Chapter 13 - Thank You
by CameoLover93
W R I T T E N BY C A M E O L O V E R 93
13. Thank You
Hours Later...
If death was an emotion that one could feel, Aiden was definitely experiencing it right now.
His body ached, his stomach was in knots, and he currently had one of the worst migraines ever. He felt like shit. No, scratch that, he felt worse
than shit and there was no one to place the blame on for him winding up like this but himself.
He knew he fucked up, royally. But this time, his recklessness had almost cost him his life.
He let his emotions get the better of him tonight. He was weak and vulnerable and he's been that way ever since he came to the realization that the feelings in which he secretly harbored for his bodyguard weren't temporary, but permanent.
And that's what scared him the most.
That's what led him down this path of destruction - his fear of the unknown and unfamiliar. Aiden has stayed in that dark place for far too long now and, ironically, the one person who drove him to that dark place was the same person that somehow managed to bring him out of it and ultimately save his life - Julian McAndrew.
Am I dead? Everything was a blur for Aiden when he finally opened his eyes, welcoming in the bright lights from the hospital room in which he was in. Looking around, he saw that he was hooked up to various monitors, and before he could pull at any of the cords lying across his body, a hand stopped him.
"What's going on here?" Aiden asked nervously. "What happened to me?"
"Alcohol poisoning." Julian came into view. "Lucky for you, the press thinks you had an allergic reaction to the sushi that was being served. Kyle came up with that story, by the way."
"Oh, yeah? Well, fuck Kyle! None of this would have happened had he not forced me to attend that stupid event. This is all his damn fault, I oughta kick his--" Aiden tried to sit up in bed, but he was too lethargic. "Ah, shit. I feel like I've been hit by a bus."
"Take it easy, Grayson." Julian glared at his incapacitated boss with pity. "And don't kid yourself. We all know whose fault this really is."
"What?" Aiden snapped.
"If you want to heal, mentally and emotionally, you need to stop pointing the finger at others and take some of the blame for yourself," Julian said. "You need to grow up and stop screwing around, stop lashing out all the damn time. Stop trying to run away from your problems and just face them head on."
As Aiden processed Julian's words, the two men stared at each other in silence. And while the seconds slowly passed by, Aiden contemplated on what his next move should be in regard to his temptingly handsome bodyguard. He didn't know whether he wanted to act out with his heart or think rationally with his head...the one on his shoulders, to be more specific.
And Julian couldn't help but feel the exact same way.
However, he didn't want to step out of line and do something that he'd later regret, but at the same time...Aiden's green eyes, although they were a little bloodshot, they were still as mesmerizing as ever...
he was still as mesmerizing as ever.
Julian wanted desperately to reach over and stroke Aiden's face, he wanted to console him, hold him; he wanted to take all of Aiden's pain away but he knew that by making a move on his boss, especially with the frazzled state he's in now, would probably be too much for Aiden to bear.
"Look, Julian, I-" Aiden's words were cut off by his family barging into the room.
Thomas, Lydia, and Kyle quickly surrounded his bed, forcing Julian to step off to the side like he didn't even belong here.
"Nobody freak out, please. I'm alright," Aiden informed them.
"Thank God!" Lydia sighed in relief. "Julian called and told us what happened and we came over as quickly as we could. Traffic was horrendous, though. Otherwise, we'd have been here earlier." Aiden's mother coddled him, while his father stared at him with an impassive look on his face. "Oh, my sweet, sweet boy. How are you feeling?"
"I'm better. I just had a little too much to drink. I'll be good in no time. Please, don't worry about me. I'm going to be okay." Aiden kissed his mother's hand while she gave him a look-over. "Really, I'm going to be alright. It's no big deal."
"Alcohol poisoning is a big deal," Thomas said stiffly. "You had a seizure, for Christ's sake! You could've died had Julian not been there to call for help. We all could have lost you tonight, son. I could have lost you, forever. So don't you dare write this off as being no big deal."
Aiden's heart monitor began to beep rapidly as his pulse accelerated. Thomas was never the type to be this sentimental, at least not towards Aiden. Moments like these were rare for them, and Aiden didn't take it lightly when he made eye contact with his father and smiled. Although their words went unspoken, the two undoubtedly had love for one another, despite all their differences.
