Haru’s Love (A Stepbrothers BL Harem) - Chapter 99

It happened once every blue moon, Haru waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, heaving and whimpering, and Aiden knew the boy was having a nightmare again. It was likely about their parents’ deaths. It had been quite frequent just after the accident, but as time passed, the occurrence lessened, so much so that Aiden had thought it had stopped completely. That was until he had gotten into a relationship with the boy and they began sharing a bed. That was when Aiden came to realize the nightmare hadn’t subsided completely.

When it did occur, the nightmare, it was usually due to a trigger, like seeing a mother doting on her child as with that evening, for example.

Aiden sighed as he gazed at the boy who was soundly asleep. He looked peaceful and beautiful in his sleep, and Aiden felt his heart ache.

He stroked the back of his fingers against Haru’s cheek fondly and then leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on the boy’s forehead.

Come tomorrow, he knew Haru would have forgotten about that nightmare already, which in Aiden’s opinion was a blessing.

He gathered the boy into his arms again and closed his eyes, falling asleep again in an instant. When he woke up, it was seven in the morning and Haru was sitting there, watching him.

He moved and then reached out to touch the boy’s face, which made Haru smile.

“Morning,” Haru said, his eyes twinkling.

Ah, what a beautiful smile. Not a hint of that nightmare haunting him. Good.

“Morning,” he replied.

“So what do you want to do today?” Haru asked. “It’s just going to be the two of us.”

“Hmm… How about touring the town and driving around the island?”

Haru clasped his hands together, nodding his head. “Sounds like a plan.” He moved out of bed as he said, “I’m going to get ready first.”

Aiden nodded.

It was an hour later when they came down for breakfast and met Noah at the buffet restaurant. While Haru was busy going around and filling up his plate, Noah asked, “Was Haru okay last night?”

Aiden said, “He had a nightmare.”

Noah frowned. “I thought that stopped.”

“I thought the same, but when we started sharing a bed, I found it didn’t. It rarely happens though, only when there’s a trigger.”

Noah sighed. “And he just forgets about it the next morning, huh?”

“A defense mechanism, no doubt,” Aiden said.

Noah leaned back against his seat as he eyed Haru on the other side of the restaurant, grinning brightly as he picked up some bacon and put that onto his plate.

He said, “Mason called me last night asking about that day. Shit, I don’t know why he had to call and ask me that so suddenly, but…” He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.

“You mean he asked you about that day our parents died?” Aiden asked.

Noah nodded. “Yeah. It seemed like we, as in all of us, never talked about it, you know, get things cleared up so to speak. Mason wanted to know what happened on my side. He specifically wanted to know what I know, which is…strange. More importantly, he wanted to know if I know a woman named Rebecca McKinnon.” His expression darkened as he mentioned the name.

“And do you know her?” Aiden asked.

Noah nodded.

Aiden said, “Why would Mason bring her up? And what did you tell him?”

Noah shifted his gaze to Aiden again. “I told him that yes, I knew of her. He told me he met her and she wanted to…catch up, or something along that line. He said she has…Dad’s stuff and she wants us to have it back.”

“Fuck!” Aiden swore under his breath.

Noah leaned forward and said, “Look, Aiden, I know it’s been six years since our parents passed, but don’t you think it’s time we clear things up? Sit down as a family and talk it out? I know you know things I don’t and…” He sighed, his expression pained. “And I have things I don’t tell anyone about that day.”

“You were with Haru that day, weren’t you?” Aiden asked.

Noah nodded. “He was sick, and I can only guess the reason why. He was pretty out of it that day and…” He leaned back again and swore softly under his breath.

“Noah, you look horrible,” Haru’s voice came their way.

Both Noah and Aiden turned in surprise to see Haru standing before them. The boy put his filled plate on the table and then slid onto his seat. He chuckled as he said, “What? Just because I’m spending the night with Aiden, you got restless and couldn’t sleep last night?”

Noah narrowed his eyes dangerously at the boy and leaned forward. He roughly ruffled the boy’s hair as he said, “You brat. Is that any way to greet your boyfriend in the morning?”

Haru looked at him for a moment and then said, “Morning, Noah.” Then he inched closer and kissed the man on the lips. When he moved back, his face was bright red. He looked damn embarrassed.

Embarrassed and yet he did that—kissed Noah on the lips right in front of other people in public.

Fucking adorable! Noah thought. The endearing action made his heart ache and he swore, “Fuck!”

Aiden chuckled. “Linger any longer and you’ll be late to that meeting with Nicolas.”

“You’re right. I better get going,” Noah said, reluctantly drawing his attention away from Haru. He shuffled out of his booth seat, and on his way, he patted Haru’s head. “See you later, Haru.”

“Mm-hmm,” Haru responded.

Aiden started with his meal, too, and when both he and Haru were done, they headed to the car and drove out, exploring the island and its town.

The day trip was nice, and the loving couple enjoyed it tremendously. It was around three in the afternoon, after they had thoroughly explored the small town of South Hampton that Haru suggested they take a break at Katherine’s café.

They found a table tucked in a corner where it had a great view of both the ocean and the town. Katherine came to serve them, and Haru introduced Aiden to her.

“Nice to meet you,” Katherine said.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Aiden said, smiling.

Haru asked, “Where’s Michael?”

“He should be here soon,” Katherine said.

On cue, little Michael walked in through the door, sporting a cute school uniform. The moment he saw Haru, the boy rushed over, calling out, “Haru! Haru!”

Chuckling, Haru said, “Hey, Michael.”

Michael came to a stop in front of their table and shifted his attention to Aiden. “Are you one of the brothers?” he asked.

Aiden nodded. “Yes, I am. I’m Aiden.”

“Oh, the eldest,” Michael said as he took a seat in the empty chair in front of them. “Nice to meet you. You remind me a lot of Sebastian.”

“Oh?” Aiden raised a brow.

“Sebastian is cool,” Michael said. “And you’re cool, too. I’ve met Mason, you know, and Noah, too.”

“Really now?” Aiden said.

The boy continued chatting, and when Katherine returned, it was to give them their drinks, including one for Michael, which was a hot chocolate.