(BL) Friendship On Fire

Aiden pouted at the group like a kicked puppy, crossing his arms. "Wow. You guys are so mean." 

Sophia, sensing her golden opportunity, reached over and sweetly placed her hand on his. "If you're still hungry, I can take you somewhere really good that I know," she offered with a gentle smile.

"Really?!" His eyes sparkled immediately. "You're the best, Sophia!"

Her heart fluttered. Finally! Progress! "Of course! Let's go."

Meanwhile, her friends just stared at her, absolutely drained.

"We're going home," one of them announced, grabbing their bags. "Good luck with dealing with him."

Sophia smiled as she led Aiden away, thrilled at the idea of finally getting some one-on-one time. Aiden, on the other hand, was only thinking about food.

They reach the place soon. 

The moment Aiden stepped into the cozy café, his eyes instinctively roamed the place, his only thought being food. That was, until his gaze froze on a particular figure.

Hunter.

Wearing a black apron over a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, he was looking effortlessly attractive as always. His hair was slightly messy, but in that annoyingly perfect way, and his expression was calm—until his sharp eyes landed on the customers that just entered. 

For a split second, Hunter looked just as surprised as Aiden felt. His brows furrowed slightly, like he was trying to process why Aiden was here at all. But then his gaze moved to his side, locking onto Sophia standing close to Aiden, and suddenly his expression hardened.

Without so much as a nod of acknowledgment, Hunter turned away and continued with his work.

Aiden's jaw dropped. What the hell?! Did he just ignore me? This motherfucker!

Aiden didn't even realize his brows had drawn together, his lips forming a deep pout, and his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Aiden was sure of it that Hunter had seen him. He had looked at him. But instead of greeting him he had ignored him. Like Aiden was just another customer.

But since when did Hunter work here?

Sophia, noticing his expression, followed his gaze. "Oh, isn't that Hunter?"

Aiden didn't respond as he watched Hunter calmly wipe a table. 

He didn't know Hunter was working here. What happened to his last job? When did this start? Why didn't he tell me about it? I know every place where he works. 

His mood soured instantly.

Sophia noticed the change and frowned slightly. "Aiden?" She gently rested her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Aiden glared at Hunter's back while sulking. "I'm not hungry anymore," he grumbled.

Sophia blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"I lost my appetite."

Sophia was completely confused. Just seconds ago, this idiot had been acting like he was about to die from hunger. Now, suddenly, he wasn't eating?

"How about we taste some dishes since we are already here?" She dragged him on a table and they sat. 

Meanwhile, Aiden was still sulking, oblivious to Sophia. His mind was stuck on Hunter's reaction or rather, lack of reaction.

Sophia tried to lighten the mood. "Come on, you were so excited to eat just now," she teased. "I even picked this place because I knew you'd like it."

Aiden scowled, staring at the table like it had personally wronged him. "I don't care anymore."

Sophia was speechless. But then things got worse.

A group of very giggly girls sitting nearby suddenly burst into quiet squeals. "Oh my god, that waiter is so cute!"

"I know, right?" her friend agreed. "I swear, I'd come here every day if he served me."

Aiden followed their gaze right to Hunter, who was picking up an order from the counter and his eyes darkened. 

One of the girls pretended to drop a napkin as Hunter passed, making a big show of bending down to get it. "Oops~"

Aiden's nostrils flared furiously and rolled his eyes. 

Another girl giggled and whispered, "I bet he's so shy. I wanna tease him just to see his reaction."

Aiden clenched his fists. EXCUSE ME? They were clearly flirting with Hunter? Flirting?! With HUNTER?!

Hunter, as usual was ignoring them but Aiden still wanted to flip the table of the girls.

One of the girls deliberately touched Hunter's wrist as he set down her plate. "Oh, wow, your hands are so big," she giggled.

Aiden saw red. His entire soul combusted. How DARE they?! The audacity. The nerve. The GALL.

Hunter was his—

Wait. No.

Not his.

But also not theirs!

Aiden didn't even realize he had grabbed his fork like a weapon until Sophia gently touched his arm.

"Uh…Aiden?"

He whipped his head toward her, his expression was extremely feral. "WHAT?"

Sophia flinched in terror, his reaction scaring her. "Are you okay?"

Aiden took a deep breath, shoving his fork back down. "I'M FINE."

