Page 41 of We May Be Fractured

Monsters Under the Bed

[Now playing ? Monsters—Seafret]

A aron had been hoping to dodge a confrontation with Aunt Olivia for as long as he could. But it looked like he didn’t have much choice now.

When his phone lit up again on the bedside table the next morning, he flipped it over, face down. Muffling a groan in the pillow, he lay still, waiting for the buzzing to cease. What could he possibly say to her? The truth was out in the open, and continuing to lie wasn’t an option. He was fucked.

He knew Cliff wouldn’t keep quiet once he realised Aunt Olivia was oblivious to the whole situation. But doing it at Christmas? That was a low blow.

“Aren’t you going to take that?” Landon asked, still lying in bed next to him. “It’s been going off since last night. Could be important.”

“I’ll call her back later.”

“Need more time to come up with a believable story? Why not be honest with her?”

Aaron lifted his head from the pillow. “What’s the point? I’ll be gone soon.”

“She deserves to know, Aaron.”

“No, she doesn’t. It’s better off this way.”

“For her or for you ?”

Aaron sighed, turning to the starred ceiling. “I want a fresh start. A clean slate.”

“Do you really think you’ll find that in Australia?”

“I made a promise.”

“I get that, but is it the right move for you?”

“What other choice do I have? There’s nothing left for me here anymore.”

Landon’s hand brushed across Aaron’s chest, pausing at the glass pendant tucked under the hoodie. “Maybe you’re so focused on what’s ahead, you can’t see what you’re leaving behind.”

Aaron covered Landon’s hand with his own. He opened his mouth to argue, but words failed him. Since Tori had gone, he’d been pushing relentlessly forward, afraid that stopping even for a second might mean he couldn’t start again.

“You’re a liar and a rabbit.” Landon’s thumb grazed over the scars on his cheek. “But you don’t have to be, not if you don’t want to.”

Their lips met in a fleeting kiss, soft and velvety and sweet, like the foam of yesterday’s cappuccino.

“You’re also a thief,” Landon whispered, his tone more amused than annoyed. “You’ve nicked my hoodie.”

“I grabbed the first thing I could find.” Aaron defended himself quickly. So much for not being a liar. “I could take it off if you want it back.”

“Keep it. Looks good on you.”

“You sure you want me to keep it?” Aaron teased, the weight of the conversation lifted as they tangled in the sheets.

But it wasn’t just Aunt Olivia weighing on Aaron’s mind.

*

O ver the next few days, it became a regular thing for Aaron and Landon to share a bed.

Yet, whenever they tried to have sex, they’d hit a bump. Aaron was careful, strictly following the rules, touching only where and when Landon indicated. But despite his caution, it seemed as though he always ended up doing something wrong.

Landon would abruptly stop, pull away, and go completely silent, looking shaken.

This pattern left Aaron puzzled and concerned. Was there something deeper going on with Landon, something serious he wasn’t talking about?

Aaron didn’t want to pressure him; he hoped Landon would come around and open up in his own time. But when it happened again that afternoon, Aaron followed Landon into the garden, bringing along two steaming mugs of tea.

Landon sat on the grass, puffing away, staring up at the sky as if trying to find some answers up there.

“Hey,” Aaron said, trying to get through him.

Nothing. Landon kept smoking, lost in thought.

“Please, talk to me.”

Landon blew out another cloud of smoke, his fingers trembling around the cigarette. Aaron saw through the act. He knew tough exteriors often hid deep fears. And when those fears managed to breach the walls, they showed up like this—tensed shoulders, uneven breaths, and trembling hands.

Aaron wanted to reach out, to lace their fingers together to comfort him, but he was aware that touch might not be welcome right now. So, he sat cross-legged across from him and set the mugs on the ground.

Landon, still in his own world, took another drag. When he lifted the cigarette again, Aaron plucked it from his fingers and took a drag himself.

That was enough to get Landon’s attention.

“I can’t stand you,” he said, looking over. His tone and gaze tried hard to be sharp but came off weaker than anything.

Aaron faced him straight on, blew out the smoke defiantly, and squashed the cigarette out. “How about we skip the act where you pretend you don’t like me and just talk? What’s eating at you?”

Landon started messing with his lip piercing, a far-off look in his eyes.

He seemed to be mulling over something big, his expression serious and pensive.

Then, almost as if he’d decided against saying whatever was on his mind, Landon looked away, still fiddling with his piercing. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What are you talking about? You didn’t hurt me at all.”

“Don’t lie. Earlier, when I tried to…you flinched.”

He did? Was Landon holding back because he was scared of hurting him ?

“Landon, listen, it’s okay. I would have told you to stop if I didn’t like it. Besides, you made the rules clear, remember?”

Landon’s eyes met Aaron’s again, full of care. The guy was a bundle of contradictions. He kept saying what they had together was nothing, but his actions proved otherwise. The way he worried, the way he let himself be vulnerable with Aaron, it wasn’t just nothing.

“How come you’re okay with my rules?” Landon said. “You should hate them. Why do you even trust me?”

Aaron sniffed his tea. “You know, it’s weird.

With my parents, it was always ‘do this, don’t do that’, no questions asked.

But with you, it’s not like that. Your rules…

they’re about being on the same page, not bossing me around.

It feels…safe. I know I can speak up, and you’ll listen.

That’s why I trust you. I’m okay with your rules because they’re fair, not controlling. ”

“You’re absolutely insufferable,” Landon said, but the corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile, infectious enough to spread to Aaron.

Their hands found each other in the grass, fingers weaving together naturally.

Just holding hands felt right. They sat there in the quiet of the afternoon, drifting away, letting the silence speak for them.

Sometimes, words weren’t necessary. But Aaron had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind, a reminder that calm often comes before a storm.

And sure enough, the next morning brought its own chaos.

It wasn’t Aaron’s phone buzzing non-stop on the bedside table this time. It was Landon’s.

Landon groaned and reached through the sheets to grab it. His face fell as soon as he saw the screen.

“Everything okay?” Aaron asked, sitting up.

Landon didn’t answer. He stared at his phone, his face full of shock and disbelief.

“Landon…”

“It’s far from okay,” Landon’s said, his voice flat as he extended his arm, showing Aaron the screen.

Aaron, still groggy from sleep, blinked and focused on the phone, displaying an article.

Familial Betrayal and Tragedy: Teenage Life Cut Short Days Before Christmas

In a harrowing turn of events just days before Christmas, eighteen-year-old Ian Thompson tragically ended his life…

Aaron recognised the guy in the photo. “He’s the one who hassled you in Camden Town, right? Your foster brother?”

Landon nodded, putting the phone down. He took several deep breaths, the kind he’d taught Aaron to take during panic attacks, and then buried his face in his hands.

“Hey…” Aaron squeezed Landon’s shoulder reassuringly.

Landon shook his head, looking up. “Can’t right now. Need some space.”

With that, Landon got out of bed and threw on some clothes.

As soon as Landon left the room, Aaron grabbed his phone and searched for more information. What he found didn’t make things any better.