Capture Me Gently - 4. Chapter 4

On Friday Aiden had come home from school with a huge headache. It had been so bad that he had just taken some painkillers and dropped down on his bed, where he had soon fallen asleep.

But he got startled awake a few hours later when his bedroom door slammed open and Sarah trudged inside. He blinked his eyes for a moment, focused on her, and could still feel his head throb in pain.

"Have you been sleeping?" Sarah asked in surprised.

"Yeah, I have a hell of a headache," Aiden mumbled and yawned.

Sarah slowly sat down on the edge of his bed. "Does it feel better?" She asked and placed her palm against his forehead. "You're a little warm. Maybe you have a fever?"

"Maybe," Aiden muttered and stretched lightly. He didn't feel that good, and the pain shot through his skull by his every move. "I certainly don't feel well."

"I was going to come here and get you with me to the party," Sarah said with a small smile. "But I guess you can't come since you're sick. Alex and Ellen will be disappointed though."

"Ellen?" Aiden glared at her. "Why would she even care?" But she had said Alex would be disappointed... God, I want to be with Alex...

"Duh," Sarah rolled her eyes teasingly. "Haven't you seen the looks she has given you? That girl seriously has a crush on you!"

"Tell her I'm not available," Aiden muttered.

"Indeed you are not," Sarah stated.

"Am not what?" He asked, not really following.

"Available," Sarah said. Her palm still rested against his forehead. It was cool against his hot skin, and it made his headache go down a little bit.

"How do you know I'm not available?" Aiden asked, slightly curious.

"Hello," Sarah exclaimed in a sing-song voice. "You and Alex are just meant to be! Of course you're not available to anyone else!"

"Don't start," Aiden grumbled. He slapped her hand away and placed his arm over his eyes. The light was to strong for his aching head.

"I'm not starting anything," Sarah said and rolled her eyes. "I'm just stating the truth. Because you do fit perfectly together. And you are in love with him, right?"

"No."

"Yes, you are."

"Am not."

"Stop denying it, you idiot!" She growled. "You two are meant to be! It's called faith, sweetie. No denying." She started to snicker. "Besides, I've seen the looks you give him. And the looks he gives you. So why don't you just sort this out and get together, huh?"

"How about you go and do something about Peter?" Aiden snapped. "Poor guy must be frustrated with you, you evil little thing."

"Ah, you have a good point," Sarah said with a laugh. "I really need to get things going between us. Maybe I'll do it tonight." She giggled and ran a hand over Aiden's back. "Will you fix things with Alex then? He must be pretty frustrated too."

"There's nothing to fix between Alex and me," Aiden mumbled. "Now go and leave me alone so I can get better."

"Of course there is something between you," Sarah said firmly. "But if you want to keep on denying it; I'll still let you do exactly that for a while." She got up from the bed, but then bent over and gave Aiden a small peck on the cheek. "Bye, honey. Rest this weekend and get better. We'll give you a full report from the party on Monday!"

"You do that," Aiden said in a low voice. He raised his hand and waved slightly to his friend. "See you later, Sarah."

"See you, Aiden," she said, smiling, and moved towards the door. "Get better, sweetheart!"

As she closed the door behind her, Aiden rolled over on his back with a groan. He covered his eyes with one of his arms again, and the last thing he thought of before he drifted off to sleep again was Alex's smile and azure eyes.

---

Sarah and Ellen arrived together at the party that was being held in a community centre in the middle of town. The music was roaring, and teenagers were gathered in groups outside the house where they could both smoke and drink. Illegal of course, but who cared when it was a party going on?

Ellen nudged Sarah friendly in the shoulder when she saw Peter and Alex make their way through the crowd towards them. Sarah threw a curious look at her friend, and Ellen nodded towards the boys with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"So you came," Peter said as he and Alex reached the girls, and he rested his eyes on Sarah's slender figure. "I have been looking for you for a while. Out here at least, I haven't been inside yet."

Sarah smiled up at him, and remembering her little talk with Aiden, she slid her hand down his arm and entwined their fingers in each others.

Peter stared down at their hands for a moment, and then smiled widely at Sarah, squeezing her hand tightly.

Ellen rolled her eyes teasingly. "See you later, lovebirds," she said, waved her hand, and then disappeared into the crowd.

"Didn't Aiden come with you?" Alex asked Sarah. He ran a hand through his black hair, and glanced around for the only one he wanted to see.

"No, he had a headache and a light fever," Sarah said and smiled friendly at him. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind you visiting him, sweetie." Her smile turned into a sly smirk. "You want to visit him, right?" She asked.

"If he's not feeling well, I don't think-"

"Bullshit," Sarah interrupted him. "You want to see him; then go and see him. I can guarantee you that he wants to see you."

"Why in the world would he want to see me?" Alex mumbled, mostly to himself, but Sarah heard it nonetheless.

