4. the fall #2
Xander holds his aching jaw. "It was an accident," Xander snaps.
"Yeah, sure believe whatever makes you sleep at night," he says. "Run away from the truth like you ran from us."
"I just told you I had my reasons, Aaron. Do you think it was easy for me?" Xander asks.
"I don’t care!" Aaron scoffs. "You hurt my mother. You hurt me. Dad left us, and so did you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re no different from him.
Do you think that the settlement for this building and for all the debts he left behind?
Gambling his life away and leaving us to deal with the gangsters who didn't care that he was fucking dead, they just wanted their money.
No, just like him, you only took from me and Mum, giving nothing back. Did you even care about us?"
Aaron is being too harsh on Xander. He knows this, but he can’t stop shouting, not when he thinks about the days that his mother cried herself to sleep, the days when he had to take care of both of them alone.
"That’s not fair. I didn't know. You can’t compare what he did to us, all three of us, to this." Xander's eyes are filled with frustration. "I wanted to make a life for myself, to leave the pain behind. I couldn't bear to live with the pain and the heaviness of everything."
"So you chose to just abandon us when we needed you the most?" Aaron's accusation is heavy, loaded with emotion as tears stream down his cheeks.
"What could I do for you? I was sixteen, Aaron!" Xander shouts in frustration.
"I was ten!" Aaron shouts back. "I had to grow up well beyond my years and give up on university for a while. If not for Rion, I'd still be struggling!"
Xander sighs. "I get it; you were a child, but so was I. There was nothing I could do!"
"Sure, Xander. You could probably use that excuse fourteen years ago, but what’s your excuse now?"
Xander does not say anything.
The wounds of their past hang in the air, both of them too caught up in how they feel, disregarding each other’s experiences. For a moment, it feels as if the rift between them is too big, and there is nothing that can bridge it.
"Just go, Xander. Get out." Aaron doesn't want to fight anymore.
"Aaron-"
"Just do me one favour, though. I lied to Mum. I told her I got the money for her transplant from you. That’s why I was looking for you," Aaron says, his back to Xander, wiping his tears. "If she asks, please corroborate the lie."
"I... how did you manage to pay for-" Xander starts, but then pauses, realisation dawning on him. "Rion."
"Yeah. Mum wouldn’t be comfortable with my boyfriend paying for her treatment," Aaron says, walking away. "Close the door on your way out."
As he slams the door to his room shut, Aaron remembers lying on the bed, crying in his mother’s hospital room as a child, with no one to comfort him or take care of him.
He remembers having to grow up too quickly, not having a chance to be a child, because he needed to look after his mother, the flat, and the coffee shop.
All he ever wanted was for someone to hold him and take care of him.
Aaron misses Rion.
When he calls Rion that night, Aaron does not cry. He tells him about his meeting with Xander, but the tears do not come.
"Do you want me to suspend him from work? I can," Rion asks, and Aaron smiles.
"No, it's fine. Thanks for offering though," he says. "What are you doing?"
Aaron can hear the annoyance in Rion's voice when he answers. "I'm having dinner, eating shitty hotel food. Honestly, if this was one of our hotels, I'd have them revamp their entire menu."
"Oh, well, when you come back tomorrow, let me cook for you. A nice home-cooked meal ought to do you some good. I'm really good with my hands," Aaron offers, lying on his bed.
"Hmm, I know you're good with your hands, Aaron," Rion whispers in a deep voice, and the implication sends shivers down Aaron's spine. "But sure, you can cook for me if you want. I'll text you my address. If you go to my house before 6 PM tomorrow, you can get the keys from my housekeeper."
Aaron blinks, "Y-your house..." He had only been half joking when he made the offer. But Rion is inviting him to his house? "Is that okay?"
"Yes, Aaron. I'll be home around 7, so you can go crazy in there as much as you want. Just don't leave a mess, okay?" Rion says, his voice alight with a smile. "Also, make sure that you are clean and thoroughly prepared for me as well, okay?"
Aaron bites his lip as his heart flutters expectantly. "Yes, Daddy," he whispers.
Rion groans on the other end of the line, breath heavy, "Love, you're killing me here."
"See you tomorrow," he says with a smile.
*
Aaron does some shopping at the grocery store with Rion’s card, and then he goes to a clothing store. He hesitates slightly but he goes to the women’s underwear section and buys something similar to what he saw Rion had prepared for him the other day.
