Awareness and Denial

Milo kept glancing into the rearview mirror to check on Aiden. Ever since he came out of the company building he seemed flustered and agitated. The entire car ride back to the house, Aiden kept tapping his fingers on the car door and staring blankly out of the window. Milo wanted to ask what was wrong but at the same time he thought it might be best to just keep quiet. When the car eventually came to a stop in front of the house, Aiden jumped out of the car without a word and rushed inside.

Not even caring one bit if any one was awake and would see him, Aiden practically ran to his room after Milo dropped him off. He slammed the door shut, threw himself face down on the bed and screamed into his pillow until he was out of breath. Then, he sat up and covered his red face with both his hands. He couldn't believe what just happened. Why was this happening?

"Shit, shit, shit!" He was definitely going crazy. For a moment, he was actually thinking about how he wanted Derek to kiss him, no, more than kiss him. How could he think such a thing?! Didn't he tell himself repeatedly not to get wrapped up with that man? He only meant to aggravate that Knox lady but he didn't think it would turn out this way. Why did he have to get ahead of himself and like that? "What do I do? I'm so screwed!" Aiden was panicking. This was the first time he'd ever lost control like this. What in the world was he supposed to do?

Knowing there was only one person in the world he could talk to about all this, Aiden grabbed his laptop from his desk and tried to video call Bex. Since she was abroad, it was early morning where she was so he could only hope with all his might that she was awake and would answer. He waited anxiously before, sure enough, Bex answered the call and her excited image popped up on the computer screen.

"Aiden, my gorgeous baby! How are you? I really wanted to video call sooner but I was too busy!" Bex frowned slightly after seeing how flustered Aiden was. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Bex I…I don't know what to do." Over the next hour, Aiden told Bex everything from the very beginning. From the events at the hotel after she left, to that night's events and everything in between. She silently listened to every word he spoke and by the time he finished, her eyes were so wide they looked like they would pop out of her head and her mouth hung open in shock. Silence fell between them as the seconds ticked by. Aiden rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Say something already, would you?"

"Oh. My. God! Aiden! I'm gone for a few weeks and so much happens!" Bex squealed. "You like him! So what are you waiting for? Make a move already!" Aiden looked at his best friend in utter disbelief. That wasn't what he was expecting. How did she come to a conclusion like that?!

"I can't! Are you crazy?! Did you miss the part about him being legally married to the Wicked Witch or the age difference or the fact that he told me to forget everything and hasn't shown any interest since?"

"'Hasn't shown any interest', my foot! He's shown plenty! From what you just told me, it sounds like you two are basically swimming in sexual tension. As for him being married, well, it's not like they're actually in a relationship and he's going to divorce her eventually anyway, so you're fine."

"It's not fine, it's weird! And you didn't say anything about the age difference."

"It's only weird if you think of him as your aunt's husband, which clearly you don't, and the age difference is just you looking for excuses. You've always been so much more mature than other people our age because of everything you've been through. And c'mon, people with way larger age gaps get together all the time. If you, or him, are really that hung up on the fact that you're a minor, just wait till your birthday this summer and then jump him! Problem solved!"

"There's no way I…! Can I really do that?...No, this is all just assuming that he'd even be interested in me or that he'd take the risk." Aiden shook his head.

"Yes you can, and of course he's interested!! How many times do I have to say it?! Are you blind?! Lean closer to the screen so I can virtually smack some sense into you!" Bex ranted for a few minutes before she calmed down and took a deep breath. "Look, even if he turns out to be some scaredy cat who thinks it's too risky, all you have to do is strip off all your clothes in front of him. I promise you, as soon as he sees you naked and waiting, all those useless thoughts of risk will fly out the window."

"Bex!" Aiden blushed furiously.

"Ha ha! I mean it! There's no way he'd be able to resist taking a bite." Seeing Aiden's expression at her words, Bex couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"No, I'm just…worried he might actually take a bite, you know, literally. It took forever for the bruises to fade." Aiden covered his face and Bex burst out laughing.

Back in his office, Derek was facing his own dilemma. His mind was swirling in all kinds of thoughts but it all boiled down to one thing. He was far too interested in Aiden. He had thought he'd be able to brush everything off in the beginning as a passing attraction but he was wrong. The more time they spent together and the more he got to know him, the more Derek found himself being drawn to him. Even most of his dreams were nothing but Aiden.

At first, things were just awkward. He hadn't intended on sleeping with anyone that night at the hotel let alone a seventeen year old male. In all honesty, he'd only slept with two people in his entire life and they were both women. Though he couldn't say he was straight either since he acknowledged the fact that he found certain men appealing. However, he never wanted to be intimate with someone he wasn't in a relationship with and his last relationship was in college.

Everything about Aiden was outside of Derek's expectations. Somehow, he had allowed himself to get closer to him even though he shouldn't have. Lyla was a means to an end and her family was supposed to have nothing to do with him but here he was, constantly thinking about Aiden. When did things change?

He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that the physical attraction had changed to something more. He also had no idea just how much more it truly was. Being near Aiden was relaxing and exciting all at the same time. He found it so easy to let his guard down around him and he could spend hours just watching all of the different expressions across Aiden's face. His mood and emotions could be turned completely upside down with a single word from Aiden. Derek knew he was in trouble.

Letting things continue this way would only bring disaster. Not only for himself but for Aiden as well. His only option was to put some distance between them but not make it obvious. The question was, how? Even with his busy work schedule Derek still found himself frequently encountering Aiden. He didn't mind before but now he'd have to stop that from happening. His chest felt tight at the thought of not seeing Aiden but that only made him more determined.

After making his decision, Derek quickly got back to work. He finished what he had planned for the night but he didn't go home. Instead he chose to sleep on the couch in his office. This way he wouldn't run into Aiden in the morning during breakfast. Since he was already working overtime, it wouldn't be strange for him to say that he didn't finish until it was really late and by that time, there was no point in returning to the house.

Unfortunately, that excuse was only bound to work once or twice. If he tried it anymore than that, Mrs. Hudson would have a lot to say. She most certainly wouldn't stand for him sleeping at the office on a regular basis.

As much as he could, he tried not to worry about it any longer. He optimistically thought to himself that, with time and a little distance, everything would be resolved. It had to be. There was no other option. After turning off the lights, Derek layed down on the couch. He tossed and turned for hours before finally managing to fall into a restless and uncomfortable sleep.