Chapter Twenty-Eight - Drinks And Trolls Won't Break My Bones
"What is it, son?"
Heathcliff drew one deep breath. Aidan was upset, and he needed someone with real-life experience to help him deal with this. Rushing after Aidan felt like a bad idea, and he needed to have someone look at the situation and tell him where he had gone wrong.
"I got into a fight with Aidan."
He waited for a moment.
"I'm listening," his father replied.
"Good." Heathcliff let out an audible exhale. "For a moment, I worried that you might say that people fight once in a while, and I shouldn't worry."
"If you called me, it must be serious. I know you well, Heath, don't forget. You wouldn't ask for help if it weren't important. Sometimes I wished you would have relied on us at least once in a while. So, what was the fight about?"
Heathcliff recounted quickly the circumstances of the argument he had had earlier with Aidan. "I feel like I did something terrible. He was so upset and angered when he left. Not that I don't see how he would like to achieve this type of thing on his own, but he doesn't know -"
"Heath," his father stopped him. "Don't find excuses for yourself. That's the first rule if you want to see the end of this in a manner that won't leave you brokenhearted."
"So you're not on my side?" Heathcliff half-joked.
"You're not either if you choose to be right instead of happy."
"I was afraid you might say that. But, still, dad, I don't understand. Why did he get so upset? He didn't even let me say that I was sorry."
"Were you going to say that you were sorry?"
"Not at first. I really thought I was right."
"Maybe this insecurity is something that runs deep with Aidan. Have you met his parents? Are they okay with his choices in life, in general?"
"He just told me he wanted me to meet them. From what he says, they tend to be overprotective. On more than one occasion, he told me he feels like a victim, well, with air quotes, of helicopter parenting."
His father sighed on the other end. "That might explain why he feels the need to prove himself. You see, Heathcliff, to his mom and dad, he will always be the kid that needs protection. I think he got enough of that in his life and he doesn't need the same treatment from his boyfriend."
"I suppose you're right," Heathcliff admitted. "But I just wanted him to be happy. He wanted that damned promotion so much."
"And because he wanted it so much, you felt like it would be the perfect gift. But this is not how these things work. You know your mother, and how she tends to overwork herself sometimes. If I try to pull her away from her work, she goes full beast mode. And I want what's best for her."
"And you know better than to do that, right? So, if someone you love is in this position, of letting themselves get hurt, you just stay and watch?" Heathcliff asked, feeling a tinge a bitterness creeping into his voice.
"No. But you need to be a good strategist and do something in such a way that fragile egos don't get hurt in the process. In a way, not that I want to criticize you, you took from Aidan the possibility to see how little he means to that company and his boss. Once he would have seen that, he would have wanted to leave there, and never go back."
"Ah, damn," Heathcliff said dejectedly. "And now I'm the enemy."
"Unfortunately, yes, but it's temporary. Aidan will see clearly once he gets the chance that his boss doesn't care for his hard work at all."
"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime? I miss him already," Heathcliff confessed.
His dad was the only person in the world to whom he could admit to such extreme vulnerabilities. He might have joked with Michael about his feelings for Aidan and asked for help, but his father was the only one who could see him down and that, without his feeling like he was less of the person he liked to be.
His father had always been the parent to whom he had ran with a scraped knee or a bad grade, no matter how motherly his mom had tried to be. She had been, more often than not, caught in her work, and Heathcliff had felt, instinctively, even as a child, that there was something in his mother's life that was at least as important as he and Max. His father was different in that respect, and his love was complete. That was why Heathcliff was calling him tonight, and no one else.
"Heath," his father said with affection, "I know you might not be used to this feeling, but it's all right. It will all be fine. Such moments help you grow."
"What if he doesn't want to talk to me or see me anymore?" Heathcliff expressed his sudden deep fear. Anyone else who knew him would have either thought he was joking or really going insane when hearing him say something like that.
"You and Aidan don't really know each other. Although you knew about Aidan's parents and their obsession to be overprotective, you couldn't have understood the implications of your involvement in his promotion. I'm just a bystander, but everything is clear to me. But it couldn't have been clear to you. You only thought of offering Aidan what he wanted. And there's nothing wrong with good intentions, son; know that. It is, however, important to learn what to do with these good intentions and how to use them to offer the people you love what they truly need."
"Thank you, dad. I feel a little better now that I talked to you. So, what should I do next?"
"Be honest. Tell Aidan you're sorry and give him a bit of space. This is just a fight, after all. If there is enough in your relationship to weigh in balance, that part will win. Don't expect things to work out from the second you see him, though."
"Oh, damn, how long will I have to wait?" Heathcliff asked, and pushed one hand through his short hair, feeling already restless with the idea.
"You two work together on that project you were telling me about. That means that he will have to see you and talk to you. That's your chance to set things right. Tell him what you have to say, and let him process it."
"For how long?"
His father laughed softly. "Young people. You are so impatient as if life were short. Well, let me tell you, son; it's pretty long, and there's enough time to wait for the one you love to forgive you."
"I can't just sit idly," Heathcliff protested.
"And you shouldn't. Take this time to think about why Aidan got so upset. You will understand some things about him that you haven't so far."
"All right. I'll try," Heathcliff replied.
He wished his father goodnight and headed up the stairs, to go to sleep. Alone. Usually, he appreciated having the bed all to himself, but now it wasn't the case anymore. He would miss Aidan tonight, and tomorrow until they would see each other again. His father's kind and wise words were still on his mind. He truly needed to understand the one he loved better.