Chapter 97 - Vol. 4: Mason To Haru - 97

Haru

To say I was excited and eager to see Aiden was an understatement, and I waited impatiently as I watched the ferry sailing in from the distance across the harbor. A few moments later, it docked and people started filing out and down the deck while vehicles drove out.

Aiden said he was bringing his car, so I searched for the familiar vehicle. I spotted it in an instant, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I gulped down the last bit of my cappuccino and then got up from my seat. I walked out the door of the café and jogged down to our meeting point, which was only a few blocks away, a touristy popular spot lined with cherry blossom trees and had a great view of the sea.

When I got there a few moments later, I searched around for Aiden’s car along the parking lot, but of course, I couldn’t find it anywhere.

Where the heck was he?

I walked around, looking, wondering if we had missed each other. I thought about messaging him when the sound of a familiar chuckle came my way, and I spun around, my heart racing.

Standing behind me was Aiden, looking as damn handsome as ever.

“Hello,” he greeted me, his arms wide open.

I felt my heart constricting at just seeing him, and tears started brewing in my eyes.

What the fuck? I was a nineteen-year-old adult now so what the heck was with the tears?

I threw myself into his arms and hugged him tight.

“I missed you,” I said softly, burying my face against his chest.

“I missed you, too,” he said. I felt him planting a kiss on my forehead.

I raised my face so I could look at him properly. Shit, I hadn’t realized just how much I missed seeing him.

Aiden chuckled as he leaned down to me and then kissed me, on my lips this time. I savored the sweet moment, smiling.

When he moved back, he said, “Should we head up to the hotel?”

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded.

A few moments later Aiden parked the car in the parking lot on the side of the Princeton Resort and Hotel building. We got out and Aiden said, “I got your stuff.”

“Thanks,” I said. Now I didn’t have to worry about clothing. “You packed for me?”

He nodded. “Yep.”

We headed into the hotel and after Aiden had checked in, we went up to his room, which was on the thirty-ninth floor and had a great view of the sea.

“Oh, wow!” I expressed as I eyed the luxurious suite. “Your room is nice. Bigger than Noah’s.”

Aiden chuckled. “I chose this because you’ll be joining me tonight.” He looked at me closely. “Won’t you?”

I nodded furiously. “Well, yeah.”

He flashed me a smile. “Good.”

Since that king-sized bed looked inviting, I threw myself onto it and sighed in pleasure. It felt so damn soft.

After placing our luggage in the corner of the room, Aiden asked, “Noah?”

“Still at work. He told me they’re having a serious meeting up there somewhere.” I pointed to the ceiling, meaning Nicolas, Noah, and the marketing team of the Princeton Group were having their discussion in one of the fancy conference rooms. “He’ll be joining us for dinner.”

Aiden looked at his watch and then smiled. “We still have a bit of time.” He took a seat on the sofa on the other side of the room and made himself comfortable. His eyes were dark when he crossed one leg over the other as he signaled for me to come to him.

I eagerly got off the bed and took a seat beside him. The moment I was close, he wrapped his arm around me and gathered me close. Then he touched the tip of my chin and tilted my face up a little as he descended his toward me.

He claimed my lips with a scorching kiss, and I instantly melted in his arms.

His lips were firm and warm and demanding, grazing against mine sensually. I trembled, just loving the way he was kissing me and teasing me.

He opened his mouth and stroked his tongue against my lips, which made me shudder. I groaned, wanting more. I opened my mouth, and Aiden eagerly plunged in his tongue, invading me, stroking me.

Our tongues caressed one another, intertwining and dancing erotically with each other.

I felt Aiden tighten his hold on me as he kissed me passionately, his tongue plunging deeper into my mouth, tasting all of me.

A sudden loud ringing echoed in the room, and Aiden terminated our kiss. I was breathless and dazed as I watched Aiden pick up his phone.

My head was still a mess when I heard Aiden chuckling, followed by, “You finished already, Noah?”

Noah phoned Aiden? He was probably wondering where we were, of course.

“We’ll be down in a minute,” Aiden said. After he ended the call, he turned to me. “Noah’s waiting downstairs.”

We went down to the foyer a few moments later, after I had managed to clear my head and dampen my desire for Aiden.

Noah looked a little annoyed, and why wasn’t I surprised about that? The moment he saw Aiden, he said, “We need to talk about sharing Haru equally.”

Aiden nodded. “We’ll do that later. Right now, I’m beat and I need a drink.”

