Capturing Oliver (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Aiden pulled his jacket around him as they stepped out of the hotel and onto the street. It was a chilly night, the wind pushing between the buildings around them. Aiden had found that he usually liked the bustling atmosphere of the streets of New York, but tonight he wasn't in the mood for it. He stood close to the building, motioning for Oliver to follow him. He stood with his back pressed against the wall.

"Where is this restaurant?" Aiden asked. 

Oliver reached out and linked their hands. "Some place downtown, Eden said she would send a car for us." 

Aiden unconsciously squashed his lip between his teeth until it started to hurt. He quickly released it and sighed. He didn't want to go to dinner. He briefly considered faking an illness but he knew Oliver would see straight through that. It was seeing Pierce that had him on edge. He still hadn't received the photo back from Brian and his stress level was at an all-time high. He wasn't sure if he would be able to act normal around them all. He wondered if he would look at Eden and just break. He hated that this knowledge hung over his shoulders. 

Aiden attempted to distract himself by watching the masses of people as they wandered down the street under the bright streetlights. He wished that he and Oliver would just disappear into the crowd and go explore the city together. He just wanted to be with Oliver, where he could be himself and not have to worry about the knowledge inside his head. 

"I'm so exhausted after today," Oliver admitted. He squeezed Aiden's hand. "Thanks for organising it." 

Aiden felt tired too. He had spent the day with Oliver and Rosie, exploring all that New York had to offer. His legs were only half as tired as his mind was however, the stress of the photos that were hidden in his suitcase was weighing heavy on his mind. 

"Do you think Rosie had a good time?" Aiden asked. 

Oliver's smile gave away his answer. "I haven't seen her that happy in a long time." He thought for a second. "I think she really likes you." 

I'm keeping her secrets, maybe that's why, he thought but wouldn't dare say out loud. "I like her, too."

"Did we buy too many souvenirs?" Oliver wondered out loud. "I think I now have five shirts that say that I heart New York." 

"Probably," Aiden laughed out. "Five may be a little overboard." 

"I might give one to Robert," Oliver said. 

"Only one?" Aiden asked with a cheeky smile in Oliver's direction.

"Mr Fletcher?" The two of them turned and saw a man standing next to a black town car. 

Oliver nodded. "That's me." 

They got in the back of the town car. Aiden rested his head against Oliver's shoulder. Tiredness washed over him and he closed his eyes. He was sure that he had fallen asleep. It was the beeping of his phone that pulled his eyes open. He scooted away from Oliver so that he could check his phone. He noticed that Oliver too was on his phone. 

He saw that he had one message. It was from Brian. I'm sorry, it read.  

Aiden squinted at his phone. He wondered if Brian couldn't get anyone to enhance the photo. What's going on? He sent in reply. 

"Aiden," Oliver said, "look at this." 

Aiden could tell that something was wrong just by Oliver's tone. He didn't expect to see tears in his boyfriend's eyes when he turned to him. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. A feeling of dread formed in his gut. 

Oliver handed him his phone. Aiden gasped when he saw the headline.