After an uncomfortable, sleepless night, Drake resolved to spend the next few days training. Limiting his interactions with everyone – other than Bastien, who had mercifully not touched the subject again – was a huge bonus.
Although he’d been exercising a lot more than he usually did, he still couldn’t seem to get a good night’s rest. And so it was that on morning of his birthday he awoke from a troubled sleep, twice as surly as he otherwise might have been.
There was a knock on his door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, revealing Liam, who was wearing a bright smile and carrying a brightly-wrapped package.
“Drake! I didn’t expect you’d be so… awake.”
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well.”
“Is everything okay? I’m sorry we haven’t been able to catch up lately. What with preparing for the Coronation and trying to spend time with all the suitors–”
“It’s fine, man. I get it. I haven’t really been around either.”
“Well then, on to what I came here for: happy birthday!” Liam stepped forward and hugged Drake, clapping his back.
“Thanks.” Drake extracted himself from the hug as soon as he could. “You know I’m not into that crap, though.”
“Be that as it may, I still brought you something.”
He handed Drake the package and he tore into it, revealing a top-tier whiskey.
Drake chuckled. “Original.”
“Ha. I put more thought into it than you think. Riley told me you invited her to drink after Olivia’s ball and I’d hoped maybe this could convince you to share a drink with all of us today?”
“Absolutely not.”
He set the bottle down on his bedside table.
Liam looked crestfallen, yet in his current mood Drake could not bring himself to feel bad.
“I’m sorry, dude, but you know how I feel about my birthday at the best of times, and right now…” Drake trailed off, wishing he’d stayed quiet.
“Drake? What do you mean by ‘right now’? What’s wrong?”
How the fuck am I supposed to know?
He took the easy way out. “Really, Liam? ‘What’s wrong?’ I don’t know, it’s a little humid. Oh yeah, and also, my sister has been missing for months now!”
He yelled the last part, half full of resentment, half of guilt. To his horror, Liam looked down at his feet, ashamed.
“You’re right. Forgive me, that was insensitive of me.”
Drake opened his mouth to tell Liam to stop apologizing; he’d done nothing wrong. Liam waved him quiet and continued, “Please, allow me to apologize properly. I don’t think I have been a good friend lately. I haven’t helped you as much as I could and I haven’t been considerate.”
“Liam, stop. That’s not true.”
“It is. I have let myself be distracted by other things.”
“Important things.”
“Our friendship is important.”
Drake had nothing to say to that and he felt his throat tighten. They looked at each other for a beat. Drake managed to swallow and spoke, “Look, let’s not talk about it. Thank you for coming here, man, I mean it.”
“Of course. Are you sure I can’t convince you?”
“Definitely.”
Liam grimaced, but accepted his response with a shrug.
“Then save it for another day, yes? Don’t drink this alone on your birthday.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Drake gave Liam a smile before closing the door after him and throwing the bottle into his half-empty duffel bag.
He sighed and threw himself back on his bed. God, I hate birthdays. He lay there for a while, his thoughts in turmoil.
It’s like every year they get worse. Not that you’d deserve any better, you piece of shit. You’re the worst friend ever. All Liam does is be nice to you and how do you repay him? By resenting him for no reason.
At that point, it was like his mind split in two and he was suddenly at war against himself.
Is it for no reason, though?
Yeah… I mean, the usual, everything is always about him.
What about what Bastien said the other day?
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Oh, please, you haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Only ‘cause it was such a stupid thing to say.
Face it, you definitely have feelings for–
The door to his room swung open.
“HAP–!”
“Do not,” said Drake, before Maxwell could get more than the first syllable out.
Maxwell let out a great breath, deflated. “Aw, man, I wish you’d let us celebrate with you for once.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“What if we get Lady Kiara to–”
“GOD, why is everyone so obsessed with Lady Kiara. I. don’t. like. her.”
Maxwell was taken aback by Drake’s outburst, which made him soften.
“Look, Maxwell, I know you mean well, it’s just a hard day for me, okay? What with Savannah gone…”
He trailed off sadly.
“No word from her, huh?” asked Maxwell, looking at his feet.
“Nope. Don’t worry about me, though, I’ll be fine.”
“Drake, you have no idea how much I wish there was something I could do.” Maxwell looked up at this, making direct eye contact with Drake.
“Oh. Um, thanks, man, I appreciate the sentiment,” said Drake, puzzled yet touched by his friend’s earnestness.
Maxwell cleared his throat. “Well, I’d better let you get ready to go or you’ll be late to the ceremony. You’ll be there, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll hang out for a while.”
Maxwell gave him a huge smile. “Great! And, you know, if we happen to be having a good time and one thing leads to another–”
“You’re not tricking me into celebrating, Maxwell,” Drake said with a mixture of amusement and resolve.