"I'm so sorry, Aiden," Kyle spoke. "This is all my fault. I don't know what I was thinking when I sent you out there. I should never have..."
Aiden raised a hand, cutting him off. "This isn't your fault, Kyle. It's mine. I'm here because of me, not because of you. So don't beat yourself up about it. I'm not upset with you."
Aiden took a quick glance over at Julian who'd been standing quietly in the corner of the room. He was smiling because Aiden was actually taking his advice. Aiden was being the bigger man; he was owning up to all of his bullshit. He wasn't pointing the finger at anyone; rather, he was taking the blame, for once.
"And thanks for handling the press," Aiden said to his brother. "I'm sure they bought your sushi story."
Kyle laughed. "It was a last minute thing. I tried my best."
"Where's the doctor?" Lydia asked Julian. "Has he said when Aiden can go home?"
"It won't be for another twenty-four hours. They want to keep an eye on him, monitor his vitals and also nurse him back to health," Julian replied. "In the meantime, you all can go back to his place for the night. And while you're there, you can clean out his bar because he won't need anything in it anymore."
"Like hell I won't!" Aiden started to protest.
"Settle down, Aiden James! You're in this hospital bed because of alcohol and your compulsive ass drinking. Now be rational for a second, and let what just happened to you sink in," Thomas spoke in a stern tone. "Can't you see that you're better off without that poison? I know that I'm not the only one here that thinks it's time you make a change, son. It's time you better yourself. It's time to give up alcohol. For us, your family, but more importantly, for you."
"Get out," Aiden muttered through clenched teeth, feeling restless and extremely agitated. "Everybody, out now! I want to be alone."
No one said another word as his parents and Kyle speedily shuffled out of the room. Julian was on his way out as well until Aiden stopped him.
"Not you, McAndrew," Aiden called out. "You stay."
After Aiden's family left, Julian shut the door to the room and returned to his boss' bedside. He didn't try to hide the smirk on his face as he stared at Aiden because he expected this type of reaction from him.
Julian knew that Aiden would blow up over the idea of all his precious liquor being taken away.
But it was for the best and he knew that; so did Aiden, in a way. And that's why Julian refused to sit back and watch Aiden kill himself with booze. He knew Aiden was better than that and he'd no longer tolerate him running to the bottle every time something didn't go his way.
"I'm only doing this for your own good," Julian smirked. "I know you'll thank me later when you come to your senses and your head is clear."
"My head is clear right now." Aiden, in using what little strength he had left, reached up and grabbed Julian by the collar of his shirt, bringing him in close to where they were face to face. "I've wanted to do this for a while now," Aiden whispered against Julian's lips just before kissing him, passionately.
This kiss was as electric as the first one they shared.
Everything about it felt so right and so wrong at the same time; however, it needed to be done and Aiden was glad that he finally got the courage to do it. Aiden needed to face his fear of the unknown, he needed to take a risk and just...go for it.
It was time for him to be real with himself. He needed to embrace all the feelings that he felt towards Julian rather than cower away from them and, moreover, he needed for this moment to have happened again because it was the only thing that made any sense to him right now.
It was the only thing that managed to bring him any real peace of mind.
"Thank you," Aiden said breathlessly after he pulled away from Julian.
"For saving me, for looking out for me. I know that you were just doing your job, but I'm grateful that you were there when I needed somebody. And I get how weird and confusing things are for us right now, mostly for me, but I—"
"You're welcome," Julian cut Aiden off, staring into his dazzling green eyes as he leaned forward to give him another quick peck on the lips. "I get what you're trying to say and I'm telling you now that you don't have to explain yourself to me. All that I want you to do is to get yourself some rest. We can talk about whatever we need to talk about later when you're feeling better." Julian backed away from the bed and started to head for the door, feeling for desperate for some fresh air. "I'll come back and check up on you later."
Aiden remained quiet as he watched Julian leave in a hurry. He felt a mixture of contentment and more confusion after having just had his mind blown by his bodyguard for the second time.
Maybe I can do this, Aiden thought to himself, smiling. Maybe we can do this...
a/n: our stubborn baby has seen the light!
