Twizzlers (MxMxM)

Chapter 15 - Why Am I Here? Pt. 2

Evander

I followed after Aaron silently, confused by his actions. Why wasn't he telling me what I did wrong? Did I even do anything to upset him? I wouldn't be able to know unless he told me.

I heard Aubrey greet Aaron and the other didn't even answer. Aubrey's bright smile fell a bit and it made me speak up. "Don't dump your issues with me onto Aubrey, Aaron."

"Issues? What's going on?" Aubrey asked, rightfully confused and slightly hurt.

Aaron didn't answer and slammed the bathroom door shut, leaving Aubrey and me in silence. I sighed in frustration, running a hand through my hair. One moment I feel like we were making a proper connection and the next he's withdrawn and running away. "What happened to you two? Why is Aaron upset?" Aubrey asked me quietly.

"I do not know. We were talking and I leaned in to kiss him. He suddenly stood up and started talking about leaving. I fear that I scared him away," I admitted.

I walked over to sit on the bed, looking at Aubrey carefully to gauge his reaction.

"He ran away from a kiss?" He asked carefully.

"That's what it seemed like to me, yes. He also mentioned needing to talk to both of us about something. I'm not sure what, though. Perhaps that also influenced his actions."

Aubrey bit his lip. "I'm sure Aaron didn't mean to be rude," he offered up in defense of the other.

"Even if his intentions weren't that, he was still harsh. He didn't need to pull you into our issues," I told him.

He blushed lightly and nodded, looking down at the sheets. "I'm sorry if you feel hurt or anything," I added carefully.

"I'm not hurt," he said quickly, looking up at me with wide green and brown eyes.

"Good. Now, what do you think we should do now?"

We both turned to look at the closed bathroom door. It was dead silent. I still felt that anger and frustration welled up inside me from what just transpired. Why couldn't Aaron communicate with us and explain what had gone wrong? Were we not all adults here?

"Maybe we should give him some space," Aubrey suggested. "He looked really upset. Do you think...do you think he doesn't like us anymore?"

I was taken aback by Aubrey's words. "What? Why do you think that?"

"Well, I don't know. He can be really distant sometimes. Like he's afraid. And with what just happened, what if he doesn't like us? What if he doesn't feel the mate bond as strongly as I do?"

Tears formed in his eyes and I reached out to catch one that fell from his lovely brown eye. Scooting closer, Aubrey crawled into my lap, allowing me to run my hand through his curls comfortingly. The sweet scent of his blood quickly filled my senses. "I'm sure he cares about us as much as you do. It's been such a short period of time since we all met. Maybe he just feels a bit shy."

"Maybe," he whispered. "I don't feel like you guys are strangers, though. Maybe it's because I'm a nymph, but my feelings for you two are so strong already and I'm worried they won't be returned."

Reaching down to lift his chin, I offered a gentle smile. "I do care. Even if I'm not compelled by the bond yet like you two are, I still feel that attraction that ties us all together. You have nothing to fear, Aubrey," I whispered.

He gave me a watery smile. "Thank you, Evander."

We sat like that for a bit, Aubrey leaned against my chest as I continued to play with his soft hair when we heard a knock at the door. I put Aubrey down onto the bed and went over to the door, unlocking it after peeking into the peephole. "Hello. Erin was it?"