“We’ll see!” Maxwell winked and left his room.
Drake had been too busy wallowing to remember the ceremony, yet he was surprised to find he was looking forward to it; at least it would provide a distraction. Of course, it would also be the first time he’d see Riley since the incident with Bastien. So what? It’s not like she knows… not that there’s anything to know, even.
He got ready in record time, even by his standards, throwing clothes and toiletries haphazardly into his bag. Huh. I guess I actually missed hanging out with, um, everyone. He felt significantly less grumpy – although he wouldn’t go as far as cheerful – as he ambled towards the waiting limo.
“You certainly took your time.” He heard Bastien’s stern voice from the front as he got in the back with Liam. His mood immediately took a downward turn.
“Sorry, Dad,” he sneered. He pretended not to hear Bastien’s annoyed sigh nor see Liam’s confused look. He made an instantaneous decision to sleep – or at worst, pretend to – the whole ride to Applewood Manor.
His plan was actually easier to enact that he’d expected, due to how poorly he’d slept the night before, so he was very drowsy when he was gently shaken awake by Liam what felt like 5 minutes later.
“We’re here.”
“I can see that,” he grumbled.
Liam chuckled. It was a relief that he knew Drake well enough so as not to be at all surprised or offended. He was even grumpier than normal when being woken up. Drake gave him a rueful smile, determined to stop acting like a jerk to Liam, at least.
He went directly up to the room that was usually his and deposited his stuff on the floor next to the bed. He exited the room, taking a few steps away from it, when something caught his eye. He rushed past his door to the one right next to his. Sure enough, there was a small sign hanging from the handle, with the words “Lady Riley Addams” on it.
Well, fuck.
He felt that odd feeling again, the one that was half panic, half excitement, rising in his throat, suffocating him. His head was swimming. He put his hand on the door, leaning on it while he got his breath back, when he heard footsteps.
He stood upright just in time to see Riley rounding the corner leading to the hallway he was currently standing around in. Noticing she hadn’t spotted him yet, he threw the door to his room open and flung himself in. Breathing heavily, he stood there with his back to the door, listening for Riley’s door.
He heard her footsteps come closer and then abruptly stop at his room. A faint “huh” came, barely audible, from the other side. Good “huh” or bad “huh”?
He dismissed the thought before it could get a tight grip on his brain. The footsteps continued on their way and he heard a door open and close. He got out of his room as quietly as possible – I don’t want her to think I’m avoiding her… Well, aren’t you? – and raced the length of the hallway, practically sprinting until he’d reached the orchard.
“Hey, Drake.” Maxwell waved him over from the sidelines, the press taking up much of the space up front. “What are you rushing for? It hasn’t started yet!”
“Oh,” Drake pretended to look at his phone, “you’re right. I thought I was late.”
“Nah, Riley’s not even here yet.”
“She’s not?” I might win an Oscar before the day is done.
“No, and she better get a move on if– Oh, never mind, there she comes.” Maxwell pointed to the orchard’s wrought-iron gate entrance. Sure enough, Riley was hurrying in the direction of the press, not glancing their way. Drake let out a sigh of relief, allowing himself a second to take her in. She looked pretty in a relaxed, effortless sort of way in her simple white dress.
“What are you smiling about?” asked Maxwell.
“What?” Drake’s smile was startled off his face. “Just imagining Hana’s face when she tries the Cordonian Ruby,” he recovered, nodding towards Hana and smirking.
To his surprise, instead of laughing, Maxwell’s face drained of color.
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to warn Riley! If she makes a face, the press will tear her apart, especially as a foreigner.”
Drake waved Maxwell’s concern away. “Have a little faith, Maxwell, I’m sure Addams’ got this.”
“Well, since when do you believe in her so much, Drake?” He gave Drake a sly sideways look.
Drake felt his heartbeat quicken, but managed to play it cool, “Shut up. Even I can admit she’s not completely hopeless.”
They both turned in time to see all the suitors simultaneously bite into their apples. As Drake had predicted, Hana grimaced comically at the sourness, but he hardly saw her, his eyes drawn inevitably to Riley. He’d been right about her, too; her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly when she first tasted the apple, yet she recovered almost instantly, to the point that Drake was certain he’d been the only one who noticed.
He turned to Maxwell who was directing an enthusiastic thumbs-up at Riley. He turned back and saw her return the thumbs-up at Maxwell, smiling. She made eye contact with him and he thought he saw her smile widen. He pretended not to see.
“Hey, Maxwell, I’m gonna go take a walk, okay?”
“Do you want some company?”
“No, thanks.”
He took off before Maxwell could insist. He strolled aimlessly around the Manor’s grounds, trying to get far from the press and everyone exiting the orchard now, but not knowing where to go. He spotted Bertrand at some distance and was debating whether he was desperate enough for a distraction to go talk to him, when the noble made a beeline towards Ana De Luca.
