Chapter 8 - Who Are You?
by CameoLover93
W R I T T E N BY C A M E O L O V E R 93
08. WHO ARE YOU?
The Next Day
As soon as Aiden woke from the long and tireless night that he spent with three random women, he wasted no time in calling the beautiful ladies a cab to send them all on their merry way home. The women didn't protest about being kicked out because they knew exactly who Aiden Grayson was, so they hadn't expected much from him except for a fun night.
"Damn, that was a crazy night," Aiden muttered as he got up from his king-sized bed to stretch out his stiff muscles.
He searched the floor for something to put on and eventually came across his black boxer briefs. He then walked over and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand. He entered in his password and began to scroll through the endless amount of texts and emails that he received during the last twenty-four hours.
"Well, it's about damn time," Aiden exclaimed with a little too much excitement when he came across an email from his brother.
Kyle had finally sent Aiden the background check that he'd done on Julian, per Aiden's request. Scrolling through the document, Aiden quickly found himself feeling thoroughly disappointed because Kyle had only delivered him the basics and was unable to find not one interesting thing about Aiden's mysterious bodyguard.
"Who doesn't have a middle name?" Aiden sighed in frustration. "Damn, just who in the hell is this guy?"
It'd appear that whatever it was that Aiden wanted to know about Julian McAndrew, he'd have to man-up and actually talk to the guy and get to know him on a more personal level to truly find out who he really is.
"I see you sent the trio scurrying home bright and early this morning." Julian smiled at Aiden after he entered the kitchen. He forgot to throw on some more clothes after the smell of bacon and sausage hit him from upstairs. "I'm actually glad that they're gone because I only made breakfast for two, so I hope you're hungry."
"Yeah, starving." Aiden went over to one of the cupboards to grab a glass so that he could pour himself some orange juice, but as he stood before the refrigerator, he stalled. "Um, would you like something to drink?" Aiden asked his bodyguard.
"Yes, please," Julian smiled. "Thank you."
Aiden nodded and fetched Julian a glass, fixing them both something to drink. If he wanted to learn more about Julian McAndrew and who he really was, Aiden couldn't come off as a dick.
"It'd appear that I'm a little overdressed for breakfast," Julian teased, eyeing Aiden heavily. He couldn't help but notice that his boss had been working with quite a large package in between his legs. For once, Julian actually had to tear his eyes away from Aiden as a few inappropriate thoughts popped into his head. "Have you forgotten already that you had someone else living in the house with you?"
Aiden flushed, having not been paying much attention to Julian's wandering eyes as he grabbed their glasses and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"My brain is still waking up, so I forgot to throw on some more clothes," Aiden said. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I can leave and throw on something"
"It's no problem, Grayson. This is your house, so by all means, wear whatever you want," Julian replied, later changing the subject. "For you to have been up all night with your little fan club, and thanks for all the noise, by the way, you look very well rested today. If I'm being honest, you look much better than what you did yesterday."
"It's only because I'm sober," Aiden muttered. "Sorry about last night. The girls didn't look like they'd be screamers."
Neither did you, but last night told a completely different story, Julian thought to himself while trying to suppress a laugh.
"I see you worked up an appetite," Julian smirked as he piled on eggs, bacon, sausage, and buttered toast onto two plates for him and Aiden. He took a seat at the opposite end of the kitchen table and watched as his boss dug in.
"Yeah, something like that," Aiden replied with a mouth full of food. So much for him being mannerly. "This is delicious, man. It's been a while since I've had...well, anything other than takeout and fast food."
That was a depressing revelation to both Aiden and Julian.
"What else can you cook?" Aiden asked.
"Let's just say that I know my way around a kitchen," Julian answered, not wanting to sound too arrogant. "I'm by no means a professional, though. So don't ask me to make you something like filet mignon."
Christ, look at him! He's eating like he's starved to death, Julian thought. I guess it's a good thing that I stocked up the fridge the other day or else we wouldn't even be having this meal right now.
"It's only bacon, sausage, and eggs; typical breakfast food," Julian said. "Anyone can whip this up."
"Not me, I'm afraid. I'm actually a really shitty cook." Aiden blushed, unsure of why he was even admitting all this to Julian. "I've only mastered boiling water, that's about as far as my culinary skills go."
