Chapter 5 Aiden

• As Aiden stepped across the threshold of the apartment, he said, “Tadaima,” the Japanese phrase meaning I’m home that Haru had taught them when he was eight. At the time, Aiden had insisted to his brothers they incorporate Japanese daily expressions into their lives so that both Reo and Haru would be able to quickly settle into their new environment. After all, he wanted them to feel at home, as a part of the new family as soon as possible. Of course, it didn’t take any of them long to learn all the phrases, and once they started using them, they never stopped, and as Aiden had predicted, both Reo and Haru quickly and smoothly settled into their new life with their new stepbrothers.
• For Aiden, the phrase Tadaima gave him a sense of comfort because home was where he and the people he cared about most could be with one another and spend quality time together.
• “Okaeri.” Noah said the phrase meaning welcome back from the kitchen door. “Was he late for work?” he asked, with an amused smile.
• Aiden shook his head. “He was right on time.”
• “I see,” Noah said, sounding a little disappointed.
• Aiden raised a brow at his brother and said, “You still haven’t showered?”
• “I’m about to; I just need to get some things,” he said. “Oh, and by the way, Reo and I will be doing some grocery shopping today. Do you want us to buy you anything in particular?”
• Aiden shook his head. “No, I’m good.” He was about to go into his room when he paused. “But don’t forget to buy strawberries. They’re Haru’s favorite. We didn’t get any last week. I noticed he was a bit disappointed.”
• Noah couldn’t help himself and chuckled with amusement. He folded his arms across his chest as he cocked his head to one side. “You seriously need to pay less attention to that rascal, Aiden. He’s technically an adult now, and I’m sure he doesn’t appreciate you smothering him with that brotherly love of yours.”
• Aiden sighed. “I know that, but I can’t help it. He’s our youngest. It’s hard to let the youngest go, and he’s still too damned cute for an eighteen-year-old.” He chuckled lightly as he said, “I remember he was such an adorable little boy when we first met him.”
• Noah nodded. “He was very adorable. That was ten years ago though, and what I’m trying to say is even though he’s our youngest and even though he’s cute, he is eighteen, an adult, and you, our eldest brother, need to give him room to grow. He’s bound to leave the nest sooner or later.”
• Aiden felt his heart constrict at Noah’s words. Yes, of course he understood that Haru was an adult now and that meant Aiden could no longer pamper him like he had done when Haru was younger, which, oddly enough, pained him.
• Haru leaving the nest, indeed. Suddenly, the boy’s words about moving came to him once again.
• He eyed Noah and said, “Haru said something about moving. Did you know anything about that?”
• Noah frowned. “Moving? You mean he wants to move out of the apartment?”
• “He didn’t say that exactly...but I have the feeling that’s what he meant.”
• “So? What are you going to do about it? If he wants to move out, you obviously can’t stop him, right?”
• Aiden didn’t want to admit it, but Noah was right. He couldn’t stop Haru if the boy wanted to move out, but then again, why would he want to leave? Besides, the other brothers loved it here. It was their home, after all. Even Noah, who had already graduated from the university and was about to start his first professional job in one of the biggest gaming companies in New York still didn’t want to leave.
• “I’ll talk to him about it,” he said.
• “Good luck then,” Noah said as he turned on his heel. “And have fun taking your client around inspecting apartments.” With that, he disappeared off to his room.
• Aiden turned on his heel as well and went into his own room. After getting some files ready, he put on his suit jacket and then headed out the door again.
• About forty minutes later, he arrived at Mark Williams Realty, the real estate company he had been working for since he graduated from the university five years ago.
• The office, which was located on the third floor of the ten-story building, was quiet. It was a Saturday, after all.
• After putting his briefcase away, he settled down to start work. He spent most of the morning checking his email and replying to clients. It was about lunchtime when Peter Williams, his friend, colleague, and son of the CEO of the company, dropped in.
• “You’re working your ass off again, I see,” the man said the moment he sat on the chair opposite Aiden.
• Aiden shifted his gaze from the laptop screen to Peter’s face. “Just finishing up some stuff. What about you? What are you doing here?”
• Peter shrugged his broad shoulders. “Just dropping by to get some things before heading out to lunch.”
• “With Tina?” Aiden asked.
• Peter nodded. “Yep. With the wife. Speaking of which, here she is now.”
• Aiden flicked his gaze to see Tina Williams, Peter’s beloved wife, coming in through the door of his office.
• Tina, who was the same age as both Aiden and Peter, was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and light-brown eyes. There was no doubt that she had some Italian blood in her. The three—Aiden, Peter, and Tina—had met during their university years while studying for their business degrees. For Peter, it was undoubtedly love at first sight.
• “Hey, Aiden,” Tina said, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes twinkling as she shut the door behind her.
• “Hello,” Aiden replied. Ignoring that jovial look she was giving him, he returned his eyes and attention to the laptop screen.
• Peter said to his wife, “I thought you were going to wait in the car.”
• Tina shrugged nonchalantly. “I saw Aiden’s car in the parking lot and thought I’d come in and say hi.”
• Aiden, however, knew better and silently groaned inside. She was undoubtedly here to pester him about his romantic life again.
• “I see,” Peter said. “Well then, my lovely, why don’t you keep Aiden busy while I get things sorted before we go out for lunch?”
• Tina nodded in agreement with enthusiasm. “Sure. Take your time, darling.” She grinned pleasantly at her husband.
