‹ Prequel: The Pros and Cons of Loving
The Pros and Cons of Growing Up
Part Two
Frank’s POV
I curled up to Gerard on the couch, tired from almost a whole day of driving. I felt Gerard rubbing circles on my back and I sighed contently, lying in his arms.
“Do you think Aiden and Eric will be okay?” I asked tiredly.
“They’re young.” Was all he said.
“Gee, you don’t think they’ll break up do you?”
“I think they are in separate countries and they’re going to have to really try to keep their relationship.”
That didn’t make me feel any better, but it most definitely had woken me up.
“They’ll both be so busy with school they’ll barely notice.” I said half heartedly.
“I’m just excited to marry you.” Gerard kissed my neck.
I smiled. “Again.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, grinning.
Eric came downstairs. “Can I take the car now?” he asked, seeing as Aiden had kept their car.
“Sure, hon.” I got out of Gerard’s arms and went over to him. I hugged Eric and for a few seconds he was still, but he hugged me back after a few seconds of hesitation. “It’s going to be alright, babe.” I whispered. “Okay?”
He nodded and I noticed his gray eyes were teary. “I’m gonna go now.” H e sniffed and, after taking the keys from me, he silently left.
Gerard sighed sadly and watched the door close. Though Eric and Aiden had only been married a year, Eric had been a part of our family since we met him. He had been through a lot of tough shit and he’d overcome it all, with Aiden’s help… how would he handle not having Aiden?
I silently thanked God I wasn’t eighteen anymore….
Eric’s POV
“Dye it black?” Brooke asked me unsurely, staring at me with wide eyes. “Eric, are you jut doing this because you know Aiden liked the blond? That isn’t the way to cope with this…”
“I’ve been meaning to for a while.” I answered snappily, getting two boxes of black hair dye out. I had stopped at Wal-Mart on the way here. Actually, I had to go to Wal-Mart and come back here but that isn’t the point. “A long while.” I added.
“Eric…” Brooke sighed and nodded after a few moments of silence. “Okay… Asher will be home soon though.”
“He won’t care.” I shrugged.
“Yeah but he’ll know you’re just doing this to cope.” Brooke muttered quietly under her breath.
I felt angry tears fill my eyes. “I am trying but its hard when I want to do a simple thing and everyone treats me like a killer.”
“Oh, Eric.” She cooed as I began to sob.
“Shut up.” I moaned as she wrapped her arms around me.
“Honey, it’s going to be okay.” She whispered. “Hey, hey, look. Let’s get this dye in your hair, yeah? Okay?”
I nodded, watery hiccoughing.
She led me to a seat and began making the preparations to dye my hair…
A Few Hours Later…
I sat on the couch with newly dyed black hair, curled next to Brooke. We had on an old funny comedy and while Brooke was able to laugh, I couldn’t bring myself to even at the funniest of parts.
Asher came in and his eyes widened when he saw me.
“You’re back? With…. Your old hair?” he asked.
“What, can I not dye my hair simply because I’m married and my husband is half way across the world?” I began to cry.
“Oh, Eric.” Brooke hugged me close while I cried. I only cried for about give minutes and then I abruptly stopped as my cell phone began vibrating. I looked down. It was Aiden.
“Hello?” I asked, no hint of sadness in my voice.
“Hey.” Aiden’s voice said over the phone.
”Hi honey.” I walked into the kitchen. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. Everything is good.” He said cheerfully. Hearing him so happy made me feel so pissed off at him. How was he happy without me? Then it made me feel absolutely terrible, as well. I should be happy that he is happy.
“That’s great.” I said, sounding overly cheerful as well.
“So… what are you doing?”
“Just hanging out with Asher and Brooke… we’re going out later.”
Why was I lying? I knew I wasn’t going anywhere but home after this.
“Oh… Well, I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Aiden said, sounding sad.
Again, the guilty feeling came over me. I sat down on the table and sighed. “I’m lying, Aiden. I am over here but… we aren’t going anywhere. And I’m not happy…”
Aiden was quiet for a few moments before he sighed as well. “I miss you more than… more than I thought I would, Eric…”
“It’s not too late to come home.” I whispered, tears filling my eyes again. Talking to him… hearing his voice from so far away… it made him seem even more gone than before. I wish he hadn’t called.
“Eric, we paid so much money for me to come… I have to.” Was all he said.
“I have to go.” I sniffed. “I love you. Bye.”
“Can I call you later?” he asked.
“I don’t care. Bye.”
“Bye, I love you.” He sighed.
I hung up and wiped my eyes, then looked up and saw Asher coming into the kitchen.
“It was… good that you told him the truth.” Asher said quietly. “And I like your dark hair, too.”
“Thanks.” I forced a smile at him and stood. He got a coke from the fridge and draped an arm around my shoulder, leading me into the living room.
“So let’s really go out tonight.” He added as we sat on the couch. “You, me, Brooke. I mean soon we start college. There’ll be no time to party.”
“I don’t wanna party. I wanna lie on Aiden’s side of the bed and cry.” I sniffed.
“No you don’t. Well, you may want to but we won’t let you.” Brooke chirped.
I stood. “No, seriously. I’m going to go home and call my husband back. Bye, guys.”
They both frowned.
“Hey, I’m good. I’ll watch a funny movie, alright?” I forced a grin. “Bye, guys.”
