Summary: A change in plans leaves Drake and Mika alone together during his birthday. Set during Book 1.
Note: The very first Choices fanfic I ever wrote. 🙂
If Liam wouldn’t have told Mika that today was his birthday, Drake would have gone home (alone), enjoyed his whiskey (alone), and probably gone to bed early (also alone). But Liam had told her, and she’d had to suggest they all go out and celebrate, which everyone (except the actual birthday boy, Drake thought wryly) had enthusiastically agreed to. So really, it was Liam’s fault that he and Mika were alone in this bar right now. One by one, everyone had bailed on the plans for the evening. Hana’s mother had called and scolded her for not “trying hard enough” and she’d decided to stay behind, Bertrand had lectured Maxwell about not “bringing further shame to the Beaumont name with your public antics”, and Liam had a last minute early morning meeting scheduled.
“It’s fine,” Drake had insisted. “I have whiskey at home and-“
“You can’t celebrate alone!” Mika had exclaimed. “You and I should still go.” Liam had agreed, stating, “Mika can be my fill in for one year, right?” Liam had looked so guilty about not being able to join Drake for a drink that he’d agreed to go out for one drink with Mika.
Drake is certain this is a bad idea. Mika is quickly turning into something akin to a bad habit, and he’s been having a harder and harder time seeing her in a platonic, not-even-remotely-available kind of way. This can’t happen! his brain screams whenever she’s near and he feels the urge to brush her hair out of her face or walk close enough to touch her hand with his. He’s confident that she cares deeply for Liam and that Liam feels the same way for her. He tries to see this as a positive thing. He’d certainly rather have Mika as Queen than Madeleine, or, god forbid, Olivia.
“You still with me, birthday boy?” Mika jolts him out of his thoughts.
“Yep,” he replies quickly.
She raises an eyebrow. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“Oh, these thoughts are worth far more than a penny,” he teases, and regrets his comment instantly. GREAT idea, Drake. Let’s make sexual innuendos towards one of your best friend’s suitors. Remember him? The soon-to-be king?.
He half expects Mika to scold him, but instead, she laughs and nudges him playfully. “Dirty. I’ll get it out of you one way or another.”
Drake is certain he will not survive the night. Either from Mika killing him by, well, just being Mika, or Liam finding out that Drake just flirted with one of his suitors and sending Bastien after him, or the press getting ahold of this information and having half the country wanting to come after him.
Inside the bar, Mika immediately bounds up to the counter and returns with two shots of whiskey. Drake sucks his down and bites back a groan as Mika’s hair tickles his shoulder and her perfume invades his nose as she takes her shot. “Mmmm,” she hums in satisfaction. “You know, I have exactly zero friends back in New York who will do whiskey shots with me.”
“That’s practically a crime,” Drake declares.
“It should be. More?” She asks, standing up from her barstool.
Drake hesitates and Mika frowns. “Really? It’s your birthday! It’s a law that you have to have more than one drink on your birthday.”
“A law, huh? And did you just pout?” Drake teases.
Mika smiles as she leans closer. “Depends. Did it work?”
Drake smirks. “Only when you do it.” Control yourself, idiot, his brain scolds. Off. Limits.
Mika returns with two more shots. “We should dance,” she announces when their shots are gone.
“I don’t dance,” Drake replies quickly.
“I saw you dance in New York.”
“Yes, well, I was a bit more intoxicated then. And don’t even think about it,” he laughs as he notices the gleam in her eyes. “I’m out with one of the future king’s suitors. I’m not about to be responsible for you not getting back safely because I was drunk or puking in an alley somewhere.”
“Fine, fine,” Mika retorts. “But really, Drake. Everyone else here is drunk. No one’s gonna care if you look ridiculous.”
He sighs. “You really don’t give up, do you?”
“Never,” she promises.
He groans and rolls his eyes as he pushes his chair back and follows her onto the dance floor.
“You look like you’re heading to your execution,” she teases. “It’s just dancing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he mutters. As soon as they’re on the floor, the upbeat tempo of the music switches to something slow and he immediately turns to head back towards the bar, only to have Mika grab his hand.
“I love this song. Please, Drake?”
Yep. Definitely going to die tonight.
He carefully slips his arms around Mika’s waist and tugs her closer. Her arms come up around his neck, fingers threading through the ends of his hair as she rests her head on his chest.
