Notebook [Book One]

Fifteen

For a split second, Aiden was paralysed.

Stunned as Nathan grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled him down, so their lips could meet.

The older boy's shoulder was so weak that he couldn't prop himself up for very long, but it didn't stop him from enjoying the moment. The moment butterflies erupted as his lips grazed those plump, thickset lips he'd been dreaming about.

Nathan's heart jolted when Aiden began responding, steadily finding a gentle, chaste rhythm.

There was nothing salacious or suggestive between the two boys as they kissed for the first time. Just the softest expression of intimacy, a heartfelt need to share each other's space, to show how much they cared.

It made no difference that the pink-haired boy had been a complete nervous wreck just moments before, banging his head as he battled his inner demons. Nathan didn't care that the boy was so broken because, for him, he was perfect.

All his mind was focused on experiencing one more taste of those buttery soft lips. He let his one useful hand slide around and up the boy's back, splaying his fingers to hold him close. All he wanted was for Aiden to be as close as possible.

The pink-haired boy was equally eager to feel the elder's warmth. He cupped Nathan's face as their lips grazed in feather-like touches.

This is how it was meant to be. Nathan's hands were so affectionate, so loving. His kiss was soft and tender. Every touch lit a fire in the younger boy's heart and made his head spin.

Aiden's heart thumped with delight.

For once, the emotion that overwhelmed his soul wasn't fear; it was just pure, mind-blowing infatuation.

When he couldn't hold himself up anymore, Nathan flopped down onto the mattress, his eyes never leaving the sparkling ones looking down at him. The younger boy smiled, his gloomy mood replaced with fuzzy warmth. He watched the elder close his eyes; the corner of his mouth turned up as he took a deep breath.

Nathan's sole intention was to distract Aiden and bring him away from the shadows of his mind. He'd suffered enough, and his fragile mind couldn't take much more, but it became more.

Something innocent and beautiful. The spark they both needed.

Aiden laid his head down again, tipping his chin just high enough to hide his face in Nathan's creamy skin.

The last forty-five minutes were a whirlwind.

The flashbacks and memories were always challenging, but this was one of the most severe he had ever felt. Usually, he could keep hold of reality. Even if it was a tiny grasp, he knew where he was and what was happening. But the second he heard that name, he was lost. Aiden fell so far into the rabbit hole, consumed by the violent memories, that he couldn't come back.

Aiden tried to suppress the thoughts, but it was too late.

Every beating he ever took rushed back, every time a hand or a fist connected with his body; his face splitting open under the sharp blade. They took over his mind, and he was no longer at home, but back in the dark store cupboard, tortured and tormented by the vile hands attacking him daily.

He suffocated under the strangulation and couldn't fight it alone.

"Thank you," Aiden whispered, his lips unintentionally ghosting against the supple skin, making Nathan tremble.

Cracking an eye open and glancing down at the pink mop on his chest, his fingers reached for the bronze skin of the bruised hand.

For?