“I’m trying to say I actually am sorry,” Aiden said. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It’s just kind of a sore point right now.”
“Your relationship with Cade?” I asked. I couldn’t say I was surprised to hear it. Maybe a little bit surprised that he was admitting it out loud – and in front of Brody, too.
“It’s stupid,” Aiden sighed. He seemed not to know what to do with his hands. “I know it’s stupid. But… it’s a wedding, you know? And me and Cade have been together for a while, and…”
“And?” I prompted. I wanted Aiden to just spit it out on his own. I didn’t want to fill in too much for him in case I was wrong.
“And I love him so much, but we’re not ready to get married yet,” Aiden said, shrugging his hands into the air hopelessly. “I’m at a weird, early point in my career where I have to put a lot of work in to get new physio clients. Cade’s still got the rest of the year before he graduates. And when he does, he’s going to be trying to get a position in an architect’s office, which means he’ll be doing a lot of hours and working really hard, too. And then there’s the money to think about. I mean, Keaton won that big film prize – he’sgotmoney. I wouldn’t be able to do anything like this.”
He gestured around himself at the hotel, and I understood what he meant. Booking out rooms for a weekend, planning activities, all before the actual wedding itself even happened – it would be tough for most people our age that weren’t born into money.
“Here’s a wild, out-of-left-field thought,” I said.
“Yes?” Aiden asked, so eagerly I almost laughed.
“Why don’t you talk to Cade about this?”
Aiden stared at me.
“I…” he started, then shook his head. “But, I’m really bad at talking.”
“I know that.” I stepped forward and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “We all know that. Most importantly, Cade knows that. So, stop winding yourself into knots thinking about it and try talking to him. He’ll forgive you if you say it wrong at first, so long as you explain it after.”
Aiden nodded slowly, swallowing hard. “You’re right.”
“He is right,” Brody said quietly behind me. Aiden’s eyes snapped up and narrowed as they focused on him, but Brody didn’t let it stop him. “Cade deserves your best. Don’t ruin your relationship by getting aggressive with other people just because you don’t dare talk to him about how you feel. Especially not when what you feel is that you want to be with him for long enough to get married one day.”
Aiden hadn’t said that part out loud – but it must have been true because he ducked his head and nodded again. “Alright,” he said. He sighed, rolled both his shoulders and his neck, and then cracked his fingers. “Then, I’m going. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” I called out – and then: “Don’t be late for paintball, by the way. I owe you an ass-kicking.”
Aiden only laughed in return.
He probably didn’t realize how serious I was.
I looked back at Brody, smiling as I closed the hotel room door behind me. I looked down at myself and shook my head. “Maybe everyone will actually give us enough peace that I can get changed, now.”
“Maybe,” Brody said. His eyes danced over my chest and stomach quickly, darting back up before they hit my shorts – just like he’d promised. “Although it wouldn’t be a tragedy if they didn’t.”
I mock-scowled at him. “It would be if I went and played paintball like this,” I said. “I would be blaming you for every bruise.”
He laughed, and I headed to my suitcase to grab some real clothes. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I ignored it. Only a few more minutes, and I would be in the privacy of the bathroom, where he couldn’t see me.
“You’ll be here when I come out, right?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow. He still had his suitcase fully packed. There was a certain risk that he might be gone before I could catch up.
“Yeah,” Brody said. He flipped open his suitcase and gave me a look that was hard to interpret: kind of a rueful smile, I guessed. “I wouldn’t want to miss paintball now I know what’s going to go down.”
I nodded, satisfied, as he started putting things back away in the drawers by his bed.
At last, I could escape – close the bathroom door behind me and breathe for a moment.
And I needed that moment.
Because a realization had settled over me that I couldn’t deny.
The thing was, no matter how much of a messy little brat Xavi was, I’d always been perfectly happy to overlook that before. In fact, it had served as fuel on more than one occasion for a hate-fuck that had been pretty close to legendary. Whenever the two of us were together, we ended up in bed – we’d been doing it for years.
Even though he’d knocked me back in favor of Taeho last night, all was fair in love and war – and we knew it. We didn’t take offense at that kind of thing, or at least, didn’t let it show. Any other time, I’d have welcomed him in, told Brody to buzz off to the airport if that was what he wanted, and had Xavi’s clothes off by the time the door closed.