"Jesus, have some faith," she said and nudged Alex's shoulder lightly. "You lo-o-o-ve him! I know you do! It's written all over your pretty face!"

"Shut up," Alex muttered. "That is so not true!"

"Aww, are you in denial too?" Sarah purred. "That's so cute! Now, come on, snap out of it! In this speed, you two will never get together! And you fit so well with one another."

"Peter! Get your meddling girlfriend away from me!" Alex exclaimed. "She's imagining weird things!"

Peter laughed and slid his free hand around Sarah's shoulders. "Come on, my dear, leave the boy alone," he said. "Stop teasing him."

Sarah pretended to pout, but then waved at Alex and walked towards the house's entrance with Peter's arm still around her shoulders.

"How long are you going to tease the two of them like that?" Peter asked with a laugh.

"Until they freaking understand how good they will be together," Sarah answered. "They would be the perfect couple, right?"

"It's not even proved that they are gay," Peter pointed out.

"Oh, puh-leez," Sarah rolled her eyes. "If the two of them aren't gay, then God save the world!"

"How can you say that? They are not obviously gay such as Ben and Riley, for an example," Peter said.

"Of course they're obvious!" Sara exclaimed. "Sometimes when they are around each other... It's just so obvious that they like each other!"

"I have never noticed anything like that," Peter said. "But if you say so..." He laughed lightly as they moved into the house where the party was going on.

Alex glared after them as they disappeared through the entrance. He ran his hand through his black hair and sighed.

He slowly turned around and started to walk towards his so-called home. He wasn't in the mood for partying anymore. He hadn't been it at all actually; he had just showed up because he believed Aiden would be there. He had hoped they could talk together, because after a long night of thinking and arguing with himself he had finally decided to just tell Aiden the truth about how he felt towards him.

But now it looked like he had to wait, and then he would surely lose the little courage he had gathered since he made his decision last night.

No, wait! Sarah had said that Aiden couldn't come to the party because of a headache and a light fever, but that he wouldn't have anything against Alex visiting him... Should I just go over to his place now and get it over with? Alex wondered, staring down at the gravel under his feet as he walked. Or should I just go home and leave it? Never let him know how I feel?

---

Aiden was bored out of his skull a while later. He hadn't been able to fall asleep after Sarah's visit, and now he was looking through his bookshelf for an interesting book to read so he could make the time pass. Sure, he still had a light headache, and reading probably weren't the best thing to do, but it was so god damn boring. He needed to do something.

When there suddenly was a knock on his door, and said door opened, he turned around and had expected see either his sister or uncle or cousins. When it was Alex he stared straight at... he didn't really know what to do.

"May I come in?" Alex asked with a small, nervous smile.

"Sure," Aiden said, slightly taken aback. He watched as Alex stepped into his room, closed his bedroom door, and then silently sat down on the edge of his bed. "Umm... Aren't you supposed to be at the party?" Aiden asked and dropped down next to his friend. He lay back in bed and stared up at the ceiling, massaging his aching forehead lightly.

"I went there," Alex said with a wry smile. "But now I'm here instead."

"And why would you rather be here than at the party?" Aiden asked, trying his best to hide the happiness from his voice. Alex had dropped the party to be with him. It was just amazing.

"Umm... I kinda wanted to talk to you," Alex said in a low voice and rested his eyes on his hand that was fiddling nervously with the quilt he was sitting halfway on.

"Shoot," Aiden replied, still massaging his forehead lightly. He wondered slightly why Alex wouldn't look at him; it unnerved him that he was staring down at his own hand.

"I just..." Alex started, but couldn't seem to get the rest of the sentence out. He bit his lower lip nervously, and then glanced up at his blonde friend. "Will you promise me not to get angry?" He asked.

"Of course," Aiden said, a little taken aback. "I won't get angry."

"You might change your mind, though," Alex mumbled. "And I won't blame you if you do... But really, I don't want to loose you as a friend. Really, I don't..."

"Alex, you're rambling," Aiden interrupted with a small smile and nudged his black-haired friend's knee with his own. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, though. What in the world could it be that Alex wanted to tell him? "Now, get to the point, will you?"

Alex was silent for a long while, he just stared down at their now touching knees, but finally it came in a low, trembling voice;"I'm in love with you."

Aiden stared at him for a long time; he almost couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Umm... Seriously?" He stuttered forth.

"Yes," Alex nodded slightly and blushed furiously in embarrassment. "I promise you, Aiden, that I won't give you any trouble. I'm just OK being your friend, you have nothing to worry about, I swear-"

"Since when?" Aiden interrupted, his voice a bit colder than he wished it would be.

"Aiden..."

"Since when?" Aiden asked again, not wanting any protest from the other boy.

