Day Five…
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[ At Country M: SYP Twilight Corporation… ]
Aiden kept pacing back and forth across Nathan's office. On the other hand, Stephen was leisurely leaning on the couch, chewing some gum, and his eyes followed Aiden's movement.
He had the urge to tie him down, put him in one place and stop him from moving around. His head would hurt if he kept staring at his anxious best friend so he decided to rise from his seat and hold Aiden's shoulders, thus stopping him. The two had been waiting for Nathan to arrive.
Pushing him down on the soft mattress of the couch, Stephen handed over a glass of whiskey to make him calm down.
"Stop drinking coffee. You are becoming jittery and anxious for small matters like this." Stephen mumbled, letting out a soft chuckle.
"Small Matter?!! What small matter, Stephen?!" Aiden blurted out exasperatedly, his eyes going round and his face stricken with panic.
"It's Nathan Sparks we are talking about here! This is not just a small matter!" Aiden added, waving his hand dramatically. He already sat down but his body continued fidgeting in front of Stephen. Afterward, he brought his fingers to his lips, biting his nails.
"Stop doing that, Aiden. You are no longer a child," Stephen said, looking at him helplessly. "Nathan wouldn't kill you. Why are you afraid?"
Aiden looked up, arching his eyebrow while giving Stephen a sharp glare. "Fine. Then why don't you tell him by yourself about our bet? I shouldn't be here! I guess Nathan will listen to you since he dotes on you so much, instead of me." Aiden pouted gloomily. There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.
Stephen let out another husky laugh, tapping Aiden's shoulder. "C'mon. Don't be a jealous wife. Nathan cares about us equally. We are his best friends!"
"But he only confides his thoughts and feelings with you!" Aiden spat back at him, feeling upset.
"Because I'm a psychologist and he is my patient. You know how Nathan suffered both emotionally and mentally when Monica died. He got traumatized, seeing his beloved woman die in his arms. For a year he experienced nightmares every night, replaying that tragic scene." Stephen was consoling his jealous friend by explaining Nathan's situation.
"Fortunately, he stopped having those nightmares after a year. And just recently, he dreamed of Monica but this time… it was a sweet dream!"
The anxious look in Aiden's eyes was replaced with intrigue. "What kind of sweet dream?" he asked, leaning forward to Stephen.
Stephen laughed once more at Aiden's reaction. He knew it. He could easily pacify his friend by bringing up a fine gossip!
Stephen raised his forefinger, moving it side by side as if he was telling him it was a "No".
"It's confidential. I can't break the patient's confidentiality rule. Why don't you ask him yourself?" he taunted him, grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm gonna smack your face, Stephen!" Aiden exclaimed frustratedly, raising his palm, and getting ready to smack his friend. Nathan would never tell those things to him because he knew Aiden very well. With his blabbering mouth, no secret would be kept hidden for a long time.
Stephen just moved away from Aiden, laughing crispily at him. He was just teasing him. He knew that once Aiden got curious about something, he wouldn't let it go until he found the answer.
Right now, Aiden was so annoyed! Stephen just raised his interest and curiosity only to keep him hanging in the end. Aiden stood up to corner Stephen and force him to talk but Stephen dodged him easily, using the chairs and table as his shields to distance himself from Aiden.
"Tell me, Steph! Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night just thinking about it!" Aiden complained, still chasing after Stephen. They were like kids running around in the playground while playing a catch-and-run game.
Aiden was so persistent to make Stephen talk. But Stephen remained tight-lipped.
"C'mon, Stephen Zhao, share it with me now!" he yelled in frustration, glaring at him.
"Okay, fine. I will tell you but on one condition…" he paused, his lips tugged upward in a playful smile.
"What condition?" Aiden asked impatiently.
"You should be the one to talk to Nathan, fulfilling Abigail's request as you convinced Nathan to go out with her on a date," Stephen proposed to him with a wide smirk.
Aiden was stupefied for a moment, eyeing Stephen with disbelief. What a clever friend he had here?! He thought Stephen was not anxious at all to talk to Nathan about dating Abigail for one day. But here he was, making a deal with Aiden just to save his own ass and escape from Nathan's wrath!
He had the urge to rip that smirk off Stephen's gorgeous face. "Come here! Let me spank your ass!" Aiden yelled at him once more.
Stephen's laughter bubbled up in Nathan's office. "Take it or leave it!" Stephen nonchalantly said, shrugging his shoulders. He was testing Aiden if he would fall for his tricks.
"Hmmph! Forget about it! I won't fall into your evil scheme, Stephen Zhao! I can't save your ass alone while putting myself in the fire of hell. No way!" Aiden blatantly declined his offer.
"Are you sure about that?" Stephen's taunting smile never left his face. "What if I tell you it's not just about a dream… but something more interesting happened?"
Stephen's last remarks raised Aiden's interest further. Damn! Stephen knew his weakness and he was currently using it against him right now! Several seconds had passed and Aiden finally gave up! His curiosity won him over.
"Fine. It's a deal. What is that dream all about? And what happened afterward? I am sacrificing myself to save your ass so make sure that this is worth hearing!"
Hearing his affirmation, Stephen moved closer to Aiden. He whispered something to him, making Aiden's jaw drop and his eyes open wide.
"Holy Crap! Is that true?" he cussed under his breath.
Stephen just bobbed his head, reassuring him.
"No way!" he gasped, covering his mouth with his hand.
It did not take long when the door was pushed open and Axel entered the room, followed by Nathan.
'Uh-oh! The Ice King is back!'