Notebook [Book One]

Eleven

When Aiden arrived at the pool thirty minutes late, the boys were already in full swing. He could hear them yelling at each other, splashing and laughing like hyenas in a zoo.

The pool was not peaceful thanks to the wild animals dunking each other in the water, throwing inflatables and calling out in protest.

Matt's family friend had granted the boys permission to use the pool when it wasn't open to the public. So, in the warm weather, they came to cool off and act like clowns.

Aiden grinned, seeing Evan waving, just in time for Reid to dive over the top of him and push the boy underwater.

Watching the younger boy spring up, Aiden chuckled, sweeping his hair back from his eyes and launching himself at his boyfriend, looking for revenge.

Matt, Jasper, and Jago competing in an intense game of water polo, leaping on top of each other and splashing water, attempting to retrieve the inflatable beach ball they battered around.

But he looked for one person in particular.

Butterflies fluttered his stomach when he spotted the white-haired boy lying on a sun lounger. He had one hand behind his head, the other holding his notebook on his stomach as he dozed under a large parasol.

The pink-haired gravitated in that direction without telling his feet where to go. He was eager to give Nathan the gifts stuffed in his bag.

The younger boy waved and grinned as those in the pool called out to him, flicking water in his direction. With a squeal, he jumped away and continued what felt like the longest walk of his life.

Nathan looked so relaxed and at ease as he lay there, his lips parted as he napped. Aiden couldn't resist being close, despite not wanting to wake the boy.

He put his rucksack on one of the plastic chairs nearby and lifted another chair over so he had somewhere to sit. Sitting beneath the umbrella, he watched the boys shriek like children.

Just moments later, he felt a bump on his knee, and as Aiden turned, his breath caught.

Nathan retracted his hand, placing it back over his book as he peered at the other boy through one eye, his nose scrunched up as he rubbed his closed eye.

He looked so good that it melted Aiden's heart.

"Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

The white-haired boy shook his head, raising his fingers to brush him off. Nathan wriggled, pressing his head back into the lounger to get comfortable again. The warm sun made him want to sleep more.

But with Aiden beside him, the urge to stay awake was more substantial. He didn't want to miss a second with him.

The older boy cackled when Jasper jumped up for the ball, but missed, flopping back into the pool.

The sound caught Aiden's attention, bringing a hot flush to his cheeks. He loved hearing Nathan laugh; the sound warmed his soul and made him wonder what it would be like to hear other sounds from his mouth.

He thought about the other boy's voice a lot. If Matt heard the boy speak only three times in two years, Aiden would never hear it.

Nathan examined the cotton-candy boy and frowned, noticing the faint red tint across his face.

He flipped over his notebook and pulled the pen out of the binding, drawing a line under a previous conversation; Nathan wrote on the crisp paper and held the book out, his eyes studying Aiden as he took the book.

Your face is burning.

The statement made Aiden's face redden further. It was heartwarming that the white-haired boy cared about him getting sunburnt, but that wasn't the cause of his rosy cheeks.