Chapter 17: The Calm Before The Confession

Chapter 17 - The Calm Before The Confession For a split second, Adrian noticed a change in Rafael's eyes. His expression clouded with sadness the moment Adrian mentioned that woman. So his guess had been right. He hadn't expected this to have anything to do with her. Now, Adrian's curiosity was even more piqued. Who was this woman that could drive someone like Rafael Whitmore into such a mess? "If I may ask... who is she, Raf?" Rafael, who had been staring down at the floor, suddenly looked up and met Adrian's eyes. There was a beat of silence before he turned away again. "Let it go, Ad. I don't want to remember her anymore." He downed the rest of the beer in his hand and tossed the empty can onto the already overflowing table like it was nothing. Seeing that Rafael clearly didn't want to talk about her, Adrian had no choice but to bury his curiosity deep inside. "I get it, if you're not ready to talk, or just don't want to. It's okay, Raf. Zak and I, we're not gonna push you. But man, don't let yourself fall apart like this. If you ever need someone, Zak and I will always have your back," he said sincerely. "Thanks, Ad." Rafael gave a weak smile. "By the way, I actually came here to talk to you about something." Adrian set his wine glass down on the table and shifted in his seat. "Ah, and here I thought you came all this way just for me," Rafael said, trying to joke. "Turns out there's another reason." "Well, since I'm already here, might as well." "What is it? You're looking way too serious." "I'm getting married, Raf." "You're serious?" Raf asked. "Dead, serious." Rafael stared at Adrian, searching his friend's face. And the moment he saw how serious he looked, it hit him Adrian wasn't joking. "Wow, Ad. Congratulations. I didn't expect the thing you wanted to talk about to be this serious." Rafael stood up, and in no time, was in front of Adrian, pulling him into a hug. "Thanks, Raf." "I honestly didn't think this day would come, Ad. I have to meet the woman. I need to see who managed to get Adrian Williams to finally give up bachelorhood," Rafael said as he returned to his seat. The blank stare and sadness on Rafael's face from earlier had completely vanished, replaced by excitement and genuine joy. For once, he actually looked happy for Adrian. Seeing that made Adrian's heart lift too. He hadn't expected his wedding news to brighten Rafael's mood like this. If he'd known, he would've said it sooner. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd be getting married either, Raf." "By the way, who is she, Ad? You never introduced her to me. Does Zak know? Do I know her? Where'd you two meet?" Rafael fired off his questions enthusiastically. In the dictionary of Adrian Williams, the word marriage didn't even exist. So hearing Adrian say he was getting married felt nothing short of a miracle, so much so that it made Rafael forget his own heartbreak, at least for now. "I'll explain everything to you and Zak tomorrow. Zak doesn't even know yet that I'm getting married, Raf." "Alright. I can't wait for tomorrow. I'm really happy for you, Ad." Hearing Rafael's heartfelt congratulations and seeing how genuinely happy he looked made Adrian feel a twinge of guilt. He hadn't told Rafael the whole truth about why he was marrying Bianca. "Thanks, Raf. Don't tell, Zak. I'll tell him my self." "Okay." Adrian glanced at Rafael, then let out a sigh. "All right, enough of this gloomy energy. Go take a shower." Rafael looked up, confused. "Huh?" "You heard me. Go clean yourself up." "It's Saturday, man. Let me sulk in peace." "Nope," Adrian said firmly, already standing and grabbing Rafael's arm. "It's the weekend. And you, my friend, are coming with me." "To where?" "Golf." Rafael blinked. "Golf? Are you serious?" "As serious as I am about getting married." "You hate golf." "I do. But right now, dragging your sorry ass out of this apartment is more important than my personal preferences." Rafael groaned, but a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You're really doing this?" "Yup. You've spent enough time moping around in here. I'm not letting you rot alone in this place. So move it. I'll wait." Realizing there was no point in arguing, Rafael finally stood and shuffled toward the bathroom. As the door clicked shut behind him, Adrian leaned back on the couch and muttered, "You owe me for this, Whitmore." Not long after, Rafael emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered and looking slightly more human. "Happy now?" he asked, running a towel through his damp hair. "Getting there," Adrian replied, tossing him a clean polo shirt he'd pulled from Rafael's closet. "Put that on. We're leaving in five." They headed out shortly after, each in their own car, driving through the city streets toward the golf course. Zak wasn't coming, he had some family thing to attend, which left just Adrian, Rafael, and two of their mutual acquaintances to make up the group of four. "Remind me again why we're doing this?" Rafael asked once they arrived at the golf course. "Because sulking is a terrible weekend plan," Adrian said as he walked alongside Rafael. "And because I'm trying really hard to be a good friend today." "Well, aren't you a saint," Rafael muttered, but there was no bite in his voice. If anything, he looked a little lighter now. Adrian smirked. "Just try not to throw your club at someone, Whitmore." "No promises." They laughed together as they made their way toward the first tee. Their two acquaintances were still on their way, so it was just the two of them for now. Rafael nudged Adrian with a teasing grin. "The woman you're marrying must be something special to make you pull a surprise move like this, huh?" Adrian just chuckled, keeping his gaze focused on the fairway ahead. "Yeah... something like that." ***