Dear Diary, I'm Completely Lost

Brother Knows Best

“Aiden!” I squeal, filled with excitement as I rush towards the car and throw myself into my brother’s arms. He chuckles as he hugs me back, ruffling my hair playfully. I don’t even smack him for it. I’ve missed him so much.

“Hey there, lil’ sis,” he greets me back, pulling away to take good look at me. “Wow, aren’t you a stunner? A true Miss Fallen Leaves,” he teases me. This time I do end up smacking him. I hate it when he does that.

“Hey, stop making fun of me,” I protest, making him chuckle. He ruffles my hair again, making my face fall. It’s like we’re nine and eight years old all over again. True déjà vu.

“I’m not,” he assures me, then glances somewhere behind me only to frown. “Who the hell is that dude?” he then wonders in a not very friendly tone, making me turn around only to realize that Jack is still trailing behind me cautiously.

“Oh, this is Jack, short for Jackson. He’s a new student. He used to live in Washington before,” I explain, making my brother’s frown deepen. Uh-oh. This can’t be good. I figure he’s been talking to Leslie about a lot of things, while he was gone. Maybe Hunter himself mentioned this.

But Jack, clueless as he is, offers my brother his hand. “Hi, nice to meet you,” he tells him with a friendly smile. I glance at Aiden, whose face resembles anything but kindness in that moment. Crap.

“So you’re Jackson ... Aiden. Perrie’s older brother. And her boyfriend’s best friend. And her best friend’s boyfriend,” he informs him in a meaningful tone, squeezing his hand a little too hard. I mean, I can see Jack’s knuckles turning white. But he doesn’t even flinch. They have some kind of a silent stare off.

Someone please shoot me, there’s way too much testosterone in the air. “Okay, now that we’re all acquainted, you didn’t tell me you were coming home today!” I quickly interfere, averting my gaze at my brother. He finally lets go of Jack’s hand and moves his deathly stare away from his face.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he tells me, shrugging. “And my girlfriend. I didn’t realize she’d fall sick,” he then adds, making me sigh. Yeah, tell me about it.

“I have to go, see you tomorrow?” Jack suddenly says from somewhere behind me, making me turn towards him briefly, just to have him get as far away from my brother as possible.

“Yeah, sure. Bye,” I tell him shortly, smiling at him in an apologetic way, before turning back to Aiden. He stares after him with a stony expression and I nudge him between the ribs. He jumps away in pain, sending me an offended gaze. “Lose the glare, you literally just met him!”

He scoffs, and motions for me to get in the car. As soon as we’re sealed off from the outside world, he looks at me with a deadly serious gaze. “Can you please explain, why you’re hanging out with someone, who’s clearly trying to hit on you, despite knowing you have a boyfriend? If you’re trying to make the said boyfriend jealous, please stop right now. He’s been through enough,” he reprimands me.

I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m not trying to make anyone jealous! And Jack is not hitting on me, he’s apologized for that and for causing drama with Hunter. We’re hanging out, that’s it,” I explain, making my brother scoff again.

“You’re so naïve,” he lets me know, before starting the car. As we’re driving out of the parking lot, I’m still staring at him with my jaw dropped. I can’t believe he just said that to me!

“Excuse me?” is the only thing I’m able to get out of my mouth. I mean, come on, I might be a little too kind for my own good sometimes, but I know a liar, when I see one!

“You heard me. He’s trying to make a mess out of your life and I won’t let him do that. You’re with Hunter. Act accordingly,” he basically orders me, making my blood boil.

“Seriously, Aiden, you don’t get to dictate who I hang out with. Not even Hunter does that!” I protest, feeling so angry that I can feel a vein pulsing on the side of my forehead. Come on, I was so happy to see him just five minutes ago, why is he being a jerk?

He lets out a long sigh, patting my knee in a friendly way. “I’m not trying to dictate anything. I’m just looking out for you. I don’t like this guy,” he lets me know. I let out a frustrated breath. He’s now the third or possibly the fourth person that has said that about Jack. I’ve lost count already.

The rest of the ride passes in silence, but he doesn’t let me get out of the car, until I talk to him. He literally locks the doors as he parks in front of our house, making me turn towards him in horror.

“Please, just hear me out. Hunter is finally happy. He’s thriving in school, he’s completely in love with you and he can barely wait to come home. Please, don’t ruin this for him,” he practically begs me. I look at him in suspicion. Does Aiden know something I don’t?

“What did Hunter tell you exactly?” I want to know. My brother grows quiet and makes that face he always makes when he’s not supposed to say anything. “Aiden? If Hunter’s feeling insecure about Jackson, you have to tell me,” I pressure him. He sighs, shaking his head like he can’t believe that he’s even saying anything. He looks really torn for a moment before he finally starts talking.

