits up. "Well, if you’re interested, I might have internet-stalked him for you; maybe something there will help you out."
"You did what?" Aaron raises his eyebrows.
"Hey, I had to make sure he wasn’t dangerous or anything!" James says in his defence.
Actually, it might be interesting, Aaron thinks, to find out more about Rion; perhaps that will help him get closer to him. "What did you find?"
"Well, there’s honestly not much. He doesn’t have social media, so I just had to use business articles and stuff.
Anyway, the only public relationship he ever had was with his partner, Alvin Sinclair.
They were together for years. Rion was the one who started the company, ASHI, but Sinclair was the one who financed it.
Anyway, the company was just getting ground when they broke up," James says.
"It was apparently because of Rion’s daughter. "
"Hmph, you know what that means, don’t you?" Elena says, "You have to get along with his daughter."
"I don’t even know her!" Aaron protests, processing all this information.
"I know," James says, reading Aaron’s mind.