Page 70 of Seasons of Love
We dropped the bags by the couch and walked to the bedroom.
Aiden seemed to be in a zombie-like state. He was probably overly tired and had just stayed alert long enough to make it home. The thought that he could have had an accident made my blood run cold, but he was here and unharmed, and that was all that mattered.
When I found the bathroom attached to his room I helped him out of his clothes and turned the shower on. It was quite warm inside the apartment, so I opened a few windows to get a breeze through and some fresh air.
When the water was warm enough, I undressed and pulled Aiden into the shower with me.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes. Are you really here?"
"I am, baby. And in case you're wondering, I love you too."
He started crying into my chest.
"It's okay, baby. I'll keep repeating it until the words are all you can remember forever."
I grabbed his shampoo and lathered it in my hand before running it over his hair, massaging his scalp. Aiden looked like he was hanging by a thread, but he was still standing up on his own so that was a good thing.
As soon as we were both washed, I helped him get dried and then carried him over to the bedroom.
"I'm not a princess," he slurred.
"No, baby, but I'm going to treat you like one until you're feeling better."
"No pillows…"
"You don't want pillows or you do?"
"More pillows, your pillows."
I chuckled. His closet held two extra, so I grabbed them and placed them behind him before I settled against him, pulling the covers over us.
Aiden was asleep even before I finished tucking him up properly. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling at peace for the first time since he'd left me in my apartment.
Sleep claimed me shortly after.
I woke up to Aiden's barely coherent moans. He was moving, but without enough force that he'd hurt me or himself.
"No, please, don't do it. Please…"
"Shh, baby, it's okay," I whispered, hoping he'd wake up of his own accord.
"No, no, it's not. Don't do it."
I had no clue what he was dreaming about, but it didn't sound pleasant.
"Aiden, sweetheart. Can you wake up for me?" I ran my hands through his hair until he stopped moving and his eyes opened slowly.
"Slade?"
"There you are," I said, smiling. "My beautiful, brown-eyed boy."
"No," he screamed, sitting up in bed. "No, you can't be here. Oh my god, what if he sees you?"
He scrambled off the bed to a chest of drawers, taking out underwear and then a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.
I got up and went over to him. When I turned him around, his eyes were full of tears.
