KnotMyProblem: you running scared? I can’t believe you’re the guy TD’s been pining about all these years. Fuck you
Aaron should have let it go—should have—but his thoughts were fraying at the edges, unraveling what separated the good from the bad until it was all a jumbled mess.
TeenDad2: I’m not afraid of you. You wanna fight? Come fucking fight me. I will DIE for him
KnotMyProblem: lol
Three letters had never made Aaron more angry. He scowled at the phone, pacing restlessly between the kitchen and the living room. If he hadn’t been renting, he would have slammed his fist through the wall.
KnotMyProblem: you need to step away from the phone before you spontaneously combust. Go take a cold shower, apologize to TD for being an asshole, then give him a big sloppy kiss for me, okay?
TeenDad2: fuck you
KnotMyProblem: I can see why TD loves you. So charming. So eloquent.
TeenDad2: You know what? I’m done.
Aaron tossed the phone onto the kitchen table. It slid across the surface until it bumped against one of the candles. They were still burning.
The conversation wasn’t worth his time. He was accomplishing nothing, and he was no closer to the truth. What he needed now was distance from the situation so he could cool down and pull himself back together. Before he confronted Gage, he needed to be able to approach what had happened from a place of logic rather than one of emotion.
No matter how bad it looked, something wasn’t stacking up, but as angry as he was, he’d never be able to figure it out.
He needed to go. Not forever, but for long enough that he could figure out what to do next. There was no way he could go back to the bedroom to face Gage. Despite the betrayal and anger the situation had stirred in him, Aaron loved Gage, and he wouldn’t put himself in a situation where he might say something he regretted. For both of their sakes, he needed some space.
Aaron pocketed his phone, then grabbed his keys from the hook by the door. He was only dressed in his pajama pants, but they would have to do—he couldn’t go back to get other clothing with Gage in the room.
Maybe the fresh air would help him cool off. The September heat had started to give way to fall weather, and the temperature had plummeted accordingly. But even if the chill didn’t help clear his mind, a long drive would.
There was someone Aaron needed to see—someone he’d put off visiting for too long since arriving back on American soil. His twin brother, Caleb, would be able to put him back together. And in the likely event that he wasn’t home, then Aaron would pay a visit to his parents.
He was done waiting. The comfort he needed right now, he couldn’t find anywhere else.
He needed his family. He only wished he’d found the time to come back to them sooner.
21
Gage
Five minutes passed, then ten. Gage lay on his back and stared at the ceiling through the darkness, wondering what it was that was taking Aaron so long. He’d heard the microwave beep, then its door open and shut, but Aaron hadn’t come back. Something had to be holding him up.
There was a chance that he was still looking for Gage’s phone. Gage was fairly certain he’d left it in the bag by the door, but he didn’t dismiss the possibility that he’d left it elsewhere. Maybe in his car. And when Aaron closed the front door, he figured that was exactly what was going on.
How sweet that he’d go to such lengths to make Gage happy. With a chirp of pleasure, Gage rolled over, blushing, and buried his head in the pillows. Tonight had been perfect—better than Gage could have imagined. If their future was filled with days like this, the rest of their lives would be magical.
For a while, Gage enjoyed the softness of the sheets and the firmness of his pearls as he pinned them against the bed. Time passed. Gage’s mouth went dry, and his throat tightened with thirst. How long had it been? His car wasn’t huge, and if his phone was anywhere, it was either in the window mount, or in the side door. Maybe, if it had fallen, it’d be on the floor near the pedals. It shouldn’t have taken Aaron so long to track it down.
The first tendrils of worry unfurled in Gage’s chest. They crept through him, wrapping around his limbs and tightening his organs in such a gradual way that Gage didn’t notice it was happening until he was tense all over. His legs, which had been too unreliable to trust, regained their sturdiness. He sat up and stretched one leg, then the other, and when he was sure he could trust them, he scooted to the edge of the bed and attempted to stand. The world spun momentarily, and Gage braced himself on the bedframe until it passed. Then, a slight wobble to his steps, he changed out of his pearls, put on his pajamas, and headed into the upstairs hall.
The house was silent. Aaron was nowhere to be seen.
Gage swallowed anxiously, even though he’d known to expect an empty house—he’d heard Aaron head outside, after all. He had to be poking around in Gage’s car, looking for his phone. All Gage had to do was help him find it, and then he could come back inside and they could cuddle up in bed together.
Treading lightly, Gage headed down the stairs and crossed the living room. The front door was unlocked. Gage opened it, expecting to see his car light on, and Aaron’s legs poking out from the open driver side door as he searched for Gage’s missing phone. Instead, Gage was greeted with darkness. If it hadn’t been for the orange glow of the streetlight, Gage wouldn’t have been able to see that his car was untouched in the driveway.
Or that Aaron’s car was gone.
A chill Gage couldn’t shake pinched his shoulder blades together.
