‹ Prequel: The Pros and Cons of Loving
The Pros and Cons of Growing Up
Part Thirty-One
Eric’s POV
Two days later, I was sitting in the kitchen reading my Psychology textbook. I hadn’t been able to go to school for two days because the entire city was basically on shut-down. There was over a foot of snow outside and although my school was open, there was no way in hell I was driving out in this weather.
I couldn’t concentrate on my work. Aiden’s words kept running through my head, about marriage and being independent. Being out in the real world. Mostly, though, him telling me he trusted me to help him get through this. He trusted me to get him to eat again, and I didn’t know if I had it in me to do it.
Memory works through three processes. Encoding, storage, and retrieval. While some people are said to have better memory than others, it merely depends on the strategy one uses and how it is applied.
I had read the same two sentences about ten times and hadn’t even noticed it. I sighed and closed my book. The snow was still falling steadily, I wouldn’t be going to class tomorrow either.
“Aiden, where are you?” I called out, standing up.
“I’m in the computer room!” he yelled from the other side of the house. I grabbed my bags, shoved them into my bag, and dragged the bag into the computer room. Aiden was on my school’s website, looking over the college requirements. “Well I know I could go in on Undecided but I’d rather start at a school that actually has something medical involved.” He said over his shoulder, before I was even completely in the room.
I went over, leaning over the back of the chair and wrapping my arms around him. I kissed his neck, running my hands down his chest and letting them rest on his stomach.
He laughed. “You can sit on my lap if you want.”
“I’m fine.” I kissed his cheek, looking at the screen. “Are you wanting to go to a university?”
“I think so, but does your school have medical studies?”
I shook my head, saying, “No. It’s more of a 4 year place and then you switch somewhere else for career classes. It’s nice, though. You can get apartments or houses near the campus for discount prices and stuff.” I shrugged, stroking his stomach absent mindedly. “If you went with me next year, we could get one!”
He nodded. “We could. But what about until then?” he bit his lip. “Here, come sit on my lap. You’ll be less distracting that way.”
I scoffed playfully, but sat on his lap. “This chair is going to break, Aiden.”
“I bet you it won’t.” he gave me a squeeze before looking back at the website.
I felt myself relaxing in his lap and laid my head on his shoulder. He smiled at me a bit and continued looking on the website, clicking various links, until everything got light and dark.
…
“Babe, wake up. The pizza is here.”
I opened my eyes and realized I was in bed, underneath the covers, in my pajamas. “Mmh, how long was I asleep?” I asked tiredly, stretching.
“Two hours, but you probably needed it. These last few nights you’ve been tossing like crazy in your sleep.” He answered, still leaning over me.
“Your eyes are so pretty.” I said in a daze, pulling him on top of me.
He grunted a bit and tensed when I began to kiss him. After only a few seconds, though, he returned the kiss hungrily. I arched up into him as his hand ran down my side. I did not even care that our bedroom door was wide open, but I should have because Gerard walked through.
“Er… guys… the pizza is gonna get cold.” He said awkwardly, before shuffling away.
“Oh God, we really do have to move out.” I groaned, falling back against the bed and breathing hard.
Aiden nodded in agreement, got off of the bed, and reached down a hand to help me up.
Frank’s POV
“Have you seen them? It’s so cute, it’s almost like they’re back to normal!” I squealed to Gerard as soon as Eric and Aiden left the living room to ‘go to bed.’
Gerard laughed at me, shaking his head. “I told you everything would be fine with them. I guess they finally talked it out.”
I nodded and scooted towards Gerard’s side, snuggling up to him. “But I have a feeling they had ‘the talk.’” I whispered.
“They’ve been married longer than a year, honey. I have a feeling they’ve had ‘the talk.’” Gerard snorted.
“No.” I rolled my eyes. “The ‘independence talk,’ you know? About being adult? I can feel the tension when I’m alone with Aiden.”
Gerard frowned, biting his lip. “I don’t want them to move out.” He said quietly, sighing.
“Me neither, but it could be good for them. They are twenty now. In the area, at least. Maybe independence with Eric will do Aiden good, I mean. He couldn’t do it alone but Eric is mature for the most part.” I linked hands with him. “Now you look sad.”
“I don’t know, it’s going to be so awkward just you and I. Not in a bad way, of course. But there has always been a houseful of kids to come home to… and now they’re all gone. All we’ve got is Jackie, and we barely see him as it is.”
“Aww, Gerard. You look really sad.” I gasped, hugging him. “I don’t know, maybe they had another talk. But something is going on… and even if they were to move out, hon, I’m sure Aiden wouldn’t move too far away. Eric’s school is ten minutes away, and we all know he hates driving as it is. But don’t get upset until they come to us.”
Gerard nodded, snuggling back up to me. “Alright… it will be really sad though… and really fucking quiet.”
