Pulsating lights and deafening music flooded the senses as a crowd of lavishly dressed people danced and mingled on the roof of a mansion. Tables full of food lined the edges of the space, plucked at by hungry guests while a bartender mixed complicated cocktails in the bar at the back. Parties in the inner circle were always extravagant. They were where all the young, twenty-something men and women gathered to let loose and enjoy themselves for a few hours, and they happened almost every night.
Living off the wealth of their predecessors, all the high borns in the capital had more time on their hands than they knew what to do with. Some spent it responsibly, learning useful skills and crafts to keep themselves busy, others wasted it on gambling and shopping and other guilty pleasures, and still others decided to live in the moment, finding hedonistic pleasure in enjoying every second they had left on this earth.
This third category was where Caspian Maydestone landed.
“Shots! Shots! Shots!” A cacophony of voices chanted as three men downed small cups of whiskey at the bar. Cas slammed his empty shot glass on the counter with a holler, wrinkling his nose at the way the liquor burned his throat on the way down. Into his fourth drink of the night, the alcohol was starting to feel a little smoother, but he still wasn’t drunk enough not to make a face.
Behind him, the small crowd cheered, and the man sitting next to him, a dark-skinned guy with fade-cut hair and a white suit that was way too fancy for the occasion, elbowed his side. “Another?” he grinned, leaning a little heavier on the bar as the whiskey hit his system.
“Nah, I should slow down,” Cas shook his head. “I’m supposed to have another class tomorrow. Can’t afford to get hungover, Jay.”
“Oh, come on,” Jay drawled, pushing him again. “You can ditch one class. Have a little fun.”
“Yeah,” the other man at the bar peered around Jay’s shoulder with a frown. “I’m not going to bow to a king who can’t hold his liquor.”
Cas rolled his eyes. Even though he brushed off the comment outwardly, he wished his friends wouldn’t bring up his soon-to-be title at the party. It was well known that he was the crown prince of Aspiria, but every once in a while, he liked to forget about all the responsibility that was about to fall on his shoulders. He wanted to pretend he was just a normal high born without an ailing father or an important destiny as the future leader of the country. Unfortunately, it was hard to do when everyone and their mother seemed to get some kind of satisfaction in reminding him he was royalty.
“Fine,” he caved. “Just one more.” Naturally, the crowd that had gathered screamed their approval. Whenever he went out, people followed. They all wanted to be able to say they were at the same party as the prince of Aspiria. He guessed it gave them an ego boost, or maybe they wanted him to remember their faces so they could ask for favors when he became king. Whatever the case, he’d grown used to being approached by anyone and everyone, chatting and taking pictures like a celebrity on tour.
The bartender slid three more shot glasses to the group of friends, and they downed them to the continued chanting of their audience before Cas finally ended it by standing up from his barstool. The rooftop felt like it was tilting for a moment, and he rested his palm flat on the counter to gather his bearings. When he was sitting, he hadn’t felt it as much, but now he could tell he’d had a little more than he’d intended. The others noticed too.
“Drunk already?” Jay snickered. “Well, now we know all it takes to down our future king is five shots of whisky.”
“Shut up,” Cas punched him in the shoulder. “I had a light dinner, alright? You guys went to that barbeque place, so you had a leg up on me.”
“Oh no, I’m very drunk right now,” the other guy laughed across the bar.
“Miles had a couple at the restaurant before we came here,” Jay whispered loudly.
“Typical,” Cas snorted. He glanced over his shoulder at the other people milling about the roof. Even that small motion made his vision swim a little, and he knew he was going to be feeling the effects of the liquor for a while. “Come on, let’s go over there,” he said, gesturing to the other side of the roof. “I didn’t come here just to get wasted, and they’ve got corn hole.”
“Ooh, a competition?” Jay smiled eagerly. “How about we put some money on this? I bet I can take drunk Caspian any day.”
“Drunk Cas,” he corrected with another wrinkle of his nose. “You know only my dad calls me Caspian.”
“Right, right,” Jay patted his friend’s back as he stepped up beside him. “You know what? I’ll make it interesting. If you win, I’ll call you by your nickname, but if I win… I get to call you whatever I want.”
“You’re on,” Cas accepted confidently. “I could beat you drunk and blindfolded.”
The two shook on it and headed through the crowd to the spot where the game was set up.
--
“Well, Caspian, looks like you were nothing but talk,” Jay grinned cockily, tossing a red beanbag up and down in his hand. They had played two games of corn hole, and he’d won both without breaking a sweat.
“You’re a dick,” Cas said dryly. If he had been sober he was sure he would have won. He was usually good at games like this when he had control over his aim. Speaking of which… He pulled his phone out of his jean pocket to glance at the time and then raised his brows in shock when he saw that it was already after eleven. It was taking him longer than he expected to sober up. His father expected him home by midnight, but at this rate, he wouldn’t be in any condition to drive himself back to the estate.
“Something wrong?” Miles asked through a mouthful of potato chips he’d swiped from a nearby table.
“I’ve gotta go,” Cas sighed, dragging his fingers through his dark hair. He fished his car keys out of his pocket and tossed them at Jay. “I’m still too drunk to get behind the wheel, so you take my car. Just bring it back to my place tomorrow when you can.”
Jay’s eyes widened with clear excitement at the thought of driving the prince’s car. The royal family had the best sports models money could buy. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home?” he asked. “I’m pretty close to sober, so I could take you in like half an hour, if you want.”
“That’s okay,” Cas waved his hand. “I need to get back by midnight, and it’s not too far of a walk. Just stay here and enjoy yourselves.”
“If you say so,” Jay shrugged. “See ya, Caspian!”
“Later, Jayden,” Cas retorted flippantly.
“Man, that’s not cool,” Jay pouted, crossing his arms. “I earned the right to use your full name.”
“Yeah, well I’m using royalty privileges,” Cas smirked. He raised his hand in a lazy wave goodbye. “See you tomorrow. Don’t wreck my car.”
“I’ll try,” Jay returned the gesture.
Leaving the party behind, Cas headed down the stairs of the mansion and out the front door, walking at a leisurely pace as he let the cool night air help him clear his head. Truth be told, he didn’t mind the trip from this part of the city at all. It brushed up against the forest that surrounded the eastern side of the capital, so it was quieter than the more populated areas; just the kind of atmosphere he needed to wind down after the excitement of the night.
He let his brown-eyed gaze wander to blanket of stars overhead as he strode down the sidewalk, enjoying the tranquility of the city when no one else was around. With just enough whiskey still in his system to make him tired, he had a feeling he was going to sleep well tonight. He just needed to make it home first.
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