Chapter 0232
Daniel blinks at me for another second, | think a little appalled at my suggestion that he kill his uncle, before he sees the irony on
my face and realizes that I’m making a dark joke. A bad joke, admittedly, but one | hope will break the tension.
Thankfully, Daniel doesugh, shaking his head and dropping it a little as he tugs at the bow tie around his neck. “It’s so insane,
Fay,” he sighs, and when he continues to fiddle with the tie | brush his hand away and untie it for him.
“Itis,” | say, leaning in to put a hand on his cheek and make him look at me. “Honestly, Daniel, there’s so much we don’t know.
And nothing else we can do about it, at least until tomorrow. So should we just...”
“...Get really drunk? And not talk about it?” he finishes for me, and | grin at him, d that we''re on the same page. “Hell yeah,”
he says as the bartenderes back and ces our two drinks in front of us.
We both grasp our sses and clink them together as the bartender moves away, smiling at each other.
“To our engagement,” | say, feeling a little hysterical, “which has survived, somehow, despite all odds.”
“Our engagement,” Daniel agrees, smiling with one half of his mouth as he shakes his head and downs his drink, signaling to the
bartender for two more. |ugh and toss my shot of tequ down, savoring the burn in my throat, wanting the rxation and
tender oblivion that it promises.
And then, impulsive, | lean closer to Daniel and press my mouth lightly to his, kissing him because | love him and because I’m
grateful for him.
The kiss is sweet, short and easy, but Danielughs when | pull away, ncing around the room. “Come on, Fay,” he murmurs.
“Cool it, or you''ll ruin my reputation here.”
| stare at him for a moment, confused, and then slowly | start to look around the room and realize that everyone around us at the
bar or the little booths...everyone is sitting in same-sex couplings.
“Oh my god,” | breathe, my face breaking into an excited smile as | whip my face back to Daniel, thrilled. “Did you bring me toa
gay speakeasy!?”
“Wee to Green’s,” he says, giving me a little smirk and raising his newly-delivered second Manhattan to me. “The most
discreet, private, and expensive gay club in our fair city.”
“Ohmygod,” | say again, so fast and excited that it’s all one word, looking around again, absolutely buzzing with curiosity. “Do you
come here all the time? Why do they call you Mr. Green?”
“Be cool, Fay,” Danielughs, putting a hand on my shoulder and obliging me to sit back in my seat as he hands me my drink.
“As | said, I’ve got a reputation here.”
“Are you Mr. Green?” | ask, my eyes wide. “Do you own this ce?”
“No,” he replies, grinning at me. “Every member is Mr. Green. It’s supposed to be anonymous. It’s kind of...the one ce in the
city where | can go to a gay bar and...not worry about who sees me.”
“Oh,” | say, my eyes going wide as | realize how important that must be for someone like him. “Well, | love it,” | say, grinning
widely. “Thank you for bringing me!”
“Well, who can | trust if | can’t trust my fiancé,” he says with irony, taking a big gulp of his drink.
“Beards are notoriously trustworthy,” | point out with a happy sigh, nodding along with him.
And then, over the course of the next few hours, as weugh and chat and talk about nothing and everything all at once, Daniel
proceeds to get very, very drunk.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.
| drink with him, of course, but | start
to notice that when I’m on my second
drink Daniel''s on his fourth. And
my third, his seventh. Batiel’s bigger
than rag, bourse — he can handle
more than | can — but still, | start to
see his eyes go half-shut as the night
passes and his words slur together. |
don''t chide him, realizing that this is
what he wants, perhaps needs, after
our stressful evening. Please read the
original content at NovelDrama.Org.
Daniel is...sensitive, | know. And while
this is my first time at this “maybe
my dad will get whack or payer’
r 0 ive gqmiarhiny he''s dealt with
a iste. And perhaps the strain on
him...l guess it makes sense, ina
way. That he’s just so sick of it that
all he wants to do is wipe it from his
mind. Please read the original
content at NovelDrama.Org.
And there is something about it that |
find tempting — the idea that | co
wipe it all out, topaforetiene’t few
Hourscand Pace none of it. But there’s
something else in me that wants to
stay sharp, that isn’t finished with the
night. Please read the original
content at NovelDrama.Org.
And as | see Daniel''s phone, resting on the bar, continuing to light up with text after text, | realize what it is.
“Give me that,” | say, reaching for the phone as Daniel signals the bartender for another round.
“Ignore him,” Daniel suggests lightly, waving a dismissive hand. “Fuck Kent. Fuck Natalia. Fuck ‘em all.”
“Don''t be ridiculous,” | murmur, entering Daniel’s password (which | obviously have memorized) and clicking open his texts to
find at lest six from Kent demanding to know where we are.