"Are you saying that you don't even know how to scramble an egg?" Julian asked in disbelief. Aiden nodded in response. "Yet somehow you manage to run a billion-dollar business without running it into the ground. Wow, you're something else, Grayson."
"I've survived off take out, microwavable dinners, junk food, and of course, booze." Aiden laughed, later finishing all the food on his plate. "I think I get by all right."
"Is that so? Because none of what you just listed sounds even remotely healthy." Julian chuckled. "Have you ever eaten a vegetable before? Have you ever once tried a salad?"
"Please, don't make me gag, McAndrew," Aiden laughed. Once the two were done eating, he cleared the table and then went to place his and Julian's plates into the dishwasher. "Look, I know that Thomas is in charge of paying you, so has he ever spoken to you about taking any personal time off?"
Julian shook his head. "I'm required to stay by your side at all times until we catch your blackmailer. You know this."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you literally have to become my second shadow. I mean, what about wanting to go and visit with your friends or family?" Aiden said, trying to steer the conversation in a specific direction. "I don't want to get in the way of all that."
"You won't because my family lives out of state, and so do my friends, so neither will be a problem for me. You have my undivided attention," Julian replied, and it didn't take long for him to catch on to what his boss was trying to do - get him to open up. "Is there something specific that you want to ask me, Grayson?"
"It depends, what do you feel like telling me?" Aiden crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter, gazing at Julian. "I just want to know who I'm living with because when I ran a thorough background report on you, I came up with nothing. Zilch. Nada. So, my question for you is - who are you , Julian? What's your story?"
Julian smirked at Aiden, having felt amused that his boss tried to dig up some dirt on him, or so he guessed.
"Well, I'm thirty-two-years-old and I've been in this business for a while," Julian said. "Before I became a professional bodyguard, I'd been a cop for about five years. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice which I received from The University of Kall. My parents are Howard and Belinda McAndrew, and I also have a sister named Becky. They all live in Lakeshore, California which is where I grew up until I moved down here at the age of twenty-five. And... that's pretty much it for me," Julian concluded. "So, is there anything else you'd like to know about me that I didn't already answer?"
Aiden shook his head, feeling silly.
He hadn't expected Julian to pour out his entire life story like that, despite the fact that he sort of asked for it. Aiden figured that Julian would've beaten around the bush, which is what he always does whenever Aiden mentions...
"So what's the deal with you and
Lance Joyner? That argument that you two had back in his office the other day looked pretty serious," Aiden said. "Care to explain why?"
"For you to be so observant it's almost comical at how clueless you can be at the same time," Julian laughed. "Lance is my ex-boyfriend, Grayson. I'm gay." Aiden's green eyes grew wide. He suspected that maybe Lance had a little sugar in his tank, but not Julian McAndrew; not his buff, tough, no bullshit having, sweet-faced bodyguard. "We were arguing because he was throwing around these wild accusations that I wasn't too fond of."
"A-accusations like what?" Aiden stammered.
"That you and I were a thing. Lance thought that we were dating." Julian looked Aiden in the eyes when he heard him gasp. The expression on Aiden's face was one of utter confusion. "Lance is a good man but he can be very, very jealous and territorial when it comes to me. When he saw us walk into his office together, I don't know why he thought what he did, but he assumed the wrong thing about us and it pissed me off when he brought it up to me and that's what we argued about, since you really want to know."
"Oh," Aiden mumbled, his head filled with about a hundred more questions for Julian, but he was way too shaken up to actually ask any of them.
"This isn't going to be a problem for you, is it?" Julian asked in a serious tone. "Me being gay? Should I go pack up my things now or...?"
"What? N-no, not at all! I'm no bigot, Julian. I don't care who you go out with. I'm just..." Aiden paused, uncertain of what to say next. "I don't know, you just don't look like that type of guy. I'm really sorry if that sounds close-minded, but I just can't think of any other way to say it."
"You can't let stereotypes mess with you, Grayson. I'm not sure what your perception of gay men is, but I'm one hundred percent homosexual, despite me not 'looking' the part." Julian relaxed a little in his seat once he knew that his job wasn't at stake.
"I know," Aiden whispered, feeling completely mortified. "Sorry if I offended you."
