Into The Orchard

XXIV

Wilhelm was in the habit of eating his meals with the radio on. There was nothing troublesome about it, if not for the fact that practically every radio station rolled out the same topic over and over again. The hyena tried to switch radio stations every time a news item came on. "The son of Gregory Von Rostov, His Royal Highness's Banker, is living in a homosexual relationship...", "Homosexual scandal after dinner...", "Did Prince Malcolm know about...", "The participants of the Crown Diamond dance competition, compete with each other not only on stage, but also for favors..." and so on. I would say that I tried to ignore it, but how can you not care when they talk such nonsense about me on the radio? I'm sure the matter wouldn't have bothered anyone if it weren't for the fact that these unusual facts came to light right after the official meeting with the damn prince.

We had just eaten an early lunch since we all didn't get up until around noon after the night before. We were located in the kitchen of Wilhelm's house. It was a small, yet very modernistic house with masses of panoramic windows and lots of amenities in the form of various technological solutions. Smart fridge, smart washing machine, smart TV. Smart fucking everything. Wilhelm was happy to finally choose a radio station, which seemed to be the most musical of all.

- Well, at last. - Said the Hyena with a theatrical smile on his lips. - Finally we can eat in peace.

- And now the weather forecast... - A voice on the radio resounded.

- I wonder if anyone in the country cares about the weather forecast today. - I muttered with dissatisfaction under my breath.

- Don't exaggerate. - Said Wilhelm, who was already seated at the table with us. - Everyone wants to know how to dress for work today, or something like that. The weather forecast can be interesting, I guess. - Added Hiena not being convinced of his own words.

- This afternoon promises to be incredibly hot. - Continued the voice of the journalist on the radio. - Of course, not as hot as the young American's coverage of...

- That's fucking enough. - Rayan growled furiously in Wilhelm's direction. The boy had as much difficulty as I in listening to these interesting insinuations about my relationship with Kevin - Can't you just play the fucking music from your phone?

- Take it easy, you little rascal. - Wilhelm's outraged. - It doesn't have the same vibe, but okay, let's have music from Spotify.

- Thank you. - Replied Rayan briefly with a menacing look on his face. Now he turned towards me. - Eat. After that, there's no telling when you'll be able to snack on something.

I stared hard at the vegetable tortilla that lay before me on a plate. Rayan was already eating his second while I forced only a few bites into myself. The fact that I didn't feel like eating shouldn't have been a surprise. The whole country was abuzz with the news that the prince had invited two gay men to dinner who were supposedly competing with each other for the affections of one boy. On top of that, the media ridiculously made me out to be the bad guy who took love away from another boy. Andy, on the other hand, was a victim whom all LGBT sympathizers certainly sympathized with. Additionally, what surprised me negatively was the very fact that not only was this a homosexual scandal, but a scandal involving an American. A boy from a foreign land who competes in a local competition and emotionally bullies poor Andy, who is a noble person who cares for orphans. Thinking about it made me nauseous. So I threw the plate away from me, a little too vigorously which made me feel a pain in my arm that had been unpleasantly squeezed by the security guard the evening before. I shivered, but immediately put my hands on my chest, as if I felt nothing. I looked straight into the brown eyes of Rayan, who looked at me with a certain amount of reprimand in his gaze. It was obvious that he wasn't thrilled with my behavior. Well, but what could I do? Who normal would master their emotions in such an extreme situation.