By 5 PM, he is at Rion’s house, and holy shit, it is both huge and beautiful.
The housekeeper hands him the key before she leaves, and Aaron hurriedly explores the interior of the house.
Rion is very rich because he obviously hired the best interior designer to design this house.
There is a ton of beautiful, probably overpriced, art and pottery adorning the sitting room and the dining room.
There are surprisingly no pictures of Rion or his daughter that Aaron can see.
Also, the suburb where the house is located is both secure and full of the homes of the nouveau riche that Aaron cannot begin to compare to.
The house has five bedrooms as well, way too big for Rion, especially since his daughter lives in the next town over, where she attends school.
But what truly captures Aaron’s heart is the kitchen.
The four-plate stove, the oven, the cupboards, the utensils—all of it is pristine and of good quality.
It is better than the kitchen in the coffee shop, and that is a business.
Aaron salivates as he cooks in Rion’s kitchen.
This place is any cook’s paradise; it is so good.
He doesn't usually like to cook for people other than his mother or James, especially not the people he dates.
He is mostly afraid that they might just end up keeping him around to cook for them, but Rion is different.
Rion is not using him; if anything, Aaron is the one using Rion.
When he is almost done with the soup, the door opens, and Rion comes in. Aaron beams when he sees him, and Rion hurries over to him.
"Hmm, baby, you look so good in that apron, cooking in my kitchen. I could get used to this," Rion says, putting his arms around Aaron from behind.
Aaron smiles. "I’m so glad you’re home. I’m almost done," he says, shifting in Rion’s arms to face him and give him a chaste welcoming kiss.
Rion groans, "It smells so good. Let me take a quick shower, and I’ll be down in a sec."
Aaron nods and lets him go while he finishes cooking. He is done setting the table when Rion comes back. Rion pops open a bottle of champagne and pours a glass for both of them, then he sits at the dining table next to Aaron.
"This looks great; what is it?" Rion asks, looking at his plate.
Nervous, Aaron takes a quick sip from his glass before answering.
"Stripped steak with lemon mashed potato and French mushroom soup," Aaron says carefully as Rion starts eating. "I wasn’t sure how you liked your steak, so I just made it medium rare."
Rion brings the fork up to his mouth, tasting the steak. "This is amazing, Aaron." His eyes are genuine, his expression clear. "You’re truly a keeper."
Aaron digs into his food to avoid embarrassment. They don’t say much during the dinner, except to talk a bit about Xander.
"He said that you sponsored his studies?" Aaron asks.
Rion twirls the champagne flute in his hand.
"I have a foundation that helps talented students with financial aid at university.
The only catch is that they have to work for ASHI for a set number of years," he explains.
"I know people say that Alvin and I co-founded ASHI, but I was also just a poor gangster orphan with a dream until he helped fund my ideas.
I like to do the same for people in similar situations to mine. "
He is a good person, Aaron thinks. He likes to help people, Aaron knows this much because of how much help he has received from Rion.
"Thank you for helping him."
"It’s not a problem. Xander called me today and asked me for the invoice for your mother’s hospital bills. He says he will pay me back the money… but I don’t know," Rion tells Aaron.
How surprising is that from Xander? "Let him do whatever he wants. He probably is doing it out of guilt. If paying you back the money helps make him feel better, then you should let him," he says as he finally finishes his mashed potatoes.
"Are you sure? I thought you disliked your brother," Rion says, watching him even as he clears the table of everything but their glasses, and puts the dirty dishes in the sink.
"Dislike is a strong word. I’m just mad that he left us, just like Dad did, leaving us out of his own choice. But at least Xander is still in this world. I’ll never forgive my father, but there really was nothing Xander could do, so I think maybe I can forgive him," Aaron says, making the decision.
Rion comes back to the table and lets Aaron’s words sink in. He then finishes the champagne in his glass in one go, eyes watching him. He reaches out and lightly strokes his hair. "You’re such a good kid," he whispers.
Aaron gulps; the praise renders him speechless.
"What do you say? Do you want to go up to my room so I can reward you for being so good?" Rion’s voice has that quiet, seductive huskiness that grips Aaron, and he nods, holding out his hand to Rion.
Rion leads him into his bedroom.