Mission: Protect the Ex(4)
“Hey,” Sean said when he was close enough.
Aiden didn’t reply, he just gave Sean a sideways glance and returned his focus to the grill.
“I’m sorry for earlier. I just needed a minute.”
“Three hours.”
“What?” Sean blinked fast, not getting what Aiden was saying.
“You needed three freaking hours, not a minute.”
“Figure of speech, Aiden. Just a fucking figure of speech,” Sean muttered. He didn’t have the strength to placate Aiden, not now. He could barely keep it together and prevent a total meltdown.
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. Food will be ready soon.”
“Awesome. Thank you.”
Aiden turned to look at him again and smiled the same weary, sad smile from earlier. Sean missed his ex’s happy smile, the genuine one that melted his heart. He sighed and went inside, thinking a shower could calm him down. That fucking sad smile marring Aiden’s face had flared up his anger. What reason did he have to be so sad? Okay, it wasn’t that great, living with your ex, even if it was just for the weekend.
And what the hell was it with his drop in weight? Those sunken eyes? The lack of spirit so obvious to Sean? The man used to have so much energy; Sean had always thought he might have a secret engine hidden in his body. He talked, walked, had ideas, moved, did things, never completely stopping for one second. He couldn’t even sit still for more than five minutes unless he was snuggled in Sean’s arms. And that he only did after telling Sean everything, a good round of fucking, and a very hot shower to get him sleepy.
Aiden had broken it off. He’d decided Sean and his career were too much. He’d sat them down, explained he couldn’t do it anymore, and handed Sean his heart back in a million pieces. Despite all that, Sean had idiotically dropped everything to come and protect him and the guy had the gall to act all depressed?
Sean punched the tiles on the bathroom wall repeatedly, the spray of the shower making him angrier instead of calming him down. He hit until his fists were bloody and the effort had taken the fight out of him. He then slowly washed and cleaned his wounds. It wasn’t too bad, a little bandaging and he’d soon be fine. Just some broken skin. He’d be bruised and a little sore later, but nothing more serious.
When he finally exited the shower wearing nothing but a pair of slacks, Aiden was still on the porch, dinner set on the table outside. He hissed loudly when he saw Sean in the door frame, still damp from his shower. A familiar fire flickered in Aiden’s eyes, but was gone in a second. Still, Sean had seen it and clung to it. At least he still found Sean desirable. Then again, he’d known Aiden’s decision to break up had nothing to do with their attraction to each other. That part of their relationship was the one that had always felt great. Aiden’s reaction to what Sean did and the implied long absences was what had broken them.
“Hurry up, the meat is getting cold,” Aiden whispered and pulled a juicy burger from the plate in the middle, loading it up with all his favorite fixings.
There were steaks, some more burgers, and a few hot dogs. Grilled veggies and some fresh salad and sauces were also spread across the table. Sean grumbled and took a seat, digging in fast. He might not be on the same side of the table as Aiden, but at least he was close to him, not all the way across.
“What happened to your fists?”
Sean sighed and stopped mindlessly chewing for a second. “I had a disagreement with the shower wall. It won the fight though.”
When Aiden did not react in any way, Sean turned to look at him. Aiden’s eyes were downcast, his shoulders slumped. “Sorry. It’s my fault Tom felt he needed to send you here.”
“How exactly is that your fault? You can’t be held responsible for what Tom does. Or what I choose to do.”
Aiden nodded, but his demeanor hadn’t changed, nor did he make a move to finish his burger.
“Come on, let’s eat. You’ve made all this delicious food, it would be a shame to waste it.” Sean wasn’t about to stop eating. It was indeed delicious; Aiden was a damn magician when it came to grilling. No one would have guessed the always-put-together, fashionable, wine and brandy connoisseur Aiden would be that good with grilled meat and choosing the best beer. Yet he was. After dating him for two years, he also knew Aiden had become that good just to fit in with Tom and his friends, especially Sean.
And that was exactly why Sean was so angry. How could someone lust after him for most of their life, finally be with him—and not for a night, no, for two fucking years—and then dump him? How could Aiden have walked away from all they had? How could he stop loving Sean, when Sean was unable to even think of trying?
Sean stabbed his cut piece of meat with more force than needed, and the fork screeched as it slid across the surface of the plate. The sound was so annoying that it quickly reduced his efforts to punish the pork for the breakup.
“I’m going to bed,” Aiden said, pushing back his chair and standing up. “Leave the dishes, I’ll clean everything in the morning.” He didn’t wait for an acknowledgement before leaving Sean all alone on the porch. Well, it wasn’t the first time Aiden simply left him. Sean thought he might want to get used to that.
He polished off his plate, put the leftovers in the fridge, and started cleaning. Dishes, grill, kitchen. He’d go on, but there was nothing more to clean. The cabin was in pristine condition. He finally made his way to his own bedroom, checked the alarm connected to the motion sensors, and threw himself across the bed.