That… was enough to stop the tears right at bay. Aidan froze in the oh-so elegant hunched position halfway to standing up, leaning on the table with one hand and the back of the booth with the other.

“Chris,” he said once he was sure he heard him right over the music, a feat that entailed a few long seconds of staring. “I can’t afford to rent a sink at your place, let alone a room.”

“Of course you can. It costs about what you’re paying right now.”

“Which is how much exactly?” Aidan arched a doubtful, suspicious brow.

“Exactly… as much as you’re paying right now,” Chris said with a sheepish smile, causing Ben to burst into laughter and Aidan to roll his eyes.

“Look,” he added after a moment, this time more serious than before, as he shifted his weight a little and tilted his head. His long fingers tapped against his glass as he looked up at Aidan. “I’m paying for the place anyway. You can stay for free for all I care.”

“I won’t.”

“I know, which is why I’m offering this. It’s not like I need the money, but I get it. So just think of it as a friends and family discount.”

How could Chris look at him so sure and unwavering when Aidan couldn’t find the edge of a coherent thought amidst the loud chaos that ran around his mind was beyond him. Though at least he was telling things as they were, and not trying to wrap it all up in some shiny, tempting illusion. Slowly he slid back into his seat, feeling the full weight of the blue eyes that followed him carefully yet closely, examining and anticipating.

“I don’t know…” Aidan muttered. He reached for the abandoned coaster that stood on the table, turning it between his fingers. “Even if I can afford it, your place is all the way across town. It’ll take me forever to get to work every morning…”

“Well it’s not going to be every morning, but we’re about to start a project not too far away from there. That’s where I had this meeting today,” Chris said thoughtfully before finishing the rest of his drink. “So I could give you a ride at least on some days.”

“Plus you don’t have to be there so early,” Ben chimed in. “Not that I don’t appreciate the company, but you don’t have to be there two hours before we even open every day. I can manage the kitchen on my own you know… but really, if you don’t want to just stay,” he added quickly. “It’s your place just as much as it’s mine and you know Leah loves you. There’s no reason the three of us can’t live there together.”

“No.” Leah was one of the nicest people he knew, perhaps second only to Ben. She has always been kind and friendly to him and he could tell, without a single doubt, that she truly loved his best friend. That was exactly the problem. Living with the both of them, in an apartment that would force them to run into each other constantly, with its cramped rooms and thin walls and nowhere to hide – it instantly made him resent her. Even if rationally she wasn’t the one to blame, even if he meant it when he told Ben he would have done the same thing, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that his space was being invaded. That his place was being taken over by someone else. He knew he wouldn't be able to take it.

“I mean we could but… this might not be the most terrible idea, considering everything. At least it won’t hurt to try. Plus, it’s not like I’m a lot of help in the kitchen anyway,” he chuckled in an attempt to soften his blunt reply. Much to his relief so did Ben, a gentle, genuine sound he could already tell he was going to miss. Even Chris seemed pleased, if his warm smile and the comfort that returned to his eyes was anything to judge by.

This time, their waitress chose the exact right moment to show up.

“Your drinks,” she seemed even more cheerful than before as she placed them down on the table, the small black curls around her face bouncing lightly as she did. “I hope you have yourselves a great time tonight.”

“Me too,” Aidan muttered over the rim of his glass, already pressed to his lips. “Because it looks like I need to start packing when I get home.”