Stay (Boy × Boy) ✔

CHAPTER 15

The time Aydan spent disconnecting from everyone, stretched to four days. The first two days he laid in his apartment, curtains closed and hugging the jacket that still had William's familiar scent on it.

Aydan had always thought he was the kind of person who could get through anything, with a smile on his lips, and come back stronger. In reality, Aydan had learned to realise, there had never been anything insuperable on his way before. His life had always been easy and protected.

He had thought he was the one helping William, the shy and elusive — yet smart and mesmerising — William, but it had been just as much the other way around.

William needed Aydan's help getting friends and opening up, Aydan needed William to keep his focus on things that actually mattered. William took his responsibilities seriously, and when he seemed to forget taking care of himself during the process, Aydan made sure he left the house and unwound even for a moment. Aydan was nonchalant about the things he needed to do, so William reminded him to study and train harder.

After Aydan had got home from the hospital, he had barely slept or eaten. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around what had happened, so it was like time had stopped and he was stuck somewhere between the moment he peeked out of the emergency exit door and the moment he saw William's body convulsing inside the ambulance.

Every time Aydan tried to close his eyes and give in to the exhaustion, the images filled his head: the bloody and cracked mirror, the uneasiness on William's face when he said he wanted to go, the soaked and stained shirt,.. and his eyes.

Aydan had realised what had been obscure in William's eyes: his pupils had been dilated unevenly. That was probably the worst of all, because it had been eery like something you would see in a horror movie, yet Aydan hadn't noticed it until after an entire day. A few days later he learned it was a symptom of cerebral hemorrhage, or Acute Subdural hematoma like the paramedics had called it.

Aydan drove to his parents house after the two days he had spent on his own in the penthouse that had started to feel like a prison cell.

He had ignored all Claudia's calls and messages, as well as the ones he got from George and the others, but he had answered when his mom had called and asked if he was okay.

Aydan had typed messages, five of them, and made calls, two of them, to William, because he just couldn't stand the silence. None of those messages had been read or answered, just as all the calls went straight to voicemail.

The house Aydan's parents lived in, wasn't huge and luxurious as the mansion William lived in was. It wasn't a small or shabby house either: it was a modern house, made to look like a farmhouse with its big wooden doors and windows, white panels and high roofs.

Ashley, Aydan's mom, was a devoted gardener — whenever she had time — so the the yard was full of beautiful flowers and trees. She also grew vegetables and berries, that tasted better and juicier than anything you could buy from the market.

When you walked in the house, you didn't see chandeliers, marble or modern furniture contrary to William's home. Aydan's parents' house had polished board floor, white walls and paintings after paintings. There were plenty of natural, though polished, wood surfaces, brown furniture, bookshelves and plants. Having a house, that looked like it was from another century, wasn't as affordable as one might think, so in its rustic interior was also an affirmation of their wealth.

Aydan walked right to his room upstairs, because his parents weren't home yet, and dug out a wooden box under his bed. The box was one of his most precious possessions, yet he had never thought about taking it to his apartment, because in his mind it seemed to belong in his childhood home.