𝓚𝓲𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓷

⚖️

"He's changed." Arthur commented stupidly as if him breathing too loud wasn't already annoying enough.

I grunted, taking another swig from the whiskey glass.

We were currently in my home bar.

I was sitting on the couch, leaning my head back against the headrest with closed eyes. While Arthur decided to act like a little cockroach and annoy me with his unwelcome presence.

"He looks good, though. More mature and... hot."

I opened my eyes and shot him a withering glare.

The motherfucker just grinned, raising his hands up in mock surrender.

I knew he was doing this to purposefully bait me.

But knowing that didn't help the burning feeling that arose in me.

"Shut the fuck up." I snapped, voice hoarse from the amount of whiskey intake.

"Ouch, touchy. I was just stating the facts." He said, feigning an innocent look on his face. "On a serious note, though, boy didn't allow me to call him Alaric. Impressive."

"Good. You don't deserve to say his name."

"And he was calling me Mr. Hall," He continued grimacing, completely ignoring my comment. "Like I didn't practically adopt him back in high school."

"You didn't."

"Yes, I did. We were the extrovert x introvert duo of our group."

I rubbed my forehead as he continued blabbering. If I wasn't already preoccupied with the thoughts of a certain someone, I would've personally kicked his ass out by now.

My eyes drifted down towards my hand. The same one that was touching him just a few hours ago. It's still there. The spark. The electricity. I felt it the moment my finger touched his.

I felt like an empty cathedral hearing music again. Like the hollowness in me healed with just one touch from him. I had been deprived of him for so long. Not anymore. Not ever again.

He was still beautiful. Like the moon itself.

His features were a little more mature, losing their youthful charms. His eyes were the same except for the grey, it was fainter. He was clean shaved unlike me. He looked leaner, though.

Was he not eating properly? What was his schedule? Is the hospital overworking him? My gaze hardened.

"Are you even listening?"

"No." I rolled my eyes, filling my now empty glass again.

"Simp." He scowled. "You took this purposefully, didn't you?"

"Don't annoy me with questions when you already know the answer." I said flatly.

"Why are you being such a grouchy bitch today? Scratch that, you're always a grouchy bitch."

"And you are an asshole is what you are."

He scoffed, opening another wine bottle from my shelf.

I threw the bottle cap towards him that hit his head. "Don't touch the wine." I warned.

"Why not?" He cocked a brow.

"I'm serious, Arthur. I brought that from Italy. Touch it and I will make you pay."

He grinned, whistling lowly. "Is it because wine is a certain someone's favorite?"

This time, I threw the whole bottle that he dodged, laughing like a lunatic.

I huffed, leaning back against the couch and closed my eyes again, but memory struck before silence could settle.

•••

EIGHT YEARS AGO

𝓚𝓲𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓷

𝘢𝘨𝘦: 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

"Oh my god, this is heaven! Why hadn't I had this before?" Alaric chirped, cheeks flushed, eyes dazed, holding the wine bottle close to his chest.

"It's just some red wine, buddy." Arthur chuckled, swinging a hand over his shoulder.

"No, it's not!" Alaric gasped, scandalized. "It's yummmmmm." He drawled, grinning like a fool.

Four glasses down and someone was already drunk.

I took a sip of my drink, watching as the wind brushed his silky blonde hair. His eyes had sparks in them and his whole face was glowing. He looked... beautiful. And raw.

Losing control suits him.

"Kay, tell Arthur to not bully me and let me enjoy my wine!" He whined and attempted to walk toward me, only to stumble and land between my legs instead as I sat on the high stool of the bar.

Our faces were merely a few inches apart and I could count every tiny freckle on his face. The mole under his right eye was a stark contrast over his pale skin. I wanted to press my lips over it and every part of him.

"Is he?" I murmured, rubbing my thumb over his cheeks.

He bobbed his head up and down with an annoyed frown.

My lips twitched. 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

"Maybe you do need to cut down on some alcohol." I said softly, tracing his freckles.

He gasped, eyes widening in horror. "I just found my paradise and you're telling me to let go?! Not fair. Not fair. At. All." He said dramatically.

"But you've had enough already." I countered, suppressing a chuckle.

"So? I'm insatiable. Me and my wine for life." He declared, clutching the wine bottle tighter against himself.

"You're insatiable for wine?" I mused.

"Yep."

𝘐’𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

I licked my lower lip and cleared my throat. "And what if I take this bottle from you?"

"You wouldn't dare." He warned, almost poking a finger in my eyeball.

Jesus Christ.

"You're a violent little thing, Alaric Reed." I muttered under my breath, shaking my head.

He giggled, seemingly proud. "You're the first person to say that."

"Yeah, 'cause he can't tell the difference between a Doberman and a Pomeranian!"

Arthur said annoyingly from a distance before busying himself with the flirty games he was playing with a leggy brunette in the corner. Didn't he say he was done with girls and was turning gay just yesterday?

"Hey, I'm not—!" Alaric attempted to protest, but blinked in confusion. "What breed was I supposed to be again?" He questioned.

I chuckled. "Nothing, baby. He's an idiot."

"Ha, heard that, Arty? You're an idiot!"

•••

"Have you considered that he may have a boyfriend now?" Arthur asked.

My molars gritted together tightly as my grip on the glass tightened. The mere mention of that sent something bitter crawling through my veins. I took a sharp inhale and glared at him.

"Shut. It." I gritted out.

"I was just stating a possibility." He lifted a shoulder.

"Another possibility is me committing a homicide today."

He pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded. "Got it. No more nonsense."

I rolled my eyes, though the burn in my chest refused to fade.

There wasn’t a single dimension where the possibility of Alaric being with someone else fucking existed.

"Okay, serious talks." Arthur said, shifting into business mode. "What do you think about the case?"

I shrugged. "What about it? It's a one-hearing verdict case."

"Why am I sensing a but?" He raised a brow.

I smirked, twirling the whiskey glass. "But what fun would it be if this case ends in just one hearing?"