Their meeting seemed to leave everyone in much higher spirits than they were when they first walked into the room. As soon as they wrapped up Ben rushed back into the kitchen, nearly skipping on his way out. His mother too seemed to have a weight taken off her shoulders. She got to her feet as soon as Chris did and walked him to the door with a wide grin.

“Make sure to grab something to eat on your way out, okay? On the house.”

“I will,” he promised. “And I’ll let you know who I think can be a good option.”

His mother’s gratefulness changed into mild surprise which she turned up towards him.

“You’ll help us find someone?”

“Of course,” he nodded. “I already have a few ideas but let me ask around some more, do a little research. I’ll come up with a few names and then we can go from there?”

After a short second of silence his mother recovered into a renewed smile. It had a brightness he hadn't seen in her for a while now. 

“That would be wonderful. Really, I can’t thank you enough.”

“Don’t mention it.” Chris shook his head. The warmth in his expression was soft, radiant. “I’m just happy to help in whichever way I can.”

Aidan had just stepped out of the room when those words hit him like an invisible brick wall. He froze in place, and barely noticed when Chris, who was still walking, bumped right into him. God, how could he be so stupid? He should have known something was off. All the signs were there, and yet somehow it took him this long to see what was really going on. He turned around sharply, causing a surprised Chris to stumble backward.

“Can I talk to you?”

“Sure,” came his baffled reply after a moment. “What’s-”

“Come here.”

He didn’t wait for a reply before he grabbed his hand and tugged, then pulled, ignoring the short unsteadiness he felt in his step behind him as he dragged Chris away from the office, through the front of the house, and back again into the bathrooms. He all but shoved him into one of the stalls before locking the door and turning to look at him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Chris blinked at him, clearly taken back. “Huh?”

“This- this -” Aidan pointed at him, then towards the door, in the general direction from which they came. “You’re planning something.”

Chris glanced at it before looking at him again. The feigned innocence in his expression made him want to scream.

“Well… yes. I thought that was obvious. Wasn’t this the whole point of this meeting?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“Stop acting stupid!”

Chris startled before the faintest of lines appeared between his eyebrows. “Seriously Aidan, I don’t know what you're talking about.”

“Really?” he let out an exasperated chuckle. “Because I’m pretty sure you do and you’re just sure I’m a big enough idiot to buy it.”

“You know I don’t think that. Look, could you just tell me what’s going on?”

Aidan crossed his arms and leaned back against the door.

“You’ll be happy to help in whichever way you can? What the hell was that supposed to mean?”

The crease in Chris’ forehead deepened.

“It means exactly that,” he replied slowly, as though he was talking to the dumbest person on earth. “That I’ll be happy to help with all of it. Coming up with a business plan, finding a partner…”

“Oh right, because you haven’t found one yet.”

“No I haven’t. I… you were in there with me the whole time Aidan. You heard everything I said.”

“Well there’s always something you don’t say, isn’t there?”

For a moment Chris froze. Then, he narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” he folded his arms over his chest, mirroring Aidan.

“You couldn’t even look me in the eye Chris!” he snorted. “And somehow you’re so sure we’ll find an investor, like people are going to be lining up, just waiting to get in on that deal.”

“I never said that.” God he hated the way he talked down to him, like he was some child that didn't know better. Especially when he wasn’t the one being childish. “Besides, you didn’t seem to have a problem with this idea when Ben said it could work.”

“This- this has nothing to do with Ben! This is about you!” He stabbed his finger at the air right in front of him. “Or what, were you expecting to just show up in a couple days and suggest yourself? Try to sell it to us that you just so happen to be the best option and expect us to take it?”

“What?” Now it was Chris’ turn to laugh, though he didn’t look amused in the slightest. “No. No, that’s… not it at all. Why would you even think that?”

“Because that’s what you do Chris! You just walk in and do whatever you want and play the hero and expect everyone to just roll over and thank you.”

“Okay, first of all, you’re spiraling. And you know what, even if I was, so what? Would it really be so horrible if I happened to be your partner?”

“It would! We don’t need your pity!”

The deep oceans of his gaze turned cold, colder than they ever were when he looked at him before. His voice when he spoke was just as icy. “I don’t make business decisions out of pity.”

“Then why are you making them, huh? What, is this some twisted way for you to come and save me so that I fall for you and you can finally get what you want?”

Fuck.

Aidan snapped his mouth shut so fast he thought his jaws might lock forever, yet it was still not fast enough to stop the words from spilling out uncontrollably. The silence they flung them into was so much louder than anything that came before it, and it was only in it that Aidan realized he’s been leaning forward, almost as if by doing so he could push Chris back.

In reality, all it did was make it so that he was close enough to see the absolute stunned expression on his face – the way his big eyes widened and his skin paled, the way his lips parted and allowed his hot, shallow breath to roll past them and over his skin. His chest rose and fell way too quickly, and he could almost hear his heart beating underneath it. Or, maybe it was actually his own. It was racing frantically against his ribcage – at least until it leaped to his throat when Chris took a step forward.

Aidan flinched. His body hit the hard stall wall with a loud thud and for a moment, all he could do was stare. Could silence become even louder? Aidan could have sworn he could hear time itself ticking. He watched as the shock on Chris’ face deepened into disbelief, then pain. There was another short pause before his lips twisted into a smile. Wrong, jagged.

“Is that what you really think? That I want to buy you?”

“I…”

Fuck. No, no, it was wrong. All of it. His mouth went dry, his throat far too tight. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Aidan fumbled for any edge of a coherent thought he could turn into words, but the voices in his head were screaming over each other, each ringing a different alarm that made it impossible to hear anything. The fact Chris’ eyes remained locked onto his wasn’t helping. He couldn’t look away and it made it all even more confusing, more jumbled up. 

“Forget it,” he scuffed when his reply never arrived.

“Chris–”

“Don’t worry, that’s not my style. Even if I’m just a rich asshole with some spare cash to throw around.”

It felt like someone punched him in the gut. Knocked all the air out of him so that his body felt weak and the room like it was spinning. His heart picked up into a frenzied rhythm once more, and he was barely able to get his voice out of his mouth.

“Wait…”

But he didn’t. Chris was already pushing past him. The spot in his arm that he brushed against burned as though he just stuck it in one of the ovens in the kitchen, yet for some reason his body was shaking. When he paused at the door for a moment all Aidan could do was lift his gaze to him. He almost wished he hadn’t. Chris’ expression was hard, bitter and more detached than he had ever seen it.

“I’ll send your mom the list of people I thought of. But don’t worry,” he added listlessly right before he disappeared out of view. “I won’t get more involved than I have to. Wouldn’t want her to think I’m trying to manipulate her into loving me.”