The Death of a Bachelor

Chapter thirty-eight

A/N:  A hearty appreciation to @Midnight_stxr for the wonderful Elena aesthetic above!😁💃🏽

A blue jay swooped into the pavilion and perched on the table, but its presence was unknown to Kieran, whose eyes had been unblinking for a while. His brother Aaron’s appearance was also not made known to him, until fingers were snapped right infront of his face, causing him to blink and notice his surroundings.

“Ray told me you were out of it in the morning sparring session.  I see he was being truthful.”

Kieran leaned back in the chair with a sigh, just as Aaron lifted Kieran’s cup of cocktail juice and took a sip.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Aaron asked.

Kieran’s eyes were fixed on the bird hopping about on the other end of the table. “When was the last time you bedded a woman, Aaron?”

His brother sputtered a series of coughs before placing the cup back on the table. “This is not the kind of talk I was expecting,” he muttered and wiped a corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

“It has dawned on me…” Kieran continued, ignoring the complaint, “…that I’ve been alone for so long, Aaron.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “So I’ve been invisible to you all these years. Glad to finally know my actual place in your life, you hurtful goat.”

Kieran shot him a look. “That’s not what I meant. I meant it in terms of…companionship.”

Aaron arched a brow. “I’m not companion enough for you?”

Kieran groaned. “Aaron!”

His brother laughed and patted him on the shoulder, “Only a jest, Kieran.” He smiled. “But hey, you’re getting married soon so your problem shall be solved.”

Kieran snorted. “I don’t know if I can wait,” he said. “Not for the marriage specifically, but for her.”

Aaron furrowed his brows. “What exactly made you think about all this?”

Kieran’s gaze lowered to the cup. “A certain dream.”

“What kind of…” Aaron trailed off amidst his sentence and his voice turned serious as he added, “…that dream?”

“That dream,” Kieran affirmed and looked up at Aaron, only to see a fat grin stretching his brother’s face.

“You’re attracted to Elena,” he stated.

Kieran’s face was blank. “You say that like it’s news,” he deadpanned. “But yes. Although, it’s not just mere attraction.”

“Mm-hm?” Aaron’s grin never left his face as he leaned onto the backrest of a chair with his forearms.

“Well I can’t really explain it.”

“I’m listening.” Aaron’s response was quick.

Kieran sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Last night, everything felt so real; from the slightest of touches down to every sensation evoked by them. It was a lot more real than any of my past carnal encounters.” He shrugged, incredulity lacing his voice as he added, “yet it was only a dream.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Aaron spoke, “Wow. And what do you make of that?”

“Honestly?” Kieran’s eyes flicked to his brother. “I don’t know. I don’t know whether to be excited or scared or…or disappointed. I’m just confused.”

“There is no confusion here, Kieran,” Aaron said, keeping his eyes on him. “You’re attracted to Elena, and you want her.” He clicked his tongue. “You want her bad. And that’s okay – totally normal. Now all you have to do is keep it in your trousers until your wedding night.”