I love them so much lol
by CameoLover93
W R I T T E N BY C A M E O L O V E R 93
13. Thank You
Hours Later...
If death was an emotion that one could feel, Aiden was definitely experiencing it right now.
His body ached, his stomach was in knots, and he currently had one of the worst migraines ever. He felt like shit. No, scratch that, he felt worse
than shit and there was no one to place the blame on for him winding up like this but himself.
He knew he fucked up, royally. But this time, his recklessness had almost cost him his life.
He let his emotions get the better of him tonight. He was weak and vulnerable and he's been that way ever since he came to the realization that the feelings in which he secretly harbored for his bodyguard weren't temporary, but permanent.
And that's what scared him the most.
That's what led him down this path of destruction - his fear of the unknown and unfamiliar. Aiden has stayed in that dark place for far too long now and, ironically, the one person who drove him to that dark place was the same person that somehow managed to bring him out of it and ultimately save his life - Julian McAndrew.
Am I dead? Everything was a blur for Aiden when he finally opened his eyes, welcoming in the bright lights from the hospital room in which he was in. Looking around, he saw that he was hooked up to various monitors, and before he could pull at any of the cords lying across his body, a hand stopped him.
"What's going on here?" Aiden asked nervously. "What happened to me?"
"Alcohol poisoning." Julian came into view. "Lucky for you, the press thinks you had an allergic reaction to the sushi that was being served. Kyle came up with that story, by the way."
"Oh, yeah? Well, fuck Kyle! None of this would have happened had he not forced me to attend that stupid event. This is all his damn fault, I oughta kick his--" Aiden tried to sit up in bed, but he was too lethargic. "Ah, shit. I feel like I've been hit by a bus."
"Take it easy, Grayson." Julian glared at his incapacitated boss with pity. "And don't kid yourself. We all know whose fault this really is."
"What?" Aiden snapped.
"If you want to heal, mentally and emotionally, you need to stop pointing the finger at others and take some of the blame for yourself," Julian said. "You need to grow up and stop screwing around, stop lashing out all the damn time. Stop trying to run away from your problems and just face them head on."
As Aiden processed Julian's words, the two men stared at each other in silence. And while the seconds slowly passed by, Aiden contemplated on what his next move should be in regard to his temptingly handsome bodyguard. He didn't know whether he wanted to act out with his heart or think rationally with his head...the one on his shoulders, to be more specific.
And Julian couldn't help but feel the exact same way.
However, he didn't want to step out of line and do something that he'd later regret, but at the same time...Aiden's green eyes, although they were a little bloodshot, they were still as mesmerizing as ever...
he was still as mesmerizing as ever.
Julian wanted desperately to reach over and stroke Aiden's face, he wanted to console him, hold him; he wanted to take all of Aiden's pain away but he knew that by making a move on his boss, especially with the frazzled state he's in now, would probably be too much for Aiden to bear.
"Look, Julian, I-" Aiden's words were cut off by his family barging into the room.
Thomas, Lydia, and Kyle quickly surrounded his bed, forcing Julian to step off to the side like he didn't even belong here.
"Nobody freak out, please. I'm alright," Aiden informed them.
"Thank God!" Lydia sighed in relief. "Julian called and told us what happened and we came over as quickly as we could. Traffic was horrendous, though. Otherwise, we'd have been here earlier." Aiden's mother coddled him, while his father stared at him with an impassive look on his face. "Oh, my sweet, sweet boy. How are you feeling?"
"I'm better. I just had a little too much to drink. I'll be good in no time. Please, don't worry about me. I'm going to be okay." Aiden kissed his mother's hand while she gave him a look-over. "Really, I'm going to be alright. It's no big deal."
"Alcohol poisoning is a big deal," Thomas said stiffly. "You had a seizure, for Christ's sake! You could've died had Julian not been there to call for help. We all could have lost you tonight, son. I could have lost you, forever. So don't you dare write this off as being no big deal."
Aiden's heart monitor began to beep rapidly as his pulse accelerated. Thomas was never the type to be this sentimental, at least not towards Aiden. Moments like these were rare for them, and Aiden didn't take it lightly when he made eye contact with his father and smiled. Although their words went unspoken, the two undoubtedly had love for one another, despite all their differences.
