Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow (Aiden Gallagher x Reader)

IV

You continued to have seemingly unrequited feelings for your best friend for the next year. And it was painstakingly obvious. He wasn't gonna admit it, but Aidan noticed.

He didn't really know how to feel. You were his best friend and he thought he had viewed you as nothing more. It was weird noticing the little things he'd seen you do around other guys for him.  He thought it was cute when you tried to hide your blush from him or when he caught you gawking at him.

However, he didn't think he liked you back. He knew it was cruel to tease you and partially lead you on, he had no idea why he continued to do so. It was like he couldn't help himself and he hated it.

It was Christmas Eve, and you were making your 'famous' gingerbread cookies in the kitchen. The apartment was small, but perfectly cozy for the two of you. You were dressed in the newest (and therefore softest) hoodie you owned and a pair of pyjama bottoms. Christmas songs played on the radio as you creamed the butter and sugar together.

You were quietly singing along to Wham's Last Christmas when Aidan walked in. He wore clothes that much resembled pyjamas and his hair was messily falling across his face. He was a little bummed because he was gonna be staying home this Christmas. You'd been snowed in since last night and, perhaps, if he'd been stuck with any other person he would've felt more guilty about not being able to visit his family.

You hadn't realised he was standing behind you until you turned around to get the cinnamon just how he hadn't realised that he was staring at you with a stupidly large smile.

"Christ on a cracker!" You clutched your chest in surprise, quoting Aidan's show, "You could've told me you were there!" A smile instantly stretched across your face. Aidan shook his head chuckling as he turned on the coffee machine. "You want to help?" You gestured to the ingredients you had partially mixed and laid out.

"Y'know what I think I'm good."

"Really?" You asked, pouting and folding your arms over your chest making Aidan giggle. "And what exactly are you planning on doing in the next two hours then?" Before he could even answer you interrupted, "Nothing, so get your ass over here. If you're absolutely desperate you can live stream it but I'm not letting you get ahead of me in 'Misfits' again."

Not as reluctantly as he let on, Aidan set his phone up on the counter, opening up instagram and hitting the stream option.

"Hey guys, I'm here with the lovely Peony-" the nickname earned a death stare and a threat ("I swear to fucking god Aidan") so he cleared his throat, "The lovely Y/n, who's letting me do a q and a while we make gingerbread cookies-" He said before interrupting himself, "These are vegan right?" He asked hopefully.

You rolled your eyes, "No, I didn't make sure to get margarine and flax seed to make especially vegan cookies because my best friend and roommate, who steals all my baked goods, has definitely not been vegan since 2015," You scoffed sarcastically which caused Aidan to chuckle.

"Alright, shut up, at least I am vegan, unlike someone," He smirked while your eyebrows scrunched together.

"All right, Todd Ingram," You sassed, "What you gonna do about it? Zap me with your vegan powers?" Suddenly a lightbulb went off in your head. You put down your whisk, blanking out whatever Aidan was talking to the camera about and spacing out.

After a minute or so, you found Aidan's hand wavering in front of your face. "You alright?" He asked, laughing to mask his concern, to which you smiled broadly at him.

"Aw, you worried about me, Todd?" You spoke, wiping your hands on a tea towel and ignoring the question momentarily, "I'm fine, I'm gonna go grab the cookie cutters." You kissed his cheek and then walked off in the direction of your room, leaving Aidan smiling at the door you entered.

Many people in the comments of the live stream were making speculations about your relationship. He kept laughing it off, trying to find a question that didn't accuse the two of you of dating.

It was a couple minutes before you came back, armed with cookie cutters in various festive shapes and plain circles. He watched in awe as you walked over to him, never before having realised how beautiful you are. He watched as you placed the equipment down on the counter noticing, for the first time, how gentle you were with everything. He watched your delicate fingers reach up and subconsciously tuck the front of your hair behind your ear.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," You smirked. Aidan's cheeks dusted a light pink as he realised he had been staring at you for the best part of five minutes.

That was the moment he knew.

He knew.

He knew.

The moment he knew that he liked you back.