He watched as they argued heatedly until Bertrand stormed off. He prepared to walk further away from the crowd when Riley and Maxwell passed him and approached the reporter.
As he tried to make out what they might be talking about, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Hello, Drake.” Hana stood next to him, smiling her polite smile, though he’d learned to distinguish its degree of friendliness. This was the friendliest she’d given him.
“Hey, Hana, how’s it going?”
“Not too well, I’m afraid,” she frowned.
“That makes two of us. How come?”
“I’m sure you saw me make a fool of myself up there.”
Drake let out a small laugh that he turned into a cough at the last minute. “A-hem. Yeah, it wasn’t that bad.”
“You can laugh. I’d imagine it was amusing.” She gave a small giggle.
“Whew! Thanks, ‘cause it really was.” Drake laughed openly now and Hana joined him.
She stopped short. “Wait, did you say you were having a bad day, too?” She tilted her head sympathetically.
“Oh, it’s nothing, forget I said–”
“Drake!”
“Here we go.”
Maxwell strode towards them.
“Hey, Hana! Cute grimace up there!”
She blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Don’t remind me.”
“Aw, it’s okay! Even Cordonians make faces when they eat Cordonian Rubies, the other suitors were just better at faking it.”
“Maxwell, maybe stop talking,” said Drake with a meaningful look at Hana’s despondent face.
“Right, erm, why don’t we join Drake on his walk?”
“I never offered,” retorted Drake through gritted teeth.
Hana didn’t seem to have heard him though, because she exclaimed brightly, “Yes! That’s just what I need, and it’s such a beautiful day, too!”
“I know, doesn’t it make you want to celebrate?” Maxwell nudged Drake, who shot him a menacing glare.
“Celebrate what?”
“The weather,” said Drake quickly. “You know how Maxwell is, never needs much of an excuse to party.”
Hana nodded her understanding.
“Oh, where’s Riley?” she asked hopefully.
Drake hated his face for mirroring her expression.
“I just got her some alone time with Liam,” Maxwell smirked. “I am the bestsponsor. Am I right or am I right?”
“You’ve forgotten to tell her more important things than I can count, Maxwell,” snapped Drake, whose bad temper had flared up again unexpectedly.
Hana stared at him reproachfully. “Well, I’d still want you to be my sponsor.” She touched Maxwell’s forearm lightly and he blushed.
“Thanks, Hana. Have you seen the royal gardens?”
“No! I didn’t have much time to walk around before the ceremony, but I’ve heard they are lovely!”
“Sure, let’s go there, why not.” Drake led the way, walking on his own at the front of the group, while a few steps behind him, Maxwell gave Hana a tour, complete with wacky anecdotes from his many visits to the Manor. He heard her tinkling laugh, as Maxwell’s voice became louder and louder, in proportion with his enthusiasm, and he shook his head with a smile.
The grounds transitioned into the wonderfully lush royal gardens. Drake was just beginning to appreciate the varied, colorful flowers, with their subtle scents and buzzing bees circling them, when he spotted Liam and Riley talking in a romantic gazebo. Nature’s overrated.
As he was thinking of an excuse to retreat to his room, Liam and Riley left the gazebo and started towards them. His brain tried to get him to make a fast getaway, but his feet seemed to be glued to the floor. There was no point trying, anyway, because Maxwell was waving them over.
Riley caught up with them a few seconds before Liam. “Drake!” she squealed, and threw her arms around him.
Despite being caught off guard, Drake’s arms immediately encircled her and he thought – not for the first time – how natural it felt.
After giving his brain a second to start functioning again, he wondered, “Why do you look so happy to see me?” She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him smugly. “Oh no… God no…”
“Yep.” Riley patted his shoulder before finally stepping back and giving him a gloating grin. “Happy birthday.”
Drake rounded on Liam, who had watched this exchange highly entertained. “Liam, you told her?”
He shrugged. “My deepest apologies, Drake. I forgot that it was such a closely guarded secret.” He winked at Drake at this last part; he knew full well it was.
He felt unreasonably angry. Goddammit, Liam, stop being so fucking nice to me. Stop making me spend time with Addams. Fuck.
He took a deep breath. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter, because this is the last we’re ever going to speak of it ever again.”
“You don’t want to do something fun on your birthday?” asked Hana from behind him. “Even I was allowed petit fours and an hour playing with my father’s cat each year…”
Maxwell put a pitying hand on Drake’s shoulder. “Man, Drake, even Hana feels bad for you.”
Drake crossed his arms, “I don’t need fun to enjoy myself.” Hearing how ridiculous he sounded, he chose to go on the offensive, “Besides, what could you jokers possibly want to do that would be fun for me?”
“Are all Americans as fussy as Drake is about birthdays, Riley?” Maxwell piped up from Drake’s left side.
