Tainted Entropies

TEMPTATION.2

[Sunday. March 27. 17:46]

Kael thanked Arcane as soon as he was dropped off at a coffee shop across the skate park where he, Arthur, and Joaquin, usually hang out.

As soon as Kael entered the shop, his nose was attacked by the smell of grounded coffee beans, and other mouth-watering scents to the point where he almost forgot that he was supposed to look for Ali.

He looked around, gaze drifting momentarily on each and every person’s face until he saw the familiar woman sitting beside the windows, staring pensively at the ceaseless waves of people outside the shop.

“Hey,” greeted Kael as soon as he pulled out the chair adjacent to hers. “Are we going to do something fun tonight?” He flashed a mischievous grin that showcased his protruding canine tooth. He knew well that most people found it endearing.

Aliana eyed him from head to toe and grimaced. “You wish.” She sipped on what seemed to be an Iced Cappuccino as she leaned back on her seat. “So? What happened this time?”

Kael rolled his eyes and sighed. As if what happened this time wasn’t obvious enough. “It’s Inka’s birthday. I don’t want to be there since it’s possible that she’ll ask for a birthday s*x as a f*****g gift.” His face contorted from distaste as though it was the most disgusting thing that had ever crossed his mind.

Shaking her head from amusement, Aliana stood up and picked up her drink. “Don’t even think about it. Didn’t you tell me last time that Arthur doesn’t like Inka that much?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Yeah as if he’d only sleep with people he’s romantically attracted to. One can f**k without feelings, after all.” Kael’s sarcasm seeped through his teeth as he followed Ali out of the shop. “So where are we going?”

Ali let out a cry of disbelief. “Seriously. You called me this morning, begging me to help you out, and then you don’t even have plans prepared,” she said in a manner that made it seem like she was trying to start a drama in the middle of the street.

Kael raked his hand on his hair. “It’s not as if we’re really going on a date . . .”

She looked back at him, grimacing as they rounded on the corner of a bustling street, she said, “Then help me choose a skateboard.”

And so, Kael ended up helping her choose which kind of wood was better for a board, and even went as far as to choose the wheels and other parts of the set. Might as well help her with it; he had so much time in his hands tonight, after all.

“Yeah, place your feet above the screws,” he advised as he held both of Ali’s hands before she stepped on the board.

As expected, she instantly lost balance and accidentally kicked the board away, causing it to roll a few metres from them.

Luckily, though, there were a few skaters chilling on the benches around the skate park where they were at. Kael was sure that someone would stop the board for him, and so he took his time helping Ali stand up again from her fourth fall this evening.

“Why the heck is it so hard to stand on it?” she asked before patting off the grime from her pants and looking round as if she was searching for something. “Where’s it?”

Kael looked around the park as well. The concrete pavements that surrounded the obstacles on the skate park were lit by numerous streetlamps that were lined up on the sidewalks. Its yellowish hue gave off a warm and cosy vibe to the place.

Sounds of wheels grinding against the obstacles filled the park, along with the chattering of a small group of people somewhere from behind them.

Kael’s gaze drifted to the direction where the board rolled off to. Surprised to see Arthur standing amongst the thin crowd of people, holding and examining a board that looked exactly like Ali’s with a cigarette wedged between his lips, he raised his brows.

Hands slowly loosening on Ali’s wrists, Kael called out, “Art! Here!” He waved his hand to catch his friend’s attention.

Arthur looked indifferent as he stared back at them. With a cloud of smoke streaming out of his nose as he breathed out, he walked towards them without a word.

“Is the party over?” Kael took the board from him and handed it to Ali. “You look so spent, dude.” He chuckled before stealing Arthur’s cigarette to take a drag for himself.

Arthur closed his eyes momentarily. As he sighed, a thinner cloud of smoke escaped from his mouth. “She’s so f*****g draining. It hasn’t even been two hours and I want to go home already,” he whined.

Kael glanced at Ali, as if trying to communicate through eye contact alone. After a while, Aliana must’ve realised what Kael was trying to say, and excused herself to buy a drink from across the street.

Moments after she disappeared from earshot, Kael faced Arthur again to imply that he was all ears. “So, what happened at the club?”

