Sebastian smiled, the kind of smile that was more pain than joy. "Yes, Lucas, you're right," he said, lifting his glass weakly. "I've had more than I can handle." He leaned closer, his eyes unfocused but gleaming with an intensity that made Lucas uneasy. "But you know what? When a man is drunk, he speaks with his heart."
Lucas said nothing, just studied him, wondering where this was leading. The party buzzed behind them — laughter, clinking glasses, cheerful music — but around them, there was only a bubble of tense silence.
Sebastian let out a slow sigh and stared into his nearly empty glass. "And pains… they come out too when one's drunk." He turned his face toward Lucas again, his movements sluggish but deliberate. "I'm in too much pain today, Lucas."
Lucas rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "You're talking nonsense." He looked away, about to push back from the counter, but Sebastian's next words made him stop.
