just_1_word | 14.2. Jealous
14.2. Jealous
Co-written with mrpublicity
[Follows THIS and THIS]
Aiden put his fingers to his lips worriedly as he watched his boyfriend sitting hunched over on the sofa beside him. He was afraid to really say anything at first, but then he wasn’t exactly sure what he supposed to say anyway. Pat had called him and said he needed to speak to him about something ASAP and Aiden had literally dropped everything to drive to Princeton straight away. He made it from New York in barely an hour and a half, which is what had him sitting beside Pat in silence on Lachlan and Tara’s sofa.
Pat looked terrible. Aiden could see he was sick just from the pallor of his face and the dark smudges under his dull blue eyes that lacked their usual shine. He hesitantly wrapped his hand around one of Pat’s, watching his face. “Pat,” he murmured. “What’s going on, love?”
Pat turned to look at Aiden tiredly. “I tried to get hold of you last night, but you must have already gone to bed,” he said flatly. “Cam had to leave at short notice for something to do with the team. He left for New York last night so he could fly out first thing. I didn’t take it so well…”
Aiden frowned. “You didn’t leave any messages. I would have come as soon as I got it,” he insisted softly. “Is that what this is? You’re upset that I didn’t get the call?”
“No,” Pat said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t get upset over something like that. If you were in bed early, I was glad of it. I know how tired you’ve been lately.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and it lingered there with a sigh as he tried to gather his thoughts.
Aiden’s light eyes dropped down to his feet as he absorbed Pat’s discontent in just his body language. “You don’t want to move to New York,” he guessed and looked up again. “It’s okay, love… I kind of worked that out for myself. I just didn’t know the best way to broach it with you.”
Pat’s eyes fell closed momentarily, his heart aching somewhere deep inside. “I kissed Riley,” he said, the words catching.
“What?” Aiden gasped, pulling his hand away from Pat’s in shock. He stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend. “You what?”
Pat hugged his arms around his stomach. “It’s not what you think. He was here trying to comfort me after Cam left and it was just a moment. There was nothing in it. I was so upset I could hardly think straight and we just slipped. It was over as quick as it started because we were both appalled by what we did…” He swallowed, exhausted eyes on his boyfriend. “Say something,” he pleaded softly.
Aiden just gaped. “Riley!” he finally coughed out. “Riley? Why Riley? He’s with Evie! I didn’t even… but he’s straight!” he cried, trying to make sense through his jumble of confused thoughts.
“He’s bi,” Pat mumbled, close to tears.
Aiden went right back to staring in shock, mouth hanging open. “He’s engaged,” he hissed. “And you’re my boyfriend! At least, I thought you were! Now I’m not so fucking sure! Why would you- why would he- why now?! Out of the blue, just because you both have a fleeting like for cock?!”
Pat shook his head. “Not out of the blue,” he confirmed painfully. “We have a history. I meant to tell you but there was just not a time for it to come up.”
“Something certainly came up!” Aiden exploded, jumping to his feet as he started pacing angrily. “I can’t believe you fucking kissed your ex! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was your ex! You were living with him when we met and you didn’t feel it was an important piece of information to reveal oh, say, ASAP?!”
Pat’s fingers brushed over his ears as Aiden’s raised voice drilled into his sore head. “He’s not my ex. We never dated. We just slept together a few times when I visited Scotland when he was over there and… and once after he came back to Princeton.”
Aiden froze and stared at Pat yet again. “After the needlestick?” he gasped, feeling something irrational kick in within his mind, but the timeframe scared the shit out of him.
“Aiden,” Pat said softly and caught Aiden’s hand with his. “Sit down, please. We need to talk about this and I need you to be able to listen to me.”
Aiden frowned, but sat anyway. It was stiff and awkward, but he managed to staunch some of the hurt anger and frustration in him. He felt sick and suspiciously like he wanted to burst in to tears, but he wasn’t about to admit to that. The timeframes in his mind told him that it couldn’t have been all that long before he met Pat that he and Riley had slept together in Princeton. Not that having a sexual history bothered him. Everyone had one. But this was one of Pat’s closest friends and Aiden hadn’t even clued into the fact Riley was bisexual let alone that he was part of Pat’s sexual history! Not that any of it really would have mattered if Riley Browne’s tongue wasn’t down his boyfriend’s throat just hours ago!
“It was after the needlestick, but you have nothing to worry about. We’re both medical professionals and Riley…” Pat paused with a small sigh. “There was no penetration on Riley’s part. It was one time when we were both single and it was just some mutual fun. The times in Scotland were few and far between when I was visiting Lachie. Again, we were both single. We were never romantically linked and we’re never going to be. Aiden, I’m so sorry. I’m not going to make excuses because you deserve better than that. I made a really big mistake and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. You’re my life now. I’m sorry.”
Aiden squeezed his eyes shut and then stood again, holding his hands up. “Pat, I just… I need to wrap my head around all this.” He stooped and gave Pat a brief kiss before stepping away again. “I love you, okay? But I’m going to go back to the City and come back tomorrow when I’ve had time to process this. I just need some time…” He stopped only long enough to look at Pat sadly and then left without another word.
