He had just raised his hand to signal the waiter for another round when Archibald reached out and stopped him. "Hold on. We can drink slowly. It's rare for us to run into each other—let's have a proper chat."
Ned looked up. "You're right. We were the best of brothers. It's rare to bump into each other here today, so we should have a good talk!" He stared straight at Archibald and picked up his small bottle of beer.
Archibald felt a tightness in his chest. "Ned, do you still consider me a good brother?"
"Don't you consider me one?" Ned replied quickly.
Archibald closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "Back then, with Sophie—"
"Don't bring up the past anymore. It's all over!" Ned interrupted him.
"Even if you think there's no need to mention it, I still have to say it. Looking back now, what I did back then... I really let you down!" Archibald clenched his fists.
Ned remained silent as he poured beer for both of them.