"Look, I really don't want things to be weird between us now that you know that I'm gay," Julian said. "And I just want you to know that you don't have anything to worry about with me. I'm a professional and I take my job very seriously. I'll never try and cross that line with you..." Julian paused, almost too afraid to continue on because a part of him knew that his next statement wasn't quite true. "Because you're not exactly my type."
"I'm not?" Aiden blinked wildly, sounding shocked to hear this news.
"Not at all." Julian gave his boss an apologetic smile. "No offense."
"So, what is your type?" Aiden asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, I like someone that's independent, athletic, and a little daring. I like someone that knows how to take care of themselves, and having a sense of humor is always a plus. I'm interested in men that know how and when to be playful and serious... Honestly, I can go on and on with this." Julian turned red and broke off eye contact from Aiden for split second.
This was weird for him, how casual they were being with one another because he had never talked this openly with an employer before. Not when it came to his personal life, let alone the kind of men he liked to date.
"I can be very picky when I want to be and that's probably why I'm single right now," Julian said.
"With high expectations like that you're never going to find the one," Aiden blurted out, thinking aloud.
"Says the man who'll fuck anything with a vagina," Julian shot back, smiling.
"Damn, you got me there," Aiden laughed and finally took his seat at the table.
"You know, this is really" Julian was cut off by his cell phone ringing. He hurriedly retrieved it from his pocket and saw that it wasn't a call, but was instead a text from Lance. "Holy shit, Lance found a match with the fingerprints from that letter!"
Aiden's pulse accelerated within seconds. "Who is she?"
Julian turned his phone around to show Aiden a pretty blue-eyed red head and below her picture was some of her personal information.
Julian read it aloud, "Clarissa Bollinger: address 344 Marley Street." Abruptly, Julian shot up from the table and placed his phone back into his pocket, feeling ready for action. "Hurry up and get dressed. We're going to go and pay Ms. Bollinger a visit."
Aiden left the kitchen and darted up the stairs in behind Julian, feeling like a migraine was coming on. Just like she'd said in one of her letters to Aiden, now that he finally knew her identity, he still had absolutely no clue for as to who she was, how they met, when they met, or even where they met.
Her name, as well as her picture, didn't ring a damn bell for Aiden. And so, it seemed like he'd just taken one step forward to only move five steps back.
a/n: ACTION INCOMING! D:
by CameoLover93
W R I T T E N BY C A M E O L O V E R 93
08. WHO ARE YOU?
The Next Day
As soon as Aiden woke from the long and tireless night that he spent with three random women, he wasted no time in calling the beautiful ladies a cab to send them all on their merry way home. The women didn't protest about being kicked out because they knew exactly who Aiden Grayson was, so they hadn't expected much from him except for a fun night.
"Damn, that was a crazy night," Aiden muttered as he got up from his king-sized bed to stretch out his stiff muscles.
He searched the floor for something to put on and eventually came across his black boxer briefs. He then walked over and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand. He entered in his password and began to scroll through the endless amount of texts and emails that he received during the last twenty-four hours.
"Well, it's about damn time," Aiden exclaimed with a little too much excitement when he came across an email from his brother.
Kyle had finally sent Aiden the background check that he'd done on Julian, per Aiden's request. Scrolling through the document, Aiden quickly found himself feeling thoroughly disappointed because Kyle had only delivered him the basics and was unable to find not one interesting thing about Aiden's mysterious bodyguard.
"Who doesn't have a middle name?" Aiden sighed in frustration. "Damn, just who in the hell is this guy?"
It'd appear that whatever it was that Aiden wanted to know about Julian McAndrew, he'd have to man-up and actually talk to the guy and get to know him on a more personal level to truly find out who he really is.
"I see you sent the trio scurrying home bright and early this morning." Julian smiled at Aiden after he entered the kitchen. He forgot to throw on some more clothes after the smell of bacon and sausage hit him from upstairs. "I'm actually glad that they're gone because I only made breakfast for two, so I hope you're hungry."
"Yeah, starving." Aiden went over to one of the cupboards to grab a glass so that he could pour himself some orange juice, but as he stood before the refrigerator, he stalled. "Um, would you like something to drink?" Aiden asked his bodyguard.
"Yes, please," Julian smiled. "Thank you."
Aiden nodded and fetched Julian a glass, fixing them both something to drink. If he wanted to learn more about Julian McAndrew and who he really was, Aiden couldn't come off as a dick.
