Chapter 35

"So, what's the real score between you two, bro?" Flynn asked casually, pouring whiskey into Casadin's glass.

Casadin leaned back on the leather couch, letting the amber liquid swirl in the crystal before answering. They were tucked inside one of the exclusive private rooms of Nirvana Bar, owned by Casadin himself.

"...Mutual understanding?" Casadin muttered uncertainly.

Delvin scoffed and nearly choked on his drink. "Are you fucking serious? We're the ones asking you, and that's your answer? A question?"

"I don't know, okay?" Casadin snapped, frustration simmering beneath the cool exterior he usually wore like armor.

"Didn't you two hang out the whole day?" Flynn asked, popping a peanut into his mouth. "You seriously didn't bring up where you stand?"

"I chickened out," Casadin muttered, voice low but loud enough in the intimate space for his friends to hear every word.

Delvin gawked, then laughed like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Shit. You? Casadin Sinclair? The guy who literally yelled across the entire school quad, 'I will marry you, Cieryl Clark!' like you were dying tomorrow, you got scared to tell Vee how you feel?"

"Dude," Flynn added, shaking his head. "It's so obvious Vee's into you too. The whole school thinks you're already dating. You two are the only ones who don't seem to know it."

Casadin took a long drink, but it didn't help the tightness building in his chest.

"Cas, we're not trying to scare you," Delvin said, his voice lowering with a hint of seriousness. "But you're not just competing with Hades, man. Since Vee became SBO President, the number of guys crushing on her shot through the roof. And she's cold to most of them, that just makes her more irresistible. You keep playing it safe, and someone else's gonna beat you to it. As the saying goes, the early bird beats the persistent worm."

"Stop trying to freak me out, asshole," Casadin grumbled, but his hand clenched slightly around his glass.

Because deep down? He was nervous. Ever since the first day of school, after Evadne's welcome speech, he'd caught the way some male students looked at her, admiring, hungry, awestruck. And that number had grown with every day she took charge of the school government. Every hallway encounter was a silent war zone, Casadin throwing sharp glares at anyone who lingered too long near her locker or tried to flirt.

"You scared of what exactly?" Delvin pressed, leaning forward.

Casadin exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his dark hair. "What if I ask her what we are… and she says we're just friends? Then I'll officially have no right to glare at every bastard sniffing around her. I can't explain it, man. Just the thought of it makes me feel…" he trailed off, jaw clenched, eyes dark.

Flynn and Delvin exchanged a glance.

"Okay, I think we get it now," Flynn said. "You don't want to draw the line because you're scared she won't draw the same one."

"But bro," he added, voice more careful now, "what if she's been waiting for you to draw it? And she just got tired of hoping?"

"Exactly," Delvin chimed in. "You did all that grand shit for Cieryl back then. Maybe Vee's wondering why you're holding back now. Maybe it makes her think you're not serious about her."

Casadin's expression faltered.

"You really think so?" he asked, the vulnerability in his tone barely hidden.

"We don't know," Delvin admitted. "But we do know everyone saw how you used to scream your love for Cieryl from rooftops. Vee? You're... quieter with her. More subtle. That can be romantic too. But sometimes, actions without words can feel like hesitation."

Casadin groaned, then slowly let his forehead fall onto the glass tabletop with a dull thud.

Flynn and Delvin broke into wide grins, watching their usually cocky, confident friend fall apart for the first time.

"Damn," Flynn murmured, chuckling. "Casadin Sinclair... down bad."

"Hopelessly, pathetically down bad," Delvin agreed, raising his glass in a mock toast. "To the prince who lost his voice."

"Fuck both of you," came Casadin's muffled voice from the table.

The two boys burst into laughter, nearly doubling over at the sight of Casadin.

"Fuck, bro, I just thought of something genius," Flynn said, grinning as he poured another generous shot into Casadin's already full glass.

Casadin blinked and looked up warily. "What?"

"Get drunk tonight," Flynn declared with a smirk. "Then later, we drive you to Vee's house. You call her, drunk dialing style, and finally confess how you really feel. That way, if your worst fear happens and she tells you she only sees you as a friend, you can just play dumb and say, 'Sorry, I was drunk, I don't remember anything.' Boom. Perfect plan, right?"

"You're insane," Casadin muttered. "I don't even forget things when I'm drunk."

"Yeah? But does Vee know that?" Delvin chimed in, his voice full of mischief as he leaned into Flynn's chaotic idea.

Casadin hesitated. "You really think that could work?" The idea was starting to appeal to him more than he wanted to admit. "You guys know Vee's scarily perceptive. She's joked about it before, but sometimes I really believe she can read minds." 

"Then get drunk enough that you stop overthinking," Delvin suggested, raising his glass. "Go all in. So you don't chicken out again."

"Fuck..." Casadin breathed, staring at the drink in front of him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he downed the glass in one long gulp. Flynn and Delvin whooped in approval, refilling and cheering him on every step of the way until Casadin was fully and thoroughly wasted.

By the time they stumbled toward the parking lot, Casadin was swaying so hard his friends had to hold him up on either side.

