Jerry's house was indeed very close to Riverdale University. It was even closer to the university than Tanner's Fresh Foodie that they could go on foot. Jerry lived with his whole family in the big house, and he had a big family. There were his paternal grandparents, his parents, one elder brother, twin younger brothers, and two snow-white Samoyed dogs. The dogs rushed out as soon as they heard Jerry's footsteps and pounced on him.
"Hahahahaha hey hey slow down! Fred, Barney, I would like you to meet… HEY!"
The two Samoyed dogs did not bother to wait for the introduction. They quickly jumped at Aiden, who was not at all prepared to receive the dogs. As a result, he fell hard on his backside when the dogs pushed at his chest.
"AIDEN!"
Fred and Barney whined when they heard Jerry raising his voice. They quickly climbed off Aiden's body and ran back into the house. Jerry quickly helped Aiden to a sitting position.
"Oh my God. I am so sorry. We rarely have guests… I need to punish them."
Aiden shook his head with a smile.
"Don't. It's not like they bit me. They were just too happy to see a new face, that's all."
Aiden had a soft spot for dogs. When he was still a small boy and still assumed the surname Matthews, his mother bought him a puppy for his fourth birthday. The puppy unfortunately did not live for long and died soon after his mother died. Grandma Thompson offered to buy him a new puppy, but little Aiden said no. He was not ready to lose another life. Seeing Jerry's two healthy and lively dogs made him oddly happy.
"Can you stand?" Jerry asked. He stood up and pulled at Aiden's arm.
Aiden winced slightly from pain, and it did not escape Jerry's watchful eyes.
"What is it? Where does it hurt?"
"Nothing serious." Aiden rubbed at his backside. "It must be just some bruise. Don't worry."
He said not to worry, but he was actually very worried. After all, he was leaving for Dominion the very next day to meet with Ryan Caldwell. He could not afford to be unwell.
Jerry's mother came out of the house with Fred and Barney in tow.
"Goodness!" she exclaimed. "I heard the ruckus. Young man, hi. How do you do? I am Jerry's mom. Did our dogs attack you?"
Jerry answered in Aiden's stead.
"They pushed him, Mom. He landed quite hard."
"Oh my…"
Aiden stretched his hand out in Mrs. Tanner's direction. "I am sorry for causing trouble so early in the morning, Mrs. Tanner. My name is Aiden."
Mrs. Tanner took Aiden's hand and dragged him into the house.
"Oh Lord, it better only be a bruise. Quick, take off your pants so I can see."
"MOM!" Jerry shouted, horrified.
He had not even seen Aiden pantless, and his mom actually went ahead and asked him to strip!
Aiden laughed nervously.
"Mrs. Tanner, I can check on my own."
"It is on your rear side, how are you supposed to check??"
"MOM, I can check for him!" Jerry shouted. He quickly dragged Aiden upstairs to his bedroom before his mother forcefully stripped Aiden of his pants.
"I am SO sorry," Jerry apologized profusely. "She has four sons, so she doesn't feel embarrassed around males anymore. Please don't mind her."
"It's alright. Your mom is very nice. Jerry, can I use the bathroom?"
"Oh yes, of course! Go ahead and take a shower first. I… I will get us some breakfast."
Jerry had his own bathroom. When Aiden disappeared behind the door and it shut down with a click, Jerry unwittingly remembered the awful experience when he shared a dormitory room with Aiden that night.
While Jerry buried his face into a pillow, Aiden took off his pants and underwear inside the bathroom. Thankfully Jerry had a full-length mirror so Aiden could check for bruises.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he discovered no bruises, but the pain did not make him feel better. He massaged the spot for a few minutes before he took off the rest of his clothing and stepped into the shower.
After a round of hot shower, he felt a lot better.
Once Aiden came out of the bathroom, Mrs. Tanner came by and asked him to join her for brunch. Jerry took a flash shower and quickly came down for some food as well. The food was delicious and plentiful. Too much for three people to eat.
"Tom is taking the twins out for last-minute Christmas shopping," she announced.
Aiden perked up.
"Tom? Tom and Jerry?"