Riley furrowed her brow. “Drake’s an American?”
“Half. On my mother’s side,” he explained.
Riley tapped a thoughtful finger to her lips. “That gives me an idea… Do you have any American Western-themed bars here in Cordonia?”
She directed this question at no one in particular. Maxwell jumped into action, taking his phone out of his pocket.
“Checking on my phone now…”
Riley took hold of his forearm. “How about that, Drake? Whiskey, mechanical bull riding, and some good ol’ American fun.” She said the last part in an exaggerated Southern accent that made Drake snort in spite of himself.
He attempted to hide his sudden eagerness for a night out with Riley… and everyone else, obviously. “I guess it doesn’t sound horrible… but I can’t ask you guys to sneak out for that.”
He phrased it like a statement, but there was a question in it; a question he was too afraid to ask. Just how much did he mean to his friends? Hell, do I even deserve friends? I treat ‘em like crap half the time…
Liam’s response cut his insecure rambling short. “Nonsense. I’d love to.”
“I’d also like to understand more of Riley’s American culture!” Hana concurred. Of course she found a way to make this about her crush. He appreciated her agreeing so readily nonetheless.
“And I’ll take any excuse to drink and dance the night away!” Maxwell yelled. “Plus, I just found the perfect place!”
He showed them a map on his phone which displayed the route to a bar only 15 minutes away from the Manor by foot.
Drake scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know… Do you really want to do this, Riley?” He found he couldn’t make eye contact, scared she’d see how badly he wanted this after all his grumbling
Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. He couldn’t keep pretending he wanted to spend his birthday alone, at least not to himself.
Riley pretended to think hard about it, even scratching her head. Drake would’ve rolled his eyes at her, had he not been so anxious. He felt her staring, pulling his eyes up to hers. When he finally looked at her, she grinned and said, “I say we’re goin’ out tonight!”
“Yes!” Maxwell whooped.
“I must go prepare!” Hana declared, before rushing off to the manor.
“Yeah…” Slowly, a smile appeared on Drake’s face. “Something tells me this is going to be a night to remember.”
“Oh, if I do my job, it’ll be a night you won’t remember,” Maxwell said, as he hugged Drake from the side.
“Ha,” Drake laughed, “I can drink you under the table, Maxwell.“
“… Maybe. But I can dance you under the table!”
“No one’s gonna argue with that.”
“I don’t know, Drake,” said Liam. “You were adamant earlier that you would not celebrate, yet we’ve succeeded in convincing you. You might participate in a dance-off before the night is over.”
“Not likely.”
“I’m sure Riley could convince you.”
Liam said this neutrally, but Drake still turned to look at him sharply, expecting to see… what? Suspicion? Why would he think that? He had nothing to hide.
“I’m not so sure, Liam. Drake can be a stubborn ass when he wants to be,” Riley countered, her eyebrow raised at him.
Liam looked mildly surprised at Riley’s choice of words, but Drake chuckled.
“You got me there, Addams.”
“Well, come on! Let’s go get ready! I can hear the dance floor calling my name,” Maxwell urged them, tugging on Drake’s sleeve.
“You must have a hell of an ear,” he joked, but he let himself be led back to the Manor by Maxwell.
Drake didn’t really need time to get ready, as he planned on using the same outfit he had on. He didn’t want to seem like he cared too much; they’d practically had to drag him out, after all.
When he judged enough time had passed that he wouldn’t be the first one out, he headed to his door. He paused with his hand on the handle, then went back to his bag and took out a small bottle. Nothing wrong with not wanting to stink.
Satisfied with his smell, he left his room and ran into Riley, who was leaving hers.
“Hey, neighbor,” she greeted him. He noticed with relief she hadn’t changed either. Why would she? She already looks, uh, decent.
“Hey yourself.”
They walked down the hallway together in a comfortable silence. He thought he would’ve been happy if neither of them broke it, until she did with, “You smell nice.” That was infinitely better than any silence, comfortable or not.
“That’s just my natural scent, Addams,” he shrugged.
“Riiight, I forgot you always smell like sandalwood rather than whisky and contempt.”
He snorted, “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Are you telling me that if somebody bottled your signature scent, those wouldn’t be the two main ingredients?”
“… Fair point,” he admitted, still chuckling.
“They could call it, Drake: Eau de Upset,” she forced out between laughs.
“Shut up, Addams,” he pushed her playfully, both still laughing as they reached the rest of the group, who were already waiting downstairs.
“What are you guys doing?! Come on! The night waits for no one!” said Maxwell dramatically.
“Okay, okay, we’re here. Let’s go. You know how to get there, Maxwell?”
“My phone does.” He entered the address and led the short way to the bar.
Along the way, Drake hurried to walk beside Liam.
“Hey, man. I wanted to apologize for this morning.”
