But I was worried. Adrian had just admitted to liking me as more than a friend. What if I could not return his feelings? What if I hurt him? I had gone through this already with Bryan. And Adrian had been hurt so much already; I didn’t want to be added to his list.

I spent the rest of the night consumed by my newest dilemma, and yet I still couldn’t make up my mind.

The Symposium was finally here, and it was going to be a good day. Since it was held in the Hyped, I only had to take the elevator downstairs, so I had a bath instead of a shower, and took my time drying my hair and getting dressed. I was walking into the lobby when I spotted three people standing facing each other near the couch.

“Kris!” I hugged my best friend the second I saw her. “You look absolutely gorgeous!”

She was wearing a pale-green dress, which she’d bought the other day when we went shopping on Ermou Street. Domenico was on her right, and Vlad on her left. I greeted them both.

“Are you excited?” I asked Domenico, seeing how cheery he looked.

“Yes! Where I come from in Sybaris, we usually have wine piped directly from the vineyards during a Symposium. Do they do the same here?”

To Domenico’s disappointment, Vlad indicated that the Court didn’t have the facilities to do that.

“That’s too bad. That’s too bad,” Domenico said.

Any disappointment he might have felt disappeared less than an hour later. The feast master had done a great job organizing and hosting the Symposium. The schedule was packed with everything from acrobatic stunts to kithara players. The whole room gasped simultaneously as a girl performed a stunt through a hoop rimmed with knives. Then there was a cheesy play retelling the tragic love story of Eros.

Of course, for me, the real star was the food. The tables were long and solid wood, laden with every kind of food I could think of when I thought of Italy, and even dishes I had no idea existed. Platters filled with countless cheeses, loaves of bread, vegetables, and pastas lined the tables. There were waterfalls of wine scattered around the room for Hellenicus who were of age. Against the far wall sat three dessert benches, showcasing all the classics: tiramisu, cannoli with generous creamy fillings, sweet panettone, moistened cassata from Sicily, and so much more.

The night ended with a group of musicians serenading the room of full-bellied Hellenicus. The combination of food and music coaxed everyone into sleepiness. Decidedly too exhausted to walk back to the Royal Quarters, Domenico, Kris, and Vlad ended up back at my place for an impromptu sleepover. Both boys slept in the living room while Kris and I slept in my bed.