The moment we took our seats in the five-star restaurant here in the hotel and a waitress came to ask us what we would like to have for drinks, Aiden ordered himself a beer. Soon, he and Noah were sipping their alcoholic drinks, and me my nonalcoholic one. When our meal arrived, we dug right in, and I heartily enjoyed my steak.

“So, how was work?” Aiden asked.

“Good,” Noah said. “I’ve got a shitload of marketing ideas from this little trip, so I’m pumped to get started when we get back to the office.”

I said, “I saw some of your notes. They look good.”

Noah reached out and ruffled my hair. “You understand marketing?”

“I learned some of that, too, you know,” I said. “Marketing 101 at the university.”

“Marketing is my expertise and you aren’t allowed to steal that position away from me, got it?”

I chuckled. “Got it. Marketing isn’t my thing. I hate the presentation shit. I’d rather be the guy doing the work behind the scene, thank you very much.”

“I’d hate to see you in front of people presenting,” Noah said. “You’re too cute and it’ll pissed me off when men start ogling at you.”

Aiden nodded. “True.”

“Oh, so it’s fine with you two up on stage and having women gawking at you? Like it’s not going to affect me?” I asked, pouting.

Noah chuckled. “Yep, it’s totally fine. And it’ll be adorable if you’re jealous. Shit, I want to see you getting jealous over me.”

“Dream on, Noah,” I said and returned my attention to my meal.

Noah started asking Aiden about work and home, not that he had been away for that long, but knowing Noah, he’d want to know what had been happening.

While the two brothers talked, I continued to enjoy my meal, half listening to them chatting.

“Mom! Can I have the burger?”

A kid’s voice drew my attention, and I turned my gaze to the table next to ours to see a family group ordering their dinner. There were the parents and three kids: two boys and a girl. The youngest, around ten, was sitting next to his mother and telling her what he wanted for dinner, going through the list in the menu. The mom ruffled his hair, and the whole family laughed at something the boy said.

I suddenly felt this ache in my chest, a sort of emotion that came now and again whenever I was alone.

Mom. I missed her, and Dad, too.

Fuck, but I missed them. It had been six years since they passed away from that motor vehicle accident.

“Haru.”

Aiden’s voice jolted me in surprise, and I turned my attention to him.

“Huh?”

He rested his hand on the top of my head and said, “You look tired. You finished with your dinner?” At me nodding my head, he continued, “Then why don’t you go up?”

“Yeah,” I said. I shifted my gaze to Noah and saw him watching me closely.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded and then got up. “Good night,” I said and then headed toward the door. As I did so, I gazed longingly at that family, and especially at the mother doting on her son.

Again, I felt my heart aching, and the image of Mom flashed in my mind’s eye.

In Aiden’s room, after shutting the door behind me and leaving the keycard on the bedside table, I unzipped my luggage Aiden had brought and searched about for underwear and pajamas. Then I headed into the en suite to shower. Done fifteen minutes later, I climbed into bed, just lying there and staring up at the ceiling, thinking about Mom and Dad and our family before they passed away. Then because I couldn’t help myself, I reached for my smartphone and went into a folder that held our family’s old photos.

As I flicked through, I felt tears brewing in my eyes. Fuck, I was an adult now and yet, I still cried while flicking through family photos.

There was Mom, always smiling and happy. There was Dad, always grinning and had either me or Isaac next to him. And the rest of the brothers: Aiden, Noah, Reo, and Mason. We were very close and we loved each other. We had been happy.

The door cracked open and I turned my gaze to see Aiden coming in.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey,” I said.

He came to sit on the side of the bed and rested his hand on top of mine. “You feeling better?”

“You know?”

He chuckled. “You suddenly went quiet and you were looking at that family. Both Noah and I noticed. You miss Mom and Dad?”

I nodded. “I tried not to think about them too much, you know, but sometimes...” I sighed. “Nothing will ever bring them back.”

“Yeah,” Aiden said. “But you still have us.” He leaned forward and cupped my face. “I love you.”

His words were so soft and gentle that it melted my heart. Tears in my eyes, I said, “I love you, too.”

We kissed, slow and passionate, and I cherished the moment, my eyes closed. When Aiden moved back, he said, “Go to sleep. I’ll join you soon. Just need to take a shower.”

I mutely nodded, and once Aiden shut the door to the en suite, I made myself comfortable and flicked through our family photos again, remembering all those wonderful days when Mom and Dad had still been alive.

When Aiden was done with his showering and returned, I put away my phone and waited for him to join me in bed.

The moment the man got in between the sheets, he gathered me into his arms and kissed me. It was nice and cozy being with Aiden. Just feeling his warmth and his hard body was enough to ease my anxiety.. Soon, I fell asleep and dreamed of the past.