“Drake, there’s nothing to–”
“Dude, you asked me to let you apologize and I did, so now it’s my turn.”
Liam nodded, and Drake continued, “I’m sorry if I made you feel guilty about…” he swallowed, “my problems. The truth is, you’re always there for me; even now, when you have so much on your plate! So, if anyone needs to step it up, it’s me.” He sighed. “Oh, and thanks for making me come out tonight!”
“Don’t thank me! This was all Riley,” he beamed and Drake’s stomach clenched.
“We’re here!” Maxwell gestured at the sign outside the bar, which spelled Outlaw.
It was still early, so there was no line outside, although it would have been no problem if there had been. Hanging out with nobles all the time does have its perks.
They let Hana and Riley enter first, and then the three men followed. They walked through the wooden swinging doors to find themselves in a dimly lit, rustic space. The walls were made of wood, or at least lined with it. All the chairs and barstools were covered in worn brown leather and the tables were repurposed barrels. There were deer heads and cow skulls adorning the walls and up high, lamps were made out of antlers and wooden wheels. They really went all out with the cheesy decor.
“The party has arrived!” Maxwell announced loudly, earning him a few irritated glances from customers.
“Oh? Where?” Hana looked around.
Drake smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s us, Hana. He means us.”
“Exactly, my good man.” Maxwell clapped his back. “As in, we’re the life of the party.”
“We… are?” Hana asked dubiously.
Maxwell grimaced. “Well. Some of us.”
Like any good business owner, the man who ran this place was trained to detect rich customers from miles away. He came up to them and showed them to a more comfortable, private booth. He promised to send a waiter back for their order and hurried off.
“I can’t believe you actually talked me into this.”
Riley slammed her hands on the table. “First order of business… we’ve got to get you a birthday drink!”
“I’ll buy the first round,” offered Liam.
“On his birthday?” asked Riley incredulously. “Any bartender with a heart would give him a free drink to start the night off, don’t you think?”
Drake turned to her and explained, in an exaggeratedly patient voice, “Free drinks are something that happens when you’re a woman, Riley. Even on my twenty-first birthday I didn’t get so much as a free drop from anyone.”
She scoffed at his patronizing. “No? Well, let me see what I can do. Come on, Drake.” She got up and pulled him out of the booth with her, marching up to the bar.
“Hey, bartender,” she gave him a flirty smile, “my friend here is celebrating his birthday today! Can we get a drink on the house?”
The bartender considered her thoughtfully for a few seconds in a way that made Drake want to tell her to forget about the drink altogether. He finally nodded.
Drake was stunned, “It’s like everything I know is wrong.”
“Heh,” she chuckled. She patted his back. “Good of you to admit it.”
Drake felt goosebumps rising at her touch and realized what had happened. He snapped his fingers. “No, wait. I figured it out. Of course he’ll do it for you. No one says no to a hot girl.”
Riley’s mouth fell open briefly; she closed it quickly and turned it into a smirk. “Drake, you definitely just called me hot.”
It was Drake’s turn to look dumbfounded. “I just meant…” Meant what?! “From hisperspective…” Whew, okay, that was a close one. It’s not even a lie.
Riley was skeptical. “Suuuuure,” she said with a smug smile.
Drake cleared his throat, “Anyway, stop holdin’ up the line. You’ve gotta tell the man what drink you’re ordering.”
For some reason, Riley giggled. She turned to the bartender, “He’ll have your girliest, fruitiest drink, please.”
“That would be the pink raspberry cosmo.”
Riley nodded her agreement and turned back to Drake, barely keeping herself from laughing at how horrified he looked.
“You wouldn’t!” he shook his head feverishly.
Riley threw her hands up. “I just did!”
The bartender finished shaking the drink and handed it to Riley on a martini glass, with raspberries instead of olives and complete with a pink sugar rim. Drake closed his eyes as if in pain.
“Way to ruin a perfectly good free drink on some monstrosity like this.”
Riley shrugged, “My drink, my rules. Just try it.” She shoved it into Drake’s hand and he gave it a small sip. His face was poised for frowning, yet his expression changed when the taste hit his tongue. Damn, that’s actually pretty good.
Riley gave him a knowing smile. “And?”
Drake found himself going back for a second, bigger sip.
Riley tightened her lips to keep from laughing. “Nothing bad to say?”
“For an overly-sugared, completely silly, ridiculous excuse for a drink… this isn’t half bad,” he said as nonchalantly as he could.
“Ha! I knew it! Girly drinks are the best.”
“I definitely wouldn’t go that far, but I might be more open to them now,” Drake conceded.
“You’re welcome.”
“Thanks, Addams.” He touched her arm and she glanced down at his hand.
