Aiden stormed into the apartment. He huffed as he threw his wallet and keys on the kitchen counter. They landed with a thud.

"It didn't go well, hey?"

Aiden hadn't noticed Chase sitting at the kitchen counter. He shook his head. "It was like a fiery car wreck," he muttered angrily. He wasn't sure if he was angrier with Oliver, Brian or himself. He decided that it would have to be a three way tie.

"What did he say?" Chase asked slowly. He crossed his arms against his chest. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"He pretended he wasn't home and then when he did finally open the door, he slammed it in my face."

"He did?" Chase's eyes were sad. "You didn't deserve that," he said with conviction.

Aiden knew that Chase was being a good friend, but he couldn't help but wonder if he was wrong. "Maybe I do," Aiden replied. He lent against the counter. Aiden closed his eyes for a moment, the pain of it all overwhelming him. "I've destroyed my relationship. I should have never sent that photo to Brian, I don't know what I was thinking."

Chase interjected quickly, "You didn't know what he would do with it."

"I shouldn't have trusted him!" Aiden sighed, anger leaving him with every breath out and sadness replacing it. "I knew that he was under pressure from his bosses for big stories and yet I made myself believe that he wouldn't lie to me. I'm an idiot and my actions have destroyed my relationship. Maybe I am more like Luca than I thought."

Chase stood from the stool. "I don't know who Luca is, but I know that you aren't like him. You didn't mean for any of this to happen, you can't blame yourself. You had the best intentions."

"And yet Oliver hates me, I can't ever trust one of my best friends again and I've destroyed my entire life."

Chase walked around the counter. "You can still fix this."

"He hates me, Chase, what about that don't you understand?"

Chase was taken aback. "I'm trying to help you."

"No-one can help me," Aiden replied. He grabbed his keys and wallet off the counter.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to think."

"Can I come with you?"

"I need to be alone."

Hours later, Aiden stood with his arms crossed against the railing at the look out. His mind was so clouded that he was able to momentarily forget his fear of heights. He knew that he was standing in the exact same spot where he had met Oliver. He thought back to that day, how he had stuttered when he spoke to Oliver and how in love with him he already was just from that first encounter. It had been so simple then.

Back then, there had been no secrets and no family dramas. It was so easy just being with Oliver. Enjoying the way he smiled and the way his laugh echoed through the forest. Aiden missed those days, but he also missed the Oliver he knew now. The Oliver with layers and walls that he had broken down day by day. He missed the unapologetic way Oliver had loved him. He hoped that one day he could feel that again, what it felt like to be loved that much.

He felt weird on the mountain without his camera. He was so used to the weight of it around his neck whenever he went hiking. However, as he stormed out of the apartment, he couldn't bring himself to pick it up. He hadn't taken a single photo since that day in New York. It had been two weeks and this was the first day he had left the house. He couldn't handle Chase stressing over him anymore.

Aiden closed his eyes and felt the wind in his face. He reached up and pulled his hair out of the low ponytail he had it in. His hair flew back, out of his face, and he tried to forget that his heart was broken and tried to clear his mind. Images of Oliver was all he saw behind his eyes. A montage of Oliver's smiles played in his mind like a movie, and he couldn't find the pause button for the life of him.

He moved to one of the bench seats and looked out at the view for a while. The people around him all started to make their way down the path as the sun started to lower in the sky, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He felt stuck there, wishing that things were different. He wondered if he wished hard enough, that he could force himself back into those first few moments, where he first met Oliver. He would have done it all so differently.

When he was the only one at the lookout, he walked back over to the railing. He stood with his arms crossed on the top and closed his eyes, feeling the wind against his face. He was slowly starting to accept the fact that he couldn't go back in time, as much as he wanted to.

"Hey."

Aiden didn't need to open his eyes to know who was standing behind him. He turned around and gasped. Oliver wasn't standing behind him, he was on the ground, on one knee. He was extending a small box with a plain gold ring inside of it.

"Oliver....what?" he stuttered out. His hand covered his mouth.

"I am the biggest jerk and I know that I don't deserve you, but I promise that if you say yes-"

"Get up," Aiden interrupted him.

Oliver froze. His face dropped. He righted himself slowly as he slipped the ring in his pocket.

Aiden noticed that he looked completely different from that morning. His eyes looked tired, but his hair was freshly washed and he was wearing a dark suit with once shiny shoes that were now edged in dirt and dust. He imagined Oliver hiking in this outfit and it made him want to smile, but he didn't.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

Oliver looked confused. "I called Chase. He said you left because you needed to think. This is where you come to think," Oliver explained. He tried to reach out for Aiden, but he took a step back.

"What's changed?" Aiden asked flatly.

"What do you mean?"

Aiden huffed. "You slammed a door in my face four hours ago. Now you want to marry me?"

Oliver looked down at his shoes. "Brian called me. He said that Chase spoke to him. Brian explained what happened. He apologised to me." Oliver stepped closer to Aiden and looked him in the eye. "I was so stupid. In New York, I should have heard you out but I was so overwhelmed. It doesn't excuse how I acted. I'm sorry, Aiden."

"You don't get to break my heart and stomp all over it, and then just say sorry and expect me to understand." The words broke Aiden's heart as he said them.

