Autumn is a second spring

167. Bachelor Party

The music in the hall was so loud that the bass seemed to vibrate through the floor itself.

"Cheers!" Earth yelled at the top of his lungs, raising his drink high above his head.

His voice barely carried over the blasting music, but it didn't matter. His excitement spoke louder than words. Tonight was his bachelor party, and he had sworn to himself that he would make the absolute most of it.

Across from him, Prem and Fluke lifted their glasses as well.

Neither of them were actually in the mood to celebrate, but they forced smiles onto their faces anyway.

Their glasses clinked against Earth's.

"To the groom," Prem said.

"To the groom," Fluke echoed.

Earth grinned widely and downed half his drink in one go.

The large hall had been transformed into a lively party venue. Colorful lights flashed across the room, the DJ booth glowed in neon hues, and people filled every corner of the space. Laughter, music, and chatter blended together into a chaotic symphony of celebration.

Most of the guests were Earth's friends and acquaintances—faces neither Prem nor Fluke recognized. Normally they might have felt awkward in such a crowd, but tonight their minds were too occupied with their own problems to care.

Prem's mood had been sour ever since his conversation with Boun that afternoon. 

Boun hadn't said a single word to him since then. Not one. He had been avoiding Prem entirely, and Prem could feel the distance like a wall growing taller between them.

Prem stared into his drink, regret gnawing at him.

Fluke had warned him earlier to wait until after the wedding to bring up their issues. But Prem hadn't listened. Instead, he had pushed the conversation forward, desperate for reassurance.

Now he realized how wrong he had been.

Every "worry" he voiced had sounded like an accusation—questioning Boun's love, his loyalty, even his character. He hadn't realized it in the moment, but seeing Boun's reaction had made it painfully clear.

The hurt in Boun's eyes had been worse than anger.

Prem sighed quietly and glanced across the hall.

Boun sat at a table on the opposite side with Kao, a drink in his hand. His posture was relaxed, but there was something distant in his expression.

Almost as if he could feel Prem staring, Boun suddenly looked up.

Their eyes met. For a brief moment. Then Boun looked away and tilted his glass back, finishing the drink in one long gulp.

Prem's chest tightened.

Fluke, meanwhile, was barely aware of anything happening around him. His thoughts were still tangled in the mess that was his family. The confrontation with his father earlier replayed again and again in his mind. The lies. The manipulation. The demand for divorce.

The guilt toward Ohm weighed heavily on him, while the anger toward Thas simmered just beneath the surface. He couldn't even look at Ohm properly tonight.

And yet his father was here too. The tension of it all made his head ache.

Earth suddenly frowned as he looked at his two friends. Both of them looked like someone had dragged them to a funeral instead of a party.

"You two are boring," Earth declared, his speech already slightly slurred.

Before either of them could react, he grabbed Prem's arm with one hand and Fluke's with the other.