Page 53 of The Fullback
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Bailey
It was nearlyeleven before Aiden made it to our flat, exhaustion weighing so heavily on his shoulders it seemed like he was about to be crushed by it. He was wearing an old Knights hoodie which was probably Jonny’s, considering how oversized it was on him, stained jeans, and a scuffed pair of trainers with paint on the toe.
It made him look smaller, younger, vulnerable in a way I was sure he’d hate. He was always so confident, a million times larger than life, radiating light and fire like a New Year’s firework display.
The fire was still there but it was dimmed. Damped. Like someone had tipped a bucket of water over his head. Which, given the situation, probably wasn’t the best way to think of it.
“Hey,” he said, looking between Hunter and me with a tired smile, running his hand through his hair and making it stand on end. “Sorry it’s so late. We were all chatting for ages. Then I had to wait for Jonny to go to bed. Didn’t really fancy explaining why I was leaving.”
“You’re fine,” I said, opening my arms and letting him fall against my chest. Hunter was watching us with a worried smile, his arms folded across his chest and his fingers twisting the arm of his T-shirt. I gestured with my head, hoping he’d get the message to join us, and when he did, the two of us sandwiched Aiden between us, holding him tightly. It was our turn to be his anchor, giving him a steady bearing to cling to.
Aiden let out a long, slow breath, tension bleeding from his shoulders. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“You don’t need to apologise,” Hunter said. He leant down and kissed the top of Aiden’s head. It was the same thing he did to me when I was stressed. “You’ve had a shit day. We’d be the same.”
“Do you want to sit down?” I asked.
“Maybe? Moving feels hard right now.” Aiden chuckled. “And I’m very comfortable. You’re a good pillow.”
“That’s an easy fix.” I grinned and reached down to grab his thighs, lifting him into the air like he weighed nothing. Aiden laughed but didn’t attempt to escape. He just put his arms around my neck and buried his head into the crook of his elbow, letting me carry him into the living room and sit down on our huge corner sofa, still holding him in my lap.
Hunter sat down next to us, his thigh almost brushing mine. A tiny wicked grin lit up Aiden’s face as he twisted his body and stretched his legs across Hunter’s. “Mmm, this is better,” he said with a sigh as he tipped sideways to lean against me. “Need to touch both of you.”
“Do you want to sit in the middle?” Hunter asked, hand gently resting on Aiden’s shin.
“No, this is good. Bailey’s lap is comfortable.” He yawned and rubbed his face with one hand. “Fuck me, today was bollocks.”
“I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?” I asked as I wrapped my hand around his waist, holding him gently againstme. It was for me as much as him. A soft but constant reminder that he was here, with us.
“Not really, but… I don’t know. We’ve done what we can for now, just need to wait for the insurance before I can start clearing everything out. And I have no idea when the building will be useable again. Could be next week, could be two months.” He let out another sigh, this one more frustrated than tired. “Jonny thinks I should find somewhere else, especially if it’s not going to be useable for a while. He’s probably got a point, but I can’t be asked to think about that right now.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, kissing the side of his head.
Hunter nodded as he stroked Aiden’s leg. “It’s fine if you want to switch off for a bit.”
“I don’t know if I’ve got the energy to fuck,” Aiden said and I felt myself tense. Hunter’s face had narrowed too, and Aiden seemed to take that as a bad sign. “Sorry. I should go.”
“No, stay,” I said, tightening my hand on his waist. “You don’t… we don’t have to fuck for you to stay here. You don’t owe us or any shit like that.”
He sat very still for a moment, like he was processing what I’d said and deciding what to do about it. Being told he was closed off and detached was one thing, but seeing it was another. He almost reminded me of a stray cat, sizing me up and debating whether to trust me or not. Trying to figure out if I meant what I said or if I’d hold it against him later.
I knew we were changing the parameters of our interactions by taking sex off the table and that should scare me more than it did. But seeing Aiden like this—exhausted, worn down, and worried—made my inner caretaker spring to life. All I wanted was to wrap him in my arms, feed him, and keep him safe from the rest of the world.
There was a good chance he wouldn’t let me. That he’d run screaming as soon as I made any attempt. But would he even be here if he didn’t want to try?
If he was that allergic to letting people in, would he have reached out to us?
“You were here for us,” Hunter said, shuffling slightly closer so the three of us were all pressed together. “Let us be here for you. Please.”
Aiden huffed out an exhausted, strangled sound. “I… Fuck, sorry. I’m really bad at this. Letting people do shit for me. It was hard enough today getting Jonny and Bacon involved.”
“Did they mind? Were they annoyed with you?” Hunter asked.
“No. I think they were glad I called.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I’d want them to call me in the same situation. I’m just bad at asking for help myself.”
Hunter nodded, interlacing his fingers with Aiden’s. “I’m the same. Can’t ask for shit sometimes, but I’d give everything to anyone who asked. Bailey’s the same, if not worse.”
