“Huh?
I froze. “I don’t drink”
“You don’t drink? That won’t do! In the real world, you’ve got to learn how to drink,” Kenneth said with an air of self–appointed mentorship. Ignoring my protests, he handed me a small glass, filling it to the brim. “It’s easy–if you don’t know how, just start with this one. Practice makes perfect, right?”
I glanced around. Everyone had their eyes on me, and Kenneth was watching me with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Iremembered what happened to a coworker two years ago. Just like me, he was paraded around as if he were being groomed for
success. They made him drink at every table, even though he’d clearly said he was allergic to alcohol. In the end, he landed in the hospital. Not long after, he quit.
And now, it was my turn.
My stomach dropped. I could fee
make me lose face here”
the pressure of the stares. Kenneth leaned in, his voice low and smooth: “Mason, everyone’s watching. Don’t
My hand tightened around the glass. Fine. If it had to be this way, I’d just down it in one go and get it over with.
But just as I raised the glass to my lips, a hand reached out and took it from me.
“If he can’t drink, don’t force him,” a calm voice said.
It was Aurora,
Kenneth froze, clearly startled. He quickly plastered kinds of gatherings.”
on
a
smile. “Oh, Aurora, didn’t expect to see you here! I thought you weren’t a fan of these
Aurora’s expression didn’t soften. She looked directly at him, her tone sharp. “If he doesn’t drink, why are you making him?”
The room fell silent. A few people exchanged awkward glances, clearly not wanting to get involved.
Kenneth hesitated, his smile faltering. “W–Who said I was forcing him? He wanted to drink.”
Everyone had seen what really happened, but Kenneth stuck to his story. And without cameras to back her up, Aurora couldn’t argue further. She simply gave him a long, cold look. “This better not happen again.”
Kenneth’s face tightened, but before he could respond, Aurora grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.
The moment Aurora showed up, I knew I was in trouble. Now, as she dragged me outside to a quiet spot far from the restaurant, I hesitated. I wanted to shake her off, but after a moment’s thought, I decided to follow.
We stopped in an empty parking lot. Aurora let go of my arm but didn’t say anything.
I glanced at her. She looked like she was regretting her Impulsive actions.
Neither of us spoke.
I was trying to figure out how to explain myself, while she seemed to be thinking about how to explain her behavior.
Finally, I broke the silence, “How did you know it was me?”
Aurora looked startled. She hadn’t expected me to get straight to the point. After a pause, she lowered her head, looking like a guilty child caught doing something wrong. “When you logged out of Facebook that day, the app popped up on your desktop. The profile picture and username matched”
“And that’s enough for you to be sure it’s me?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
