Aaron was dragged into the room. Well, it wasn't like he resisted much, and honestly, the appearance of the room was what really welcomed him.
The room was a vision of pure white, not just ordinary white, but the kind of white that felt modern and fancy.
The walls seemed to shimmer under the soft lights, and fancy glass containers with green plants decorated the corners.
There was a sleek, white couch in the center, and a few abstract boards hung on the walls...artwork that probably meant something deep
, but Aaron didn't bother figuring it out.
As Aaron entered, a broad smile spread across his face,
revealing his shiny white teeth framed by his beautiful pink lips, glistening like crystal-shaped strawberries.
He adjusted himself with an air of confidence and immediately sat down in the room as if he owned the place.
Even though he had been running around with Ethan like a whirlwind, rushing into the house,
he showed no sign of exhaustion. Both of them plopped onto the white couch, with Aaron's hand never leaving Ethan's, their fingers interlocked.
---
Meanwhile, on Ethan's side, things were a bit different. His tiny heart felt like it wanted to leap out of his chest, pounding like a drum inside him.
His face was flushed with shades of red, almost too obvious now, especially considering the way Aaron was so enthusiastic.
Aaron's happiness and liveliness seemed to radiate, but Ethan felt overwhelmed by the emotions flooding his heart.
Aaron, seated comfortably beside Ethan, couldn't stop his mind from wandering.
He silently observed Ethan's cute face, now a shade of pink, and mused to himself,
'Wow, look at Ethan's cute face. Why is his face turning pink? Is he blushing? Of course, it's because of me that he's blushing!'
The thought flickered in his mind, as brief as it was amusing.
On the other side, Ethan was clueless about the storm of thoughts brewing in Aaron's head.
All Ethan knew was that his heart was beating too fast, and it was hard to focus.
Aaron noticed his distraction and thirst; his eyes fell on a cup of coffee that was already prepared on the table.
Without a second thought, Aaron grabbed it and began sipping, all the while initiating a conversation to understand how his cutie was faring in this new space.
"So, Ethan," Aaron said with a warm smile, "how's your day been in this new apartment? Is anyone making you uncomfortable?"
Ethan, still a little nervous but trying to smile through it, glanced at Aaron with wide eyes and replied softly,
"No, no, no. Nobody did anything wrong to me. Everything's fine… this and this…" He trailed off, clearly shy and flustered by Aaron's questioning.
But Aaron wasn't going to stop there. He needed to know more, especially when it came to Ethan's relationship with Lucien, the elephant in the room that Aaron couldn't ignore.
"What about your husband, Lucien? Has he come to visit you or anything?"
At the mention of Lucien's name, Ethan's face fell like a wounded puppy.
The light in his eyes dimmed instantly, and Aaron could almost hear the crack in Ethan's heart.
It was like something inside him had broken, and Aaron's sharp eyes couldn't miss the pain that flared across Ethan's face.
Seeing Ethan's heart break was like feeling his own heart shatter. Aaron watched as Ethan's eyes grew glossy with unshed tears, and for a moment,
all Aaron wanted to do was fix everything, to make Ethan smile again. He couldn't stand seeing the sadness in those soft brown eyes.
Without hesitation, Aaron shifted his cup aside and moved closer to Ethan, his movements gentle but determined.
The couch creaked under his weight as he bounced a little, but none of that mattered as he reached out and wrapped his arms around Ethan.
It was a slow, tender hug...his arms around Ethan, his hand gently rubbing his back in a rhythmic motion, tapping it softly back and forth
. There was no need for words, only the silence of comfort that filled the space between them.
Aaron ruffled Ethan's hair, his voice low and soothing. "Honey, stop crying. You're strong, you know? A strong seniripsshouldn't cry so easily."
But Aaron's attempt at comforting might have been too much or too little because the moment those words left his lips,
Ethan broke down even harder.
His quiet sobs turned into something more primal,
more heart-wrenching, like the soft cries of a newborn puppy trying to woof for the first time. "Woof, woof, woof," his tiny cries came, and it was enough to make anyone's heart break all over again.
Aaron's heart was breaking piece by piece, like shards of ice crashing onto the cold ground.
He never could stand seeing Ethan cry, and now, with Ethan in his arms, his sobs shaking his small frame,
Aaron felt his anger boiling. Frustration and pain swirled together inside him, all for the boy he held so dearly.
A dark thought crossed his mind, almost like a tiny voice telling him something he couldn't ignore. 'If I ever find Lucien,' Aaron thought,
'I'm going to destroy him for hurting Ethan like this. How could he be so cruel to such a sweet soul?
How could he leave someone as precious as Ethan for someone else? Is that woman more beautiful than Ethan?
Is she cuter? What does she have that Ethan doesn't? She must've done some voodoo.
No, wait...there's no voodoo in this world. But magic… magic exists, doesn't it?'
Aaron shook his head, trying to dispel the crazy thoughts.
Magic or no magic, the pain that Ethan was feeling wasn't something that should be ignored. Aaron's focus was on Ethan and Ethan alone. He wouldn't let him suffer like this anymore.
---
Aaron held Ethan tighter, his grip firm but not harmful..comforting. He didn't speak, knowing that sometimes words weren't enough to heal a wound.
Instead, he let Ethan cry, offering the warmth of his embrace as the only comfort he could provide.
Slowly, after what felt like an eternity, Ethan's sobs quieted. His body relaxed against Aaron's, exhausted from all the emotions that had come flooding out.
"Ethan," Aaron whispered, pulling back just enough to look into Ethan's tear-streaked face. "You don't deserve this, you know that, right? You're stronger than this. Lucien doesn't define your worth."
Ethan nodded weakly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
He didn't have the strength to argue, and deep down, he knew Aaron was right. But it was hard to shake the pain, the heartbreak that came...