“Usual.” He clenched his jaw, and a loud crack was heard. It seemed that Arthur was sucking on a menthol candy a while ago before he decided to chew on it. “Juliana and Fayi were also there, and the three of them were already tipsy.”

Kael’s face distorted from shock. “You left them there, tipsy?!” he shouted in disbelief. Although he was also annoyed by Inka, he would never let anyone drunk walk around without someone looking out for them.

“Chill. Fayi’s boyfriend’s there, too.”

“Even so. You should go back there, dude.” He shook his head before taking out his phone to message Ali.

Arthur walked a few steps toward a bench and plopped himself down. “I’ll go back if you come with me. I seriously can’t stand being there alone. Bring Aliana, too, if you like.”

Kael snorted before shaking his head. “And watch—” he paused, “and watch you get jumped? Nah, man, that’s gross. Absolutely gross.” He laughed before shaking his head.

At that moment, though, he felt his phone buzz from a message. While whipping it out to check who and what it was about, Arthur’s phone started ringing from a call.

Kael’s brows furrowed as he saw Ali’s message, saying that she wouldn’t be able to come back because her dog was being rushed to the vet. Kael could only express his worry for the dog.

Great timing, dog.

With nothing left to do, he started contemplating Arthur’s offer to go back to the club with him. After all, Kael never really liked to go around the city all alone. And since Ali won’t be able to come back, and Arthur’s also going to leave sooner or later, he started thinking whether to come along or just look for something else to do while waiting for Arcane to pick him up.

Obviously though, he chose the former. He’d much rather go and watch Arthur go bald from Inka’s childish shenanigans than to be alone and look stupid at a park.

As they entered the nightclub, Kael’s eyes were instantly attacked by the coloured light machines that hung on the metal scaffoldings on the high ceiling. The thundering beat-driven music not only attacked his ears, but also his internal organs, sending vibrations throughout his whole body.

As they wandered around for a moment, Kael took notice on the private lounge that hovered above the dancefloor. With the window panes tinted heavily, he had no way to know who were the people inside.

Luckily though, he didn’t need to guess anymore, because he realised that the two of them were headed to the small elevator that connected the floors of the club.

“Did any if my exes get invited?” asked Kael in a joking manner as they ascended to the lounge via elevator. Arthur didn’t need to reply to him anymore, for he already found out the moment the elevator doors opened.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He crouched behind Arthur to hide himself as they walked towards Inka. “Did I just date a literal friend group?” he asked as his eyes lingered on five girls that minded their own businesses on the corner of the spacious lounge.

The lounge provided a two-hundred and seventy degrees view of the dancefloor below them, making them feel like they were kings and queens that looked down on the common folk.

Inka was lounging on a couch along with Fayi and Juliana, conversing about something inaudible to Kael and Arthur. The music from below still reached them above, making it hard for Kael to hear what they were talking about.

Kael interrupted them as he greeted Inka a happy birthday. “I saw you earlier at the mass,” he tried to converse a little bit longer. It would seem rude if he just greeted her and left.

Inka smiled cheerily and nodded. “I also did,” she replied, “good thing Arthur and I were sitting at the front. I was able to see you!”

After a few exchanges with the friend group, Kael and Arthur went back down to the dance floor. It wasn’t so bad, but it didn’t matter that the lounge above them had it’s own private bar and Inka was particularly less annoying than normal, because Kael knew that he’d die if he had to be in that place for a second longer.

Sitting on a stool in front of the bar island on the first floor, Arthur ordered two Irish whiskeys on the rocks for them. “So, how did you manage to sleep with a whole friend group?” mocked Arthur as he took a sip from his drink.

Kael rolled his eyes before chuckling. “I didn’t know they were all friends. And in my defence, I didn’t sleep with most of them!” he said, as if it was an accomplishment to be proud of.

Arthur raised his brows in curiosity before pushing the glass of Irish Whiskey in front of Kael. “Drink five glasses of that or go back to the lounge and drink with them,” he challenged.

Snorting, Kael shook his head. “Heck, I’d drink ten! Just don’t drag me beck in there.” He laughed before emptying the glass and ordering another one. “Unbelievable. I unknowingly dated so many people.”

