Entranced 18+

Six

Azu found his friends at the bar section, the two men engrossed in conversation. He was surprised to see that they were also not drinking, so he took it upon himself to grab them drinks from a passing server.

"What's up with everyone? If nobody is planning to drink, why bother to serve alcohol?" He pushed the two men aside with his shoulders, settling in between them.

"The rest of the guests can drink," Chike said, relieving him of the drinks. Chike set one in front of him and the other in front of Kachi but none of them even bothered to drink it.

"Congratulations my man." He slapped his friend on the back, noting the wide grin Kachi was wearing. The man looked really happy and content to be getting hitched, it was something Azu couldn't relate to, at least not in many years. He was committed to being a bachelor for as long as he could.

"Thank you." Kachi looked behind them and then his gaze settled on Azu again. "You really didn't bring a date?"

"There's no way he didn't," Chike said.

"Chike pay up. I told you this bastard wouldn't do it." Kachi glared at Azu who smiled in return. "So you couldn't even find a fake date to make my woman happy. I'm disappointed but not even surprised."

"Bro you bet on me not bringing anyone, but you're also mad that I didn't. Are you not being a hypocrite?" Azu collected Chike's drink since none of the men seemed interested in drinking.

"I'm not happy that Aria will feel disappointed on our engagement party. I made the bet because I know who you are. You really don't care about what people think or say."

"I don't know why you guys are so invested in my personal life," Azu said. "Anyway, Chike is getting paid because I did bring someone."

"A hooker?" Kachi asked.

"That's a very offensive statement, and no, she's an escort not a hooker."

"What's the difference? You paid someone to come with you to my engagement party."

"This guy na really hypocrite." Azu laughed. "Have you forgotten how you and your babe met? What's the big deal about me paying someone?"

"Guys!" Chike placed his hands on each of their shoulders, somehow maneuvering without them noticing. He stood between the two of them, physically separating them. "Chill the fuck out, okay? This is supposed to be a good day for Chrissake!"

"I'm just joking," Azu quickly defended himself but he noticed his friend had gone tense. "Kachi, sorry. I'm just teasing you. You know I hundred percent support you guys."

"Besides, none of us wins the bet. Aria said he had to bring a decent girl, your Delilah might be decent, but we all know what Aria meant by decent girl. So let's just drop the topic and focus on why we're here." Chike turned to Azu, glaring at him. "Today is our guy's day. We're here to celebrate him. Let us do just that."

"We're good. Right, Kachi?"

Kachi didn't reply, neither did his posture relax.

"Guy, what's the problem now?" Chike asked, leaning on the bar counter.

"Are we rushing this?" Kachi asked, his gaze not lifting from the glass in front of him. "What if she's not ready? What if I'm not?"

"Take it easy, man. It's just the engagement. You guys haven't even fixed the wedding date yet. Besides, Aria planned this engagement party. That means she's very thrilled to have you. I'm sure she's ready." Azu hoped his words would help his friends even a little bit.

"Do you want to call it off?" Chike asked, earning a scowl from both Azu and Kachi. "See, you don't want to call it off and she's very happy that you're her man. What's there to worry about?"