Keeping Us Apart

Cut It Out (8)

*Hudson's POV*

It's after midnight when Ahren finally pokes his head through the door, his face a mixture of excitement and fear that I can see even in the minimal light. To be honest I don't think I'm prepared for  any conversation, but as he silently shuts the door behind him I try to relax, hoping that he won't see me.

I'm sprawled out on the couch in my jammies, a horror movie I don't know the name of casting flickering shadows over my face. It's not until he walks past the couch that he notices me, his features automatically relaxing. Damn. Now I'll have to talk to him.

"You made it home safe." Ahren's words sound almost like a question.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," I say, hoping I sound joking when in reality I'm not.

"Sorry about that, by the way, won't happen again."

I hope not, more for his sake than mine. "It's all good, can I ask what was so important?"

"Oh, meeting for LTOTM," he says smoothly."

Okay, that's a lie if I ever heard one, but I decide to let it go since he obviously doesn't want to tell me. Ahren walks over and takes a seat on the sofa, his leg inches from mine as we both focus on the girl onscreen currently being sawed in half. The flickering light from the TV is dim but I can still make out the dark marks across Ahren's neck. The tattoos barely hide the purple coloring and I force myself to look away. Don't let a stupid boy you don't know ruin your mood, I think to myself. You're here for Joel and a fresh start. And so I focus back on the movie and force all thoughts of Ahren to the back of my mind.

After a while, when the first movie has ended, I look over to see Ahren fast asleep, his head lolled back onto the couch. I exhale a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and find myself admiring his features. Lord.. He's so beautiful that it's hard to stay mad at him. His long lashes brush his cheeks and I grit my teeth, willing myself to not give in to an attractive face.

Just then the front door bursts open. Ahren jolts from his sleep and I nearly jump out of my skin, fear turning my blood cold. Ryan's face appears illuminated eerily in the light from the hallway, his expression sheepish.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be so loud," he says as he steps into the foyer. Dan follows behind him wearing an equally sorry look. The door shuts much more quietly than it was opened and both guys shuffle towards Ahren and I.

"Move over mate," Dan says in a tone that appears to be trying to be a whisper but misses the mark by a few decibels and shoves Ahren quite forcefully, who grumbles back but complies which puts him in the seat right next to mine. I'm suddenly hyper aware of his body near mine and I have to focus on the TV to not think of all the ways he'd been pressed against me a couple days before. His breathing stutters just audibly enough for me to hear, and I know he's thinking about it too.

Ryan plops into the desk chair and rolls it over to join us, the chair creaking softly as he leans back in it. By now the credits for the movie have finished and another movie has begun. This one I recognize from the face of the main character. Not even forty minutes into it I hear myself yawn, the noise making its way around the room, and not soon after that my eyes grow heavy, Ahren's snores beside me.

I jolt awake some time later in my own bed, the curtains pulled tight and my door shut. It's still dark and my eyes take a moment to adjust to the low light. How did I get here? I'm confused but glad that I didn't end up staying on the couch all night. Pushing back the covers and swinging my legs over the side of the bed I stand and cross my room, twisting the doorknob and pulling open my door a crack. The hallway is dark too but Ahren's door is cracked, blue light flickering through just enough for me to see his crumpled form in bed. He must've carried me to my room and then went to bed.

After a few more moments of listening, the house is still deathly silent and so I decide to go back to sleep, stepping back into my room and crawling back under the covers. I'm not sure how much longer I sleep, but when Joel's voice wakes me sunlight is peeking through the cracks of my window shades.

"-gotta go deal with some business, I'll be gone until Sunday." Joel's voice barely penetrates through the sleepy fog of my brain and it comes out sounding more like ..."business...gone...Sunday..."

"Wait, Joel, what?" I mumble into my pillow.

He gives me a look but repeats himself. "I said that you're going to be here with the guys for a few days because I gotta go deal with some business, I'll be gone until Sunday. Today's Tuesday. That's four days."

"Business, hm?" As my head lifts from the pillow I shoot him a curious glance. I wonder what he could possibly be doing that wouldn't concern the guys too. Or maybe they already know.

"Band stuff," Joel replies too quickly, obviously avoiding looking into my green eyes. My chest tightens as I realize my brother just lied to my face. First Ahren and now Joel? A cute guy I hardly know doing it stings slightly but my brother is a whole different story. But I just bite my lip and remind myself that I've also done something behind his back, whether it was intentional or not.

"Okay, the guys awake yet?"

He nods. "I should get going though, see you soon sis." Joel leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead before turning and walking out of my room, shutting the door quietly behind him. I'm alone once again and I roll over onto my back as I exhale a long breath. The front door closes and I get up then walk out into the hallway. A sudden burst of female laughter flattens me against the wall. Craning my neck around the corner I manage to get a pretty good view of the living room. Ahren is perched on the couch with his arm around the same woman from the other day. My heart falls into my toes and I immediately turn back to my room, hiding out there for the rest of the day.

By nine thirty my stomach rumbles so loudly I can't ignore it any further and so I creep back out into the hallway, which is to my relief deserted. The sounds of laughter and the smell of pizza grow stronger with each step towards the living room. Ryan, Dan, and Ahren are all sitting on the couch, three boxes of pizza with breadsticks and wings on the coffee table. They all look up when I walk closer and Ahren shoots me a smile.

"I was just about to come get you, food's here if you want some. I know Joel split suddenly so I figured I'd buy everyone dinner." Ahren grabs a piece of Hawaiian and brings it to his mouth, strings of cheese connecting the slice to the box. It does look and smell pretty yummy..

"Okay, thank you," I reply with a smile of my own before getting a piece of Hawaiian and a piece of artichoke chicken, putting them on a paper plate and adding a few of the wings and breadsticks.

He doesn't say anything back, just continues to smile in that way of his. I look quickly away and walk back to the kitchen to pour myself some juice. There's no spaces left on the couch and so I sit in the rolling chair, balancing the warm plate on my lap and putting the cup on the coffee table so I can watch the movie playing.

Afterwards, Ryan and Dan go out with their girlfriends leaving Ahren and I alone yet again. Geez. I can't ever seem to avoid him anymore.

"I just wanted to tell you not to worry about missing work today, I didn't do anything either, but we should do some more shirts tomorrow," Ahren says as he looks over at me. His expression is friendly.

"Alright, cool. Tomorrow then." Despite my reluctance to spend time with him now the job is important, and I find myself regretting sleeping with my boss more and more with each passing day.