Beautifully Complicated (Front Range University #4)

18. Aiden

Chapter eighteen

Aiden

JANUARY

T he mid-morning sun fills my room with light, which seems appropriate given the fact I’m waking up from the most perfect night of my life.

Well, maybe it’s a tie.

That first night with Kier was the previous title holder, and since I’ve yet to have better sex than I did in his hotel room, there’s a solid argument it should still be number one. But last night he told me he loved me, something I’ve never heard outside of my family, and that might take the cake.

Holy shit! Kier loves me. And he wants to start a business with me.

I feel like the princess in that Disney movie my niece watches, the one where the obscure commoner is plucked from the crowd by the handsome prince, minus the glow up from a fairy godmother.

My life is literally the stuff of movies right now. I mean, I’m the guy who’s always the friend, never the boyfriend, yet the AI community’s hottest gay bachelor wants to share his business and his bed with me ?

Who am I and what happened to the gay nerd that no one wanted to date?

Lifting my arms over my head I try to stretch out the morning stiffness only to realize I’m not stiff in the least. I’m not sure whether that’s a being in love thing or a no homework hanging over my head thing, but either way, I feel great.

I’d feel greater if there was a tall, dark and handsome man in bed next to me, but knowing he loves me makes up for being alone. For now.

The grumbling in my stomach tells me it’s probably closer to lunch than breakfast, so I put on some sweats and make my way downstairs for food. That’s where my good mood evaporates. Instead of an empty kitchen, I find Bennet sitting at the island, staring at me with the same frown he used to give Damien before they became boyfriends.

In their case it was a precursor to some love/hate chemistry, but I’m pretty sure in my case it’s closer to just hate. Or pent-up anger.

“Hey,” I say lamely.

“Where were you?”

“Happy New Year to you too.”

“Cut the cute shit, Aiden. That’s not like you. Where were you last night?”

“Why?”

Bennet ticks his jaw. “Why? Because you’re my best friend and I haven’t seen you in ages since all you do is work. Because last night was a holiday and there was a party at the frat we both belong to but you weren’t there. Because you don’t talk to me any more.”

He’s not pissed, he’s…worried?

“I was with a friend.” I open the fridge to grab some juice.

“What friend?”

“You don’t know him.”

“Now would be a good time to fix that. Who is it?”

“No one. Stop worrying.” I pour myself a glass and sit at the opposite end of the island, as far from Bennet as I can get, which only makes him scowl harder. I’m half convinced he’s about to snort smoke when his face abruptly softens, and he slumps forward.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Damien, but you know that was about the shit in my own head, not you, so why are you punishing me with your secrets?”

He thinks I’m… Oh boy.

“That’s not what I’m doing.” I shake my head to back my words up.

“Says the guy who won’t tell me the name of his friend.” Bennet crosses his arms in front of his chest.

“I’m not withholding his name in some sort of revenge plot, I’m protecting him. And me.”

“Hold up.” He lifts a hand in a stop motion. “This is about protection ? That’s what I’m for. Me and all your other roommates. You have a problem, we’ll fix it. Who’s giving you a hard time?”

“No one.”

“Who’s giving your friend a hard time then?”

“No one,” I insist. “I’m not in any trouble, Bennet. I promise.”

“Then what’s with all the secrecy and talk about protection?”

“I—” My jaw tries to form words, but none come out.

“Did I ruin our friendship by being secretive about Damien?” Bennet looks more distraught than I’ve ever seen him, and that includes after blowing his ACL and learning he might not play football again. I’ve always wondered if he was just putting on a brave face when he said he’d be okay if he never played again; now I can say for sure he wasn’t. But is he really that concerned about me ?

I guess he values our friendship more than I’ve given him credit for these past few months.

“You didn’t ruin our friendship. I’ve…” I take a fortifying breath. “I’ve kind of gotten involved with someone I’m not supposed to, and I haven’t said anything because it would look bad for both of us if people knew. Plus, I didn’t want to force anyone to keep that secret since it would put them in an awkward spot.”