"It'd appear that I'm a little overdressed for breakfast," Julian teased, eyeing Aiden heavily. He couldn't help but notice that his boss had been working with quite a large package in between his legs. For once, Julian actually had to tear his eyes away from Aiden as a few inappropriate thoughts popped into his head. "Have you forgotten already that you had someone else living in the house with you?"
Aiden flushed, having not been paying much attention to Julian's wandering eyes as he grabbed their glasses and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"My brain is still waking up, so I forgot to throw on some more clothes," Aiden said. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I can leave and throw on something
"It's no problem, Grayson. This is your house, so by all means, wear whatever you want," Julian replied, later changing the subject. "For you to have been up all night with your little fan club, and thanks for all the noise, by the way, you look very well rested today. If I'm being honest, you look much better than what you did yesterday."
"It's only because I'm sober," Aiden muttered. "Sorry about last night. The girls didn't look like they'd be screamers."
Neither did you, but last night told a completely different story, Julian thought to himself while trying to suppress a laugh.
"I see you worked up an appetite," Julian smirked as he piled on eggs, bacon, sausage, and buttered toast onto two plates for him and Aiden. He took a seat at the opposite end of the kitchen table and watched as his boss dug in.
"Yeah, something like that," Aiden replied with a mouth full of food. So much for him being mannerly. "This is delicious, man. It's been a while since I've had...well, anything other than takeout and fast food."
That was a depressing revelation to both Aiden and Julian.
"What else can you cook?" Aiden asked.
"Let's just say that I know my way around a kitchen," Julian answered, not wanting to sound too arrogant. "I'm by no means a professional, though. So don't ask me to make you something like filet mignon."
Christ, look at him! He's eating like he's starved to death, Julian thought. I guess it's a good thing that I stocked up the fridge the other day or else we wouldn't even be having this meal right now.
"It's only bacon, sausage, and eggs; typical breakfast food," Julian said. "Anyone can whip this up."
"Not me, I'm afraid. I'm actually a really shitty cook." Aiden blushed, unsure of why he was even admitting all this to Julian. "I've only mastered boiling water, that's about as far as my culinary skills go."
"Are you saying that you don't even know how to scramble an egg?" Julian asked in disbelief. Aiden nodded in response. "Yet somehow you manage to run a billion-dollar business without running it into the ground. Wow, you're something else, Grayson."
"I've survived off take out, microwavable dinners, junk food, and of course, booze." Aiden laughed, later finishing all the food on his plate. "I think I get by all right."
"Is that so? Because none of what you just listed sounds even remotely healthy." Julian chuckled. "Have you ever eaten a vegetable before? Have you ever once tried a salad?"
"Please, don't make me gag, McAndrew," Aiden laughed. Once the two were done eating, he cleared the table and then went to place his and Julian's plates into the dishwasher. "Look, I know that Thomas is in charge of paying you, so has he ever spoken to you about taking any personal time off?"
Julian shook his head. "I'm required to stay by your side at all times until we catch your blackmailer. You know this."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you literally have to become my second shadow. I mean, what about wanting to go and visit with your friends or family?" Aiden said, trying to steer the conversation in a specific direction. "I don't want to get in the way of all that."
"You won't because my family lives out of state, and so do my friends, so neither will be a problem for me. You have my undivided attention," Julian replied, and it didn't take long for him to catch on to what his boss was trying to do - get him to open up. "Is there something specific that you want to ask me, Grayson?"
"It depends, what do you feel like telling me?" Aiden crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter, gazing at Julian. "I just want to know who I'm living with because when I ran a thorough background report on you, I came up with nothing. Zilch. Nada. So, my question for you is - who are you , Julian? What's your story?"
Julian smirked at Aiden, having felt amused that his boss tried to dig up some dirt on him, or so he guessed.
"Well, I'm thirty-two-years-old and I've been in this business for a while," Julian said. "Before I became a professional bodyguard, I'd been a cop for about five years. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice which I received from The University of Kall. My parents are Howard and Belinda McAndrew, and I also have a sister named Becky. They all live in Lakeshore, California which is where I grew up until I moved down here at the age of twenty-five. And... that's pretty much it for me," Julian concluded. "So, is there anything else you'd like to know about me that I didn't already answer?"