I sighed, a bit sad myself this time, and echoed, “Yeah… quiet.”
Two days later, I was sitting in the kitchen reading my Psychology textbook. I hadn’t been able to go to school for two days because the entire city was basically on shut-down. There was over a foot of snow outside and although my school was open, there was no way in hell I was driving out in this weather.
I couldn’t concentrate on my work. Aiden’s words kept running through my head, about marriage and being independent. Being out in the real world. Mostly, though, him telling me he trusted me to help him get through this. He trusted me to get him to eat again, and I didn’t know if I had it in me to do it.
Memory works through three processes. Encoding, storage, and retrieval. While some people are said to have better memory than others, it merely depends on the strategy one uses and how it is applied.
I had read the same two sentences about ten times and hadn’t even noticed it. I sighed and closed my book. The snow was still falling steadily, I wouldn’t be going to class tomorrow either.
“Aiden, where are you?” I called out, standing up.
“I’m in the computer room!” he yelled from the other side of the house. I grabbed my bags, shoved them into my bag, and dragged the bag into the computer room. Aiden was on my school’s website, looking over the college requirements. “Well I know I could go in on Undecided but I’d rather start at a school that actually has something medical involved.” He said over his shoulder, before I was even completely in the room.
I went over, leaning over the back of the chair and wrapping my arms around him. I kissed his neck, running my hands down his chest and letting them rest on his stomach.
He laughed. “You can sit on my lap if you want.”
“I’m fine.” I kissed his cheek, looking at the screen. “Are you wanting to go to a university?”
“I think so, but does your school have medical studies?”
I shook my head, saying, “No. It’s more of a 4 year place and then you switch somewhere else for career classes. It’s nice, though. You can get apartments or houses near the campus for discount prices and stuff.” I shrugged, stroking his stomach absent mindedly. “If you went with me next year, we could get one!”
He nodded. “We could. But what about until then?” he bit his lip. “Here, come sit on my lap. You’ll be less distracting that way.”
I scoffed playfully, but sat on his lap. “This chair is going to break, Aiden.”
“I bet you it won’t.” he gave me a squeeze before looking back at the website.
I felt myself relaxing in his lap and laid my head on his shoulder. He smiled at me a bit and continued looking on the website, clicking various links, until everything got light and dark.
…
“Babe, wake up. The pizza is here.”
I opened my eyes and realized I was in bed, underneath the covers, in my pajamas. “Mmh, how long was I asleep?” I asked tiredly, stretching.
“Two hours, but you probably needed it. These last few nights you’ve been tossing like crazy in your sleep.” He answered, still leaning over me.
“Your eyes are so pretty.” I said in a daze, pulling him on top of me.
He grunted a bit and tensed when I began to kiss him. After only a few seconds, though, he returned the kiss hungrily. I arched up into him as his hand ran down my side. I did not even care that our bedroom door was wide open, but I should have because Gerard walked through.
“Er… guys… the pizza is gonna get cold.” He said awkwardly, before shuffling away.
“Oh God, we really do have to move out.” I groaned, falling back against the bed and breathing hard.
Aiden nodded in agreement, got off of the bed, and reached down a hand to help me up.
Frank’s POV
“Have you seen them? It’s so cute, it’s almost like they’re back to normal!” I squealed to Gerard as soon as Eric and Aiden left the living room to ‘go to bed.’
Gerard laughed at me, shaking his head. “I told you everything would be fine with them. I guess they finally talked it out.”
I nodded and scooted towards Gerard’s side, snuggling up to him. “But I have a feeling they had ‘the talk.’” I whispered.
“They’ve been married longer than a year, honey. I have a feeling they’ve had ‘the talk.’” Gerard snorted.
“No.” I rolled my eyes. “The ‘independence talk,’ you know? About being adult? I can feel the tension when I’m alone with Aiden.”
Gerard frowned, biting his lip. “I don’t want them to move out.” He said quietly, sighing.
“Me neither, but it could be good for them. They are twenty now. In the area, at least. Maybe independence with Eric will do Aiden good, I mean. He couldn’t do it alone but Eric is mature for the most part.” I linked hands with him. “Now you look sad.”
“I don’t know, it’s going to be so awkward just you and I. Not in a bad way, of course. But there has always been a houseful of kids to come home to… and now they’re all gone. All we’ve got is Jackie, and we barely see him as it is.”
“Aww, Gerard. You look really sad.” I gasped, hugging him. “I don’t know, maybe they had another talk. But something is going on… and even if they were to move out, hon, I’m sure Aiden wouldn’t move too far away. Eric’s school is ten minutes away, and we all know he hates driving as it is. But don’t get upset until they come to us.”
Gerard nodded, snuggling back up to me. “Alright… it will be really sad though… and really fucking quiet.”
I sighed, a bit sad myself this time, and echoed, “Yeah… quiet.”