Protecting my roommates isn’t something I thought about until this moment, but once the words are out, I realize how valid they are. Knowing about me and Kier would make my roommates complicit, and I don’t want to do that to them.

Bennet isn’t having it though.

“Isn’t it more awkward to keep secrets? I thought you would’ve figured that out after what happened when I did it.”

“What do you mean?”

He looks at me like I’ve grown another head. “You found out I didn’t tell you about Damien and suddenly you’ve got all these projects and shit and you’re never around. You were clearly avoiding me.”

Shit! If I tell him the truth about that he’ll beat himself up over not seeing that I had a major crush on him, and the awkward cycle will just continue. I don’t want to lie, but that might be the best option here. Or maybe I can just selectively tell the truth.

“I was a little hurt…” True . “And upset at myself for not catching on sooner.” Also true . “But I wasn’t just avoiding you, I was avoiding a house full of couples when I was the only single guy.” God is that true.

“We made you feel weird in your own house?” Bennet looks like he’s about to be sick.

“Not weird, just…single.” I shrug since I don’t know how to explain that any better. “But I’m not now, so don’t feel like you have to do anything different.”

“Yeah, back to that.” Bennet’s frown returns. “I’m not thrilled about this whole dating someone you shouldn’t thing. What does that even mean, anyway? Are there rival computer science programs? Or is this one of those things where he goes against everything you believe, like you say the Earth is round and he says it’s flat, and you’re trying to protect your reputation?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Well, is he a criminal? Old enough to be your dad? You don’t have a stepbrother, right?”

“No, eew—my dad’s seventy-five, and no, we don’t have any non-blood-related family ties.”

“Well, fuck Aiden. If it’s not any of those things I don’t see what the big deal is. The only other even remotely forbidden thing you could do is date a professor, and you’d never—” Bennet cuts himself off at the last second as realization sinks in. “The book guy?” He stares at me slack-jawed.

“Hmm?” I feign confusion even though I know my face is red enough to give me away.

“He’s your professor and your boss. The one you went to hear speak. Him?”

“Technically, he’s not my professor.”

“Technically, I’m not gay, but I’m still dating a man,” he fires right back.

“What’s your point?”

“No one will give a shit that’s not technically your professor.”

“Why do you think we’re keeping it a secret?” I throw my hands up.

“Okay, fair.” Bennet pinches the bridge of his nose like he’s fighting a headache. “How does something like that even happen anyway? He works at the school, is he just perving on the students?”

The glare I send Bennet’s way has him shrinking in his chair. “No, he isn’t perving on the students. We randomly met after his speech in Denver, hooked up before either of us knew he’d end up working here, and got the shock of our lives when I reported to his office and found him there.”

Bennet whistles in a way that sort of sounds like whew although it’s not in relief. More like dayum .

“Am I allowed to ask what the plan is here? I mean, I assume you wouldn’t risk fucking him if it’s not serious.”

“I’m not fucking him. Not currently.” If I thought Bennet looked shocked before that’s nothing compared to his expression now, jaw hanging to the floor as he just stares vacantly at me. “We’re together but not together while I’m his assistant.”

“So all the time you spend working you’re actually working ?”

“Mostly. Sometimes we just talk. He made me Thanksgiving dinner and we had a picnic at the computer lab. And I took him sledding last night since he lives in Colorado now and needed to get out in the snow.”

“I can’t decide if the together not together makes things more or less serious.” Bennet really does look like his head might explode. Secret fucking he gets, secret talking he doesn’t.

Actually, when I put it that way, I’m not sure I get it either. We’re just talking . Mostly. If we’re going to sneak around like we’re doing something wrong, maybe we should be doing something wrong.

“More serious. Definitely more,” I say, because otherwise, we’re abstaining for nothing. Not that our careers are nothing, but right about now I’m less concerned about that since he has a plan where we get to make our own rules.

