Chapter 157: Undeniable evidence

Jason exhaled slowly, trying to think and to fix something that clearly wasn’t simple.

“Where is he now?” he asked.

Alex gave a small shrug. “Maybe still in the room. I don’t know.”

Jason leaned forward again. “Did you try to talk to him?”

Alex’s expression hardened slightly, the vulnerability retreating behind a wall.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said flatly.

But the way his hand tightened around the bottle, the way his eyes flickered for just a second, said otherwise.

The corner Alex had claimed for himself was already heavy with tension. Jason’s presence didn't make it any better, but it shifted the moment a familiar voice cut through it.

“Hey, Alex, there you are.”

Dave approached, slightly out of breath, clearly having searched through the crowd. “I’ve been looking for you… and them. I couldn’t find Nathan or Lucas anywhere. Have you seen…”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Up close, the state Alex was in became impossible to ignore.

His posture, the bottle, the glassy eyes. Dave’s brows pulled together in confusion as he glanced at Jason. “Is everything alright?” His tone sharpened slightly. “Is he trying to get drunk or… what? Did someone die?”

A hollow chuckle slipped out of Alex before Jason could respond.

“It feels like someone died,” Alex muttered, his voice thick, his nose scrunching slightly as if he were holding back something deeper. “Damn it, I wish it were all a dream.”

Dave’s confusion deepened instantly, his expression turning serious as he looked back at Jason.

“Jason,” he said firmly, “what the heck happened?”

Jason hesitated, glancing briefly at Alex before answering.

“Well…” he started carefully, “he said he saw Lucas and Nathan, making out in a room. So…”

Dave blinked once and then shook his head almost immediately. “That’s impossible,” he said flatly. “I don’t believe that.”

His voice carried certainty, but also a flicker of unease.

“I know my Natty,” he continued, his tone tightening. “He felt something for Lucas, yes, but he also told me Lucas loves Alex. So there’s no way they would go that far.”

Alex let out a low, humorless laugh. Without a word, he unlocked his phone again and shoved it toward Dave.

“See for yourself.”

Dave took it. His eyes scanned the screen and stilled. The confidence drained from his face, replaced by something sharp and unsettled.

“Oh my goodness…” he breathed.

The image didn’t lie. It couldn’t be denied either. He looked up slowly, his jaw tightening. “That’s… a real kiss.”

For a moment, he seemed to wrestle with it, trying to reshape what he’d just seen into something less damaging.

“I think it’s just a fling,” he added quickly, almost forcing the conclusion. “It has to be.”

His grip on the phone tightened slightly before he handed it back.

“I need to talk to Nathan,” he said, more to himself now, agitation creeping into his voice. “He knows what turns me off. He knows I hate cheating. I gave him time to think about my proposal. He promised me not to do any shit.”

His eyes darted around the surroundings, searching. “Where is he?”

Another laugh broke from Alex, and it came out louder, rougher, and unfiltered.

“Maybe still in bed,” he slurred, leaning back into the chair, the alcohol fully taking hold now. “Having their second… or third round.”

He let out a sharp, almost manic laugh. “Hahaha…”

Jason winced slightly at the sound. Because there was nothing humorous about it, everyone in that corner knew it.

Meanwhile in the room. The silence was heavy, unnatural and nothing like the lively noise of the party outside.

Nathan groaned softly as consciousness crept back in. His body felt wrong, cold and heavy.

He shifted slightly, and pain shot through his head.

“Ah…damn it,” he muttered, eyes still half-closed as his hand instinctively went up to his head. His fingers brushed against a tender swelling.

“A bump?” He muttered in surprise. His brows furrowed immediately. “Who the heck hit me on head?”

That alone was enough to force his eyes open. The ceiling above him looked unfamiliar from this angle. It seemed too far and too tilted. That’s when it hit him, He was lying on the floor.

Nathan pushed himself up slightly to sitting position, wincing as another wave of dizziness passed through him. He blinked, trying to clear his vision. He turned his head slowly to check his surroundings.

Then he saw him. “Lucas…” He muttered in surprise not yet getting what was happening.

Lucas lay sprawled on the other side of the room, unmoving. “Hey Luc, are you alright?

No sound or movement from him.

Nathan’s heart skipped. He tried to get up too quickly, and the room spun violently. He caught himself down with his hand, gritting his teeth before dragging himself across the floor instead.

“Luc… hey, wake up.” He reached him, tapping his shoulder lightly at first. But still no response.

A flicker of panic crept in.

Nathan slipped a hand under Lucas’s head to lift it slightly and froze.

There was a bump on his head as well… A bigger one.

“Oh, no,” his voice dropped, urgency rising fast. “Oh dear goodness, Luc, please wake up.”

He tapped his cheek gently.

“Hey, come on. This isn’t funny.”

Still Lucas didn’t move.

Nathan’s breathing quickened. He shook him a little more firmly this time.

“Lucas!” He nearly screamed.

Just as panic began to fully set in, the door suddenly creaked open. A waiter stepped in halfway, likely expecting an empty room. The moment his eyes landed on the scene, two men on the floor, disoriented, his face changed instantly.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to intrude…”

“Wait,” Nathan cut in quickly, his voice strained but firm. “Don’t go.”

The waiter paused.

Nathan swallowed, trying to steady himself despite the pounding in his head.

“I need some water, please.” he said.

The waiter nodded quickly. “Yes, sir, right away.”

“And…” Nathan added, glancing down at Lucas, his expression tightening, “Get someone, a doctor if possible, please. He’s not waking up.”

The waiter didn’t hesitate as worry flashed his own face. “I’ll be right back!”

The door shut again in a hurry.

And just like that, the room fell back into silence.

Nathan looked down at Lucas, his hand still lightly holding his face. “Come on, Luc…” he muttered under his breath, worried clearly now. “Wake up, please. I'm  freaking out. Something’s not right.”

The door swung open again barely two minutes later, this time with urgency.

The waiter hurried in, a bottle of water in one hand and a middle-aged doctor right behind him, already assessing the situation with sharp, experienced eyes.

Nathan exhaled in relief.

“Please, help him,” he said quickly, gesturing to Lucas. “He’s not waking up. I’ve been trying, he’s not responding.”

The doctor didn’t waste a second. He crouched beside Lucas, pulling a small kit from his bag as he gave a quick once-over.

“Let’s see…” He unscrewed the water bottle, sprinkling a bit onto Lucas’s face.

He stirred faintly.

Nathan leaned in instantly. “Luc, wake up, please,” he pleaded, his voice tight with worry.

Lucas’s brows twitched.