Chapter Twenty-One - Happy F*pping Everyone!
Sleeping next to Aron was the best thing ever. Especially since the guy now had a signature way of waking him up, with slow kisses and caresses.
"Hey," he smirked, as he stretched like a cat into the man's arms.
"Hey back," Aron chuckled. "I hate not being able to cuddle some more, but I need to go to work early. They're sending someone over from New Entertainment, to ask us about a new motivational book we publish. Apparently, these guys like to wake up with the chickens."
"Why do you have to be there? Are you the one giving the interview?" Carter asked, and wrapped his arms around Aron's strong shoulders.
"No, but I have to show support for the author, and they may ask me about some technical aspects. Or I might be as good as invisible. Trust me, I would like nothing more but wake up slowly with you."
"I think I can live with you leaving early for work once. But don't make it a habit," Carter joked.
Hello, we're not supposed to get used to this!
Hey, since when we're talking like Deadpool again?
Admit it, it's pretty cool.
Yeah, Deadpool is the awesomest.
Wait ... are you trying to change the subject?
Smart brain is smart, psh, what to say?
"Don't worry, I won't," Aron placed a wet sloppy kiss on his ear, making him giggle. "And you go wreck them, tiger. I bet your Instagram has gazillions of followers by now."
Carter rolled his eyes. That was the last thing on his list of concerns.
"Hey," he caressed the ridge of Aron's shoulders slowly. "When would you say we should go see Carter together?"
"As I said, baby, when it's convenient for you. You'll see, the guy's on the mend. The doctors are very optimistic."
"Eh, what do you they know?" he shrugged.
"Hmm, I'd say much more than us," Aron replied. "They went to med school, and we didn't."
"Ha, seriously?" Carter smiled.
"Yeah, they have all those diplomas and stuff," Aron joked further. "So, pick your day, and we'll go."
"I don't know if today or tomorrow is the right day ... but I'll check with Mark. I really want to see the bo ... the guy," Carter correctly himself in time.
"The boy? Was this what you were trying to say?" Aron questioned, a bit puzzled. "He's older than you."
"Yeah, but he behaves like a child, right?"
Nice save, bro.
Aw, do you really mean it?
No, not really.
Douche.
"I suppose," Aron sighed.
"Well, we'll go together and kick him to wake up," Carter said quickly.
"I'm pretty sure the nurses and the good doctors there would have something to say about such barbaric acts," Aron shook his head and smiled. "Really, baby, I'm so happy you're not upset with him anymore."
"Eh, let bygones be bygones," Carter said. "Weren't you supposed to be out the door already?"
"Kicking me out of the bed?" Aron pretended to pout.
"I think you're in danger of me not letting get out of it, but have it your way," Carter sighed for dramatic effect.
"All right, here's your last kiss, until we meet again," Aron smooched him loudly on one cheek.
"Okay, okay, just go already," Carter pushed him away.
That was the right thing to do. Push Aron away, even though it was pretty damn redundant at this point. How the hell was he going to live in his good ol' shell? What? Was he getting used to Instagram fame already?
No, that wasn't it. But he was not going to say it. Even his smartass brain knew to shut its trap on the topic. They were never going to go there.
***
"Hey, Alex," Simon greeted him cheerfully, the moment he went through the door to his office.
"Did Mark let you in?" Carter asked, eyeing the guy suspiciously.
"No, I ... just waited for him to be a moment out, and I sneaked in," Simon said with a small snicker.
Ah, this was getting weary. Fuck with the no interfering rule. Aron didn't deserve to be cheated on. Not with Simon, not with anyone. And this was one thing he needed to take care of properly. Mark was right. He could not have his cake and eat it.
"Simon," he said solemnly and placed one hand on the guy's shoulder. "Look here, man. We're over."
Women used to break up with him, not the other way around. This was new. And frigging hard.
"What?" the guy stammered and recoiled as if he had been slapped.
Carter's fingers squeezed to keep him in place.
"I thought I could play this game. I thought that it was enough to mistreat you and you would go away. But it's not okay. It's not okay at all. And it's not fair."
Simon was looking at him, chewing his bottom lip and frowning, like he was trying to make sense of the guy.
"I ... I could tell Aron," Simon said hesitantly.
"If you do that, that's on you, man. I'll deal with my husband. I will figure out a way to get him back, because sure as hell that he'll drop me after something like this. If this is what you want to do, I cannot stop you, and you know it."
He was taking a huge gamble here. But he just couldn't stand this anymore. Simon was too willing to take just everything his so-called lover threw at him. Aron was getting hurt, even if unconsciously. And Carter was too damn stupid to juggle two men at the same time. Plus, he only was in love with one.
Oops.
Gimme a break.
"But I hope you won't," he continued. "I hope that you care enough about what we had that you won't decide to destroy it like this. I will tell Aron myself."
Are we?
Yes. I don't care about cosmic mistakes and whatnot.
It was maybe crazy and stupid, but it felt damn right. Yes, he knew, it was not his secret to tell, and he needed to find a way to come clean to Aron, for the sake of the guy's marriage. Maybe when Alex was going to get back to his own body, he would just have to hack it, and finally admit that Aron was the best husband in the universe, and not supposed to be cheated on like a shmuck.
"You really mean it," Simon said bitterly. "After all I did for you."
"Boy, you don't know what you're talking about. What did you think you did? Have your romp smacked with a paddle? Wore some leather thingie under your shirt? Really, what kind of compromise or life-changing decision do you think you took?"
"This one," Simon shook his hand and opened his shirt with hurried moves.