“Yeah. To the point where I can’t remember most of their names anymore.” He shook his head and chuckled in amusement. “Do you aspire to be the province’s manwhore or something?”

Cringing from the assumption, Kael stuck his tongue out to show his distaste. “I do not. And it’s not like I try to get in their skirts all the time.”

Truth was, Kael was not really as interested in s*x as Arthur perceived him to be. Still, Kael had experienced sleeping with women in some occasions. And as expected, the experience was rather dull.

After a couple more drinks, Kael’s ears already started buzzing as though there was an insect flying around his head. He looked at the person beside him with half-lidded eyes that seemed like it was going to close any moment.

Arthur was as drunk as he was, yet he still ordered a few more drinks for himself. He was pale, yet his pinkish lips protruded as if it had just undergone such rough methods of kissing to the point where it looked like it was swollen—looking as if it still longed to be sucked more roughly.

Moments after that obscene thought emerged inside his head, Kael received a call from Arcane, telling him that he was already outside, and was ready to go home.

“Art, you should go and tell Inka that we’re leaving,” Kael said in consideration for Inka’s feelings. “She might look for you later.”

Arthur shook his head, which hung lowly, almost looking like he was praying so seriously, making Kael laugh.

“Then you should at least send her a message if you don’t want to go back to the lounge anymore,” he said, sounding as if he really was concerned.

“Nah. Let’s go home.” Arthur stirred and tried to get up on his own. Failing miserably, he plopped back down on the stool and groaned.

Despite being as equally drunk as he was, Kael still managed to stand up and help his friend. Together, they walked towards the exit, with Arthur’s arm hooked on Kael’s shoulders for support.

When he saw Arcane, Kael quickly waved his hand and pointed at Arthur, who was already half-asleep. “He’s so f*****g heavy! I feel like I’m dragging a corpse, holy s**t,” he complained before throwing Arthur inside the car and following right after. “Looks like he’s extra annoyed with Inka tonight.” He chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

“Yeah like he’s ever enjoyed her company, though,” Arcane replied sarcastically as he revved the engine and drove off the night. “I still don’t see why he’s so repulsed by her sometimes, and indifferent in other times. I personally think she’s a nice girl.”

Kael glanced at Arthur, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder despite the ride home being bumpy. Although he himself felt dizzier when they arrived at the residence, he was still able to hold Arthur up.

“Dude, wake the f**k up,” he urged, slightly shaking Arthur’s body. When he realised that Arthur really was passed out dead, he sighed and adjusted his hold on Arthur’s arms.

The moment they entered, though, Kael felt like throwing up himself. Seeing that a certain man was sitting alone on the couch at the living room, he bit his tongue in an attempt to push down the vomit that was almost ready to climb out of his throat. “Good evening, Uncle Jakob,” he greeted cheerily before plastering a grin on his face. “Can I sleep over?”

The Nyland’s residence was where Kael learned to be shameless as to ask things like sleeping over, as if he was part of their family.

Amelia Nyland was really amused with him when he was still a small little boy at the age of seven, and practically told him to come over their house whenever he wanted. Back then, she was overjoyed by the fact that her son finally made a friend a few months after moving from Norway, so she practically spoiled Kael, too.

Jakob Nyland nodded at him in acknowledgment. “Is your father still doing it?” He glanced at him from above his laptop.

Kael flashed a toothy grin before adjusting his hold on Arthur. “Not as often as before, thankfully—” He suddenly felt his friend shift from his current position with a groan.

Seeing this, Jakob Nyland finally looked up, his attention solely focused on Arthur. “Did you make up with her, Arthur?”

Hearing his father’s voice, Arthur instantly stood upright and cleared his throat. Despite this, he still looked pretty much drunk. “Får,” he greeted, “it’s late. Why are you still awake?”

Listening to their conversation, Kael rolled his shoulder to loosen his muscles. He was dragging Arthur’s half-dead body ever since they left the bar, and it wasn’t as if he was particularly light! He was literally a six-foot tall sack of meat and bones!

“To ask you if you have already apologised to Inka. It has been a week.”

While they were talking, Kael saw a pure black cat walking around as if it owned the house. He squatted down and tapped the carpeted floor. “Owen,” he called in a small voice.