“There you two are!” They both wheeled around quickly to see Hana standing with a drink identical to Drake’s in her hand. Drake set it down on the bar surreptitiously. Riley glared at him and he picked it up again guiltily. Okay, own it.
Maxwell arrived just behind her. “Prince Liam just paid the guy operating the mechanical bull. He wants Drake to ride!”
Drake almost did a spit take. “Me? No way.”
“I figured you wouldn’t want to, but Liam says you’re some kind of expert…”
Riley’s eyebrows shot upward, “Is that true?”
“There’s only one way you’d get to find out, and I’m not drunk enough to make a fool of myself yet.”
“Personally, I’d rather see Hana try…” Maxwell elbowed her gently.
Hana shook her head with vigor, “Oh! I couldn’t I wouldn’t even know where to begin!”
Maxwell laughed, “Yeah, that’s why it’d be fun! Okay, tie-breaker vote… Riley! Hana or Drake?”
Riley put her hand on her chin, but gave her answer almost instantly, “Hmm… Drake! You’re the birthday boy, after all!” She hugged his waist and he ruffled her hair in what he hoped was simply a friendly way.
“Yeah, yeah. So you keep telling me.” He downed his drink but made no move towards the bull.
“Drake! Drake! Drake!” Maxwell chanted.
Hana and Riley seemed on the verge of joining, so Drake diffused the situation, “Okay, okay! I’ll do it. Just… quiet down. You’re embarrassing me.”
“That’s kind of the whole point…” Maxwell managed between laughs.
They walked to the ring as a group. Liam was waiting for them. He clapped Drake on the back, wishing him luck before he went into the ring.
“Hey, Drake,” Riley called as he was getting on the bull.
“What now, Addams?”
“Are you ready to embarrass yourself?”
“Pfft, the only one who’s gonna be embarrassed here is you, when I break the record and show you how wrong you are,” he bragged.
Riley gave a big laugh, which he chose to ignore.
He made himself as comfortable as possible and gripped the horns firmly. He looked around for some kind of switch. “How do you start this thing?”
The last word had scarcely left his mouth when the bull started bucking lightly. He kept his balance easily.
“Hah. Not even a challenge.”
Again, as soon as he said it, the bull bucked more wildly. It still didn’t come close to unseating him, but he had to grasp it with most of his strength.
“Okay, that’s a little harder…”
By that point, he was totally disoriented, yet for some reason, still able to pick Riley’s face out of the crowd. He heard her yell, “Come on, birthday boy! You can last longer than that!”
With renewed determination, Drake taunted, “Is that all you’ve got, bull?”
The machine gave a small buck and immediately followed it with its biggest one yet, catching him unawares. His body was thrown clean off the ring, flying straight into Riley, who let out a startled “Oof.” The fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Drake slowly got up on his elbows, trying to feel if any part of him was hurt, but apparently Riley had broken his fall quite thoroughly.
Their faces were really close together. He wiped sweat off his brow and apologized, “Whoa! Sorry, Addams.”
“Heh. My own fault for making you do it.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friends, with Liam in the lead, approaching, and he got up quickly. He offered his hand to Riley and helped her up. He enjoyed the warmth he had come to expect now but dropped her hand as soon as she was up.
“True,” he said, and she rolled her eyes at him.
Maxwell came bouncing up to them, “We should hit the dance floor!”
“I don’t think you can waltz to this,” worried Hana, referring to the pop country song that was playing.
“Yeah, exactly the point. I mean really dance. Like, the fun kind of dancing,” clarified Maxwell.
If anything, Hana seemed more dubious. “The… fun… kind? What would that entail?”
Maxwell broke into a huge smile. “I could tell you, but it’s going to be a lot more fun to show you.” With that he dragged her to the dance floor; Liam shook his head in amusement and followed them.
That left Drake standing with Riley, feeling uncomfortable.
“I’m not really the kind of guy who dances,” he justified himself.
“Seriously? Just sway side to side, and you’re basically set,” replied Riley, who had begun to do just that. She made it look so simple, but he knew it was the kind of thing that comes easy only to those who have rhythm.
“Really? According to Maxwell, there’s a lot more to it than that…”
He nodded to the dance floor, were Maxwell was flapping his arms, forcing people to move to the edges. “Make room, make room!”
When a significant amount of space was clear, Maxwell broke into a flurry of complex breakdance moves, ending in a clean split.
“That was… impressive!” Riley said, her eyes wide.
Drake’s face fell. “I’m never going to be like Maxwell.”
At that moment, they saw him approach what was probably a bachelorette party and make his presence known with a, “Laaadies…”
Riley facepalmed. “I think the world can only handle one Maxwell…”
“Heh.”
“Besides,” she turned to him, blocking his view of Maxwell and everyone else, “there’s a reason I picked you to dance with and not him.”
Drake drew breath sharply. Play it cool. “Didn’t want to try to keep up with his acrobatics?”