"I'm so sorry, Aiden," Kyle spoke. "This is all my fault. I don't know what I was thinking when I sent you out there. I should never have..."
Aiden raised a hand, cutting him off. "This isn't your fault, Kyle. It's mine. I'm here because of me, not because of you. So don't beat yourself up about it. I'm not upset with you."
Aiden took a quick glance over at Julian who'd been standing quietly in the corner of the room. He was smiling because Aiden was actually taking his advice. Aiden was being the bigger man; he was owning up to all of his bullshit. He wasn't pointing the finger at anyone; rather, he was taking the blame, for once.
"And thanks for handling the press," Aiden said to his brother. "I'm sure they bought your sushi story."
Kyle laughed. "It was a last minute thing. I tried my best."
"Where's the doctor?" Lydia asked Julian. "Has he said when Aiden can go home?"
"It won't be for another twenty-four hours. They want to keep an eye on him, monitor his vitals and also nurse him back to health," Julian replied. "In the meantime, you all can go back to his place for the night. And while you're there, you can clean out his bar because he won't need anything in it anymore."
"Like hell I won't!" Aiden started to protest.
"Settle down, Aiden James! You're in this hospital bed because of alcohol and your compulsive ass drinking. Now be rational for a second, and let what just happened to you sink in," Thomas spoke in a stern tone. "Can't you see that you're better off without that poison? I know that I'm not the only one here that thinks it's time you make a change, son. It's time you better yourself. It's time to give up alcohol. For us, your family, but more importantly, for you."
"Get out," Aiden muttered through clenched teeth, feeling restless and extremely agitated. "Everybody, out now! I want to be alone."
No one said another word as his parents and Kyle speedily shuffled out of the room. Julian was on his way out as well until Aiden stopped him.
"Not you, McAndrew," Aiden called out. "You stay."
After Aiden's family left, Julian shut the door to the room and returned to his boss' bedside. He didn't try to hide the smirk on his face as he stared at Aiden because he expected this type of reaction from him.
Julian knew that Aiden would blow up over the idea of all his precious liquor being taken away.
But it was for the best and he knew that; so did Aiden, in a way. And that's why Julian refused to sit back and watch Aiden kill himself with booze. He knew Aiden was better than that and he'd no longer tolerate him running to the bottle every time something didn't go his way.
"I'm only doing this for your own good," Julian smirked. "I know you'll thank me later when you come to your senses and your head is clear."
"My head is clear right now." Aiden, in using what little strength he had left, reached up and grabbed Julian by the collar of his shirt, bringing him in close to where they were face to face. "I've wanted to do this for a while now," Aiden whispered against Julian's lips just before kissing him, passionately.
This kiss was as electric as the first one they shared.
Everything about it felt so right and so wrong at the same time; however, it needed to be done and Aiden was glad that he finally got the courage to do it. Aiden needed to face his fear of the unknown, he needed to take a risk and just...go for it.
It was time for him to be real with himself. He needed to embrace all the feelings that he felt towards Julian rather than cower away from them and, moreover, he needed for this moment to have happened again because it was the only thing that made any sense to him right now.
It was the only thing that managed to bring him any real peace of mind.
"Thank you," Aiden said breathlessly after he pulled away from Julian.
"For saving me, for looking out for me. I know that you were just doing your job, but I'm grateful that you were there when I needed somebody. And I get how weird and confusing things are for us right now, mostly for me, but I—"
"You're welcome," Julian cut Aiden off, staring into his dazzling green eyes as he leaned forward to give him another quick peck on the lips. "I get what you're trying to say and I'm telling you now that you don't have to explain yourself to me. All that I want you to do is to get yourself some rest. We can talk about whatever we need to talk about later when you're feeling better." Julian backed away from the bed and started to head for the door, feeling for desperate for some fresh air. "I'll come back and check up on you later."
Aiden remained quiet as he watched Julian leave in a hurry. He felt a mixture of contentment and more confusion after having just had his mind blown by his bodyguard for the second time.
Maybe I can do this, Aiden thought to himself, smiling. Maybe we can do this...
a/n: our stubborn baby has seen the light!
I love them so much lol
Hey I've started reading the bodyguard by cameolover93 and I can only see 22 chapters did you update the rest
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