He took a deep breath and glanced at his dad. His dad nodded once, and he pursued to take a step and bowed with his right knee raised and the other rested on the ground. This news never failed to shock him, moreover he was just an insurance agent. He didn’t deserve to be a prince, let alone a king.

But today, meeting his grandfather for the first time in this hell of a suite, he felt like dreaming.

“Brent, my grandson. Come forward, my dear.”

He got up, ruffled his spiky hair and approached the king.

“You’ve grown so fast. Shame I couldn’t see your brother.”

“Yeah well, he’s busy being famous.”

The king chuckled and coughed a little, raising a worry between his two black suited guards.

“Today is my last day here. I hoped to meet him but alas,”

“Don’t worry grandpa. He will, sooner or later.”

The king smiled. “Grandpa. That sounds nice.”

“What, I can’t call you that?”

“Certainly you can!” He raised his tone and coughed again after.

“Calm down, father. You’re ill.”

“A king never gets ill, he merely wounded from the battle of life.”

Brent and Brian Sr exchanged glances. They didn’t ask Brian to come together because of his wedding preparation and all. Plus, he was always being watched wherever he goes 24/7.

“I hear he’s getting married, your brother?”

“Yes, he is. In fact he’s getting married this Saturday. Would you come?”

“Oh no, no. I can’t. There’s a lot to do back in Cericia. I have to get back.”

He coughed again but immediately raised his palm to the guards beside him, indicating that he was okay. The guards had no choice but to draw back a few steps.

“Being a king, you see. Your marriage is arranged. Your brother cannot get married to another woman except a Cerician princess if he wants to be the king.”

Brent widened his eyes. “That means..I’m going to have..to..”

“Yes, marry the princess.”

He looked at his dad. No way. He thought. What about Bridget?

“But grandpa…I already have a fiancée.”

“Hmm…then maybe I can close one eye on this. I desperately need an heir, my dear.”

The king smiled and blinked softly at him. He can’t help but suppressed a smile too.

“Thank you grandpa! But holy shit! I’m gonna be a king!”

“Brent! Watch your tongue.”

“Oh forgive me, your majesty.”

---

The handgun in my hand unloaded as I pulled the trigger and took a few shot on the shooting range. My head was really messed up right now. Brian will get married the day after tomorrow and what am I doing? Shooting some cardboard and ranted out my anger on them.

I should have just told him that I love him too when I got the chance. That was probably why he went back to her. Ahh this is making my head hurts!

BAM BAM BAM!

I pulled the trigger again three times in a row, and stopped shooting when I heard a familiar sound of Unholy Confession from my phone. I glanced at it. An unknown number. Shit, last time I got a call from anonymous it didn’t end well.

But it rang for quite a while that I started to think maybe it was important.

“Hello..?”

“Hello, Addie?”

“Yeah..?”

“Zacky here. You do remember me right?”

“Oh. Of course I do. How are you Zacky? How’s Gena?”

“I’m good, we’re good. So listen, I have a favor to ask you. Can you help me?”

“A favor? What kind of favor?”

“Um, Gena.. she wanted to see you so badly. Said she misses you. Can you accompany her tonight at a bar called…Red Lion?”

I coughed but quickly gained my composure. “That’s a stripper’s bar.”

“I know. Gena tends to go to a stripper’s bar when she gets upset. Can you come?”

“Why don’t you accompany her?”

“Well, tonight is Brian’s bachelor night so I can’t bail on that.”

I shut my eyes tight. Shit, I have to accompany his girlfriend while he’s celebrating Brian’s last night in being a bachelor? Fuck my life.

But I’d always liked Gena so I didn’t really mind hanging out with her. I missed her anyway.

“Okay. No problem Zacky.”

“Cool. She will see you at 8.”

I hung up after we said goodbye and cursed at myself. Get a grip Addie. Brian is getting married. You just do your fucking work and be happy for him.

---

Zacky looked at his watch again for the fifth time. He’d been waiting for him to get ready since an hour ago.

“Come on your majesty! Having a hard time picking out your dress?”

“Fuck you Zacky!” Brian yelled from inside his room. Seconds later he came out, wearing his signature leather jacket, black ripped jeans, silver aviator slipped on his white V-neck tshirt and his hair gelled to a spiky look. Zacky hadn’t seen him this good looking ever since they started the writing process.

“You’re ready?”

“Whatever dude. Just a bachelor party.”

Zacky let out a soft cackle and patted on his back. After Brian had told him everything, he’d planned this for him. He had called Addie to come to the bar where they would be having Brian’s bachelor party but didn’t tell her why. Brian also didn’t know about this plan.

He got dressed lazily and took his time, dreading his last day for being a bachelor because the day after tomorrow he will be a husband to Michelle. Someone that he didn’t love. He wondered why Zacky still planned for his bachelor party after all the stories he had told him; about Addie, about Michelle’s suicide attempt. He was expecting Zacky to get him out of this but he didn’t seem to make a move on it.

He sighed heavily as they got into the car and Zacky drove on.

“Relax, man. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“If it’s a stripper, I’ll pass.”

Zacky raised his eyebrow in amazement. “Wow, you really have changed.”

“Whatever. Just get this over with.”

~*.*~

They arrived at the Red Lion stripper’s bar and saw that Matt, Arin and Johnny were already there, along with their roadies and security crews altogether in one fucking room. The girls were dancing against the poles, wearing nothing but skimpy lingerie. If Brian was his old self he would throw his Benjamins on them but tonight he didn’t feel like it. Didn’t feel ecstatic at all.

He glared at Zacky as he downed a tall glass of pint, feeling a little bit angry and annoyed because Zacky of all people knew too well that he didn’t want to go on with the marriage.

“So, the man of the hour! Would you care for a toast?”

Brian switched his glare to Matt who raised his glass high. Poor guy. He was excited to be in laws with him soon.

“Since Zacky is my best man, I want him to make a toast.”

Zacky smirked and downed his shot of Jack. “No problem. To my best friend Brian, who finally believe in the context of marriage,”

“Fuck you.” Brian whispered to himself.

“And finally decides to settle down, I raise a toast, let his days after this will be happy forever after.”

“CHEERS!!” they yelled together but Brian didn’t take the shot.

A stripper came through their way, wearing a red lingerie and started to grind on Brian’s body, shoving up her ass and the guys just couldn’t take their hands off her.

“Yeah, work it baby! Work it!” their security crew, Dan yelled.

Brian took a step away from the stripper and Zacky grabbed his shoulder all of a sudden.

“Let’s have a smoke outside.”

“Good fucking idea. The only useful idea that came from you tonight.”
They sucked the nicotine from their cigarette sticks and blew out the smoke after. Brian noticed that Zacky had been lurking at his watch forever, that he wondered whether Zacky needed to be somewhere else tonight.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Huh?”

“You kept looking at your goddamn watch. Why the fuck?”

Zacky let out nervous laugh but then his eyes lit up as he saw a figure walking towards them.

“This is my gift to you, Brian. I hope you can find your own way out of this.” He patted Brian’s shoulder and threw his cigarette away to go inside the premise.

“Hey! What do you-”

“Brian..?”

His eyes arched and froze to the approaching figure in front of him. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and how fast his heart pumped right now. After a few steps forward, the figure stopped walking and remained in the dark.

“Addie..”

Notes

A/N: well, out of chapters for now. haha XD comments love <3