Aiden shook his head, feeling silly.
He hadn't expected Julian to pour out his entire life story like that, despite the fact that he sort of asked for it. Aiden figured that Julian would've beaten around the bush, which is what he always does whenever Aiden mentions...
"So what's the deal with you and
Lance Joyner? That argument that you two had back in his office the other day looked pretty serious," Aiden said. "Care to explain why?"
"For you to be so observant it's almost comical at how clueless you can be at the same time," Julian laughed. "Lance is my ex-boyfriend, Grayson. I'm gay." Aiden's green eyes grew wide. He suspected that maybe Lance had a little sugar in his tank, but not Julian McAndrew; not his buff, tough, no bullshit having, sweet-faced bodyguard. "We were arguing because he was throwing around these wild accusations that I wasn't too fond of."
"A-accusations like what?" Aiden stammered.
"That you and I were a thing. Lance thought that we were dating." Julian looked Aiden in the eyes when he heard him gasp. The expression on Aiden's face was one of utter confusion. "Lance is a good man but he can be very, very jealous and territorial when it comes to me. When he saw us walk into his office together, I don't know why he thought what he did, but he assumed the wrong thing about us and it pissed me off when he brought it up to me and that's what we argued about, since you really want to know."
"Oh," Aiden mumbled, his head filled with about a hundred more questions for Julian, but he was way too shaken up to actually ask any of them.
"This isn't going to be a problem for you, is it?" Julian asked in a serious tone. "Me being gay? Should I go pack up my things now or...?"
"What? N-no, not at all! I'm no bigot, Julian. I don't care who you go out with. I'm just..." Aiden paused, uncertain of what to say next. "I don't know, you just don't look like that type of guy. I'm really sorry if that sounds close-minded, but I just can't think of any other way to say it."
"You can't let stereotypes mess with you, Grayson. I'm not sure what your perception of gay men is, but I'm one hundred percent homosexual, despite me not 'looking' the part." Julian relaxed a little in his seat once he knew that his job wasn't at stake.
"I know," Aiden whispered, feeling completely mortified. "Sorry if I offended you."
"Look, I really don't want things to be weird between us now that you know that I'm gay," Julian said. "And I just want you to know that you don't have anything to worry about with me. I'm a professional and I take my job very seriously. I'll never try and cross that line with you..." Julian paused, almost too afraid to continue on because a part of him knew that his next statement wasn't quite true. "Because you're not exactly my type."
"I'm not?" Aiden blinked wildly, sounding shocked to hear this news.
"Not at all." Julian gave his boss an apologetic smile. "No offense."
"So, what is your type?" Aiden asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, I like someone that's independent, athletic, and a little daring. I like someone that knows how to take care of themselves, and having a sense of humor is always a plus. I'm interested in men that know how and when to be playful and serious... Honestly, I can go on and on with this." Julian turned red and broke off eye contact from Aiden for split second.
This was weird for him, how casual they were being with one another because he had never talked this openly with an employer before. Not when it came to his personal life, let alone the kind of men he liked to date.
"I can be very picky when I want to be and that's probably why I'm single right now," Julian said.
"With high expectations like that you're never going to find the one," Aiden blurted out, thinking aloud.
"Says the man who'll fuck anything with a vagina," Julian shot back, smiling.
"Damn, you got me there," Aiden laughed and finally took his seat at the table.
"You know, this is really
Aiden's pulse accelerated within seconds. "Who is she?"
Julian turned his phone around to show Aiden a pretty blue-eyed red head and below her picture was some of her personal information.
Julian read it aloud, "Clarissa Bollinger: address 344 Marley Street." Abruptly, Julian shot up from the table and placed his phone back into his pocket, feeling ready for action. "Hurry up and get dressed. We're going to go and pay Ms. Bollinger a visit."
Aiden left the kitchen and darted up the stairs in behind Julian, feeling like a migraine was coming on. Just like she'd said in one of her letters to Aiden, now that he finally knew her identity, he still had absolutely no clue for as to who she was, how they met, when they met, or even where they met.
Her name, as well as her picture, didn't ring a damn bell for Aiden. And so, it seemed like he'd just taken one step forward to only move five steps back.
a/n: ACTION INCOMING! D:
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