Page 24 of Just a Footnote

“Okay.”

And then Liam does it again to the other nipple. Aiden growls before leaning down to kiss him again. Liam’s big hands come up to cup his face, tilting his head slightly to deepen the kiss further. Fuck it. Aiden rolls his hips again so that their cocks slide together despite the layers of clothes between them. They’re going to get off like this and Aiden doesn’t even care. It doesn’t take long to get Liam to the edge, until he can’t even kiss anymore, instead only pant against Aiden’s mouth.

“Fuck, Aiden.” Liam freezes underneath him. His hands tighten on Aiden’s face before kissing him roughly as Aiden falls over the edge too. The kiss grows softer, reminding Aiden that he needs to pull away before it gets too gentle.

He rolls off of Liam, taking slow breaths as he tugs off his pants and boxer briefs. Liam’s eyes are heavy on his back the entire time he pulls on clean underwear and sweatpants.

“You can borrow something but it’ll be too small.”

“Just give me a pair of underwear. I’ll make do.”

Aiden grabs a pair of clean briefs, trying to not think about Liam wearing his underwear, tossing it onto the bed beside Liam. The stifling silence after a hookup is always awkward to Aiden. Aiden isn’t sure why. It’s not his first hookup and it’s not his first time having sex. It is his first hookup with his brother's best friend though. Guilt starts to eat away at him but he reminds himself that what Archer doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Liam finishes dressing and stands there looking unsure, like he wants to say something to Aiden but can’t.

“Thanks, it was nice.” Aiden tries to smile but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Yeah,” Liam agrees quietly. A few moments pass beforeLiam crosses the few feet between them, leans down, and kisses Aiden softly on the mouth. “Maybe we could do it again soon?”

“Probably a bad idea.”

“Isn’t that what college is about? Bad ideas?”

“Maybe that’s what I’ve been doing wrong this entire time,” Aiden jokes, hoping it’ll break the sudden weird tension filling the room.

“I’ll see you. Right?”

Aiden’s eyebrows furrow. “Of course.”

The want to reassure Liam takes him off guard. He’s not really the reassuring type, but he wants to reassure Liam. Maybe just so he can keep him around. Having a solid hookup wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Okay, then. I’ll see you.”

Aiden watches, sort of detached, as Liam leaves his bedroom. The sound of the front door closing softly behind Liam keeps Aiden rooted to the spot he stands. He stays there, in the middle of his bedroom, long after the quiet starts to echo around him.

5

The team’s away for two out-of-state hockey games the week immediately following their ill advised hookup. Aiden usually likes when they’re away for the weekend because he has the dorm all to himself. For studying. He used to like it because he could have hookups over but he’s too busy with his final semester to mess with that now. At least, that’s what he tells himself as he puts the game on the television so he can watch it while he studies.

Games are nice background noise while Aiden studies. They always have been. He likes hearing Archer’s name sometimes in the background even though he’s constantly worried it’s because Archer has been injured. He fears looking up at the screen to see blood on the ice and his brother incapacitated. The actuality of that happening is zip to none though considering he’s a goalie. Doesn’t mean it’s not something he’ll always fear.

The game passes without anything of note happening. Nabbing the win, 2-0, and it makes Aiden smile despite his usual unwillingness to. Just as he goes to turn the television off an interviewer starts talking to Liam. Liam’s hair is damp with sweat, his cheeks still a little flushed, and Aiden can’t explainwhy his heart starts to race a little faster at the sight. The smile on Liam’s face is always there after a game. Kind of like he’s blissed out. High on the win. But there’s also something that Aiden has always noticed, but never put words to it.

Liam always holds himself back. He keeps everyone at arm’s length. Making everyone see what they want to see. Aiden can see the chip on his shoulder now that he really thinks about it. Does Liam even know he carries it? After so many years he might just be used to it by now. Liam smiles at the camera before leaving down the tunnel to join the rest of the team in the locker rooms.

He hasn’t seen Liam since the hookup but he’s struck with the fact that he wants to see him. Wants to kiss him again even. Wanting repeats of a hookup isn’t commonplace for him. Usually more than once has him afraid that someone might want something from him that he can’t give. Love is something out of reach for Aiden. He’s not sure he really understands romantic love. Platonic love, sure. Familial love, definitely. He loves Archer so much that he’d die for him. By extension, he’d reluctantly die for Miles too.

Liking someone is weird.

Because he wants to spend time with Liam. Heenjoysspending time with Liam.

Liam has slowly started to wear down some of his carefully constructed walls.

He falls into a restless sleep watching the television, Liam’s face burned into the back of his eyelids. A few hours later the angry buzzing of his phone startles him awake. Fumbling in the darkness for his phone, Liam’s name lights up the display. Truthfully, he’d forgotten they had each other's numbers.

“I can’t sleep,” Liam tells him through the phone. His voice is rough, a little sleepy, making Aiden’s heart beat a little faster. Aiden sits up on the couch and tiredly rubs at his eyes.

“Okay.”

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