“Yeah, I guess things would be pretty serious if you’re waiting for each other instead of breaking the rules. Although I’m still not clear on what rule you’d actually be breaking. If he’s not your teacher, I mean.”

I worry my lip while searching for the right words. “It’s more the perception of favoritism or special treatment people might assume I get if I’m dating an expert in the field I want to enter.”

“You’re dating who?”

I whip my head around just in time to see Damien strolling into the kitchen. He steps behind Bennet, nuzzles his neck until Bennet—smiling begrudgingly—shrugs to dislodge him, and chuckles as he grabs the protein powder and milk.

“Well?” Damien asks.

“It’ll stay in the house,” Bennet assures me.

“A guy who works at the university,” I tell him.

“His boss,” Bennet adds.

“The hottie from karaoke?” Damien halts mid-pour and almost spills the milk. “Nice.”

“How do you know that’s my boss?” I ask.

“Excuse me?” Bennet narrows his eyes at Damien.

“What?” Damien asks him before turning to me. “Bennet told me you work for him.”

“You can’t look at other guys.” Bennet glares at Damien.

“I wasn’t looking, looking. I was observing. And I observed that that guy was hot.” He turns to me and winks. “Scandalous.”

“Eyes off, Damien.” Bennet locks his jaw.

“So possessive.” Damien rolls his eyes, but his coy smirk suggests he likes Bennet that way. “So—” he turns to me “—how’d you snag that one?”

“I—”

“What do you mean how’d you snag him? Are you taking notes?” Bennet looks ready to snap a tooth.

“I’m asking what Aiden did to make a guy risk his career,” Damien says. “Is he a great employee? Is the guy into his brilliant mind? Does he give great head? That sort of thing.”

“You can’t ask that,” Bennet tells him.

“Why not? He can ask me how I snagged you.” Damien holds a hand up in front of his mouth like he’s whispering to me, even though his volume doesn’t change. “I amuse him. He hates to admit it, but I do. And I give great head.”

“Jesus,” Bennet mutters.

“Uh, TMI Damien,” I tell my newest roommate.

“We’re all friends here.” Damien shrugs. “Plus, you’ve probably heard me blowing him so it’s not like I’m telling you something you don’t already know.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not telling you about my sex life,” I tell Damien.

“What sex life?” Bennet snorts, most unhelpfully.

“You’re dating someone you aren’t sleeping with?” Damien’s jaw hits the floor.

“There’s a conflict of interest,” I point out. “And I have slept with him, I’m just not currently sleeping with him.”

“Still not sure what rule favoritism is breaking,” Bennet says. “Besides, your boyfriend is an expert in the field, if he says you know your shit won’t other people listen?”

“Maybe?” I shrug. “But right now he’s the most qualified person at this school to speak to my knowledge, and he doesn’t want to jeopardize my future opportunities by giving people a reason to think his judgment is clouded.”

“But you’re still dating?” Damien scrunches his nose.

“No one knows that. Except you two,” I tell them.

“Oh, you’re a secret boyfriend too? I remember that phase,” Damien recalls, since he was Bennet’s secret until Bennet was ready to come out. “It’s kinda fun in an I know something you don’t way.”

“His boyfriend is out, babe,” Bennet tells Damien. “But for the purpose of Aiden’s future, they’re both secret.”

“I know,” Damien says as he takes the stool next to Bennet. “I’m just saying I remember what that’s like. And here I thought you were actually working all those times you said you were working.” Damien winks at me conspiratorially.

“They were working,” Bennet says.

“Seriously? You mean you’re really not sneaking off to his place to fuck? I thought you were just sticking to your story.”

“We’re not sneaking off to his place,” I tell Damien.

“Why not?” He looks at me like I’m crazy. “No one would know.”

“I—” I snap my mouth shut before I can answer. Why aren’t we doing that? Damien’s right, no one would know.

“Looks like you just gave him something to think about.” Bennet wraps an arm around Damien’s waist and pulls him in for a side hug.

Yes, you did.