"Wait," Casadin mumbled, blinking heavily. "I can't drive like this. I'm drunk."

"No shit," Flynn snorted, fishing Casadin's keys from his pocket. "We'll drive. I'll take your car to her place, and Delvin follows with his. We'll park down the road just in case."

Casadin slumped against the side of his car, dread creeping in despite the alcohol burning in his veins. "Bro, wait. I... I can't do this."

Unknown to Casadin, Delvin had already pulled out his phone. He tapped Evadne's name and pressed call without hesitation. When she answered, Delvin didn't greet her. Instead, he put the call on speaker and turned to Casadin and asked loudly.

"What is it that you can't do?"

Casadin, too out of it to notice, slumped into the passenger seat of his own car and ranted openly.

"I can't confess to her, bro. What if I'm wrong about everything? What if she doesn't like me the way I like her? What if we're just reading into it? What if she sees me the same way she sees you guys, as just friends?" he groaned, his voice filled with defeat and barely concealed pain.

Flynn exchanged a look with Delvin before pressing further. "So tell us, Cas. What exactly do you feel for Vee? Is it just friendship? Flirting? Is it like what you had with Cieryl before?"

Casadin jerked upright, visibly offended. "Of course not! There's nothing friendly about how I feel for Vee. And what I felt for Cieryl before doesn't even compare, not even a fucking fraction."

His voice trembled slightly, as if this was something he hadn't admitted aloud even to himself.

"That's why I'm scared to tell her. If she rejects me, even if I pretend I don't remember, it'll still be awkward. She'll still know. I don't want to confess like this. She deserves more than some half-assed drunk confession. She deserves to hear it straight. From me. Sober. With no excuses or masks."

He paused, eyes red from the alcohol and swirling emotion.

"I like her. A lot. I think... I think I already love her."

The silence that followed was so heavy it smothered the air, until a familiar voice cut through it like a blade.

"Let's talk about that tomorrow then," came Evadne's voice, clear, composed, and unmistakably from Delvin's phone speaker.

"Princess?!" Casadin suddenly bolted upright, only to smash his head against the roof of his car.

Thud. "Ouch!"

"Are you okay?" Evadne's voice came through the phone, calm and slightly amused.

Delvin, still holding the call on speaker, finally revealed the phone to Casadin, grinning like a devil.

Clutching his head, Casadin muttered, "I'm fine..."

Then, voice trembling slightly, "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes."

"All of it?" he asked, paling.

"I'm not sure," Evadne replied, tone playful, laced with teasing. "But I definitely caught the 'nothing friendly about my feelings' part."

Casadin froze. Completely frozen. His heart skipped three beats and tried to restart on a fourth.

"P-Princess, I... I need to end this call," he blurted, clearly panicking. "Bye. Sweet dreams."

And before she could even respond, Casadin hung up.

"You guys are fu, blaaaarghhhh!"

His attempted cursing was interrupted by violent retching as he leaned over and threw up on the ground... and partially on Delvin's shoes.

"Fuck bro!!! These are my favorite shoes!" Delvin cursed, leaping back with disgust.

"Fuck you too, blaaaarghhh!" Casadin muttered weakly before vomiting again... and promptly blacking out.

The next morning...

"Ugh... Mom, my head still hurts..." Casadin groaned, eyes tightly shut as the sunlight beamed straight onto his face.

He wasn't worried about where he was, he already knew Flynn and Delvin would've brought him home safely, even if he'd passed out cold.

"Then you probably shouldn't drink that much," said a calm, oh-so-familiar voice.

His eyes snapped open. That wasn't his mom.

Casadin shot upright so fast it nearly gave him whiplash.

Standing by the veranda door was Evadne, elegant and composed, gently pulling the curtain aside as she opened the doors to let in the fresh morning air.

"P-Princess?!" Casadin blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes, convinced the hangover was messing with his vision.

"Yes?" she answered sweetly, securing the curtain tie as if this were completely normal.

"What are you doing here?!" Casadin asked in a panic, suddenly realizing he was only wearing boxers. He yanked the comforter up to his chest like a panicked virgin caught in a scandal.

Evadne raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his reaction.

"Relax," she teased, her voice light and mischievous. "I didn't take advantage of your unconscious body."

Casadin's face turned scarlet.

"But," she added with a devilish smile, "I might've seen your one-eyed snake standing at attention earlier."

"Princess! Pervert!" Casadin stammered, mortified, clutching the blanket tighter.

Which only made Evadne laugh harder.

Then, without warning, she darted toward the bed, yanked off the comforter he'd been clutching like a lifeline, and bolted toward the bedroom door, laughing all the way.

"Wahhhhhh!" Casadin yelped in horror, scrambling to cover his obvious morning problem with both hands like his life depended on it.

Evadne, already halfway out the door, turned back with a wink.

"Princess! This isn't funny!"

"It's very funny for me," she called back, grinning over her shoulder. "Now get up and take a shower. I'll wait for you in the kitchen."

Casadin groaned, face burning, as he flopped back onto the bed and buried his head in the pillows.

And somewhere beneath the shame... was a smile he couldn't quite stop.