Aiden doesn't really know how, but -with a lot of effort- he manages to sit Graham by his side inside a car he never thought would drive in his entire life.
Although he felt like he was being a creepy thief when searching every pocket of the coat, Aiden really didn't want to leave Graham on his own. That's why he ignored those thoughts and simply went with his impulse of driving him home.
As he starts the engine, he checks the car's GPS to check if Graham's address is saved in the computer. A sigh of relief leaves his lips when he reads the word "Home" on the screen. He clicks on it and looks to his side to see if his companion is still passed out.
Graham snores quietly, looking way more comfortable than when he was sitting on the restaurant's chair. Since Aiden could tell that he was cold when he was carrying him to the car, he decided to give him his own black coat that he's now snuggling in as if it was a cozy blanket.
Aiden laughs at the sight of it. Even though this is the worst first impression Graham could have given, Aiden Millers finds this scene heartwarming without really knowing the reason.
There's no traffic in the city at this hour, which would have made the ride very short if Aiden hadn't been riding at the lowest speed possible in order to prevent Graham from waking up.
Once they've arrived at their destination, Aiden presses the button of a remote control he noticed when he entered the vehicle. Just as he had assumed, it opens the garage door automatically.
The red-haired man parks the car carefully, knowing that any damage done to it could cost one month worth of his salary.
After making sure the car is parked correctly, he presses the button again to close the door.
Surprisingly, Graham does not show any sign of being conscious yet. It looks like he was desperate to have some rest, and this has been the only way he's been able to sleep peacefully.
Aiden exits the vehicle as quietly as possible and enters the house without thinking that there might be an alarm activated. Luckily enough, the ambient remains silent.
The chef isn't known for weighing the consequences of his actions when he wants to help someone out. Which is exactly why he doesn't question himself what the hell he's doing at a stranger's house so late at night.
Instead, he worries about waking up Graham just enough to drag out of his car and into the place he assumes is his bedroom.
"Please. Don't go", the older man blurts out of nowhere as he's been laid down carefully on his bed.
Aiden's cheeks turn almost as red as his hair noticing how close their bodies are. He can feel Larson's breath against his ear as the echo of his request makes his blood boil inside his veins.
His lungs are soon filled with the mixture of grapes, fig, pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla used to elaborate the alcoholic beverage that caused this very scene. Aiden feels drunk with just the smell of it and the feeling of a pounding heart against his chest that increases its rhythm with every second that passes.
If he was selfish, he'd stay with no hesitation. There's something in Graham that has captured his heart in a matter of seconds, and he hasn't been able to do anything about it.
However, he knows that it's best if he leaves now.
"I should leave", he states while pulling away.
It's until now that he realizes that Graham made that request in his dreams, and that it could have nothing to do with him.
A smile draws on Aiden's lips as he scolds himself for misunderstanding the situation.
Of course, Graham Larson wouldn't fall in love with him. What was he thinking? It's obvious that the young businessman was just dreaming of someone else and talked in his sleep.
With that thought in mind, Aiden ruffles Graham's curly hair gently and exits the house. After looking at the building from the outside, he sighs deeply and starts walking away, not realizing that he left his coat behind until he was halfway home.
The twenty-four-year-old looks at the sky, reprimanding himself for forgetting something that could create a huge misunderstanding. Knowing that there's nothing he can do now to fix it, he decides to continue walking while trying to forget what's just happened.
Unfortunately, he can't stop thinking about that request, which makes him feel slightly dizzy.
He was right in believing that Graham was sleeping when he asked him to stay. However, he could have never imagined that the dream was about him, and that his long red hair would be the first thing that comes to Graham's mind when waking up the next morning in foreign clothing.
"Oh no", Larson mutters as soon as he turns off his alarm and takes in his surroundings. "Oh no…"
It does not matter how much his head aches, he wants to remember exactly what happened six hours ago and why he's wearing a black coat that reminds him of an attractive red-haired man he saw in his dreams.
With some difficulty, he gets up from bed and walks towards the tall mirror in his room. As his hand traces the dark stains on his shirt, flashes of the past numb his mind.
Graham remembers working on a document that he probably has to correct now. He also remembers that he accidentally spilled red wine over himself and that someone who works at Indigo helped him clean his wet clothes. The last thing he remembers is getting lost in that indirect touch and attention given by the stranger.
After that, everything is blurry and mixed up with intimate scenes that he doesn't know if they were part of his dream or if they actually happened.
He shakes his head slightly, putting those thoughts aside after realizing he's going to be late to work if he lets them heat his body.
Before hopping in the car, he showers and eats a quick breakfast. It's obvious that someone has moved the mirrors a little bit, which brings back the headache and confusion that only gets worse when he spots his own tie and coat on the backseat.
Did they have sex in his car? Is that why he ended up with the stranger's coat?
Graham massages his temples while trying to let that possibility sink in. He can't believe he had his first time with someone he barely knew yet the images of his dream seem too vivid to be just an illusion.
"No. I might have moved the mirrors myself, yes… I need to calm down", he says before playing some classical music from his phone. "Even if that did happen, I must do nothing about it. Otherwise, my father will kill me for finding a husband instead of a wife."
And that is how Graham ends up spending the rest of the day trying to forget everything that happened, or that could have happened, during the last hours of the previous day.
"It was just a dream", he would say to himself every now and then, pretending that the thought of Aiden wasn't distracting him from his job, and wishing that the name Aiden Millers could be easily removed from his memory like the moments he can't seem to remember no matter how hard he tries.