A Confession and…Nothing?

Suddenly, nothing made sense to Aiden anymore. He heard what Derek said and he understood the words but his brain refused to believe it was real. One minute, he thought he was being wholeheartedly rejected and the next, he was being told that Derek wanted him but couldn't have him. Wasn't that too drastic of a change? Aiden covered his forehead with one of his hands as his mind worked a mile a minute to process everything.

"Okay, just wait. Pause and rewind." Aiden stumbled over to a nearby chair and sat down. "What exactly do you mean? And don't speak without making absolutely certain that the words coming out of your mouth are the right ones."

"...I like you." Derek walked over and kneeled down in front of a wide eyed Aiden. "At first, I truly didn't remember what happened but the memories from that night came back one by one. We barely knew each other, I'd just married your aunt, and everything was simpler just pretending nothing happened. But, the more time we spent together and the more we got to know each other, the more those memories became, well, …problematic."

"How?"

"I could brush off and ignore certain feelings by convincing myself that it was something else but the memories and the wandering thoughts they caused, I couldn't just chalk that up to hormones. The way I wanted you, the way I still want you, it made it way too obvious how I felt."

"Then, why? Why try so hard to deny it?! And so much so that you'd wish to have been with someone else?"

"Because nothing can come of it."

"Why the hell not?!" Derek looked stunned.

"Aiden, do you also…?"

"Yeah, so what? I like you too! Why else would I be so hurt by everything you said? You're such an idiot sometimes! There was no need for all of this. You should've just admitted it."

"Aiden," Derek shook his head. "We can't."

"Give me a reason."

"How many? Should we start with the fact that I'm married to your aunt, or maybe the fact that you're a minor and I'm quite a bit older than you? Should I keep going?" Aiden stared at him for a minute before laughing. Derek looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Why are you laughing all of a sudden?"

"Ha ha ha! Sorry! It's just, for a second there, you sounded exactly like me." Aiden sighed and told him, "I had the same thoughts when I first noticed how I felt and luckily, someone told me I was being an idiot too." Aiden told Derek about Bex, how close they were, and how he had asked her for help because he didn't know what to do. "She told me just what I needed to hear and now I can tell you. Yes you're married to my aunt but you're not in an actual romantic relationship and you're going to get divorced eventually. Our age difference isn't major at all since people with way larger age gaps get together all the time. If you're really that hung up on the fact that I'm a minor, then we just have to wait till my birthday this summer."

"It's not that simple."

"Then we'll make it that simple. What else is stopping us?" Derek didn't know what to say. Everything really did sound simple the way Aiden said it but it couldn't possibly be that easy.

"Even if you were eighteen, can't you imagine the chaos that would ensue if anyone found out?"

"Well then, here's an idea," Aiden leaned forward bringing him and Derek face to face. "We won't let anyone find out."

"That's…" Just as their conversation was starting to get somewhere, the tent was opened.

"Aiden! Oh!" Yuki popped into the tent. Aiden and Derek had quickly moved away from each other and Yuki looked from one to the other and back again. "Sorry! I didn't know you were talking. I didn't mean to interrupt." Aiden smiled and shook his head.

"It's fine. We weren't talking about anything that we can't discuss later. What's up Yuki?" Yuki wasn't convinced but there was nothing to be done about it.

"The festival's ending and we're starting to clean up now. I brought your jacket from the classroom." He handed the jacket to Aiden.

"Thanks. I'll be right there." Yuki nodded and left the tent. Aiden then whispered to Derek, "We are definitely finishing this conversation tonight. Meet me at the car and don't you dare run away." Derek raised his hands in surrender.

"I'll wait. My car is next to yours anyway." After that, Aiden joined everyone else in cleaning up and putting the tables and chairs away. The dunk tank would be picked up later so all they had to do with that was let the water out. When everything was finished, Aiden said goodbye to Yuki and went straight to where Milo parked the car. Just like he said, Derek was waiting for him when he got there. Aiden grabbed his arm and pulled him to the car Milo was driving while addressing Derek's personal driver.

"I'll be stealing him, okay? Milo will take us home later so you don't have to worry." The driver smiled and nodded.

"Understood." As Derek was being shoved into the backseat, he looked over at his driver with feigned indignation.

"Aren't you supposed to listen to me, not him?"

"Have a safe trip,sir." The driver simply waved and watched as his employer was taken away. As Milo starting driving, Derek asked,

"So where are we going?"

"Good question. I have no idea. Preferably someplace quiet so we can talk." Milo cautiously cleared his throat and made a suggestion.

"If I may, there's a nice quiet spot just outside the city. It's usually a date location but it should work just as well for a private conversation."

"Okay then, please take us there Milo."

"Will do." The drive didn't take much time at all. When Milo pulled up to the spot he had told them about, Aiden saw a few couples walking around, some picnic tables, and trails leading off into a small forested area. "Here we are."

"Thanks Milo. We'll be back in a bit." Milo nodded as Aiden and Derek left the car. They both walked in silence for a few minutes until they found a spot without people around. There weren't any picnic tables around where they were but there was a small metal bench just big enough for the two of them to sit down. Aiden broke the silence by saying, "So, what now? After everything I said, do you still think we can't do this?"

"I…," Derek was lost for words once again. It was true that he wasn't romantically involved and his marriage already had a determined time limit. It was also true that many people in recent years got together despite what Derek could only describe as 'alarming' age differences. Once Aiden turned eighteen, what was stopping them? Any sort of romantic relationship between them would no doubt cause trouble if anyone were to learn of it but, as Aiden said, they could just keep it a secret until it was no longer an issue.

"Derek?" Aiden had waited for quite a while without hearing any response. He was anxious but determined. Now that he knew his feelings weren't one sided, he wouldn't give up easily. Derek looked over straight into Aiden's eyes.

"Alright."

"...Alright?"

"Let's do this. Be with me." Aiden felt like crying for a whole different reason. He couldn't find the right words to say so he launched himself at Derek and tightly wrapped his arms around his neck. "Woah!" The sudden impact caused Derek to slip and both of them fell to the ground. Derek reflexively wrapped his arms around Aiden's waist and head to protect him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to knock you over." Aiden had buried his face in the crook of Derek's neck and his words were somewhat muffled. Derek held him tighter and chuckled.

"It's fine." After a while, Aiden picked his head up to look at Derek. They hadn't moved after falling so Aiden was lying partially on top of him.

"So, I can kiss you now, right?"

"Ah, not yet." Derek looked away, slightly guilty.

"What? Why not?!" Aiden jumped up and stared at Derek in absolute confusion. Hadn't they just solved everything? What was the problem now? "Derek, I'm trying my best to stay calm right now but I'd appreciate it if you explained yourself. Right now. This rollercoaster ride thing you're doing here is getting really old." Derek got up and brushed the dirt from his clothes before taking Aiden by the hand and sitting back down on the bench.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to confuse you."

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

"I want us to be together but we need to wait. Nothing physical can happen until you're no longer a minor."

"Seventeen is close enough isn't it?" Aiden looked at Derek with pleading eyes but it didn't change anything.

"No, it's not."

"Tch! …Fine, I'll wait. So, what am I actually allowed to do? Can I hug you? Am I allowed to hold your hand?"

"Things should remain basically as they have been till now. At least until your birthday." Aiden sighed but he didn't argue.

"Alright, I get it." Instead of kissing him like he wanted to, Aiden held Derek's hand, interlocking their fingers, and laid his head on Derek's shoulder. Derek in turn, leaned his head to rest on top of Aiden's. They sat there in comfortable silence for a long time before eventually separating and going back to the car.