Noah was so overwhelmed by Aiden's gesture that he couldn't think straight. His heart felt like it was about to explode. When Aiden was back from the restroom, Noah had an urge to hold him, hug him, and kiss him senseless. God only knows how he controlled himself.
Aiden was flustered when he saw Noah intensely looking at him without blinking. It was as if Noah was staring into his soul.
" So let's go shopping for tomorrow's party," Jay interrupted his thoughts.
" Party?" Aiden asked, confused.
" Noah's parents' Anniversary party." Jay looked at Noah and asked, " You didn't invite him?"
" He's coming..., right?" Noah looked at Aiden with expectation.
" I-I don't think..."
" Please don't say no. I want you to meet my parents."
This was truly awkward for Aiden. " But I..."
" Pleaseeee...." Noah appealed dramatically. " I won't stop asking until you say yes."
" O-Okay," Aiden reluctantly agreed. Why does he always agree to whatever Noah asks of him?
" That's great...!! Then, let's go shopping," Jay exclaimed.
Noah gave a huge smile to Aiden and said, " Come on."
Aiden blushed and looked down, following Noah into the apparel store. He had to stop with the blushing and getting flustered at every action of Noah. Why did he affect him so much?
Noah had decided to pursue Aiden intensively now, and he was not subtle about it. He would openly flirt with Aiden and enjoy seeing him get red as a tomato.
At the store, Noah deliberately changed into multiple outfits and asked Aiden for his opinion. Later on, he got a shirt for Aiden and asked him to try it out.
Aiden was unwilling when he looked at the price tag. " I-I can't buy this," he whispered. Though he could afford it, he didn't want to waste his money on something he didn't necessarily need right now.
" I am buying it for you," Noah said with a smile.
"W-Why?"
" Because I want to."
" What?"
" You can wear it for the party tomorrow."
" O-Okay. I-I will buy it." Aiden couldn't say no anymore. He started calculating the other expenses he would have to cut down for spending on a piece of cloth.
" You are not buying it; I am," Noah said with finality.
" How can I take this from you?"
" Why not?"
"No, it doesn't seem right." Aiden had been in the debt of the Hunt family for many years, and Mrs. Hunt hadn't missed an opportunity to remind him of it. Now that he was independent, he didn't want to be indebted to anyone.
Noah was hurt at Aiden's response, which clearly showed on his face. " Why is it not right?"
Aiden didn't know why but he didn't like seeing Noah look sad. " I-I am sorry," he said, looking hurt himself.
Noah's mood suddenly lightened up when he saw Aiden looking concerned for him. " You don't have to be sorry, and I am not doing a favor for you. You saved my money which I was about to use for my parent's gift, so the least I can do is buy a shirt for you."
Aiden didn't respond and just fidgeted on his spot.
Noah suddenly approached Aiden and spoke in his ear in a husky voice, " Stop thinking too much."
Aiden felt a shiver run through his body. For a moment, he had thought that Noah was about to kiss him, and he felt a tad bit disappointed when he didn't. Why the hell did he want Noah to kiss him? Aiden was so unnerved by his reaction that he wanted to run away before Noah saw him and thought he was a freak. " O-Okay. I-I will try it out," Aiden stuttered, snatched the shirt from Noah, and dashed to the trial room.
Noah chuckled when he saw Aiden running away to avoid him. His plan worked like a charm. Aiden looked so cute whenever he blushed, and Noah couldn't get enough of him. His eyes almost popped out when Aiden came out of the trial room wearing the shirt. " You look... stunning."
" Huhh?" Aiden was surprised at Noah's response.
" It's great. We are taking it," Noah said, still staring at Aiden.
After shopping, they all went to the food court as they were exhausted and hungry. As usual, Noah was particularly concerned about whether Aiden was eating properly because, according to him, Aiden's appetite was too low. He took a piece of chicken and placed it on Aiden's plate. " Try this out; it's delicious."
"T-Thank you," Aiden stuttered.
" You should take some more; you don't eat enough," Noah said, placing another dish in front of him.
" Ahem," Rob faked coughed. " I am hungry too."
" Then take it yourself," Noah scoffed.
Rob groaned in annoyance while Jay clenched his teeth to stop himself from laughing. Aiden blushed yet again, and he even felt butterflies in his stomach. It was the first time anyone had ever expressed concern over how much he was eating.
After their lunch, Noah asked Aiden, " Desert?"
" No, I am fine," Aiden whispered.
Noah recalled that Aiden liked chocolate. " I will get something myself." He got up to go when Jay interrupted him. " You didn't ask us what we want."
" What do you want?" Noah asked, irritated.
Rob and Jay stated their orders, and Noah left. They waited for 10 minutes, but Noah had not yet returned.
" Why is he taking so long?" Rob asked, looking around for Noah. He then spotted Noah at a distance talking to someone. " Hey Jay, isn't that Noah's ex-boyfriend?"
" B-Boyfriend?" Aiden whispered in shock. It was not surprising that Noah had an ex since that was expected; however, the fact that he had a boyfriend was unbelievable. " I-Is he g-gay?"
Rob just realized he had spoken in front of Aiden. " Ahhhh... Yes... You didn't know?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
"No," Aiden said, still unable to process the information.
Looking at Noah's shocked expression, Jay asked, " Do you have a problem with that?"
" W-What? No... Not at all," Aiden said in a hurry.
Jay glanced at Rob and heaved a sigh of relief. " Then why do you look so shocked?"
" I-I didn't think Noah would be gay," Aiden replied softly. Despite not understanding the reason, he was pleased by the information.
" What are you guys talking about?" Noah asked as he appeared with the deserts.
" We were telling Aiden about your ex," Rob smirked at Noah.
Noah scowled and glared at Rob while Rob had a sudden idea. " So, Aiden, do you have a girlfriend?" he asked, facing Aiden.
" Me?... No," Aiden thought even the possibility of him being in a relationship was absurd.
" Then what about a boyfriend?"
" No..." Aiden blushed and looked down. He was amazed that these guys were quite welcoming to the fact that Noah was gay. They didn't seem like the homophobic guys he had met at his middle school. So if they knew Aiden was gay as well, they would not have a problem. Right?
" Any ex?" Rob asked again."
" No... Never," Aiden replied, and Noah was extremely happy hearing that. He could be his first.
" Are you gay?" Noah got straight to the point. He had to know it.
" I-I... " Aiden was still hesitant based on his past experiences, but he felt he could trust these guys. " Ummm... Y-Yes." He took the leap of faith.
Those words were like music to Noah's ears. He was so happy he wanted to dance in joy right there in the middle of the food court. This day was getting better and better.
Noah handed Aiden the hot chocolate fudge and smiled. "Hope you like it."
" Thank you," Aiden smiled back, relieved that they didn't say anything negative about him being gay. He was grateful to God that he met Noah and his friends, who were kind and understanding in every situation.
Noah's friends could see the change in Noah's stance who looked about ready to celebrate. " You are glowing," Rob whispered to him.
" Of course I am."
Noah's heart was beating fast, and a thousand things were going on in his mind. He thought about the things he had done in the past month to be with Aiden.
The first thing was to get close to Aiden. Check. Secondly, finding out about Aiden's sexual orientation. Check. Thirdly, it was to make Aiden fall in love with him. Though Noah had not yet achieved it, at least he had managed to affect Aiden in some way.
Aiden was a shy and reserved person; even if he had some feelings for Noah, he would never say it openly. Thus, Noah should be the one who would have to confess. He made up his mind that he would soon tell Aiden about his true feelings. Although Noah was scared that he might lose Aiden's friendship, if he didn't say anything, he would regret it for the rest of his life.