“Please don’t let him know that I said anything ... But we talked after that encounter he had with that dude. He told me that he got a really bad feeling about him, even if you assured him there was nothing going on. I mean when we know, we know. There might not be anything on your side, but on his side, there is something. Even if he managed to convince you that he wants to be just friends. Just … be careful. Promise me,” he speaks up.

I stare at him, realizing that he’s really worried. Like, really worried. He’s afraid that I’ll end up hurting his best friend. Not the other way around, like he’s been fearing almost my entire junior year. I can feel my expression softening as I place my hand on his shoulder in a reassuring way. “I promise I won’t hurt him, Aiden.”

He finally nods in relief and lets me leave the car. He doesn’t stay at home for long, because he already rushes to Leslie’s house as soon as he gets something to eat. Mom’s already home, cooking dinner. She took the day off, so she could go pick up Aiden at the airport. I still don’t know when Hunter’s coming home. Why does everyone keep surprising me lately? With the way it’s turning out, I’m starting to hate surprises.

I know that Aiden isn’t coming home today. In a way, I almost feel bad, because I haven’t seen him in forever, but I understand that he wants to spend as much time with Leslie as possible. Besides, we’ve had our talk, it’s all good. Right?

I try to find out when’s Hunter coming home from my mom, but she pretends to know nothing. And he doesn’t tell me anything either. Seriously, what are they all hiding from me? Is he already upstairs, hidden in my closet, or what?

But the closer we get to the evening, the more I realize that he won’t be here today. He probably still had classes and had to rest before hopping on a plane. I’m sure he’ll come tomorrow. I’ll make mom take me to the airport with them.

I end up mindlessly scrolling through my phone before going to bed, because Hunter doesn’t reply to my texts anymore. He’s probably packing. I end up going to sleep soon after, because he doesn’t respond even to my good night text. I don’t pay much attention to it, but I am kind of offended. He always tells me good night at least. Even if he doesn’t have the time to reply to anything else.

I end up dosing off with a pout. At least that’s what it feels like. I’m not even fully asleep. I mean, I am sleeping, but I’m in this state, where I’m aware of all of my surroundings. Of every sound, every disruption. I don’t open my eyes, but I hear it all.

I also hear the front door opening, but I don’t fully register it, until someone comes upstairs. The doorknob turns. I don’t react. I’m asleep. Then, all of a sudden, I feel someone touch me. It’s strange at first, I feel it but I don’t, until I finally start to wake up.

In that moment, I breathe in the familiar scent. Oh my God. Hunter! My eyes literally fly open and I shift, making him remove his lips from my forehead. I mumble his name sleepily, making him chuckle. “Hey, baby. I’m here,” he murmurs quietly, making me smile.

He caresses the side of my face, making me melt. He’s really here, I’m not dreaming! This is the best. I try to stay awake, but I’m failing miserably. I lift my chin a little, wanting to kiss him. But the moment he presses his lips on mine, I’m already falling back asleep. This time, I travel into a deep slumber.

In fact, I sleep so tightly that I only wake up in the morning, fully rested, with Hunter’s arm clinging to my waist. I smile. Then realize I slept through everything after he got here. Not fair. I heard everything before he got home, and then I just slept? I can’t believe myself.

I have no idea when he went to the bathroom or came out of it. Or laid down, really. I missed so many sweet moments that we could’ve had if I only stayed awake! Ah, well. What’s done is done. What matters is that he’s here with me now.

He wakes up soon after, showering me with a hundred kisses. I’m giggling like a little girl. He truly does seem happy. Happier than ever, really. I can’t ruin that. Ever. I made a promise. I won’t hurt him.

He ends up arousing me to the point where I climb on top of him, making him smile. I pull the top of my pajamas over my head, and he bites his lower lip at sight of me. He pulls me closer, planting kisses all over my chest, making me let out a needy breath.

When he looks at me, his eyes are full of lust. “Trust me, I’d love to, but we’ll be interrupted pretty soon, if we don’t get out of bed,” he informs me. I stare at him in surprise, unable to say anything, so he explains on his own. “We’re leaving for Oak Grove after breakfast.”

Just as the words leave his mouth, I hear voices downstairs. I recognize them soon enough. “It’s Aiden and Leslie,” I tell him, making his face light up. That’s the look of someone who missed seeing his best friend every day.

He kisses me once again, his tongue doing unspeakable things to me. Then, he pulls away with a low groan escaping his lips. “I’ll be dealing with you later,” he assures me, making me chuckle as he playfully smacks my butt, then pulls the top back over my head.

“I’ll be holding you to your word, mister,” I assure him, running my hand over his boxers as I get up from bed. As I look over my shoulder to check his reaction, I wink at him for good measure. And I can tell he’s going wild.