“Maybe I like your style better.” She raised her hand to his neck and fixed his collar. It was lucky Drake had just taken a breath because he was suddenly holding it.
She let her hand fall and he could breathe again. “Come on, Addams, it’s more like a lack of style than anything else.”
“Is this a new, humble Drake?” she questioned.
“Only on the dance floor,” he put his hand to his heart, “my one weakness.”
“I thought I was your one weakness.”
“I…” Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck. Drake’s brain was stuck in loop and he’d completely forgotten how to form words; not that it mattered, as he wouldn’t have known what to say anyway.
Emboldened by her effect on Drake, Riley took a step forward and went on, “I mean, I’m the only one who doesn’t let you get away with anything… and I got you out here tonight, didn’t I?”
They stood there, smiling at each other. Like an idiot. I’m smiling like a goddamn idiot. He couldn’t seem to stop.
He gathered enough courage and voiced the first thing he’d thought when she said that, “As far as weaknesses go, you’re not the worst, Addams.”
She looked up at him and he felt like they were circling something important. She blushed and let her gaze fall to her feet as they heard Maxwell from a few feet away, “And this, Hana, is ‘the sprinkler.’”
“Ooh, do you have sprinkles?” she chirped.
Drake and Riley snorted.
“It’s… water.” Maxwell tried to explain, miming the move. When Hana seemed equally – if not more – puzzled, he let it go, “Just forget it.”
Drake turned to Riley, who was still giggling. “Um, wanna go join them?” Say no, say no, say no.
“Sure.”
Dammit.
They pushed their way onto the crowded dance floor to find their friends encircled by curious onlookers, no doubt attracted by Maxwell’s ostentatious dance moves.
“Liam, get in the middle of the circle and show us a move!” Riley encouraged.
Liam blushed and said, “I couldn’t possibly.”
Drake whooped and yelled, “Do it!”
Maxwell, as was expected of him, started a chant that everyone around them was quick to pick up, “Liam! Liam! Liam!”
Liam put his hands up in defeat. “Very well, if it’ll avoid causing a scene…”
He walked to the center of the circle, head bobbing to the beat. Maxwell went around the circle, clearing more space for Liam. Right at the song’s climax Liam did a perfect front flip.
Drake dragged a hand down his face, anticipating what came next. Indeed, a second later, he heard Riley praise him, awe in her voice, “Whoa! I didn’t know you had moves like that!”
Drake’s lips tightened into a thin line.
“As part of my education, my parents had me take a few years of gymnastics. I’m afraid that’s more or less all I remember,” said Liam humbly, but obviously pleased.
“It’s enough,” admired Maxwell.
The song faded, a new one starting right away. Drake hear a familiar guitar riff that he couldn’t quite place, especially busy as he was witnessing the worst thing he could think of.
“Lady Riley, may I have this dance?” asked Liam, offering his hand.
“Of course, Prince Liam.” Both smiling brightly, they paired off, leaving Drake, who hadn’t noticed Maxwell and Hana leave, standing alone.
Jessie is a friend.
Yeah, I know he’s been a good friend of mine.
FUCK. Are you kidding me?!
He stood rooted to the spot, hypnotized by Liam and Riley’s dancing figures. He couldn’t take his eyes off his smile, her laugh, the way they occasionally leaned closer to each other to whisper something. His hands balled into fists and he felt his face grow hot.
And she’s watching him with those eyes.
And she’s loving him with that body, I just know it.
Yeah ‘n’ he’s holding her in his arms late, late at night.
You know I wish that I had Jessie’s girl.
As if by magic, he realized he could move again. He turned on his heel and darted into the men’s room. It was blessedly empty. He leaned on the sink and stared at himself in the mirror.
“Get it together. Now.”
He splashed water on his face, which did nothing to minimize his discomfort. “Fuck. I can’t.”
He was not entirely certain what he was talking about at all, or if he had even said it out loud. He walked out and to their booth in a drunken haze, though he’d only had one drink.
He slumped into the booth and grabbed the menu, more to have something occupying his eyes than anything else. He’d read it cover to cover when Hana sat next to him.
“Drake?”
“Huh?”
“I asked if you were okay?”
“Oh, yeah, definitely. Just great. I’m feeling great, having fun, so happy on my birthday, for sure.”
“If you say so…” Hana was staring intently at him and Drake realized his gaze had drifted back to the dance floor.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, Drake,” she gave him a serious look, “just know you’re not alone.”
“Thanks, Hana.”
“I’ll leave you be, but you should join us within the next song or two before anyone else notices.”
Drake nodded. He decided to give himself one more song to get out of this random funk. Halfway through it, someone shoved their hand right in front of his eyes.
“I know you said you don’t dance… Care to stand around with me during this next song?” Riley asked.
Cold relief washed over him and he felt himself grinning up at her.
