Bab 194

Bab 194

Kecuaian Kenakal-kenakalan saat Mabuk

“Jadi, apa yang kamu sukai dariku, Alessandra?”

“Niced, tapi aku tidak mabuk saat menjawab ini. Kamu yakin kamu bukan pecandu, Edgar? Kamu tampaknya benar-benar sempurna. Kalau kamu berada di studi§mu, apakah kamu hanya minum banyak minuman keras?” pertanyakan Alessandra.

“Tidak. Biasanya aku minum satu gelas sesuatu yang kuat. Kamu justru tampaknya sedikit mabuk. Bagus, kita sudah menemukan batas kamu. Itu sudah cukup,” jawabnya dengan hati-hati, mengambil gelash hidangannya sebelum ia bisa minum lagi.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“Halo! Aku tidak merasa mabuk. Kamu tidak boleh sekadar,” Alessandra teriak dengan terkejut, menutup mulutnya saat suaranya terdengar pecah. “Itu tidak berarti apa-apa. Kamu tidak boleh menyatakan diri sebagai pemenang. Beri kembali gelasku.”

“Tidak,” jawab Edgar, condong ke samping untuk meletakkan gelas jauh dari jangkauannya.

“Edgar, berikan kembali gelasku atau akibatkan konsekuensi. Aku memberi kamu waktu sampai hitungan lima untuk mengembalikannya. Satu,” mulai Alessandra menghitung. “Dua.”

“Dan apa sebenarnya rencana§mu untuk melakukan ini-”⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“Lima!” teriak Alessandra, menyerang Edgar hingga jatuh dan menyandarkan tangannya di samping kepala lelaki itu. “Kamu tidak setangguh tampilannya,” kata dia sambil tertawa.

“Dan kamu lebih mabuk dari tampilannya,” imbal Edgar. Ia harus mengakui bahwa dirinya terkejut dengan serangan mendadak tersebut. Cukup mudah baginya untuk menukar posisi dan menjajarkan lehernya di atasnya, namun jarang sekali Alessandra berada dalam keadaan begini. Ia seorang yang bodoh jika tidak memanfaatkan momen ini. “Jadi, apa sekarang?”

Alessandra mendongkol, kecewa dengan reaksinya. “Kuhajar kamu, tapi kamu tidak tergoyahkan. Lantang, tapi setidaknya aku bisa bilang aku menjajarkan Edgar Collins yang hebat. Musuh§mu akan iri padaku selamanya!”

“Tentu saja. Cukup menarik bagaimana lama kamu butuh waktu untuk mabuk dan seberapa kerasnya kamu merasa setelah sekali, ” kata Edgar.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

Alessandra melepas salah satu tangannya untuk mencukur bibirnya. “Aku tidak mabuk, Edgar. Aku belum kalah dalam permainan ini. Di mana botolnya? Kita perlu melanjutkan. Oh!” Ia tunjuk ke botol kosong. “Semua sudah habis. Kita perlu membuka yang lain. Halo!” Ia berseru saat Edgar memeluk pinggangnya dan membuatnya sulit bergerak.

“Tidak boleh minum lagi untukmu, Alessandra. Bagaimana jika kita buktikan bahwa kamu mabuk? Jika kamu bisa berjalan dari jendela ke pintu kamar tidur tanpa jatuh, aku akan tunaukkan dan kamu menang,” usul Edgar sambil bertaruh seribu koin emas bahwa ia akan jatuh dalam tiga langkah pertama ke jendela.

“Setuju,” setuju Alessandra dengan rencana itu.

Begitu Edgar melepaskannya, Alessandra bangun dan berlari ke jendela tanpa terjatuh. Di sinilah Edgar menyadari rencananya sudah gagal. Alessandra berjalan dari jendela ke pintu seolah-olah dia sedang sober.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“Kuh menang!” katanya sambil melompat-lompat sambil bertepuk tangan.

Edgar hanya bisa menatapnya dengan tidak percaya bagaimana ia berhasil. Berdasarkan aksi‧nya, jelas ia sedang mabuk. “Apa yang terjadi dengan perilakuan mu jika kamu tidak mabuk? Apakah ini hanya keberanian cairan?”

Ia mulai mempertimbangkan apakah ia hanya cukup minum untuk berhenti peduli atau berpikir tentang hal-hal yang ia lakukan. Alessandra sedang dalam fase bahagia dari anggur, yang menjelaskan tertawanya.

