Bed Sheets II

2. Fiancé

"Oh no," Miranda pointed to Draven, "that doesn't look good." When all of them turned, even Hector, their eyes widened.

Eric was speechless, his mind becoming completely blank as he stared into the icy blue gaze of Draven, those he had adored years prior. The sharp black hair he had many times trailed his fingers through, and those thin and opaque lips that had gripped a tantalizing hold on his neck.

He remembered all of it; every single emotion that had crossed through him, the jitters, the way his heart raced from the sound of his voice, how he was flustered whenever he was in the room, and how warm he felt in Draven's arms. This encounter had been so unexpected, that although Eric's mouth opened to speak, his tongue ran dry and nothing was said.

As for Draven, he was surprised as well, and his wet suit was no longer a thought bearing in his mind. Eric's blond curls were as always, disheveled, the same way Draven vividly remembered they were when Eric woke up beside him. His light chocolate eyes filled with such innocence but curiosity that had intrigued him and caused him to want more of Eric,  was a sight Draven had missed.

Both of them said nothing for a few seconds, before people began glancing in their direction and Draven recollected his composure.

"Well," he straightened his spine, awkwardly tightening his suit with the dark red patch of the spill and he extended his palm, "hello."

"Uh..." Eric cleared his throat, shuffling at his feet before forcing a smile and connecting their palms, "h-hi." He shouldn't have, since the moment their touch familiarized with one another's, Eric immediately felt a heat run through him.

He rapidly pulled apart, chuckled awkwardly before scratching the back of his head, "H-How have you b-been?" His mind was racing, and along the wilding thoughts, he could hear his own voice shouting, why the fuck are you stuttering!

"I've been good." Draven's response was dry, not necessarily cold but had no amity, and Eric nodded his head uncomfortable.

The last they had seen of one another was five years ago. They had left on satisfying terms, but it had all gone to shambles during those years. Eric had written a novel titled Toxic Romantic and although it was said to be fictional, even the news stations were able to link the connection of Draven with the main villain, Daven.

Draven, who was offended from this novel, that not to mention received lots of attention, had his own piece to say about it. He had was being asked questions whenever he tried roaming the streets, and when the reporters approached him, he exploded. He expressed how much he hated it, despised Eric for doing so, and explicitly detailed scenes in the novel that related to what happened in real life, and how it was inaccurate. He went on to say that Eric was a horrible partner, and did not hold back to say, "our sex life was lower than average—he was not good at all."

Of course Eric had to reply, and they had a battle through news reportage for a few months before everything settled down to peace. The issue had not been resolved, but the news stations found better stories to report. Ever since then, they had not had any secondary contact, and Draven had gone his own path.

Until now, obviously.

Eric pointed to Draven's dirty suit, "I'll uh...still get you a new one, I feel really sorry about it."

"It's cool," he wanted to seem composed, but it only sounded weird.

"I insist," Eric nodded his head, finding that to be the only topic of conversation that would not be awkward.

But Draven let it falter, since he shrugged his shoulders and said, "'Kay."

Then, the awkward silence returned, and Eric, who bounced from his toes back to his heels, was unsure what to say next. Draven was uncomfortable as well, but turning around and walking away would look bad in front of everyone else, since he noticed a few curious eyes had turned. Their relationship had been brandished five years ago, therefore this was a hot topic for some people, eavesdropping on the conversation.

Thankfully for Eric, he felt a tap on his shoulder and glanced backwards, his breath returning to normal. He felt saved when Kyle approached him, placing a protective arm around his waist.

Kyle was taller than Draven by nearly two inches, had wide shoulders and just enough musculature to start flexing whenever he noticed someone staring. His dark brown eyes were sharp and narrowed, long eyelashes and sleek eyebrows that he made certain to care for every few weeks.

He had dyed his hair burgundy, shaved the back and it slowly faded into longer strands at the front. He had gelled it all back for the occasion, and one strand fell above his left eye; even Draven could not ignore how handsome the man was.

"You doing alright?" Kyle's voice was deep, husky, with just enough of a rasp to make woman's legs run numb. He knew he was attractive, but most of it came from simply his voice, since it sounded as if it was a teasing melody hoping to have a bit of harmony for the night.

Eric's cheeks became pink, and he nodded his head, "I'm fine. I spilled a drink on him, so I was just helping—"

"You spilt a drink on Draven? Your ex?" Kyle raised an eyebrow towards Draven before returning his unhappy gaze to Eric, "Coincidentally?" When Eric failed to respond quick enough, Kyle shook his head, "We for sure need to talk when we get back."

Kyle was visibly irritated, tightening his grip around Eric who cleared his throat and returned his focus to Draven.

"Kyle, obviously you know that's Draven. And Draven, that's my fiancé, Kyle Merchi."

Kyle Merchi was also an author, who had written a few short stories. He also wrote scripts for plays, and was a screenwriter for the drama television show. He was well-known in the community, and Draven had heard of him.

However, the only thing Draven had heard from that sentence was fiancé.

Before he could respond, Kyle interlaced Eric's fingers, "We need to go, nice to meet you." And he turned around, dragged Eric behind him, and they were gone.