They both hugged me and said bye, and then I left.
I curled up to Gerard on the couch, tired from almost a whole day of driving. I felt Gerard rubbing circles on my back and I sighed contently, lying in his arms.
“Do you think Aiden and Eric will be okay?” I asked tiredly.
“They’re young.” Was all he said.
“Gee, you don’t think they’ll break up do you?”
“I think they are in separate countries and they’re going to have to really try to keep their relationship.”
That didn’t make me feel any better, but it most definitely had woken me up.
“They’ll both be so busy with school they’ll barely notice.” I said half heartedly.
“I’m just excited to marry you.” Gerard kissed my neck.
I smiled. “Again.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, grinning.
Eric came downstairs. “Can I take the car now?” he asked, seeing as Aiden had kept their car.
“Sure, hon.” I got out of Gerard’s arms and went over to him. I hugged Eric and for a few seconds he was still, but he hugged me back after a few seconds of hesitation. “It’s going to be alright, babe.” I whispered. “Okay?”
He nodded and I noticed his gray eyes were teary. “I’m gonna go now.” H e sniffed and, after taking the keys from me, he silently left.
Gerard sighed sadly and watched the door close. Though Eric and Aiden had only been married a year, Eric had been a part of our family since we met him. He had been through a lot of tough shit and he’d overcome it all, with Aiden’s help… how would he handle not having Aiden?
I silently thanked God I wasn’t eighteen anymore….
Eric’s POV
“Dye it black?” Brooke asked me unsurely, staring at me with wide eyes. “Eric, are you jut doing this because you know Aiden liked the blond? That isn’t the way to cope with this…”
“I’ve been meaning to for a while.” I answered snappily, getting two boxes of black hair dye out. I had stopped at Wal-Mart on the way here. Actually, I had to go to Wal-Mart and come back here but that isn’t the point. “A long while.” I added.
“Eric…” Brooke sighed and nodded after a few moments of silence. “Okay… Asher will be home soon though.”
“He won’t care.” I shrugged.
“Yeah but he’ll know you’re just doing this to cope.” Brooke muttered quietly under her breath.
I felt angry tears fill my eyes. “I am trying but its hard when I want to do a simple thing and everyone treats me like a killer.”
“Oh, Eric.” She cooed as I began to sob.
“Shut up.” I moaned as she wrapped her arms around me.
“Honey, it’s going to be okay.” She whispered. “Hey, hey, look. Let’s get this dye in your hair, yeah? Okay?”
I nodded, watery hiccoughing.
She led me to a seat and began making the preparations to dye my hair…
A Few Hours Later…
I sat on the couch with newly dyed black hair, curled next to Brooke. We had on an old funny comedy and while Brooke was able to laugh, I couldn’t bring myself to even at the funniest of parts.
Asher came in and his eyes widened when he saw me.
“You’re back? With…. Your old hair?” he asked.
“What, can I not dye my hair simply because I’m married and my husband is half way across the world?” I began to cry.
“Oh, Eric.” Brooke hugged me close while I cried. I only cried for about give minutes and then I abruptly stopped as my cell phone began vibrating. I looked down. It was Aiden.
“Hello?” I asked, no hint of sadness in my voice.
“Hey.” Aiden’s voice said over the phone.
”Hi honey.” I walked into the kitchen. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. Everything is good.” He said cheerfully. Hearing him so happy made me feel so pissed off at him. How was he happy without me? Then it made me feel absolutely terrible, as well. I should be happy that he is happy.
“That’s great.” I said, sounding overly cheerful as well.
“So… what are you doing?”
“Just hanging out with Asher and Brooke… we’re going out later.”
Why was I lying? I knew I wasn’t going anywhere but home after this.
“Oh… Well, I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Aiden said, sounding sad.
Again, the guilty feeling came over me. I sat down on the table and sighed. “I’m lying, Aiden. I am over here but… we aren’t going anywhere. And I’m not happy…”
Aiden was quiet for a few moments before he sighed as well. “I miss you more than… more than I thought I would, Eric…”
“It’s not too late to come home.” I whispered, tears filling my eyes again. Talking to him… hearing his voice from so far away… it made him seem even more gone than before. I wish he hadn’t called.
“Eric, we paid so much money for me to come… I have to.” Was all he said.
“I have to go.” I sniffed. “I love you. Bye.”
“Can I call you later?” he asked.
“I don’t care. Bye.”
“Bye, I love you.” He sighed.
I hung up and wiped my eyes, then looked up and saw Asher coming into the kitchen.
“It was… good that you told him the truth.” Asher said quietly. “And I like your dark hair, too.”
“Thanks.” I forced a smile at him and stood. He got a coke from the fridge and draped an arm around my shoulder, leading me into the living room.
“So let’s really go out tonight.” He added as we sat on the couch. “You, me, Brooke. I mean soon we start college. There’ll be no time to party.”
“I don’t wanna party. I wanna lie on Aiden’s side of the bed and cry.” I sniffed.
“No you don’t. Well, you may want to but we won’t let you.” Brooke chirped.
I stood. “No, seriously. I’m going to go home and call my husband back. Bye, guys.”
They both frowned.
“Hey, I’m good. I’ll watch a funny movie, alright?” I forced a grin. “Bye, guys.”
They both hugged me and said bye, and then I left.