A Royal Obligation
Chapter 98: An Unexpected Kiss

Chapter 98: An Unexpected Kiss

The moonlight bathed the palace gardens in a silvery glow, casting soft shadows across the flowers as Sadiki and Drystan twirled to their imaginary tune.

Their footsteps were light on the grass, their laughter floating through the cool evening air.

It had started as a playful moment, Sadiki teasing Drystan, and Drystan, in turn, insisting on another dance. But something had shifted as they moved, something neither of them could ignore.

Drystan’s eyes were fixed on Sadiki, who was smiling with an ease he hadn’t seen in so long.

His heart, usually guarded and disciplined, pounded harder in his chest. He felt a pull, an undeniable urge to close the gap between them, to do something he’d been holding back for weeks now.

Sadiki was lost in the moment, enjoying the freedom of spinning in the garden, his hand clasped in Drystan’s.

He had never expected to find such comfort in the company of the man who once annoyed him endlessly. Now, there was a warmth in Drystan’s presence that made him feel lighter, less burdened by the confusion he still carried over Eirik.

But as the dance continued, Sadiki noticed a change in Drystan. The teasing banter had faded, replaced by an intensity in his gaze that sent an unfamiliar shiver down Sadiki’s spine. He slowed their steps, his laughter dying in his throat as he met Drystan’s eyes.

"Drystan?" Sadiki’s voice was soft, uncertain. "What’s wrong?"

For a moment, Drystan didn’t respond. He just stared at Sadiki, as if trying to memorize every detail of his face, the way his eyes sparkled under the moonlight, the slight curl of his lips, the way his chest rose and fell with each bbreath

He felt an overwhelming need to speak, to confess the feelings that had been building inside him, but the words caught in his throat.

Sadiki’s smile faded, replaced by confusion. "You’re being weird," he said, attempting to lighten the mood, though his heart was beginning to race for reasons he didn’t fully understand.

Drystan let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, loosening his grip on Sadiki’s hand but not letting go entirely. "I’ve been holding back," he began, his voice low but steady. "And I don’t think I can keep doing it anymore."

Sadiki’s brow furrowed in concern. "What are you talking about?"

Drystan took a step closer, his pulse quickening. "You," he said simply, his voice barely above a whisper. "It’s you, Sadiki. I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve been trying to ignore it, trying to act like it’s nothing, but... it’s not. It’s something. Something I can’t keep pretending isn’t there."

Sadiki blinked, completely taken aback. His heart stuttered in his chest, confusion and disbelief warring inside him. "Drystan... what are you saying?"

Drystan’s grip on Sadiki’s hand tightened, his gaze never leaving Sadiki’s.

"I’m saying I’ve fallen for you, Sadiki. I don’t know when it happened, but it did. And it’s been driving me crazy because I know you’re still figuring things out with Eirik, but I can’t stand being on the sidelines anymore. I needed you to know."

Sadiki’s breath hitched.

He wasn’t prepared for this. He had expected their dance to be another one of their lighthearted moments, another joke between friends.

But this? This was something entirely different.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His mind raced, trying to process Drystan’s confession, but he felt frozen, trapped between the lingering feelings he had for Eirik and the new, confusing emotions that were surfacing for Drystan.

Seeing the shock on Sadiki’s face, Drystan let out a humorless chuckle, releasing Sadiki’s hand and stepping back. "I shouldn’t have said anything," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Forget I said it, okay? We can pretend it never happened."

But Sadiki didn’t move. He couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened. He couldn’t ignore the intensity of Drystan’s words or the way they made his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t feeling something too, something he wasn’t ready to name.

"Drystan, I..." Sadiki began, but his voice trailed off, unsure of what he was even trying to say.

Drystan smiled sadly, misinterpreting Sadiki’s hesitation as rejection. "It’s okay. I knew this was a long shot. I just didn’t want to keep it to myself anymore."

Before Sadiki could respond, Drystan closed the distance between them again, his eyes searching Sadiki’s for any sign of what he was feeling.

And then, without thinking, without giving himself time to second-guess, Drystan leaned in and pressed his lips to Sadiki’s.

The kiss was brief, barely a second, but it was enough to leave Sadiki stunned, his heart pounding in his chest. Drystan pulled back almost as quickly as he had leaned in, his eyes wide with realization of what he’d done.

"I... sorry," Drystan stammered, taking a step back again. "I shouldn’t have..."

But Sadiki wasn’t listening. His mind was reeling from the kiss, from the unexpected flood of emotions that came with it. He touched his lips, still feeling the ghost of Drystan’s kiss lingering there.

"I..." Sadiki started, but his words faltered again. He was too confused, too overwhelmed to make sense of anything.

Drystan ran a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. "Look, I didn’t mean to make things weird between us. I just..."

"You kissed me," Sadiki blurted out, finally finding his voice.

Drystan froze, his eyes locked on Sadiki’s. "Yeah... I did," he admitted softly. "And I won’t apologize for it, because I wanted to. I’ve wanted to for a while now."

Sadiki felt a strange mix of emotions swirling inside him, shock, confusion, and something else that felt a lot like curiosity. "Why didn’t you say anything sooner?"

Drystan chuckled, though there was no humor in it. "Because I didn’t think you’d ever feel the same. You’re still wrapped up in Eirik, and I didn’t want to mess things up between us."

Sadiki opened his mouth to respond but closed it again, unsure of how to explain the mess of feelings swirling inside him. He wasn’t sure what he felt anymore, about Eirik, about Drystan, about himself.

"I’m not asking you for anything," Drystan continued, his voice softer now. "I just wanted you to know how I feel. What you do with that is up to you."

Sadiki’s mind raced. He could still feel the warmth of Drystan’s lips on his, still hear the sincerity in his words. This was real. Drystan’s feelings were real. And that terrified him.

"I’m not ready for any of this," Sadiki finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Drystan nodded, his expression unreadable. "Take all the time you need."

They stood there in silence, the tension between them thick enough to cut. Neither of them knew what to say, how to navigate this sudden shift in their relationship. The playful banter, the teasing, it all felt distant now, overshadowed by the weight of what had just happened.

Finally, Drystan took a deep breath and stepped back. "I’ll see you around," he said quietly, turning to leave the garden.

Sadiki watched him go, his heart heavy with confusion and something else he couldn’t quite name. As Drystan disappeared from view, Sadiki’s hand drifted back to his lips, the memory of that unexpected kiss still fresh in his mind.

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