Heartbeat

Aiden wakes up with a heavy object on his feet. His body is aching and his mind is still spinning. The events from yesterday had his mind going insane. 

"Oh, you got to be kidding me! Jasmine, what the heck?!"

It is Monday but his sister told him to stay on the house and don't go out. She already contacted the school that Aiden can't enter the class for the whole week.

He can't even answer the phone or any text messages from Cassie. He didn't know but he guesses that it was so obvious. 

He sighs as he looks at his leg and sees this rubber wraps around his ankle with a chain that is locked on the frame of his bed.

"I am not even going anywhere."

He sighs as he walks out of his room and went straight to the kitchen to see if his sister had managed to cook something for him. 

He finds some eggs, a leftover hotdog and a piece of bread on the kitchen table. There is no rice and other food available. It is as if his sister is trying to starve him to death.

"Why do I feel like I will be stuck here for the rest of this week? I look like I am imprisoned here."

He stomps his way to the living room and switches on the television. He grabs some fruits on the counter and sits comfortably on the sofa. 

The show is kind of boring so he ends up switching the channels until he gets bored himself. He switches the TV off and looks around the living room. 

"It hasn't been days or even years before we got here and this is happening already. My sister needs to chill sometimes."

He sighs for the umpteenth time when he notices a frame that is covered with a thin cloth. Curiosity hits him like a train, he decides to lift the cloth off and his eyes widen in surprise.

It is a picture of him and his sister when they were still together at the group. They both look happy at the picture. Aiden suddenly went inside the memory train as pieces of memories flashes through his mind.

The mini memories that he shared with his family back in Switzerland, he kinds of miss them after running to the Philippines just like what his father told him to do. 

He is the youngest member of the Matautia clan and he is known as the hidden heir of the family. Hiding him since he was a kid, away from the hungry eyes of people who are trying to talk their way in the family.

It is like a gift from the heavens when Aiden was born. Everyone falls into place for the family and their business grows even more, making them the second richest and most influential family in Switzerland, next to the Santoros.

Now, they are back and in Pampanga. He thought that his life would be peaceful now. But it turns out that it will be more dangerous for him. 

Thinking about this now, he realizes that Cassie might be in trouble because of him. He facepalms his own self at this sudden realization. He immediately searches for a phone to call on Cassie when he heard a knock coming from the apartment's front door.

He stops and stares at the door. 

His heart is pounding loudly on his chest and his mind is spinning around. He doesn't know what to do and can't recall whether his sister told him that someone would be looking out for him.

He sits back down to the sofa and watches at the pounding grew louder and louder. He doesn't want to look through the peek hole because he is scared that the man would be looking at him, too.

He admits it. He is a scaredy cat. Even if his sister had taught him all of the basic self-defense method, Aiden is still a scaredy cat.

The pounding grew louder and a voice suddenly came though.

"It's Primo." 

Aiden's mind suddenly stops and looks at the door. With a sudden courage, he quietly runs to the door and peeks through the hole. 

He sees Primo at the peak hole and immediately opens the door and grabs him inside of the apartment.

Primo begrudgingly enters the apartment while looking at Aiden with confused eyes. He doesn't know what is happening but he has a feeling that it is something bad.

His instincts were screaming "protect" but how can he do that when he doesn't even know are his enemies. 

He enters the house and Aiden suddenly slams the door close before he lets go of Primo's arm.

"Are you okay?"

Aiden looks at Primo and smiles at him. He nods and lets him go inside of the apartment, navigating him from the front door to the living room.

Primo sits down comfortably as Aiden runs to the kitchen and gets him anything that is available in there.

The sound coming from the chain on his ankle made Primo confused beyond his own belief.

Aiden sits in front of him after offering a can of soda and looks at Primo curiously.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have any class?"

Primo sheepishly looks at him while scratching the back of his neck as he tries to avoid Aiden's gaze. 

"I am here to say thank you for taking care of me when I was sick. And no, I don't have any class every Monday."

Aiden just nods and awkwardly looks at Primo. He doesn't know what to say or what to do. Primo is experiencing the same dilemma as Aiden. 

"So, what are you doing here really?"

Primo looks at him as he releases a heavy sigh. 

"I just want to see you, that's all."

Aiden gawks at Primo's answer as the older sits down on the sofa while looking sweetly at Aiden. 

Aiden can feel his face heating up as Primo continues to stare at him as if he is an attraction in an art gallery. 

"Wha-What are you looking at?"

Primo hears his voice and blinks away when he realizes that he is staring too much. He tries to compose himself again before clearing his throat.

"I heard from your sister that you will not be attending class for a week so I am offering to give you a private lesson on our discussions for this whole week. You can also ask Daime for help if you want to."

After Primo said that, he stands up from the sofa and bids his farewell to Aiden. He strides towards the door and slams it close. 

Aiden is left stunned at the sudden proposal that Primo didn't wait for his answer and just walks away.

Aiden giggles and whispers, "Cute."