CHAPTER 42: NEVER HAVE I EVER

Adrian’s eyes changed the moment he heard the name. "You’re with Raf right now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am," Zak replied. "Just a sec—don’t hang up."

Adrian pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the time on the screen. His brows instantly furrowed.

Zak’s with Raf. It’s past midnight in New York, and Adrian doubted they were just relaxing in a hotel room. He knew what kind of places stayed open at this hour and the kind Zak usually ended up in.

Then Adrian heard Zak say, "Let’s get you home, man. You’re wasted."

Of course they were at a club. He expected that.

But on a weekday? That was unusual, even for Zak.

"No, I’m not going anywhere. I’m drinking. Are you calling Adrian now?" Raf’s slurred voice cut in.

"Yeah."

"Lemme talk to him. Give me your phone."

"Hey, Ad. I’m at the club with Raf. He’s kinda wasted and said he wants to talk to you. I’m handing the phone to him now."

Not long after, Rafael’s voice came through the phone. "You must be happy, huh, Ad?"

Adrian stayed silent. He didn’t say anything but without realizing it, his grip on the phone had turned almost painfully tight.

"You’re on your honeymoon, right?" Raf began rumbling, a weak laugh slipping through. "Lucky you, man... I wish I was you." Raf said, his voice cracking before he suddenly started to sob.

Zak, who was sitting beside him, immediately froze. Rafael never cried. Even when he was completely wasted, the worst he ever did was throw up or pass out. But this... this was different.

Zak had known something was off ever since Raf asked him to go clubbing on a weekday. That alone was already out of character. Adrian, maybe. He and Adrian were the type to blow off steam with women or drinks. But Rafael? This was new.

"Hey, Raf. What’s going on, man? Shit. Why are you crying like this?"

Zak quickly took the phone from Rafael’s hand and spoke into it. "Ad, I’m hanging up for now. We’ll talk later. Raf’s completely out of it, man. He’s crying now—like, full-on sobbing. I’m gonna take him home before he causes a scene here."

After ending the call, Adrian ran a hand over his face, frustration tightening in his chest. Guilt slowly crept in. He knew what Rafael meant. The guy was heartbroken, thinking Adrian and Bianca were in love. But that wasn’t the truth.

Still, even though he felt bad for Raf, Adrian couldn’t bring himself to say it was just a contract. Because, for some reason, the thought of Bianca being with Rafael again, his heart just couldn’t accept it.

***

That night, Bianca’s injury made Adrian reconsider their plans in Japan. He even thought about cutting the trip short and flying back to New York. But the moment he brought it up, Bianca shut it down without hesitation.

"I’m fine. It’s just a minor injury. I’ll be back to normal in no time."

"Are you sure you don’t want to go back to New York? You really don’t mind staying here while you’re hurt?" Adrian looked closely at her face.

He had seen Bianca without makeup plenty of times, but her sweet face never failed to catch his attention. He never got tired of looking at her. She always amazed him.

"What, am I being too much trouble now? Are you starting to think I’ve become a burden and don’t want to take care of me anymore?" Bianca teased lightly. She knew Adrian was just worried.

"What are you even talking about? That’s not what I meant at all. I’m just worried."

"I know. You don’t have to be. I’ll be okay. My leg will heal up soon. Don’t stress, alright?" Bianca tried to ease his concern.

"Mmh. But if you change your mind, just let me know, alright?"

Bianca gave him a small smile. "Yeah, yeah. If you feel like going out, walking around, shopping or whatever—don’t worry about me," she said as she sat beside Adrian.

"I’d rather stay in the hotel with you than wander around by myself," Adrian grinned.

Bianca scoffed, shaking her head at his answer.

Then, Adrian’s eyes landed on a bottle of red wine they’d picked up in Shibuya the day before, sitting on the table. A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as an idea popped into his head.

"You can drink wine, right?"

Bianca raised a brow, her expression curious. "Wine? Of course. Why?"

"I just remembered a game," he said, his tone turning playful.

Her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, but amusement was already glinting in them. "A game? What game?"

"You know ’Never Have I Ever’?" he asked, leaning a little closer, the mischief in his eyes becoming more obvious.

Bianca let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, that one. You say stuff like ’I’ve never done this or that’, and if you have, you lose a finger, right?"

"Yep. That one. How about we play it? We each hold up ten fingers. Every time someone says something and the other person has done it, that person drinks a glass of wine and puts one finger down. First one to lose all ten fingers loses."

Bianca tilted her head, intrigued. A playful spark lit up her eyes. "Okay... so what does the winner get?"

"What do you want?"

She smirked, leaning back a little. "How about this—loser has to grant one wish for the winner. Anything. As long as it’s not crazy expensive or something that can be bought with money. And obviously, nothing illegal."

Adrian chuckled. "Deal. I’ll go get the glasses."

Adrian grabbed two glasses from the kitchen table and brought them over to the coffee table in the living room. He poured a bit of wine into each glass, then handed one to Bianca.

Adrian looked at her with a playful squint. "So... do I start, or do you?"

"You go ahead."

"We’re making up our own questions, right?"

"Yep. Totally up to us."

"Alright then. I’ll start." Adrian leaned back with a playful look in his eyes. "Never have I ever... watched porn," he said, then casually took a sip from his glass.

Adrian’s words made Bianca cough a little. She grabbed her glass and downed her wine in one go, her cheeks already turning red, not from the alcohol, but from embarrassment.

Adrian grinned proudly at the sight.

Damn it. He’d only just started talking, and he already had her completely flustered.

***