“Right.” He fiddled with the can and then moved toward the dresser to set it down. “This doesn’t seem like the best time to do this. Why don’t we schedule something tomorrow, on campus?”
“On the contrary,” Kelevra disagreed. “This is the perfect place. There’s no better way to get to know someone than by seeing how they’ll react to a party filled with deviants.”
Rin had assumed based on the rumors that Kelevra had just been trying to shove this stupid assignment into his busy schedule. Someone like him wouldn’t waste his time on a school mentor program.
It seemed he’d underestimated the Imperial Prince.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“Go ahead,” Kelevra said. “Ask me.”
“Ask you what?”
“Why I did it. Why I told Banks to reorganize things so you ended up with me.”
“So you admit it?” Rin hadn’t been expecting that, but Kelevra grinned.
“I never bothered trying to deny it.”
When he didn’t elaborate, clearly waiting for Rin to ask like he’d suggested, Rin blew out a breath. “Fine. Why’d you do it?”
“Why did you?”
Rin frowned, not sure what he meant.
“You could have been in first place,” Kelevra stated, seemingly catching when that had Rin’s shoulders tensing. “You gave it up on purpose. I was merely ordering Banks to assign me to the cadet I should have been gifted all along.”
Gifted. What a fucking creep.
Kel tipped his head. “You’re offended.”
“I’m not an object,” Rin confirmed.
“Where are you from?” Kelevra changed the topic. “There are people with golden hair here, but yours sparkles like warm sand.”
Rin barely resisted the urge to run a hand through the longer strands at the top self-consciously. What was it about this guy’s attention in particular that seemed to leave him flustered?
“Tibera,” he said. “It’s a warm planet.”
“So not wet like this one.” Kel meant the fact that it rained more than half the year.
“Actually it’s mostly ocean, so…It’s pretty wet.” Rin still retreated to the pool at the Academy whenever he felt stressed. Absently, his gaze wandered toward the window and to the massive pool filled with half-wasted men and women around his age.
“I’ve never heard of it,” Kelevra admitted.
“It’s in another galaxy.”
Kelevra quirked a brow and took a drag from the can of beer he was holding. “You came all the way from another galaxy? What for?”
He shrugged, making it seem like it was no big deal. Trying to draw his attention away from the fact that it was. “Change of scenery.”
The corner of his mouth lifted but the smirk was gone a second later. Kelevra hummed. “I see.”
Why did Rin get the feeling they weren’t talking about the same thing anymore?
“The man you were standing with in the gym,” he switched topics seamlessly yet again. “Friend of yours?”
Rin tried to recall who he meant. “Brennon?”
