Mary's sudden presence caused Aurora's heart to race, like a kid caught in the act. "Where were you?" She asked, trying to change the topic hopefully and dilute the situation.
Mary still had a grin on her face as she took a seat between Aurora and Adrian, causing a frown to settle on his face. His sister had ruined his perfect evening, and it seemed like she was doing it on purpose to get back at him, he thought.
"I was occupied by some company and got distracted," Mary responded, her gaze momentarily shifting to Adrian. He immediately understood what she meant, or at least he thought he did, and the revelation brought a smile to his face.
"Oh..." Aurora could only mutter before taking another sip.
Mary noticed this and couldn't help but ask, "I didn't know you drank?" Spending a lot of time with Aurora, she was aware of the strict no-drinking policy set by her mother, which prohibited her from tasting alcohol until she turned 18. As far as she remembered, Aurora's birthday was still months away, or perhaps she was mistaken, and Aurora had already turned 18.
"I don't, not until this evening," Aurora replied, staring at the drink as it swirled. "Adrian offered it to me."
"And you took it?" Mary wondered, knowing about Aurora's mother's strict rules. She was curious about why it was so easy for Aurora to break those rules.
"Yes," Aurora's response sounded nonchalant, as if she didn't care, which briefly saddened Mary. If only the same could be said for her. She quickly wiped away the sadness and reassured herself that everything would change soon.
"Good for you, then," Mary said with great enthusiasm. She watched as Aurora took another sip, but it was in tiny sips, like she was drinking tea. Mary shook her head. "That's not how it's done," she said. Aurora looked up, her eyes meeting her friend's brown ones. Mary continued, "You have to take it in huge gulps."
"Like this," Aurora stated, bringing the glass to her lips and proceeded to gulp down a large volume of the liquid.
A smile curled at the corner of Mary's lips. "Good, now take more," she said, while Adrian's brow furrowed.
Aurora looked hesitant at her friend's request. This was her first time drinking, and it would have been advisable to start small, but she didn't think much of it. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, she took another huge gulp. As she was about to remove the glass from her lips, Mary placed her hand on the glass, stopping her from removing it and forcing Aurora to continue gulping down the liquid.
"That's enough," Adrian tried to stop her, seeing how Aurora struggled to take it in, but Mary's hand still held the bottom of the glass, not wanting to let go. "That's enough!" This time he yelled, pulling his sister away from Aurora. "What do you think you are doing?" He asked with a stern expression.
"What?" Mary said, looking confused.
"Can't you see she was choking?" he said, pointing towards Aurora, who was now coughing repeatedly.
Mary looked stunned for a moment, wondering why her brother was talking to her in such a tone. He had never raised his voice at her. Her gaze shifted to her arm, which was held tightly in his strong grip, all because of that girl. Tears gathered in her eyes, which she fought back but didn't go unnoticed by Adrian. He slowly loosened his grip enough for her to pull her arm away.
"I didn't realize," she replied flatly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you," he said in his defense, his gaze softening.
"It's okay, I know I went too far," Mary's face suddenly brightened up, a playful smile playing across her face, as if a switch had been pulled, leaving Adrian stunned for a moment by how quickly her emotions changed.
Adrian let out a sigh, feeling relieved that she wasn't upset. "That's okay, just be careful next time," he said, reaching out to take her hand again, this time gently. Mary's smile grew, and she gave him a little squeeze.
Meanwhile, Aurora, who had been quiet for a moment, resumed coughing, this time louder. Adrian turned his attention towards her and abruptly let go of Mary's hand, leaving it feeling empty, causing her to tighten it into a fist.
"Are you okay?" Adrian, now seated by Aurora's side, asked gently, patting her back.
Aurora nodded, once she had stopped coughing. "I'm fine; it was all just sudden," she muttered and let out a soft chuckle before sitting up straight. "You shouldn't be upset with Mary; she wasn't wrong. It tasted so much better when gulped down. So much that I would like another."
"You see, I wasn't wrong," Mary chimed in, seated beside Adrian.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Adrian said with a concerned expression.
"Why not? It tastes sweet, doesn't it?" Aurora said, shoving the empty glass to the server, who, in return, began to refill it.
"It does, but it doesn't change the fact that it contains alcohol. I'm not sure you're quite prepared to handle its effects just yet."
"Why do you say that?" Aurora asked.
"Yes, brother, what makes you think so?" Mary added.
Adrian exchanged glances between his sister, who seemed to be enjoying this moment, and Aurora, as they all stared at him, waiting for an explanation, making him feel tense all of a sudden. He cleared his throat. "For starters, this is your first time, and also, you exude a more refined and ladylike demeanor."
Aurora and Mary both gasped. "Are you suggesting that simply because she's a lady, she can't handle a shot as well as men can?" Mary asked, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Two shots," Adrian corrected.
"So you admit that, because she's a lady, she can't?" Mary added, her tone laced with disapproval.
"This is a grave misunderstanding; that wasn't my intent," Adrian tried to defend himself, but all his words fell on deaf ears.
"Kindly bring another glass, if you would," Aurora waved her hand at the server.
"Make that two," Mary chimed in, equally excited as Aurora.