I miss you, I'm sorry

Part 7

The next 2 months were questionable to say the least. Aj and Niko had not spoken since the day they filmed Mafia, unless they were filming. Before the lockdown, it was easier for them to ignore each other, with their friends over all the time, and the ability to go out, if they were about to start an argument, one would leave or were forced to stay quiet in front of the guests. However, being stuck meant more room for arguing, less for avoiding. Aj had decided to keep civil with Niko, for the sake of their other friends. Also he was scared. Nikos final words to him ringing in his ears, 'i know the truth. I know.' playing over and over again in his head. He didn't need Niko's confirmation to know that he knows, but this was the first  time he had actually acknowledged it, the first time he'd mentioned anything to Aj about the whole situation. It terrified him. The last thing he needed was Niko exposing him, all his secrets, his past. Had Aj pushed Niko so far over the edge he was willing to do that? Had Aj pushed him so far away he'd lost all the love that was once there. Part of Aj wished that wasn't the case, praying Niko still held something in his heart for him, but he knew it couldn't be true. He knew Niko had left him in the past, left everything back there, minus the grudge he held. That seemed to be the only thing he held onto. The only memorabilia he took of Aj.  

Sharky, Kenny and Chunkz watched as Aj and Niko danced around each other, obvious they were avoiding the other. They were definitely not complaining though. For the past 2 months, there was practical silence in terms of shouting and yelling. Of course, being five young men in a house, they would naturally fall into squabbles here and there, like when Sharky wanted to go out for a walk, but Kenny had planned to film for his own channel and needed Sharky there. Or when Niko had done the washing, and had mixed up everyone's clothes ending with Kenny's t-shirts in Sharky's closet, or Chunkz's and Niko's hoodie in Aj's. They had all cooed at Aj that day, he looked so small in the hoodie that engulfed him. The point is, everything was going alright, other than a few mismatches here and there. 

Now, they were all sat in Chunkz's room, debating their next video ideas. 

"How about Hide and seek?" Aj suggests. He always had loved the game, although he'd never admit it, him being small meant this was the one game he had an advantage in. Easier and quicker to run around and hide, knowing all the good spots from experience. 

"I guess, but we've done a lot of hide and seek," Kenny replies. Aj pouts slightly, not very obvious to everyone in the room, but his discomfort was noticed by one.

"What about a games event? We can do like FIFA, football outside, basketball and a whole bunch of stuff, and like looser does a forfeit or something. And to give us more vids we can do an event a week, and use a league table."

"Thats a good idea Sharks!" Niko says with a smile, "Maybe we can do different challenges, and each week someone decides on one? So we can do FIFA one week, and hide and seek the next and so on."

The boys look at Niko confused, wha- huh? He had backed Aj's point, which never happened. They weren't complaining, at least it wasn't yelling and screaming. Aj tried to hide the small smile that had replaced the pout on his face. It was rare Niko backed his video ideas, very rare, but it made his heart swell none the less. It was hope; hope the accusations he'd made in his mind were false.

"What?" He questions.

"Nothing nothing."

"Don't get gassed yeah. The hide and seek videos do well, and I don't know why, the fans like it a lot. This is for no ones benefit but the fans and the Beta Squad account," Niko hated to admit it but Aj had really good ideas when it came to YouTube and Filming. He had always been creative, and Niko would never reveal this but his own videos had definitely stemmed off ideas Aj had waffled on about.