13. THANK YOU

If death was an emotion that one could feel, Aiden was experiencing it right now in full force.

He felt like he'd been run over by a truck, every single part of him ached. His stomach was in knots and his head felt like it was seconds away from being split down the middle. Simply put, he felt like shit. No, scratch that; he felt worse than shit, and there was no one to blame 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.

Aiden let his emotions get the best of him tonight. He was weak, 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. The unfamiliar.

Aiden has stayed in that dark place for far too long and, ironically, the person who drove him into it was the same person that somehow managed to bring him out of it and ultimately save his life.

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 resting across his body, a hand reached out to stop him.

"What's going on?" Aiden groggily asked. "What happened to me?"

"Alcohol poisoning." Julian came into view, looking as handsome as always. "All that damn drinking finally caught up to you. Lucky for you, though, 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—" Aiden tried to sit up in bed but he was too lethargic. "Ah, shit. I feel like I've been hit by a bus."

"You'll need to take it easy for a few days, okay? And don't kid yourself. We all know whose fault this really is."

"Excuse me?"

"If you want to heal, mentally and emotionally, you need to stop pointing the finger at others and instead look in the mirror 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 tried to process Julian's words, the two men continued to stare at each other in silence. Aiden then started to contemplate on what his next move should be regarding his tempting bodyguard. He didn't know whether 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 pretty green eyes, although a little bloodshot right now, were still as mesmerizing as ever. He was still as mesmerizing as ever. Julian wanted desperately to reach out and stroke Aiden's face, 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 him being in the frazzled state he's in now, would probably do more harm than good.

"Look, Julian, I—" Aiden's words were cut off by his family barging into the room.

Thomas, Lydia, and Kyle quickly surround the bed, awkwardly forcing Julian to step off to the side like he didn't even belong.

"Nobody freak out, please. I'm alright," Aiden informed them. "I'm okay."

"Thank God!" Lydia sighed in relief. "Julian called and told us what happened. We came over as quickly as we could." Aiden's mother coddled him while his father stared with an impassive look on his face. "Oh, my sweet boy. How are you feeling right now?"

"I'm better. I just had a little too much to drink tonight but I'll be good in no time. Please don't worry about me." Aiden kissed his mother's hand, giving her a comforting smile. "Really, I'm going to be alright. It's no big deal."

"Alcohol poisoning is a big deal," Thomas said. "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 stared at his father in shock. 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. Smiling at his father, although their words went unspoken, the two undoubtedly had love for one another, despite all their differences and old grudges.

"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 done that. I should have listed to you—"

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. 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. He acknowledged his mistakes and was taking the blame for once.

"Thanks for handling the press," Aiden said. "So I'm allergic to sushi now, huh?"

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. He's through the worst of it but they still want to keep an eye on him, monitor his vitals and slowly nurse him back to health," Julian answered. "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. He won't need anything in it anymore."

"Like hell I won't!" Aiden protested.

"Settle down, Aiden James! You're in this hospital bed because of alcohol and your compulsive ass drinking. Be rational for a second and let what just happened to you sink in," Thomas said. "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 to give up alcohol. For us, your family, but more importantly, for you."

"Get out."

"Aiden..." his mother sighed.

"I'm sorry but I want everyone to leave," Aiden muttered, feeling restless and agitated. "I want to be alone."

No one said another word as his family speedily shuffled out of the room. Julian was on his way out as well until Aiden stopped him.

"Not you, McAndrew. You stay."

Julian shut the door after everyone had left and then walked back over to his boss' bedside. He didn't try to hide the smirk on his face as he looked 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. He knew that and so did Aiden despite him not wanting to admit it out loud.

"I'm only doing this for your own good," Julian said. "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, 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'm sorry it took me so long to do this again," 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 – and while sober!

Aiden needed to face his fear of the unknown, needed to take a risk and just... go for it. It was time for him to be real with himself. He needed to embrace 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.

Julian was the only thing that made sense. He was the only somebody that managed to bring Aiden any real peace of mind. Finally, he realized.

"Thank you," Aiden said breathlessly after he pulled away from Julian. "For saving me, for looking out for me. I-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, desperate for some fresh air. "I'll come back and check up on you later, okay?"

"Okay." Aiden blushed as Julian winked at him before leaving the room.

He felt a mixture of satisfaction and glee wash over him after having just had his mind blown by his bodyguard for the second time.

Maybe I can actually do this. Maybe we can do this... him and I, together...

. . . .