✔️Playing Heroes [a BoyxBoy novel]

Chapter Five

Aiden in the Media

Chapter Five

I hadn't seen or heard from A for three weeks. I knew he was avoiding talking to me completely as I still felt him watching me, just as he said. He didn't have to tell me that he didn't trust being around me, and I couldn't blame him. I should've just trusted that A would've told me who he was when the time was right. I wouldn't say that I missed him or anything... it's just that I wished he would talk to me.

"Nick," Aiden growled, snapping his fingers under my nose. "Are you even listening to me?"

I blushed at the heat in his eyes, the frustration dark and evident, doing weird things to my stomach. "Uh, yeah. Something about Alexander the Great, teaching this guy called Asstotle or something..."

With a sigh of disappointment, Aiden placed the book he was holding onto the coffee table and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, Nick. Alexander was educated and tutored by the great philosopher, Aristotle. Come on, Daley. This is the basics. How're you going to deal with Socratic Moral Philosophy?" He sighed once more and stood up. "You're obviously not in the right mind to be studying. I'll see you next week."

That didn't sit right with me. "Wait, Aiden. I'm sorry. Can we go through it again?"

"Nick..."

"No!" I shouted, surprising not only myself but Aiden. His eyes grew wide at my sudden outburst. "I- I mean, no. Please. I have to do this. I can't afford to fail this subject. If I fail this subject, then I lose my scholarship and I really don't need that right now."

Aiden seemed to think for a moment before he hesitantly nodded. "But that's enough of Alexander for today." I heard him mutter Asstotle while shaking his head.

It all must've been very easy for Aiden, who was one of the top students, but he didn't even take the exams as a main course. He did it in his free time... just for fun. He would constantly bring that up while tutoring me to try and make a point. I could do better if I tried harder.

But, at that time, I was actually glad that he was such a smartass because then I could ask him if he knew anything about the Heart of Kronos. Which led me thinking unwillingly about that weird television visitor three weeks before, but most importantly, led me thinking about A. That son of a bitch. He hadn't visited me since that mask incident, but I knew he was still following me. I could feel him everywhere and it scared me how much I really wanted to see the half of his face that he allowed me to see.

Nick, you're daydreaming again," Aiden said with yet another disappointed sigh.

I mentally scolded myself and apologized. "Actually," I said, "I wanted to ask you about something."

He raised an eyebrow and an amused smirk played on his beautiful, full, pink lips.

"Oh my gods, I wasn't going to ask if you're still a virgin or if you've jerked off in a public bathroom, so don't give me that look."

Aiden snorted. I liked it. With every tutoring session, Aiden seemed to visibly relax around me and open up in a way I hadn't ever seen him ever do in front of anyone before. It was actually really nice and just a couple weeks before, he actually started cracking jokes that were hilarious. I didn't realize he had such a good sense of humor. "I just wanted to know if you knew anything about the Heart of Kronos."

For a second, Aiden visibly froze but before I could ask what was wrong, he cleared his throat and sat in front of me again. "That was on the news a few weeks ago, wasn't it? About the Mayor's assassination?"