Notebook [Book One]

Twenty-Seven

When Nathan walked into the bedroom with his friends behind him, he wasn't surprised to find Aiden on the floor with his back pressed against the bed.

After their romantic moment and an hour-long nap, the boy woke up edgier than ever. He knew it had to happen, but the idea of letting the group see his face and telling them what had happened was distressing.

Aiden had climbed out of bed and straight into the shower, trying to wash away the anxiety of the situation. He then buried his body under one of Nathan's thick black hoodies, relishing the oversized garment's comfort.

The older boy did his best to keep the pink-haired boy calm, but the sound of the doorbell did nothing to ease his mindset.

Somehow, he sank from the mattress to the floor, his face hidden by the large hood and his hands covered by the long sleeves. After the meltdown in the bathroom earlier, the back of his left hand looked rough.

His skin was a purplish blue and tender to the touch. Aiden knew everyone had seen the little bruises, but this was different, worse than it had been in a while.

Slowly, the white-haired boy walked towards the younger boy, dropping to his side as the others piled in.

Nathan could feel the heartbreak and unfiltered fear pouring from the more petite boy as their friends created a small semi-circle, planting themselves around and observing the scene.

Reid gave little information to the others about what had happened in the coffee shop, just that they all needed to gather urgently at the pink boy's house because he had big news.

Evan hadn't said a word since leaving the coffee shop. He was distraught.

His heart broke when he spotted the thin line etched across his older cousin's face because he knew how brutal his life had been in Croydon.

All those calls they made to one another, where it sounded as if Aiden had been crying, were because his cousin was bullied and beaten until it escalated to a lifelong injury. His sweet, bubbly, pink-haired cousin couldn't reach out, and Evan overlooked the red flags.

Nathan reached for his notebook on the bed and placed it on the floor in front of them, scrawling a message and waiting as the boys passed it around, nodding and returning it.

Give him time. It's hard.

Aiden looked so tiny and broken as he sat with his head down, rubbing his hands together to keep from picking at them. For the first time since he and Nathan began their relationship, the younger boy didn't reach out for comfort; he was frozen.

The pink-haired boy just stared at his bare feet, pressing into the fluffy rug, ignoring how his breath hitched and throat thickened.

He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to divulge the past.

Aiden wanted to go to bed, to curl up with his boyfriend, as a movie played in the background. He needed to forget.

The group of boys sat in silence, patiently waiting to hear from their friend. To find out why he hid such a considerable part of his life, something that they would never have questioned upon meeting.

A facial scar was just that—a scar.

Nathan exhaled when Aiden finally moved, shuffling closer as he sniffled. The older boy welcomed the contact, threading his arm around the vulnerable boy as he squeezed as close as possible, trying to stop how his body trembled.

Okay?

The elder traced against the younger's skin, sliding his hand inside the hood to reach the satin bronze skin.