Page 45 of On The Run

Max: I’m glad you liked it. It was pretty amazing for me too. Thanks for picking up breakfast. I’ll see you soon.

I stared at the message for a few minutes, but the read never popped up. Shrugging, I shoved my phone in my sweats pocket and trudged to my bathroom. I’d only have a few minutes before Gray was back and demanding breakfast, and I had to relieve myself and brush my teeth.

I was still having a hard time believing last night was real. I had a feeling that Aiden didn’t have a lot of experience sexually, but the chemistry between us was mind-blowing. We didn’t even do much and still, that was one of the most electric sexual experiences I’d had in my life. I couldn’t wait to do it again, to explore more with Aiden.

He was exhausted after everything, but even after we were cuddled up on my mattress and his soft snores filled the room, I still couldn’t sleep. Aiden’s words to me kept running through my mind and wouldn’t let me rest.If I disappear, please look for me, Max.

What did that even mean? Why did he think he’d disappear? I had so many questions, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the answers to them. There was one thing I knew for sure, though. I had no intention of giving Aiden up, especially now that he gave me permission to go after him. I didn’t even know what it meant, not really. Did he think someone would take him? Or was it more figuratively, like he was afraid he was going to run again and wanted me to chase him? Whatever it was, I’d give it to him. If I had to chase him until he truly believed I wasn’t going anywhere, then that was fine. If he needed me to find him in the farthest corner of the Earth because he was in danger, I’d somehow do that too.

I made my way downstairs in time to watch Gray climbing on a barstool to reach the fruit bowl. “Can I have a banana?”

“Sure, Gray.” I fluffed his already messy hair, much to his annoyance. “Aiden will be back with breakfast soon, but it won’t hurt for you to have a banana.”

Gray’s face lit up. “Aiden is coming back?”

“Yup.” I shuffled over to the coffee maker to get that going. I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I needed something to keep me from crashing until Aiden got back. “He just had to stop home first, and then he was gonna get us breakfast.”

“Awesome! Can we maybe go to the park today? I wanna show Aiden how I do the monkey bars.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, but it was up to Aiden. “Maybe, bud. Let’s see what Aiden’s plans are first, ok?”

“Yeah, sure.” Gray finally got the peel off his banana and began eating it, just as the coffee started to brew.

Gray and I talked for a while, and then I sent him off to get dressed. I knew I was being ridiculous because barely an hour had passed, but I just felt like something was wrong. I was trying to avoid obsessively checking my phone, but I gave into the urge once Gray was out of the room. I didn’t have any new texts from Aiden, and it didn’t look like he read the message I sent earlier.

Which means nothing,I told myself. I knew most people Aiden’s age were all over their phones 24/7, but Aiden had never been like that. If he got home and his pops was having a bad morning, though, he easily could have gotten distracted and focused on his father.

I put my phone on the counter, determined to give Aiden more time. Just because he said he didn’t want to run anymore, didn’t mean he wanted his boyfriend—friend? Hookup?—to hover over him and constantly demand his attention. I finished my coffee and poured myself another one. It was a terrible idea, but I needed some type of distraction.

Gray came back in eventually, and he was complaining he was hungry. I felt bad feeding him if Aiden would be back soon, but the kid was a bottomless pit anyway, so he’d probably eat more once Aiden got here. I purposely ignored my phone and got my son cereal.

Another ten minutes passed before I could no longer stand it and checked my messages. Aiden still hadn’t read my damn text.

Max: Hi, tokki <3 No rush, but do you know when you’ll be back? Gray is already itching to eat, and I’m just wondering how much cereal he’ll need to hold him over, lol.

Yeah, I blamed my 6-year-old, what of it? I would not be the annoying, clingy partner, no matter how much I wanted to be.

More time passed, and I couldn’t hide my worries anymore. This anxious feeling in my gut kept getting worse by the moment, and I just knew something was wrong. Gray was nagging the hell out of me, and it was grating on my nerves—I got it. He loved Aiden and I got his hopes up.

I let a full two hours pass before I tried calling. It went directly to voicemail like his phone wasn’t even on. Fuck, this was not good. Aiden’s words from last night came to mind.Please look for me, Max.

Don’t worry,tokki. I’ll come look for you.

Gray was going to be pissed, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I called up my mom. I knew I worried the fuck out of her, asking her to take Gray the way I did, but being the awesome mother she was, she readily agreed and told me to pack him a bag so he could spend the night. It wasn’t the same as spending the day with Aiden, but hopefully, Gray would understand.

I walked into the family room, where Gray was sitting on the couch on his tablet. I usually tried to limit his screen time, but I needed to distract him for a bit. I was going to lose it.

I resolutely did not look at the desk pushed up against the wall as I came and sat next to Gray.

“Hey, buddy, there’s a change of plans for today.” Gray looked up at me, and I knew he already knew what I was going to say. His disappointment killed me. I hated seeing that look in his eyes, but I didn’t know what else to do.

“Aiden’s not coming back today, is he?”

“I don’t think so, Gray. Something came up for him, and he needed to stay home. But he’s really sorry he’s missing today with you.”

Gray shrugged, trying to act like he didn’t care, but I knew he did. And this was why I’d been avoiding dating before Aiden crashed into my life. I knew Gray would get attached, and if something happened, not only would it break my heart, but Gray’s too.

If it wasn’t for last night, I’d be sure Aiden just freaked out and bailed, and I’d be working my way up to pissed. I couldn’t explain why, but I just knew those words meant something to Aiden. It wasn’t just pillow talk, caught up in the moment professions of love. Aiden never said anything without thinking it through, and I knew how hard that was to say. No, if Aiden wasn’t coming back, there was a reason.

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