“Besok, kamu harus melakukan apa saja yang kukatakan selama satu jam penuh. Aku akan meminta kamu untuk mengatakan hal-hal baik kepada orang lain atau apakah kamu akan kehilangan satu jam mendengarkan Daniel? Sally mungkin punya ide bagus. Aku akan bertanya padanya,” kata Alessandra lalu berbalik untuk meninggalkan kamar tidur. Kali ini ia hasȩtina̧r butalmost fall but quickly balanced herself.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“Alessandra! Kamu tidak boleh turun tangga. Terkutuk,” kutom Elvis

“I will never be able to understand what is happening with this woman,” Edgar muttered as he went behind her and lifted her over his shoulder to take her back to their bedroom. “It’s either you’re drunk or you’re not drunk.”

“I am not drunk,” Alessandra repeated once again. How many times did she have to tell him that she could handle her alcohol? Perhaps he was the one drunk? “Are you drunk, Edgar?”

“I wish I was but then who would take care of you? Stop poking the back of my head.”⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“You have quite a lot of hair. Are you sure you don’t wish to sell some to your admirers-Ah!” Alessandra gasped after Edgar shifted her body to be held in his arms rather than thrown over his shoulder. “You are really fond of your hair, aren‒t you?” She giggled.

“And you are too fond of trying to get rid of it. Are you playing with me, Alessandra? Your behavior is too confusing,” he stopped right before their doorway.

“I’m surprised it took you this long to catch on,” Alessandra innocently smiled.

She truly was not as drunk as she was acting. Early on in the game as Edgar appeared to be fine though he was drinking the wine faster than she was, Alessandra knew she was bound to lose if she did not think of something to throw him off. She decided to act this way for the game to end.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

Edgar did not believe that she was not the slightest bit drunk. “You mean you pounced on me with your own will? Alcohol did not make you do that?”

“I can’t say that. It did give me liquid courage and I tried my hardest to stop laughing at your reaction but it was hard too,” she giggled again just like she had done earlier. “I truly did not expect you would bet your win over me being able to walk straight. You messed up with that one.”

Edgar ran his tongue under his teeth before chuckling. She had put on the perfect act to confuse and rob him of his clear win. However, each time Alessandra was this bold she was actually losing as he would remember this moment for the future when she would want to act shy. He would have none of it. “Fine, you win. You outsmarted me this one time.”

“Do not look so down. I have been learning from you constantly trying to tease me. After my performance tonight, I should join Alfred in acting. W-Wait, Ah!” Alessandra squeezed her eyes shut as Edgar tossed her on the bed after he entered the bedroom. “You cannot be upset that I beat you at your game.”⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“I am not upset. I am simply plotting while dreading what will come tomorrow. Now that the game is over,” Edgar grinned as an idea came to mind. “Let’s say we try another game?”

He began to unbutton the shirt he wore tonight.

“You can play whatever game you want to with yourself but I intend on freshening up and going to bed right now. Have fun,” Alessandra said and tried to scoot off the bed to head for the bathroom but Edgar stepped to the side to block her. “I did not sign up for two games tonight, Edgar. I’m starting to get the feeling you cannot handle when you have lost to someone.”

“Wrong. I am very much enticed by the little show you put on tonight so it’s hard for us to just call it a night so soon.”⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

Alessandra blushed and used the remaining courage she had to say, “I’ve heard that men can fix that by themselves.”

Edgar’s mood quickly soured. “And who the fuck told you that? Was it the cook?”

As Alessandra did not receive any lessons as her sister did, the only person she was being told these things from was the cook who clearly had an interest in her.

“What the hell was he prepping your curiosity for?” Edgar asked.⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠

“First of all, Mario is his name and it wasn’t him. He only told me about what men and women do in private. Erin is the one who tells me these things because I am married. She thinks it is something that I should already know. It is a bit too much information but it is still interesting to learn. Why are you staring at me like that?” Alessandra leaned back against the bed because of Edgar’s gaze. “No one told you to be so jealous of Mario when he is only my friend. Now that we are here, I would like to consider paying off his debt so that Katrina cannot use him.”

“Alessandra,” Edgar lovingly called her name and picked up a strand of her hair to play with. “The only thing I plan to do with that man is kill him because of how much his name plagues my mind from time to time. I will be at ease if he is dead.”

“I have no intention of having an affair with the man I saw as a brother and friend. I only want you,” Alessandra confessed but then bit her lip.

“Of course, you won’t but I do not trust other men. Once they realize how sweet you are, they will want to have you although you are mine.”⁠​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