• Peter gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading out. Once the door was closed, Tina took the seat Peter had just vacated.
• Aiden knew what was coming and loudly groaned in despair, telling her nonverbally that he wasn’t looking forward to whatever chitchat she was about to bombard him with.
• Tina chuckled knowingly, her eyes twinkling. “Don’t you give me that, Aiden.” She giggled in delight. “I’m sure it’s not that bad. Am I such a bother to you?”
• Aiden folded his arms across his chest. “Not where work is concern. Not where friendship is concerned. But then it’s just annoying when you have that cheeky smile on your face, because I know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”
• “Annoying? Oy! What are you trying to tell me? I’m only watching out for you, aren’t I?” She chuckled. “So, anyway, how’s your brother doing?”
• Keeping his face expressionless, Aiden said, “Brother? I see you’re only concerned about one? That’s favoritism, Tina.”
• Tina snorted. “Favoritism? Speak for yourself. I do care about all your brothers. Fine then.” She harrumphed. “So, how are your brothers doing?”
• Aiden chuckled. “They’re all good, thanks, Tina.”
• “And what about that one?”
• Aiden raised a brow. “Which one?”
• Tina leaned forward as she rested her elbows on the work desk, her demeanor too enthusiastic for Aiden’s liking.
• “Haru, the youngest one,” she said.
• Aiden stiffened the moment Haru’s name was mentioned. He knew she’d ask him about the boy. In fact, he had expected it the moment Peter had mentioned her arriving. Of course, like always, his heart would skip a beat or two every time someone brought up Haru’s name.
• Keeping a poker face and pretending not to be affected, he asked, “What about him?”
• Tina smiled, then said, “He’s eighteen now, isn’t he? So? Are you going to confess to him?”
• Aiden raised his gaze to his friend sharply. In a dark tone, he said, “I’m not.”
• Tina seemed disappointed for a moment. She moved and relaxed back against the chair. She said, a sour expression on her face, “And here I thought you’d jump at the chance the moment he turned eighteen.” She cocked her head to one side as she continued. “It’ll be hard for you, you know, if you don’t take action. You never know, soon he might get himself a girlfriend. He might love her so much that he’ll want to marry her and settle down with kids.”
• She waited impatiently for him to react to her taunting. When Aiden didn’t respond, she continued, “Aiden, are you seriously going to tell me you’ll keep your feelings to yourself while watching him, you know, living a happy, lovey-dovey life with a girl? While you suffer? That just sucks. As your good friend, I feel for you. As your good friend, I tell you, just confess to him already. Get it over and done with. At least it’ll be out of your system and you’ll know for sure, and then you can move on with life.”
• Aiden chuckled. He couldn’t help himself. Tina had always been like that, urging him to do what she thought was best for him, particularly where his love life was concerned.
• Both Tina and Peter had met his brothers—all of them—and it hadn’t been long before Tina had taken him to one side and asked him the question that had turned his world upside down.
• “Are you, by any chance, in love with Haru?” she had asked him one day two years ago.
• Of course, Aiden himself had never thought that such a thing was possible. Him? In love with Haru? No way! He wasn’t gay, for God’s sake. He had always dated women. He liked women. He liked having sex with them. He found them hot, sexy, and utterly enticing. But then there had always been signs, hadn’t there? The fact that the thought of losing Haru had nearly driven him insane was evidence enough that the boy was special to him.
• He remembered that since the day Tina had asked him the question, he had started looking at Haru differently and had become hyperaware of the boy. Since Haru had turned eighteen, he wanted to do ungodly, sexy things to the boy—a realization that scared him shitless. The only way he knew how to battle this unwelcome surprise discovery of his desire for Haru was to start dating again. He needed to find someone to love and satisfy his sexual desire because he had been single for far too long. At least that was what he had thought, and of course, that didn’t last because... Well, simply put, the thought of having a permanent girlfriend just made him feel a little sick in the stomach. Why was that? After all, having a girlfriend had been fine with him before. But now...
• Now was different. Now he wanted Haru. Yes, it had come as a total shock to him that he wanted to kiss Haru—passionately and wildly—and more than anything, he wanted to make love to Haru, which wasn’t something that he should desire, because it was wrong.
• The thought of his forbidden feelings for Haru only made him feel ashamed of himself. Haru respected and trusted him as an older brother, someone the boy could depend on and look up to, and for Aiden to have those erotic feelings toward Haru was a betrayal of the worst kind.
• He eyed Tina, a sour expression on his face. He said, “Yeah, that sounds marvelous, Tina. You want me to confess my feelings to Haru? Like hell I’m going to do that. I’m sure the moment he finds out, he’d flip. Even worse, the moment I confess how much I love him, he’d be so freaked out that...” He sighed. “I don’t know. And why are we talking about this again? I need to finish work before my client arrives, which”—he glanced at his watch and then continued—“is in fifteen minutes.”
• He waved for Tina to leave. “Now go and have a nice lunch with your husband. I need to finish my work.”
• Tina chuckled merrily. “All right, all right, hotshot, as you please. I’ll leave you alone to your work.” She grinned widely. “Just remember that I’m all ears whenever you need to talk.”
• Aiden chuckled. “All right.”
• Once Tina shut the door behind her, Aiden relaxed back against the seat and sighed. “Haru.” He said the name softly under his breath. “Why do you want to move out?”