💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

31 - Adam

Mealtime had become awkward. Painfully awkward.

It wasn't hard to avoid Landel for most of the day, but, when it came to breakfast and dinner, it was pretty much impossible. Adam made sure to sit as far away from the Prince as possible and make as little eye contact as he could. Adam was worried that if he looked at Landel then he would see those shining eyes and that smile and forgive him. He didn't want to forgive him.

Maybe he was being petty. His behaviour sounded petty in his head, but, honestly, he was still mad. He couldn't stop thinking about all the time they had spent together over the last few months. What if it had all been fake? Simply a ploy to seduce him? And, even worse, had it worked?

Adam chewed his eggs thoughtfully, looking out of the windows, admiring the paintings, eavesdropping on his dad and Mark's conversation with Kullver and Esteck. He did everything except look at Landel.

Chris ran in late. His hair was tousled and his eyes were dark, but he was smiling. He was smiling like he had just had the best nights sleep of his life. He pulled up a spot next to Adam and was served almost immediately, a steaming plate of eggs and fruit, a pitcher of juice, and a slice of bread. Chris breathed it in, still smiling.

"God, I am so hungry, man. You wouldn't fucking believe it." He chuckled and picked up his utensils. He began to dig into his meal like a man possessed, like he hadn't seen food in weeks.

"Nice of you to join us, Chris," Mark said, loudly. The rest of the dining room stopped their conversations and turned to Chris, most of them smiling.

Chris looked up at his dad and shrugged. "The lack of alarm clocks in this place really throws me off."

"Funny how we were all able to make it on time, though, eh?"

Chris laughed. "Food tastes better when you're hungry."

"He's got you there, Mark," Esteck said, smiling at the two of them. The King's eyes slid over to his son who was sitting in a corner all by himself. Esteck frowned. He didn't say anything, though. The conversations continued on like before and Chris devoured the plate in front of him.

"You might want to chew on it before, man," Adam said.

Chris nodded, swallowing a chunk of bread. "Yeah. Yeah. I know, mom."

Adam leaned in and made sure his voice was low. "You seem to be in a good mood this morning. What's up?"

Chris stopped. He seemed to consider what he was going to say for a moment, then he turned to Adam. "Talked to Vinton last night and we hashed it out. We're good now."

Adam blinked. "You talked to Vinton?"

"Yeah." He took a sip of his juice. "I'm still pissed at him, obviously. But, eh." Chris shrugged. "What's the point of holding grudges, eh? Only makes everyone miserable."

Adam slid his eyes over to Landel. The prince's curly hair was unkempt, he looked distracted and distant as he ate his food. He looked exactly the same way that Adam felt, but he was not ready to forgive him yet. He just wasn't.

"So, you and Vinton are good?" Adam said.

"Good as can be, I guess," Chris said. "And... honestly, man. I think you need to do the same thing with Landel. We need to get the squad back together."

Adam smiled. "The squad?"

"The squad."

"Lame-ass name."

"Says you," Chris said. "I think it fits."

Once again, Adam turned to Landel and thought about it. He could just go to the man, tell him that he would be willing to forgive him. But then everything that Landel had done, the bet, would have no consequences. Landel needed to know that it had meant something. He needed to know that he had hurt Adam.