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,086
Co-written with mrpublicity
[Follows THIS and THIS]
Aiden put his fingers to his lips worriedly as he watched his boyfriend sitting hunched over on the sofa beside him. He was afraid to really say anything at first, but then he wasn’t exactly sure what he supposed to say anyway. Pat had called him and said he needed to speak to him about something ASAP and Aiden had literally dropped everything to drive to Princeton straight away. He made it from New York in barely an hour and a half, which is what had him sitting beside Pat in silence on Lachlan and Tara’s sofa.
Pat looked terrible. Aiden could see he was sick just from the pallor of his face and the dark smudges under his dull blue eyes that lacked their usual shine. He hesitantly wrapped his hand around one of Pat’s, watching his face. “Pat,” he murmured. “What’s going on, love?”
Pat turned to look at Aiden tiredly. “I tried to get hold of you last night, but you must have already gone to bed,” he said flatly. “Cam had to leave at short notice for something to do with the team. He left for New York last night so he could fly out first thing. I didn’t take it so well…”
Aiden frowned. “You didn’t leave any messages. I would have come as soon as I got it,” he insisted softly. “Is that what this is? You’re upset that I didn’t get the call?”
“No,” Pat said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t get upset over something like that. If you were in bed early, I was glad of it. I know how tired you’ve been lately.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and it lingered there with a sigh as he tried to gather his thoughts.
Aiden’s light eyes dropped down to his feet as he absorbed Pat’s discontent in just his body language. “You don’t want to move to New York,” he guessed and looked up again. “It’s okay, love… I kind of worked that out for myself. I just didn’t know the best way to broach it with you.”
Pat’s eyes fell closed momentarily, his heart aching somewhere deep inside. “I kissed Riley,” he said, the words catching.
“What?” Aiden gasped, pulling his hand away from Pat’s in shock. He stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend. “You what?”
Pat hugged his arms around his stomach. “It’s not what you think. He was here trying to comfort me after Cam left and it was just a moment. There was nothing in it. I was so upset I could hardly think straight and we just slipped. It was over as quick as it started because we were both appalled by what we did…” He swallowed, exhausted eyes on his boyfriend. “Say something,” he pleaded softly.
Aiden just gaped. “Riley!” he finally coughed out. “Riley? Why Riley? He’s with Evie! I didn’t even… but he’s straight!” he cried, trying to make sense through his jumble of confused thoughts.
“He’s bi,” Pat mumbled, close to tears.
Aiden went right back to staring in shock, mouth hanging open. “He’s engaged,” he hissed. “And you’re my boyfriend! At least, I thought you were! Now I’m not so fucking sure! Why would you- why would he- why now?! Out of the blue, just because you both have a fleeting like for cock?!”
Pat shook his head. “Not out of the blue,” he confirmed painfully. “We have a history. I meant to tell you but there was just not a time for it to come up.”
“Something certainly came up!” Aiden exploded, jumping to his feet as he started pacing angrily. “I can’t believe you fucking kissed your ex! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was your ex! You were living with him when we met and you didn’t feel it was an important piece of information to reveal oh, say, ASAP?!”
Pat’s fingers brushed over his ears as Aiden’s raised voice drilled into his sore head. “He’s not my ex. We never dated. We just slept together a few times when I visited Scotland when he was over there and… and once after he came back to Princeton.”
Aiden froze and stared at Pat yet again. “After the needlestick?” he gasped, feeling something irrational kick in within his mind, but the timeframe scared the shit out of him.
“Aiden,” Pat said softly and caught Aiden’s hand with his. “Sit down, please. We need to talk about this and I need you to be able to listen to me.”
Aiden frowned, but sat anyway. It was stiff and awkward, but he managed to staunch some of the hurt anger and frustration in him. He felt sick and suspiciously like he wanted to burst in to tears, but he wasn’t about to admit to that. The timeframes in his mind told him that it couldn’t have been all that long before he met Pat that he and Riley had slept together in Princeton. Not that having a sexual history bothered him. Everyone had one. But this was one of Pat’s closest friends and Aiden hadn’t even clued into the fact Riley was bisexual let alone that he was part of Pat’s sexual history! Not that any of it really would have mattered if Riley Browne’s tongue wasn’t down his boyfriend’s throat just hours ago!
“It was after the needlestick, but you have nothing to worry about. We’re both medical professionals and Riley…” Pat paused with a small sigh. “There was no penetration on Riley’s part. It was one time when we were both single and it was just some mutual fun. The times in Scotland were few and far between when I was visiting Lachie. Again, we were both single. We were never romantically linked and we’re never going to be. Aiden, I’m so sorry. I’m not going to make excuses because you deserve better than that. I made a really big mistake and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. You’re my life now. I’m sorry.”
Aiden squeezed his eyes shut and then stood again, holding his hands up. “Pat, I just… I need to wrap my head around all this.” He stooped and gave Pat a brief kiss before stepping away again. “I love you, okay? But I’m going to go back to the City and come back tomorrow when I’ve had time to process this. I just need some time…” He stopped only long enough to look at Pat sadly and then left without another word.
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,086