Alex seemed to shrink where he sat. "Since the first time I saw you," he muttered. "When you stumbled out from that alleyway, beaten and bloody..." He squeezed his eyes shut; didn't want to see Aiden's reaction to what he was telling him. "I promise, Aiden... I won't ever mention this again, I'm fine with just being your friend, I swear."

A smile spread on Aiden's lips, and he slowly sat up in the bed. He slid a hand around Alex's neck, and then bent forward and pressed his lips to the other boy's in a light kiss.

Alex's eyes shot open and he stared straight into Aiden's ice-blue ones. "What are you doing?" He asked, almost on the verge of tears. "Please, don't joke with me... Just don't, okay?!"

"I'm not joking with you," Aiden said mildly and pulled him close to him as Alex started to sob silently. He wrapped his arms around the black-haired boy's trembling shoulders and tangled his fingers in Alex's silky, black hair. "I fell for you on that exact day, as well," he whispered. "I'm in love with you too, Alex."

"You're serious?" Alex choked out.

"Yes, deadly serious," Aiden replied.

Alex pushed himself out from Aiden's body and wiped the tears away from his cheeks. When the trace of tears was gone, he looked up and met Aiden's honest, blue eyes. Then he slowly bent forward and brushed his lips against the blonde boy's.

Aiden locked his arms around Alex's waist and pulled the other boy closer to him, deepening the kiss considerably.

When they finally pulled back, they were both breathing considerably heavier.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Alex asked with a small, nervous laughter and brushed a few locks of hair away from his forehead.

"If you are, then I am too, and this certainly doesn't feel like a dream," Aiden replied with a grin. "So no, I don't think you're dreaming."

Alex blushed and glanced up at Aiden through thick, black eyelashes. "Feels like a dream," he said in a low voice. "I never thought I would actually... That we would... like, kiss." He scratched the back of his head and blushed even more in embarrassment.

"I never thought we would either," Aiden replied with a small smirk, though he was blushing a little himself. "But now we are." He closed the space between them and kissed Alex's lips again. "You want to stay here tonight?" He asked and ran a hand through Alex's black locks.

"I would like that," Alex answered. "I would really like to stay here." He slid his arms around Aiden's neck and locked their lips together again.

"That's good," Aiden whispered in between kisses and lay back down on the bed. Alex followed him, neither of them breaking the kiss once.

---

Aiden, who was a light sleeper, woke up later that night. He twisted for a moment, wondering why he wasn't alone in the bed until he remembered what had happened earlier. His heart jumped with happiness as he looked down at Alex's peacefully asleep body. His head was lying on Aiden's chest and one of his arms was resting across Aiden's chest.

Aiden yawned and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. The letters 4:13 blinked back at him. He shook his head lightly, wondering why in the world he was waking up at this time, and then he snuggled closer to Alex and prepared to go back to sleep. But then the sounds that had woken him up in the first place sounded again. He turned around in bed, let go of Alex's warm, sleeping body, and sat up.

He got up from the bed and walked slowly over the cold floor. The sounds from the bathroom could be heard again and he pulled down the door handle and pushed the door open, staring at the scene in front of him. Ben was practically hanging over the toilet; puking his gut out.

"Ben," Aiden sighed and crouched down next to his cousin. "What have you been taking tonight?"

Ben turned his head slightly and looked at Aiden. His face was covered in sweat and his eyes were bloodshot. "I don't know," he whispered, and then instantly had to turn his head back down when he vomited yet again.

Aiden brushed Ben's half-long, black hair away from his face and rubbed his back gently, trying to soothe him a little.

"Ben, seriously," Aiden started. "Just tell me what you have taken."

"I am serious," Ben answered in a hoarse voice. "I don't know what I've taken."

Aiden closed his eyes and tried his best to remain calm as Ben had to throw up again. Sometimes he felt he could strangle his younger cousin. How could he be so careless and take drugs he didn't even know what was?!

Ben's stomach seemed to calm down a while later, and Aiden helped his cousin on his feet so Ben could wash his face and brush his teeth.

Then he supported him out of the bathroom and into his own room. Ben fell down on his own bed and rolled around so he was lying on his stomach.

"Good night," Aiden said and pulled the covers over his now half-asleep cousin.

"G'night," Ben mumbled in reply and snuggled into the quilt now covering his cold and weak body.

Aiden closed the door to his room, moved through the bathroom and then into his own room again.

He yawned and stretched lightly, moved the covers a little and then slid under them. He draped his arm around Alex's waist and pulled the other boy's back closer to his chest.

"Where have you been?" Alex asked in a low, sleep-dazed voice.

"Ben was sick, and I helped him to get in bed," Aiden answered. "He's alright now. Just go back to sleep."

Alex twisted a bit to lie more comfortable, and as Aiden's hand tightened around his waist and pressed their bodies together, they both fell asleep again.