Road of the Heavenly Light

16-2: The Tavern

The tavern Adrian had chosen for the two of them to visit was not far from the art exhibition, though it was one he had never heard of before. It was not too crowded, and it looked like a perfectly respectable establishment, which seemed uncharacteristic of Adrian to pick. Christian sat down next to Adrian at an empty table. Adrian had been quiet since they had left the art exhibition, which made Christian wonder if something was wrong. He wanted to ask him about it, but the waiter arrived to take their order.

"A Mango Sensation cocktail for me," Adrian said, rather too hastily for Christian's liking.
"And a cup of caramel vanilla tea for me," Christian said.
The waiter nodded and left. Christian made use of the opportunity to strike up a conversation between them again.
"What made you choose this place? It doesn't seem very... you."
"It was close by, and I've heard a lot of good things about the drinks here. I've wanted to go here with you since we arrived in Divinia."
The words made Christian raise an eyebrow. He wanted to go here with him? What about Sigrid? She was not around at that moment, but she had been with them throughout their entire time in Divinia before. Didn't Adrian want to bring her here? Christian had wanted to ask him about it, but their order arrived, and Adrian immediately began indulging himself.

"I'm glad Sigrid is with her pirate boyfriend," Adrian remarked after taking a big sip from his cocktail.
Christian wondered if he had been reading his thoughts.
"Why?"
"Because if she were here, you would ruin the moment by arguing with me about who could drink the fastest or find some other thing to prove yourself to her," Adrian said, a playful smirk on his face.
The remark was supposed to be offending, but he found himself rolling his eyes and having to suppress a smile.
"Aren't you cheeky today? I recall it was you who was always trying to prove yourself," Christian responded, blowing at his tea before taking a sip.
"Then you have a bad memory. I'm much better than you at being modest."
"See, there you go again. You're the most boastful person I've ever met."
Adrian merely snickered and smiled at him. It was the usual teasing again, and yet Christian felt it was even more infuriating than usual. In a good way, of course.

As they kept drinking and talking, Christian admitted to himself that he found Adrian's company to be a lot more enjoyable now that Sigrid had departed. It felt a lot more natural somehow. Their rivalry over Sigrid seemed so much more disingenuous in hindsight. It was a strange feeling that he found difficult to understand. Though not nearly as much as the fact that Adrian ordered another one of that odd cocktail.

"Do you want to try it?" Adrian asked, eyeing him with an amused look on his face.
Christian wondered yet again if he could read his thoughts, but said nothing and reached out for a small sip. The taste made him wonder if perhaps Mango Sensation was meant to be a sarcastic name.
"That is disgusting; what is even in there?"
"It's a mix of mango, peach, and orange with a small hint of white wine. They're quite popular back home, in the south of Aurion."
Christian waited for Adrian to laugh at him and reveal the real ingredients. That moment never came.
"I knew you had bad taste, but I had no idea it was this bad."
"Bad enough to lead me to Sigrid. I suppose it also brought me to you, though."
Christian was extremely frustrated when he felt himself blushing at the remark. He couldn't believe Adrian's alcohol-induced flirting was having an effect on him.
"How strong are those drinks?" Christian asked, the irritation seeped into his voice.
"Oh, they're strong, alright."
Christian let out a disappointed sigh. This could become a very long evening.

It did, in fact, end up becoming a long evening, but not for the reasons Christian expected. It seemed like the more drunk Adrian got, the more his tongue began waggling. In the span of just a few hours, Adrian told him of his favorite activities and hobbies, his childhood pranks, his favorite food, his childhood memories, and even some of his embarrassing moments (which Christian would definitely remind him of later). It was like he was seeing a whole different side of Adrian. A version of him that was vulnerable, open, and not constantly trying to tease him or prove himself. A fleeting thought that he had more in common with Adrian than he ever did with Sigrid ended up souring things for Christian, and he signaled his intention to return to Royale High. Thankfully, Adrian agreed and finished his last drink.

As the two of them paid the bill and made their way outside, Christian got the feeling that Adrian may have overindulged (even by his standards), and was unlikely to make it back to Royale High on his own two legs. Christian reluctantly allowed him to lean on him as they walked back to the nearest carriage departure stop. He wasn't sure whether it was the close contact or the exhaustion from carrying Adrian that made him feel like he was burning up.

During the carriage ride, Adrian was half asleep while Christian looked out the window. He was now certain of the fact that something had shifted between the two of them today. They had obviously made the step from rivals to friends, but Christian couldn't help but feel like there was something more to it than that. The confusing thing was that neither of them was very different from before, which made him wonder if things had perhaps always been this way, and he just hadn't seen it.

Much to Christian's relief, the gates of Royale High were still open. He dragged Adrian inside and, with much difficulty, up the stairs to the dorm they had been using. By the time they were inside, Christian's body gave up, and he was forced to push Adrian onto the couch, which jumped him out of his half-asleep state. He stared at Christian for a moment, before saying words that made his heart stop.
"You know, Christian... I never really liked Sigrid. I was only competing with you because I liked you instead."
Christian's eyes widened, and he could swear he nearly fainted.

"You don't mean that. You're drunk," he retorted. He didn't want to believe it. All that time...
"I do mean it! Do you want me to prove it?"
Adrian shot up from the couch and approached him closely. Christian wasn't sure if he wanted to know. That would mean he would need to reevaluate everything he had ever known. Adrian stopped when he was only inches away from him. He placed his hand on Christian's cheek and leaned in closer.
"Do you?" Adrian whispered against his lips.
Christian didn't stop him when Adrian leaned in for a kiss. He tasted like that awful drink from earlier, the scoundrel. He loved it. That was the thought that scared him the most, and the moment their lips parted, Christian ran into his bedroom and locked the door behind him.

Christian lied down on his bed and knew that he would have to face this in the morning. He would have to see Adrian again, and whether he remembered what he had done wouldn't matter. He would remember. Would remember how good that kiss felt, how he felt better than any moment with Sigrid ever had. The revelation that he had enjoyed kissing another man was not the problem. It was the fact that this was Adrian. They had been competing for years, trying to see who was best. And he had enjoyed that more than Sigrid's approval at the end of it. Christian cursed to himself and decided to just go to sleep.