"Runaway", Pink

"Honey, could you cut my hair?"

James gasped. "Are you serious?"

"I am," I chuckled. "I trust you."

James pretended to brush a tear off of the corner of his eye. "Finally. Of course, then."

I wanted to keep my hair long, but we agreed on a reasonable cut and I sat on the chair while James washed my hair gently.

"I missed you," I said. "We had not spent a lot of time together recently."

"Aww, love, you're so sappy today. It's cute." 

He leaned over to kiss my forehead and I smiled.

"Am I not always?"

He snorted. "Good point. But seriously, are you okay?"

"I am. I just want to see you. Is that so incredible? You make me laugh." I winked and added: "At least, sometimes. When you are not insufferable."

"Beware, you don't want to piss me off. I literally have your hair in my hands."

I laughed. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

"And how are you?"

James brushed my hair. "I am great. I don't even know when the last time I felt this way was. Amaury and I, I thought I couldn't love him more than I did, but I feel like my love for him grows every day."

I smiled. "I understand."

"And yes, we can both be stubborn, especially him." I repressed a snort. "So we fight, occasionally, but the makeup sex is always amazing. It makes us... creative."

This time I could not help but snort. "I am sure it does."

"How are you and Aidan?"

"Actually, I feel the same way you described. Our intimacy does not rely on sex, though. But I respond to his presence in such a strong way, physically and emotionally. I feel like he inhabits every cell of me. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think I do." James continued while cutting my hair. "More importantly, he feels the same way."

"Really?"

"He's not the best at expressing his emotions. But I've known him for a long time. I've known so many versions of him. And, girl, I can tell you, you inhabit every cell of him."

I knew it was true, but hearing it from James meant a lot and I grinned at the thought. A hint of sadness still tightened my heart, though.

"Right now, he's not happy," I whispered. "I know he loves me. That is definitely not the question. But sometimes, he feels restless. And nothing I say or do makes him feel secure in our relationship. He is still scared."

James' hand stopped moving for a second and then stroked my shoulder and down my arm. "All that happened didn't help. Stanislas. Lucas. He needs time."

"Of course. It just breaks my heart that he had to go through so much pain in his life. Sometimes the very idea suffocates me. But I should not say that to you. You know."

"Yes, I do. And believe me, I understand. You know, the first time I saw him with Stanislas, it was a point of no return. The guy acted as an asshole of gigantic proportions, but he had such power over Aidan. I understood him in a way I could have never had without that moment. And I would have done anything to alleviate his pain."

I nodded and stroked his hand. "Your friendship is everything."

"Stan is a tiny bit less assholish now, though. It's hard to admit it, but anyone with eyes can see that. And it's messing with Aidan's head."

I nodded, and James continued. "I think he should talk to Malik."

I blew out a slow breath. "Yes, I agree."

"I'll talk to him, love, alright? Don't worry. We've got him."

I smiled and kissed his hand. "Yes, we do. Thank you, sweetheart."