The cat saw him and instantly meowed before approaching. Rubbing his head on Kael’s legs, he purred.

“I went to her party already, didn’t I? Does that pass as ‘make up’ to you?” Arthur sighed, almost exhausted as he tried to balance himself and pretend that he wasn’t drunk.

“Good, then. I don’t want you to cause trouble for her in the future. Julian wants you two to have a good relationship, so don’t do anything that will make me lose face.” Although he said it calmly, it still sounded like a threat and a warning to Kael’s ears.

Arthur nodded curtly before walking away from the entrance of the living room, and on to the stairs. “Mika, let’s go.”

Kael pursed his lips before nodding at Jakob Nyland and carrying Owen upstairs to leave him in front of Arcane’s room.

The cat sat in front of the doorway and closed its eyes, looking as if he really was waiting for his owner to arrive.

Kael waved him goodbye before following Arthur. And when he opened the door to Arthur’s room, what he saw made him crack up, clapping his hands from amusement. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.

Inside, Arthur was holding a sealed bottle of vodka, and was beginning to open it. As soon as he did, he instantly drank straight from the bottle, making it seem like he was drinking water. Although his facial expression proved that it was really alcohol.

After a few seconds, Arthur finished drinking and plopped himself down his bed. He handed Kael the bottle, hinting him to finish the drink. He had an austere look on his eyes, making him look even more drunk than he was downstairs. His lips that were plump and moist from drinking on the bottle quivered as he spoke. “Why the f**k do they have to always force me to do something I don’t want to do?” he vented out, sounding exhausted.

Kael took the bottle from him and sat down on a chair near the bed. Looking around the room full of colourful paintings that he made, he started chugging down the remaining contents of the bottle.

Their goal when drinking was to be s**t-faced enough to forget what happened the night before, and so they didn’t really mind chugging an expensive bottle of vodka if it meant that they’d be able to forget.

After he had finished the contents of the bottle, Kael dropped it on the carpeted floor before leaning back on his chair. “It’s not like we, children, have the right to defy the will of our parents.” He chuckled before averting his gaze, which landed on a large section of the wall. It was the only part left uncovered by a canvas, in the room full of his own paintings.

It almost seemed like he was the owner of the room.

“I am literally twenty-one years old. Why the hell do they think they can still tell me what to do and what not to do?” Arthur sighed and leaned on the headboard of his bed before looking up at the ceiling.

Kael could only snort in derision before standing up and pulling out a cigarette from the pack that lay on the window beside Arthur’s bed. He leaned against the windowsill as he lit his cigarette. “As if we can do anything about it, really.”

“Marry Inka? f**k that. What if I don’t want to marry her?”

Kael nodded and sucked on his cigarette as his eyelids threatened to close from exhaustion and dizziness. He glanced at Arthur, whose usual pale complexion had been tinted with a rosy shade of pink. The alcohol has already kicked in.

“What if I didn’t want to marry at all?”

“I can see that happening.” Kael chuckled and flicked the butt of his cigarette before the ashtray beside him, causing the ashes to fall down, and revealing the burning embers of the dried tobacco leaves that clung the stick.

“Or what if I was gay, then?” He exhaled and tilted his head, glancing at Kael, who stood against the window beside his bed. “What if I liked men? Would they be able to do something about it?”

Somehow, Kael felt his body freeze. A wave of chill travelled from his back to the tips of his fingers as a conflicted smile sprouted on his face. “Well, that really depends . . .” He sucked on his cigarette one last time before extinguishing it on the ashtray. His vision swirled as he held his breath, trapping the smoke inside his lungs a little bit longer. “Do you like men?” He closed the window shut and faced Arthur in curiosity.

As their gazes locked, Kael could feel himself shiver from the cold draft inside the room. Ah, such a dangerous game.

“How am I supposed to know?” Arthur rolled his eyes and looked away.

However, Kael took a step towards him. Finally he exhaled the smoke that had almost been zeroed—leaving a thin, translucent fog come out of his mouth. After a few beats of silence between them, he leaned forward, his lips grazing Arthur’s earlobe as he asked, “do you want to find out?”

Ah, a really dangerous game.