The Bad Boy's Secret

~Chapter thirty two~

Aidan fails to reply and instead, utters our a few rather questionable sounds resembling that of a deranged cat. To say he's shocked, excited and overwhelmed all in one would be putting it mildly, though it's a sight I don't mind seeing at all.

He's positively ecstatic.

"You bought me a motorbike? Thank you, thank you a million times over!" he expresses, finally leaving my side as to engulf both parents into a loving hug, appreciative of their generosity.

Next to undergo a manly hug is Kyle who, it would seem, has more to say on the matter that originally thought.

"Hey man, maybe now you can finally impress that girl with your new ride," he smirks, earning himself a glare from Hayley. "Perhaps now she'll finally go out with you." he adds, suddenly blaring his questioning gaze straight through mine.

"Or maybe she'll refuse because his older brother has a tendency to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong." I fire back, all in good fun.

Aidan instantly laughs at my sass, whilst simultaneously grabbing my hand and positioning it back in its rightful place. He then offers his older brother a rather mature, 'fuck you' smile, before all but dragging me towards his new birthday present, followed by an overexcited Drew and Dylan.

I cautiously allow myself the pleasure of looking back over my shoulder and instantly lock eyes with a visibly glowing Jane, smiling at her youngest son as he, once again, subjects me to a protective side hug. Her grin widens when she catches me looking; the pair of us seemingly engaging in a somewhat unspoken moment with one another. I know she's happy for us and call me delusional but I swear I catch her mouthing a very heartfelt "look after him" from across the parking lot before she's very dramatically pulled into another conversation with Jess's Mom.

I don't mention it to Aidan in fear of putting a damper on his special day but her actions have me thinking of another person who should be celebrating with family right now. You never do know when the rug is about to be pulled from under your feet and it's extremely important to cherish moments like these to their fullest. My Mom should've turned thirty six today but instead, ceases only to exist in our minds memories. It's the hardest thing I'll ever do; learning to adapt without her and part of my struggles thus far has been my reluctance to do exactly that. Truth be told, I didn't want to know a world without her in it and as young as I may be, I'm sure enough of my feelings to know that what I am willing to accept is that a life with Aidan in it is as good a compromise as any. I may have only known him a few short months but I've undoubtedly fallen for him and have no plans on ever getting back up.

He's my support, my best friend.

He's mine.

~~~~

By the time Aidan and the guys finish gushing over their new love, we all head back to his house where we're instructed to eat yet more cake and drink a little champagne; it's tantalising fizz already taking affects on my highly amused mind. It's a nice celebration of sort but with time soon running away with itself, I go in search of Aidan, who seems to have disappeared in the middle of his own party; nowhere to be seen.

"Don't you know it's rude to bail on your own birthday celebration." I muse, finding him in his bedroom, slumped over his desk doing goodness knows what.

"Hey, what're you doing up here?" he asks, seeming suddenly flustered.

I attempt to see what's got him acting so shifty but fail when he stands up, annoyingly using his lean body to block my line of sight, which then ends up resulting in me staring into those gorgeous, hazel eyes of his. For a moment, he matches my gaze head on; the pair of us subjecting ourselves to a few minutes of blissful peacefulness as we openly express ourselves through the use of eye contact alone. He's always been capable of taking my breath away and although a little cliché, it would appear my heart is in agreement if it's rapid pace is anything to go by.