Tellers of Lies [UNEDITED]

Chapter 26

Isha

I hate cold. Undeniably. Irrevocably.

Syncitia, despite being a winter country, the temperature at the capital, throughout the year stays fairly temperate.

I increase the temperature of the heater, as a result. It is 2nd December today. Feeling the temperature drop is only natural but this year's winter seems colder than the previous years. I mean, I even turned down Harvey's offer to hang out because going outside in such a frigid weather is a definite no-go for me. No snowfall yet, so chilly.

I rub my palms to keep myself warm as I take a seat on the couch, with my laptop on my lap. I might as well get some writing done. Unknowingly, my mind drifts off to thoughts surrounding a certain prince.

It has been one whole week now that Calix and I haven't been in touch. Ever since he had to immediately dash off to Nirvana at the end of our third date, after learning that Queen Veronica was poisoned, Calix hasn't been reading my messages or responding to my calls. Even though everyone at the Royal Palace (excluding few), thinks that I am Calix's lover, I cannot just go there by myself to look for him.

But it would be a blatant lie if I say I haven't been concerned. If Calix doesn't even have time to check his phone then that means something serious has taken place.

And at times, I worry when my concern seems too unusual for a friendly concern.

The doorbell rings, taking me out of my conflicted convictions. With a frown, I go to open the door since it is only peculiar when your doorbell rings at a time, as late as midnight. When I almost turn the doorknob around, I think whether it should've been better to have a pepper spray with me. The talks about a recent burglary has been going on in my neighbourhood for quite some days.

When I open the door to greet the unknown guest, I sigh in relief and then wrinkle my brows, almost immediately. Relief, because it isn't a burglar and wrinkled with confusion because the person standing in front of me is Prince Calix.

A very drunk Prince Calix, I might as well add. Didn't he say he despised drinking alcohol?

A gasp leaves my mouth when the intoxicated Calix lazily smiles and lets go of his weight. Thus, stumbling towards me. I do catch him but damn, he is heavy.

"Calix-"

"Isha," with red cheeks, and an adorable expression on his face, Calix giggles. He tilts his head up, and cups my cheeks before puckering his lips, "Give me a kiss."

My eyes widen, and on an automatic self-defence mode, I push Calix off me which leads him to fall on the floor. Hard. However, he doesn't get up and groans lightly while twisting and turning. What could have possibly happened for the Prince Calix, who hasn't touched alcohol in his entire twenty-seven years of life, to get so miserably intoxicated?

As a self-proclaimed lightweight alcohol drinker, I can easily distinguish between an individual drinking out of elation, and an individual drinking to forget the pain of something despondent.

There is no doubt Calix has been in a state of deep melancholy for whatever reason, this past one week.

"Calix, are you alri-ah for fuck's sake!" I scream when Calix suddenly clasps his fingers around my wrist, and pulls me down on him. Before I can comprehend the situation, I find my face pressed against his muscled chest, and his arms wrapped around me like I am his favourite teddy bear. My arms remain limp by my sides awkwardly. I try my best to move away from his grip but drunk Calix is dangerous. So very dangerous.

He lowly grumbles with closed eyes. "Stay. You are warm."

"Calix-"

"Just for a moment. Please."

The please does something inexplicable to me. Most probably the miserable tone hidden beneath the word, forces me to give my conscience up, while I remain in Calix's embrace. Limp and awkward, but surprisingly, warm.

Calix

The moment my eyes flutter open with an excruciating pain surging through my forehead, the first thought to strike is, I have been kidnapped. When my blurry vision becomes more prominent in the darkness, and I manage to sit up straight, I find that I have been not been kidnapped after all. I am fucking mortified. A groan slips past my lips as I place my face on my palms, as if that would be able to take away all the embarrassment, chagrin, abashment and every single synonym of the term 'mortification'. Even the way my entire body and mind is feeling unspeakably lamentable due to the huge intake of alcohol I had few hours ago, for the first time in my life, is not able to take away the notion of how ashamed I am.

And then comes in my mind more memories. Horrific memories if I must add. 

"Give me a kiss."

"Stay. You are warm."

"Just for a moment. Please."

In my opinion, this will be an exceptional time to kill myself. Can I just die? How am I even supposed to face Isha after my ridiculous stunt. To make matters worse, I am inside Isha's apartment, on her bed. I notice that she was kind enough to remove my coat, which for sure would've been uncomfortable to wear to bed. God. The way I have disrupted Isha so late at night. She carried my drunk self, despite my weight, and allowed me to rest in her bed while she is probably sleeping outside. I remember Isha telling me that her previous roommate's room is pretty much empty now as all her furniture have been removed. Hence, there wasn't even an option for Isha to sleep in another bedroom. 

My eyes move over to my wrist watch. 3 a.m. And I am awake like a night owl. 

Not long after, I climb down from the bed and head outside to find, as expected, Isha sleeping on the couch with a flimsy blanket covering her. I feel even worse now. I approach her, do my very best to not wake her up, and lift the woman in my arms. 

Be still my heart. This isn't an appropriate time. 

Soon enough, I finish tucking Isha in her bed. As I find myself staring at her peacefully sleeping angelic face, the intoxication from before kicks in, proving that I haven't yet gotten over my drunk self, and my eyes droop close. 

Then everything turns black. Pitch, dark, black.