The Oldest Bradford

#4

A/N This is a prime example of why I don't update my chapters one at a time. For some reason, it triggers my writers block, and I have to pull myself through each chapter. Anyways, sorry for the wait!

Brad was fully expecting Aiden to distance himself from him, to give them both time to reflect, so he was surprised when the next week carried on like normal as far as their routine went.

When he arrived to work in the morning, Aiden was already there waiting with coffee and his start of the day paperwork. When Brad worked on said paperwork, Aiden sat on the other side of the desk from him and helped. When Brad had a meeting, Aiden was there by his side taking notes. When he was hungry, Aiden peeked his head in his office to ask where he wanted lunch from.

Aiden's usual presence throughout the day was the only normal thing about their relationship though. Where there used to be a fair amount of conversation between them, often initiated by Aiden, was now silence. They did mostly everything without talking, and when they did speak, the interaction was usually full of awkwardness..

It made him hesitate before beginning to speak Wednesday morning, afraid to say something wrong and make the silence between them grow even more tense. They'd finished their usual paperwork earlier than they did most days, but instead of leaving, Aiden remained in his chair and began going over the contract for the important deal he was supposed to be finalizing that afternoon. There shouldn't have been anything wrong with the document, though it was good business practice to review it, and Brad appreciated Aiden's dedication.

Still, it was unnecessary for him to be the one doing the work, and Brad figured the younger boy would like to flee from his office as soon as possible to free himself from the nearly unbearable atmosphere.

"Um," he began tentatively. The man quickly raised his head, green eyes slightly wider than usual as he waited for him to continue. "You don't have to stay and help me with this, you know."

The smile Aiden gave him then was very polite. It was the smile an assistant was expected to give their boss, but Brad found himself disappointed by the gesture that failed to radiate its usual warmth. "I'm just doing my job. I really don't mind," Aiden insisted. Something about his voice told Brad that there was no use trying to get him to change his mind.

Despite the awkwardness, he was staying.

Nodding, Brad looked back down at the contract. "Will you be joining me in today's meeting? It should just be getting a signature, but if you'd like to come along in case we have further discussion, you may".

"I'll come," Aiden confirmed. "It'll be a good experience, I think. I've yet to accompany you to a contract meeting".

Not knowing what else to say, Brad fell silent.

Aiden remained in his office for an hour longer before Brad successfully dismissed him by advising him to eat before their noon meeting. "What about you?" The younger boy had asked. "Want me to pick something up for you somewhere?"

Another difference in their relationship was how Aiden simply nodded and left when Brad said no instead of arguing with him over it.

The second the door closed behind his assistant, Brad groaned and allowed his head to come rest against his desk top. He should have been thinking of his upcoming meeting, the one his father trusted him with even though the client was important enough that he was surprised his father wasn't handling himself, but he couldn't. All he could think about was the blond man who'd just left, and how he could fix what he'd broken between them.

***

Twenty minutes before his meeting was scheduled, Brad received a phone call from a displeased business partner. This would have been fine- twenty minutes would be enough for him to clear up the misunderstanding and talk the woman down– if not for Mr. Dansen (the CEO of the company he was arranging the important contract with) showing up for their meeting ten minutes early.