"I wouldn't blame you if you leave this mountain and didn't speak to me again. I was an idiot. I should have believed you. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am."

"Why do you want to marry me?" Aiden asked. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"I love you," Oliver replied. He reached out for Aiden's hand and Aiden let him take it. He locked their fingers.

Aiden shook his head. "You're scared. You don't really want to do this."

Oliver smiled. "I've been carrying this ring around for weeks."

"You have?"

"I was going to propose in New York," Oliver admitted. He pulled the ring from his pocket and tossed it around in his hand. "I told you that you were the man I wanted to marry."

A thousand thoughts ran through Aiden's mind. He loved Oliver but Oliver didn't trust him. Hell, sometimes Aiden felt like he didn't trust himself. "Put the ring away," Aiden said.

Oliver's eyes widened. He put the ring in his pocket slowly. "Aide-"

"We need to talk," Aiden told him. Aiden motioned for Oliver to join him on one of the benches that looked out over the view. "Come on."

Oliver sat down hesitantly. "Are you breaking up with me?" he asked softly. "I shouldn't have proposed, that was so stupid of me-"

Aiden linked their fingers. "We have so many things that we need to talk about Oliver. I don't want us to break up, I honestly don't."

Oliver breathed out. "You don't?"

"Of course not, but Oliver, we have so many issues and problems that marriage just won't fix. In fact, I think marriage right now would just make everything a thousand times worse."

Oliver took a few moments of thought before he replied. "You're right. So, what do we do?" Oliver asked.

"We need to talk and figure out all of these trust issues and problems, before we jump into something more serious. I love you, Oliver, but you don't trust me. You might think that you do, but you don't. What kind of marriage could we have like this?"

Oliver squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Aiden leant closer, "let's figure it out. Let's talk about it. We can fix our problems, not today but we can get there if we work hard enough, and if you're willing to talk to me."

"I am."

"I mean really talk to me, about the good and the bad and the ugly sides of us. There can't be secrets between us."

Oliver sat up straighter and a calming force overcame his demeanor. "I will tell you everything you want to know. I'm ready to let go off all these lies and insecurities."

And so they talked. For hours, on top of that mountain they spoke about everything that happened in New York, and everything before and after. Oliver explained his trust issues, and Aiden finally heard the real story behind Luca, and every other person that had used Oliver for his family. Oliver finally opened up in ways that Aiden never thought possible. Aiden spoke too, of his worries and fears, of all the suspicions he had about Oliver over the past months. He explained the whole story behind the photographs, and how they got out. Somehow, somewhere, between the words and the wind and the view, Aiden found that warm part of his heart that told him that everything between he and Oliver was going to be okay.

After they were done talking, for now, Aiden smiled over at Oliver. "Can we start over?" Aiden asked. He wondered if he really could get the do-over that he wanted. It wouldn't be the clean slate that he had first imagined, but it would be better. It would be a relationship that was open and honest and held none of the secrets that it used to. Aiden wanted that more than anything.

Oliver nodded. "I promise, no more secrets."

Aiden threw his arms around Oliver's waist. He pressed his face into Oliver's shoulder. "I love you, more than you know."

Oliver pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "I love you, Aiden, and I'm sorry, for everything."

"Me too," Aiden told him. He pulled back. "I have a serious question; did you really hike up here in a suit?"

Oliver laughed. "Of course, I did."

"Did you happen to bring a torch with you?" Aiden asked. He could see the sun setting out of the corner of his eye.

"We may have to stumble down in the dark."

Aiden thought of their first date. He laughed and kissed Oliver. He poured all the love he had into that kiss.

When Oliver pulled back he smiled brightly at Aiden. "Can I propose to you another day?"

Aiden thought of his future, and all he saw was he and Oliver, together. "Yes. One day, I would love that."

"Can I ask you a serious question?"

Aiden tilted his head. "You aren't proposing again, are you?"

Oliver laughed. "No, that wasn't what I was going to ask."

Aiden smiled. "Oh, then go ahead."

"If I had proposed in New York," Oliver asked hesitantly, "would you have said yes?"

Aiden pondered that. "Yes. Yes I would have said yes."

Oliver's face dropped. "Oh."

Aiden lent forwards, pulling Oliver's chin up with his finger. "It would have been a mistake. I would have said yes, but you would have been asking because you were worried about your family and I would have said yes but it would have made the last two weeks infinitely worse and heartbreaking."

Oliver nodded slowly. "You're right, but it still hurts, I guess."

Aiden sighed. "Ask me again, one day in the future, when you are asking for all the right reasons. Wait until we've sorted our problems out, until we have a solid relationship to build on. If we got married right now, it would break to pieces, but if we keep talking like we did today and we work on us, then we can make something even better. Promise me that you won't ask until the promise we make can last forever."

Oliver smiled brightly, the pain gone from his eyes. "I promise."

"How about we walk down before we get stuck up here?" Aiden asked.

Oliver nodded. "Do you want to come to my place and I'll cook you dinner and we can talk more?" Oliver offered.

"That sounds perfect."

The two of them couldn't stop smiling as they hastily made their way towards the path back down, hand in hand.

The next chapter is the epilogue! I hope you all have loved this story as much as I have!  What did you think of this chapter?