Vacation (3)

The two week long vacation was ending. Unfortunately, due to the burn on his leg, Aiden didn't get to do everything he originally planned but he still had fun. One huge contributing factor to his happiness was that Becca, Spencer, and Lyla seemed to be avoiding him. He wasn't sure what happened but his vacation was much better without them around.

Also, because of their absence, Aiden spent most of the time with Derek. They went hiking, sailing, went to a luau, went on a full-day tour of the island, went ziplining and so much more. Aiden took many pictures all along the way and planned to frame some of them when they went home.

However, there was one thing that kept bothering him. Several times throughout the past two weeks, Aiden kept feeling like he was being watched. Whenever he left the villa he was almost certain that he was being followed but he could never tell who it was or why. At first he thought it might have been Spencer since he'd done something similar before, but Spencer was really bad at staying hidden. If it was him, Aiden would have noticed. Without any further ideas, he could only be cautious and pay extra attention to his surroundings.

It was now the last day of their vacation and their flight was scheduled for the next morning. All of them went to their final reservation which was a sunset dinner cruise. There was a dress code so Aiden was wearing a skin-tight blood red shirt with black lace on it, black skinny dress pants and black heels. He had already finished eating so he was leaning on the railing watching the sunset and listening to the ocean waves.

"Penny for your thoughts." Aiden turned his head and saw a young man, probably in his early twenties, standing a few feet away and smiling at him. The man was exuding an air of haughtiness and was dressed from top to bottom in expensive brand name clothing.

"Is that all they're worth?" Aiden asked.

"Pardon?" The man looked lost. Apparently that response wasn't what he was looking for.

"...Nevermind. Can I help you?"

"Ah, I just saw you standing there and you were breathtaking. I simply had to come and say hello."

"I see. Well, thank you for the compliment." Aiden had seen countless people try flirting with him before and it was always the same. Shouldn't they have some new pick-up lines by now? The man didn't notice the disinterested tone of Aiden's voice or he simply ignored it. He took a step closer and took a sip from the glass he was holding, simultaneously showing off his luxury watch.

"So, how about we get to know one another? Maybe go for drinks when the ship docks?"

"Sorry, I can't. I'm seventeen."

"Oh? Well, that's fine. You can still come. I know a place that won't check your ID. So, come have some fun with me." Aiden raised an eyebrow. Really? Was this guy serious? He really just said that, like it wasn't totally sketchy at all.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested." When Aiden started to walk away, the man reached out and grabbed his wrist, forcing Aiden to stop and turn back.

"You can't just…!" Aiden was about to remove the man's hand but someone beat him to it. Someone stepped up right behind Aiden and held him by the waist. Their other arm circled around him and grabbed the man's arm in a vice-like grip. Aiden knew exactly who it was. Derek's deep and somewhat angry voice sent shivers down his spine.

"Remove your hand. Right now." Derek's tone and murderous glare, which Aiden couldn't see, caused the man to immediately let go and step back.

"N-now look here, this is…it's a misunderstanding! That's…"

"Leave." The man only hesitated for a moment before clicking his tongue and storming off.

"Tch!"

"Thank you," Aiden said and turned around. He looked up at Derek and continued. "I could've handled it myself though."

"I know that."

"Then why…?"

"Because he was annoying." That was in fact how Derek really felt but it wasn't everything. He had seen the entire encounter from the beginning since he was also on his way over to Aiden. However, that smug brat got there first.

At first, Derek was just waiting for whatever conversation they were going to have to end but he got more and more annoyed as that man kept flirting. Aiden clearly wasn't interested but the guy wasn't taking the hint. At that time though, he didn't feel the need to step in since Aiden was handling the situation just fine but that changed the second the man grabbed Aiden's arm.

Logically, Derek was aware that Aiden could still handle the situation perfectly fine. On the other hand, when he saw that man's hand on Aiden's arm, Derek's brain stopped any and all logical thinking. The only thing he felt at the time was annoyance, at the fact this guy had the audacity to flirt with someone who was clearly out of his league, and rage, that he had even dared to touch him.

After that, Derek's body moved on its own. The next thing he knew, he was standing protectively behind Aiden and had taken hold of the stranger's arm. He had the urge to break that arm but he thought better of it just in time.

"Ha ha! What kind of reason is that?" Aiden laughed. "Well, I was annoyed too but still, you grabbed his arm so tight that your knuckles turned white!"

"What? No way."

"You did! I definitely saw it. You probably left a bruise. Ha ha ha!"

"Oops." Derek shrugged. When Aiden finally managed to stop laughing, he smiled warmly at Derek.

"Anyway, thanks."

"Anytime." A calm and comfortable silence enveloped them as they watched the remaining sun fade from the sky.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the boat, Becca was scolding Spencer in a hushed voice.

"Seriously?! I thought I told you to have people attack him! It's the last day of vacation and you've done nothing!"

"Wait. You wanted that to happen while we were here?"

"Of course I did, you idiot! We already talked about this before we came here!"

"Oh! I thought you wanted me to do it when we got back."

"Hah! Well, that's what's going to happen now anyway." While they were talking, an irritated Lyla joined them. She had a scowl and was quickly tapping her fingernails against her arm.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked.

"It's nothing. Why don't you go eat a little more before we dock?" She ushered Spencer back towards the food. When he was gone, Becca approached her mother.

"So, what's the problem?"

"Argh! It's Aiden, that lucky brat!"

"What did you try this time?"

"I overheard some pompous rich boy talking with his friends. They mentioned something about a club and dragging some unsuspecting beauty there later tonight for some group fun. Well, I thought it was the perfect opportunity so I asked whether they were interested in males as well. When I pointed out Aiden, they seemed more than thrilled."

"So, how did they mess it up?"

"They didn't, Derek did. He showed up just in time to swoop in and ruin it. Why is that brat always so lucky? He manages to avoid almost everything we throw at him. It's infuriating!"

"Well, it wasn't a bad attempt for a last minute plan."

"Thank you!" Lyla seemed proud of herself and touched by the acknowledgement. The two of them continued talking until the sun had set and the boat was approaching the dock. As everyone was preparing to leave the ship, Derek and Aiden met up with Lyla, Becca, and Spencer. None of them spoke even when they reached the villa. Once they arrived, everyone went to their rooms to sleep before their flight the next day. Aiden was already dreading the return flight since this time all of them were supposed to sit in first class. He'd been lucky on the flight before but it wasn't likely to happen again.

Wanting to get as much rest as possible before what was sure to be a very uncomfortable flight, Aiden took a quick shower, turned out the lights, and went to sleep. While he was sleeping peacefully, another wasn't so lucky.

It was well after midnight and Derek was tossing and turning trying to fall asleep with no success. His mind was still preoccupied with what had happened during the cruise. He had never acted that way before. It was too emotional and that wasn't like him. Was it because he was spending a lot of time with Aiden? Was he starting to subconsciously view him as family? Somehow that didn't seem like the right answer to him. But then what was the right answer?

Sighing, Derek tried again to push the many thoughts he had away so he could sleep. Since he couldn't come up with an answer he just wouldn't think about it. That was all there was to it. When he got back from this vacation he'd focus on work and everything would go back to normal.