You absolutely are not. Sophia thought. 

Aiden glared at Hunter, then at the giggling girls. His foot bounced aggressively under the table.

Nope. He couldn't handle this.

Hunter was not some cute little waiter for these random nobodies to flirt with.

He was his grumpy and scary best friend.

Sophia, watched Aiden closely and immediately caught the flicker of something sharp in his eyes. His irritated frown, his clenched fists, the way he seemed so focused on something or…no, focused on someone.

At first, she thought he was just upset about something random but then she saw where his glare was directed.

At the table full of flirty, giggling girls across the room. And she felt her heart sank. Does he like any of those girls? Had she been wasting her time?

She had been trying so hard, waiting for the right moment to confess, dropping hints, giving Aiden every opportunity to see her, but he had been too dense to notice.

Was this the type of girl Aiden liked? She followed his gaze again. The girls were all wearing short dresses, fitted and stylish, their hair done up neatly. Meanwhile, she glanced down at her own dress, a long, soft floral fabric that covered her legs.

She bit her lip nervously. 

Was this why Aiden never looked at her that way? Did she not fit his type?

Aiden didn't realize how tense his body had become until his chair screeched against the floor, earning a few surprised looks from the other café patrons. But he didn't care and stood up. 

His anger took over his senses and without thinking, he abruptly stormed out of the café. His head was on the verge of exploding. Hunter ignored him, Hunter looking all hot while working, Hunter not even telling him about his new job, and worst of all…those stupid giggling girls bothering Hunter while he couldn't even get a hello? 

It was all too much for him to handle. 

Sophia was startled and immediately jumped up and ran after him. "Aiden! Wait!" She caught up to him quickly, slightly breathless. "Where are you going? What happened?"

Aiden exhaled sharply, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "You should go home, Sophia."

Her brows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

He nodded stiffly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

She hesitated for a moment before offering him a soft smile. "I'll go, but…you sure you're okay?"

Aiden felt a little guilty for acting like an asshole. He forced himself to loosen up. "Yeah, yeah. I'll drop you home."

Sophia shook her head with a small laugh. "It's fine, I can go by myself. You should hurry back before your food gets cold."

"No, I should-" Before he could reply, she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Aiden's body went rigid. What the hell?

Sophia hugged him tightly. "I had fun today," she said sweetly. "Thank you for coming."

Aiden's arms awkwardly hovered in the air, unsure what to do in this situation. He sighed and looked up but instantly felt his soul leaving his body when he saw who was standing there.

Hunter was standing a few feet away, watching them. His face was unreadable but Aiden felt it even from that distance. Hunter's suffocating tension and the silent judgment. 

It was the kind of stare that made him feel like he'd just gotten caught doing something very bad.

He was about to push Sophia away. But then, the memory of Hunter ignoring him earlier burned in his mind. That stupid, cold reaction. That stupid refusal to even acknowledge him.

Oh, so I can be ignored, but I can't hug a girl?

Fine. His hands extended and before he could stop himself, he hugged Sophia back but only so he could look straight at Hunter as he did it. Just to take his revenge on Hunter for ignoring him. 

And it worked. The moment Aiden's arms wrapped around her, he saw what it expected. Hunter's fingers curled into a tight fist. But nothing else. 

But just like that Hunter turned around and walked away.

However, the moment he did that, Aiden's brain snapped back into reality. He felt a wave of panic rise in his chest, and he quickly pushed Sophia back. Fuck! What did I just do? 

"Okay—uh, bye!" he blurted out. 

Sophia looked very confused by his sudden urgency. She let out an awkward chuckle. "O-Oh, okay. Bye, Aiden."

She gave him one last glance before walking away. The second she was out of sight, Aiden groaned loudly and clutched his hair.

Why the hell did I do that?! He spun around to run after Hunter, but then he stopped. Wait. Maybe this was…good?

Maybe it was better if Hunter believed something was going on between him and Sophia.

If Hunter thought he had a girlfriend, then he would quickly get over his feelings, right?

And if that happened…then Aiden wouldn't have to feel this weird way anymore.

This jealousy. This anger. This stupid, heart-racing feeling whenever Hunter was close. Maybe this was the right thing to do.

Even if it did make his stomach feel like it was twisting in the worst way possible.