I'm Still Your Son {ON HOLD}

One

"Pizza or Chinese?"

My head flew up to see Aspen leaning against the doorframe to my office, phone in hand.

"Huh?"

"Pizza or Chinese?" Aspen repeated. "I don't feel like cooking and you're capable of burning cereal."

"I don't burn cereal." I huffed.

Aspen's shoulders shook as he laughed loudly, the noise reverberating off the walls.

"I've watched you do it, Nicki."

I huffed again. "I don't even know how I did it."

Aspen let out a small laugh as he walked further into the room. I watched as he gently sat his phone on the desk. He spun my office chair around and climbed on so he was straddling my thighs.

"Neither do I," He said softly, kissing my forehead. "But what I would like to know is, why your mother is under the impression that I'm female."

My eyes widened as I looked into his whiskey coloured eyes, begging him to drop it. He raised a perfectly sculpted brow, waiting for me to answer him.

I sighed deeply. "I haven't come out."

"I know this, but why are you letting her believe that I'm a girl?" Aspen asked confused.

"Because I have no idea how to tell my family that I'm dating a guy when I've only ever exclusively dated girls," I replied exasperated. "I know my sister and her husband would accept me and understand, but I'm scared of my parent's reaction. And it's not like I told her you're a girl. She just assumed and I've never bothered to correct her."

Aspen was quiet as he gently stroked my hair out of my face. He looked so interested in my hair that I wasn't sure he even heard me but I knew he had. He always listened.

"How did you even find out that she thinks you're a girl?" I questioned.

"I checked the answering machine when I came out of my torture chamber." He answered simply, still playing with my hair.

"You didn't leave any blood on it, did you?" I joked.

"Of course not, I remembered to wash my hands this time." He grinned. "I love how this is how we refer to my painting."

"It confuses the hell out of anyone who doesn't know us." I laughed. "Who wouldn't love it?"

"Normal people." Aspen sighed.

"Well, then it's a good thing we're not normal." I smiled.

"No, we're just gay."

I reached my hands up to cup Aspen's face and bring him forward, brushing my lips against his. His hands fell from my hair and wrapped around my neck as he surged forward, deepening the kiss.

I'd kissed a fair few girls before, but nothing compared to how kissing Aspen made me feel. No girl had ever made me feel like my body was running on pure ecstasy like Aspen did. And I honestly didn't mind.

Aspen slowly pulled back, dragging my bottom lip out a bit with his teeth before letting it softly snap back into place. He buried his head in the crook of my neck and reached down with one of his hands to intertwine our fingers.

"So I'm gonna ask one last time." He semi threatened as he kissed my neck softly. "Pizza or Chinese."

--------
-----------

"Jazz is getting married!" Aspen shouted excitedly from the couch.

"Who?" I asked.

"Jazz! My best friend since middle school!" He supplied, trying to get me to remember. "He and I went to college together!"

"No clue." I shrugged.

"He's the one who chugged upside down from a keg at my brother's wedding and then puked on your shoes after he had six shots of tequila." He said deadpan.

"Oh, the guy who locked your dad in the storeroom and left the wedding to buy a burrito, only to throw that same burrito at the marriage officiant," I was silent for a moment, pretending to look back on that night. "Can't say I've met him."

"Haha, very funny," Aspen said as I sat down beside him on the couch, handing him a glass of water. "Anyways, he and Bridget are finally getting hitched. They've been together for what feels like forever."

"Aren't they a little young to be getting married?" I questioned. "I mean they're only twenty-three."

"Well, yeah, but you have to remember that they're high school sweethearts." He replied, nudging my shoulder with his. "They've been attached at the hip since we were fifteen. Yes, they have broken up but it was never for very long, and they were each other's first everything."

I quickly did the math in my head. "They've really been together for eight years?"

"Yep, and it's not like they have to get married within the next year or so," Aspen added. "They could be engaged for the rest of their lives if they really wanted to."

"I don't think they want to do that," I said, shoving some pizza in my mouth.

"I don't either." Aspen laughed. "And you're obviously gonna be my plus one if we're still together by then."

I stopped chewing for a second before I looked at Aspen and swallowed. "If we're still together?"

Aspen groaned. "You know what I mean, Nicki. We can't see into the future. Unless you can and just haven't mentioned it."

"I definitely can't see into the future." I laughed. "But I do hope that we don't break up in the next year. I hope we don't break up for a long time. I've become quite accustomed to the minuscule brunette parasite that has invaded my life and home."

"I've also grown quite accustomed to all the free food that you supply." Aspen cooed, booping my nose.

"I swear to god," I said, exasperated. "It's like you love food more than me sometimes."

"Only sometimes." Aspen smiled. "Promise."

I reached my hand up and ruffled his dark brown locks, laughing as he screwed his face up and ripped his head away from my hand.

"I hate it when you do that." He whined.

"But you love me so you let me get away with it." I grinned.

"Yeah," Aspen agreed. "You and only you."

I opened my mouth to reply but somebody knocked on the door. Aspen whipped his head around before turning back to face me.

"Are you expecting anyone?" He whispered.

"No," I answered, quietly. "You?"

He shook his head in reply as the knocking started again. "Nicholas, I know you're home, I can hear the t.v."

My blood ran cold. "You need to hide."

"What?" Aspen whisper-shouted. "Why?"

"That's my dad." I shot back. "The parent who I know for a fact would kick my ass if he ever found out I was gay. And I'm not willing to drop that bombshell on him when my mother isn't around to help him see reason."

I watched as everything clicked into place for Aspen. He quickly leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on my lips before whispering, "I'll stay in the bedroom until he leaves, but we're talking about this the second he does."

He took off quietly to the bedroom as I made my way off of the couch and to the door. I hesitated at the door for a few seconds, looking back towards the bedroom to make sure Aspen was out of sight, before turning back to the door. I turned the knob and pulled the door open, plastering a fake smile on my face.

"Hey, Dad! What's up?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys, gals and fridges!

Let me know if you want to see more of this book!

The cover is also a work in progress. I don't think I'll be keeping it. We'll see.