“It would be my pleasure.”
They once again made it to the dance floor, where they stood side by side, as promised.
“Hey, Addams, you don’t have to do this, go dance.”
“Drake! I told you. I like your style. Plus, I’ve already danced with everyone, so I’m allowed to have seconds, don’t you think?”
“Well, in that case, thanks… I like your style too, by the way. Excellent stander.”
“You think so?” She put on a posh accent. “Indeed, thanks to my upbringing I took lessons from world-class standers.”
Drake laughed, “You’re such a dork.”
“But I’m your favorite dork.”
He wasn’t sure whether to agree or tease her some more, but he was spared the dilemma by Liam declaring it was time to leave. The group reunited and moved to the exit.
“We shut this place down!” whooped Maxwell, making an enthusiastic downward move with his arms.
“What did you think, Hana?” Riley asked.
“This was scary… but a fun kind of scary?”
Maxwell put an arm around her shoulders, “You’ll learn to love going out. Just wait until next time.”
“Next time?” Hana seemed uncertain as to whether she wanted it to happen or not.
“I hope there’s a next time…” said Liam, “as long as we can find another way to sneak out.”
“We’ll make it happen,” assured Riley. She turned back and saw Drake, who had been lagging behind. She let the others go on ahead and went to him.
“Not ready for you birthday to be over?”
“Heh. Maybe. You know, to tell you the truth, I always dreaded my birthday when I was a kid,” he began explaining. “My parents tried hard, really hard, to give me the best birthday they could. But I kind of always knew that no matter what they did, Prince Liam’s parents were going to top it.
When Riley appeared to be confused by this, he elaborated, “My parents got me a toy T-rex? Liam’s parents got the entire palace staff to dress up like dinosaurs forhis birthday. My parents got me a cake shaped like a car? Liam’s parents got him a cake the size of a car.”
Riley had a pained expression on her face. “Drake, you must’ve hated Liam’s guts.”
Drake shook his head fervently, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. “Heh, it was tempting… but you know how Liam is. In all honesty, he’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met. If anyone can pull off extravagant wealth without being obnoxious, it’s him.”
Riley nodded her agreement, smiling fondly. Drake resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her and continued, “So these over-the-top birthday parties never got under my skin. But they were hell on my parents. They knew they could never even come close to what my best friend was getting… and that killed them.”
She was standing closer and now rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. She moved her thumb back and forth, rubbing soothingly.
“So around when I was nine or ten, I made a decision to stop trying. No more birthday parties, no more cakes, no more presents… all I wanted was to spend the day with my family doing something fun. My parents loved it. Made them feel like they could really give me something special.”
It was the first time in the past year that he could reminisce about his family without pain. It felt good to tell someone other than Liam about his beautiful, dumb family traditions; they meant more to him than he would usually care to admit, but he was feeling vulnerable.
“Aww…” she said, half teasing, half serious.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m a total marshmallow.” This time he did roll his eyes at her. “Just don’t tell anyone else.”
She grinned. “No promises… but…”
“But?”
“Drake, I hope I didn’t get in the way of any family traditions tonight,” she wrung her hands.
Drake took her hands and separated them. “Nah. My family’s not here anymore, so I wasn’t really expecting to do anything tonight.” He shuddered inwardly at how dark tonight could have been.
“Anyway, tonight has actually been… well, it’s really been fun. And if I’m being honest with myself, it’s felt a lot more like those special birthdays with my family than I thought it could…”
His voice felt like it might be close to cracking so he trailed off.
Riley put her other hand on his shoulder and smiled triumphantly. “Drake, are you saying I’m family now?”
It started out as a joking question, but as they looked at each other, their smiles faded. Drake stared at her, hoping to convey how much she meant to him, as much as any family he’d ever had. Maybe even more. Uh oh.
Drake swallowed, “… Not exactly. But… maybe we are friends. I’m glad you dragged me out.”
The moment was gone and so, eager to return to their easy friendship and teasing, he clapped her a little roughly on the shoulder.
He got up, saying, “Anyway, we should call it a night.”
“Yeah…” answered Riley in a small voice.
He started towards the door when she pulled his arm. He turned and she hugged him on her tiptoes. As he’d now done multiple times, he melted into it, feeling her soft, sweet-smelling hair tickle his fingers, and her breathing under his arms.
Then she whispered, “I’m here for you… anytime.”
Without looking at him, she let go and hurried to the exit.
“Addams!” he called after her. He didn’t even have anything to say, he just didn’t want this to be over, whatever “this” was.
She turned to look at him, her face completely serious for once. “Yes?”
Fuck, she’s so beautiful. He knew he’d come close to thinking that before, but he was still surprised by how forcefully he felt it.
“…Thanks.”
She smiled softly and left, leaving him alone.
Shit. I have a crush on Addams.