“Drake,” he feels her murmur into his chest as they start to sway.
“Hmm?”
Mika pulls back slightly and he feels his breath catch at her slightly parted lips, her dilated pupils, the strands of hair he longs to tuck behind her ear. His eyes involuntarily flicker to her lips.
“It’s just dancing,” she whispers huskily.
“Is it?” He asks. They’ve nearly stopped moving altogether, swaying only slightly to the song in the background.
She hesitates. “I-I don’t know,” she finally answers. “I do know…I’m really glad I’m here with you tonight.”
Drake inhales sharply. “Jesus, Mika. We can’t do this.”
She looks at him sadly and he feels like kicking himself as he notices her rapidly blinking back tears. “I know, Drake, I just…”
“Come on,” he says, sliding his hand into hers and leading her to a darkened back area of the bar. He leans against a table and takes a shaky breath. She fidgets with a bracelet around her wrist, her dark eyes never leaving his. She takes a dangerous step closer.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I know Liam’s your best friend, and I know I’m here for him, but…it’s not Liam I want.”
“Don’t say that,” Drake replies quickly.
“Why?” She asks boldly.
“Because!” He exclaims in frustration. “You are here as a potential suitor for the future king. And I don’t know what exactly your feelings are for Liam, but he sure as hell has feelings for you. So whatever…this is, it can’t happen.”
She’s stepped closer as he ranted, close enough to feel her warm breath on his neck, close enough for her to fist her hands into his t-shirt. “You think I don’t know that?” She whispers hotly. “It’s not like I came here intending to fall for someone else.”
Those words are nearly his undoing. For as long as he’s known Liam, and then Bertrand and Maxwell, girls and women go after them, not him. Sure, they’d flirt and giggle and drape themselves over Drake, but as soon as they found out he wasn’t nobility, they dropped him. He’d gotten used to it, so that as he got older, he naturally pushed them towards the noblemen he was out with, to avoid dealing with the rejection later. And now…now here’s Mika, telling him she’s fallen for him and doesn’t want Liam. What the hell is he supposed to do with that?
“Wha-what did you say?” He asks hoarsely, certain he’s just misunderstood her, or perhaps he’s somehow already drunk after two drinks and hearing things.
“Oh Drake,” Mika whispers. Her hands release his shirt, slide up his chest, and slip into his hair. She forces him to meet her gaze. “I’ve fallen for you.”
He lets himself touch her finally, hands moving to rest low on her back and pulling her into him. Their lips are nearly touching, foreheads coming together, and he confesses, “I’ve fallen for you too.”
She smiles brilliantly at him at that, and he crashes his lips onto hers, desperate and wanting and certain this will end any second. She moans into his mouth and presses her hips into his. He bucks against her involuntarily and groans. “Mika.”
“Mmmm,” she hums into his mouth. He pulls his lips away from hers and she whimpers, only to replace it with noises that drive him crazy as he kisses along her neck. He can’t stop, moving to her shoulder and biting her gently, dipping his tongue into the hollow of her throat, sliding his hands down over her hips.
She groans loudly. “Drake.” She tugs his face back up to hers and kisses him fiercely. She’s squirming against him, her hands sliding down to his belt. “Please.”
He wrenches his lips from hers, gasping.
“No,” Mika moans.
“We can’t do this here,” Drake manages to say, trying to calm his breathing.
Mika closes her eyes and leans into him.
“Hey,” he murmurs, tilting her chin up. She opens her eyes and he feels a jolt straight to his heart at the look on her face. He kisses her sweetly. “Just not here.”
She traces her finger over his lips as she nods. “I know.” She hesitates before asking, “Can I stay with you tonight?”
God help him, the consequences they’ll both have to deal with come tomorrow, but he can’t resist this, her, anymore.
“Yes,” he answers quickly. “Mika. We-if this is going to be something-we have to-“
She cuts him off with another kiss. “I know. We have to tell Liam.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” he says softly.
“No. I want this. I want you, Drake. Just you.”
Her eyes search his as she says shakily, “Do you-Liam’s your best friend, and I don’t want to mess that up.”
He wraps his arms around her and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I don’t know what he’ll say,” he says honestly. “But we’ll tell him tomorrow, okay? Together.”
She smiles softly at him and squeezes his hand as they make their way out of the bar and into the night. “Together.”