More Than Friends

Nineteen

Danny's house was nothing compared to Aiden's. He basically lived in a mansion, no joke. His neighborhood wasn't gated, his house was. His well dressed mother didn't answer the door, his maid did. Walking down the large, wide hallway didn't help ease my nervousness, though it was nice to have Danny there with me. Unfortunately, when it came to actually confronting Aiden, I knew I'd be on my own.

"Aiden! You ass! Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Danny rushed into, what I imagined was Aiden's room, though it could have just as easily been one of his rec rooms.

When Aiden saw it was Danny, he casually walked over to greet him, but when he saw me following behind, he stopped and turned the other way. I liked to think it was because he was shy or embarrassed, but it was probably because he was now actually angry at me. I couldn't entirely blame him though.

"Why'd you bring him?" Aiden asked Danny, completely avoiding eye contact with me again.

"He wanted to talk to you." Danny replied, getting serious again.

"Is Connor here too?" 

Danny shook his head.

Without warning, Danny headed out the room, closing the door behind him, but before he did, he looked back at me and signaled me that it was my cue to start talking. This was not going to be easy, I could already tell. Then again, being with Connor couldn't be that easy, which was what I had been dreading ever since we had first hooked up. I knew it would put me in situations like these.

"I'm sorry." I started with an apology, though I was sure it would mean nothing to him. "I'm sorry about the other night, and that I pushed you down and everything, then just sort of ditched you there..."

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked, this time looking at me. "That wasn't your fault, it was mine. I shouldn't have said anything to you. I should have just ignored you like I was trying to do all night."

His tone was clearly that of anger and frustration. Normally, I would have been infuriated myself by now, but I had to remember that his anger was justified.

Just imagine being in his shoes...

"Why'd you come? Did you just come to apologize?"

"No." I answered assertively, trying not to piss him off any more than he already was, but enough to get him to listen to me. "I also came to make sure you were okay."

"Why?" He blatantly shouted at me, at the brink of tearing up, but keeping himself together enough not to embarrass himself any further in front of me. "You're with Connor now, right? That's really what you came here to tell me, right?"

At that moment, it seemed as if he almost gave up, letting himself fall back on a large couch sitting in the middle of the room. Using his arm, he covered his eyes and most of his face to keep me from seeing his true reaction. As much as I wanted to give up myself and just leave Aiden there to wallow in his own misery, I just couldn't. It wasn't just because I knew he was Connor's friend and meant a lot to him, but I legitimately felt bad for him myself.

I can't just leave him like this?

Feeling the need to stay and help him through this, I made my way over to the second couch across from him, and sat down, trying to figure out the right things to say.

"So why me? I asked him, hoping he'd answer.

"You know what, it's not really about you, I was just jealous of what you and Connor seemed to have." Aiden started opening up to me. "It was obvious from the moment Connor introduced you to us just how close you two were, and I envied Connor so much for that. But I don't blame him, or hate him, he's my friend... but I can't get over this, this feeling."

Aiden sat up, still covering his face, swiftly wiping it dry. Now that he was admitting out loud, to us both, that I wasn't the really the center of the problems, it seemed to help him to be able to speak to me more.

"Do you have any idea what it's like, having to hide who you are from the world, all for your family's own reputation?" Slowly, he began putting his arms down and actually looking at me. "I'm trapped in here, and it sucks! I've never told anyone, not even my closest friends because of the risk. Then suddenly you show up, and I see you with Connor, knowing exactly what's going on between you two... and I just lose it. Do you have any idea of what that's like?"