Aiden

Beep…Beep…Beep…

Where am I…?

Beep…Beep…Beep…

Why is it so dark…?

Beep…Beep…Beep…

Beep.

I opened my eyes and everything was blurry at first, but soon, I made out a semi-lit room.

The beeping noise…it’s a heart monitor, and...I’m lying in a hospital bed…

Why am I here? What did I do…?

I looked down to see Lucien in a chair, his head resting next to my hand on the bed.

Puffy eyes…red cheeks…

He must have been crying all night…

I moved a shaky hand and gently ran it through his hair.
He slowly opened his eyes, staring at me for a moment.

I gave him a small smile, but he didn’t return it.

He sat up quickly, tears filling his eyes.

“A-Aiden?” “Lucien I—”

He pulled me into a kiss before I could say anything else.

Tongues meeting together…quiet moans…short, needy breaths…

He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against mine.

“Don’t…D-Don’t you ever do that again…! Do you understand me, Aiden?”

I was confused for a moment, but soon I realized what he was talking about.

What was I thinking? I was so reckless with the pills. I wanted to get rid of the voices so badly that I didn’t even consider how Lucien was feeling…

“I…I understand…I’m so sorry, Lucien…I’m so sorry about everything…”
“Why…?”

He pulled away even more, his eyes staring into mine. I gave him a confused look.

“Why couldn’t you just tell me that the voices were getting worse…?”

He looked so hurt…
I just want him to smile again…

“I’m…sick…I’m sick and demented, Lucien…I’m a fucking psycho! I-I thought you…would leave me if you found out that I was getting worse…!”

A couple of tears rolled down my cheek, but I didn’t bother wiping them away.

“I didn’t want you to leave me…I didn’t want you to worry…b-but the voices…I can only take them for so long…”

He held my hands in his, squeezing gently.

“Aiden…I started out as your caretaker for a reason. I’ve wanted to help you from the start. I knew about the disease that you have. I knew you heard voices. I’ve stayed with you this whole time, knowing that somehow…I could help you…and then, somehow…”

He smiled slightly.

“…somehow, I fell in love with you.”

I was speechless.
I could only sit there and continue to cry.

He wiped my tears away.

“I don’t care if the voices are getting worse. I don’t care if you think you’re a psycho. I’ll always stay by your side no matter what. I’ll always be there to help you. You don’t need to take twenty pills at once, hoping the voices will stop. It’s dangerous, and I don’t want to lose you.”

I hugged him and rested my head against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
He ran his hand through my hair, like he always does.

‘He may say that now, but he doesn’t know the full truth, does he?’

‘He doesn’t know that you killed all those people, including his boyfriend.’

I shut my eyes tightly and shook my head.

‘He’ll try to leave. Just wait. He’ll try to leave.’

‘You’ll be alone, unless you do something about it.’

‘Make sure he’ll stay with you forever. Do whatever it takes.’

“N-No…!”
“Ignore them, Aiden. They’re not real. They don’t exist…”

I tightened my grip around him, sobbing more into his shoulder.

“I want to ignore them so badly, Lucien…but I can’t…I just can’t.”