“They have their own damn money,” Kazimir stated.
“Of course they do,” he agreed. “That’s not the point, Kaz. They’re your friends. I need to make a good impression.”
Kazimir blinked at him.
“Are you seriously dating him?” the other Brumal asked, taking a risk, though he kept a wide berth by staying on Saint’s other side. “I’m Yuze, by the way.”
“He doesn’t need to know your name, Yuze.” Kazimir grabbed Nate’s hand, tugging it loose from his pants before he linked their fingers and pulled him over toward the side of the car. “Enough. Get in.”
“Are you guys’ Satellite too?” Nate asked, unable to contain his laughter as Kaz yanked the driver’s side door open and practically shoved him inside. He poked his head out before the door could be slammed shut on him. “See you around!”
Kazimir stormed around the front of the car and practically tossed himself into the passenger seat. “Drive.”
“Seat belt,” Nate countered.
“You’re seriously—”
“Not starting this car until you’re buckled in, princess.”
Kazimir stilled and slowly swiveled his head toward him. “What did you just call me?”
He made a big show of sighing before leaning over to reach for the belt himself. Once he was close enough, he pressed his mouth to Kaz’s ear and whispered, “They’re all still watching. Wipe that scowl off your face and pretend you like me. This was your game, remember?”
The buckle clicked into place and Nate sat back and smiled at him, winking for good measure before he started the hovercar. Giving a wave out the window to the three still standing there staring, he pulled out and headed toward the exit of the parking lot.
“Explain yourself, Narek,” Kazimir growled as he took the first turn away from the school, and Nate instantly dropped the smile and happy-go-lucky attitude now that they were in the clear.
“I’m playing the part,” he stated. “This is about proving to your friends you’re not the type of dick who can’t commit, right? Your boyfriend would need to be the kind of person who’s optimistic and playful in order to put up with your crap. Trust me. I totally sold it just now. Next time you hear from your cousin, he’ll be asking you about it. Saint and Yuze seem like the gossiping type.”
“They are,” Kaz agreed, going quiet for a moment before he propped a shoulder against the window and shifted in the seat to better face him. “Okay, let’s say that’s why I buy you being overly friendly withthem. What about Odette?”
“What about her?”
“You two seemed awfully chummy before I showed up.”
“Chummy?” He snorted. “What are you, fifty-seven years old? We weren’tchummy, Kaz. We’re friends from when I went to Vail. I haven’t spoken to her in years aside from the occasional comment on Inspire.” The social media app he barely used now that he was no longer in school and it wasn’t as necessary to have visual proof he was fine for his brother to use to check in on him.
Nuri would never have admitted it, but Nate knew he looked at both his and Neve’s pages frequently to make sure they were all right and living good lives on Vitality.
“Don’t talk to her again,” Kaz ordered.
“You sure about that?” He glanced at him then back at the road. “You think your Brumal members will spread the news, they’re nothing in comparison to Odette. I bet you five coin she’s got us both tagged in some obscure photo neither of us is even in with a comment about how happy she is for our relationship before the night is through. Girl loves being the first in the know. The only thing she loves more is when other people know she’s the first in the know.”
“You’re trying to tell me you planned it?”
“I’m not trying anything, that’s what happened. Didn’t know she’d be there, but it was a happy coincidence if you ask me.”
“Have you fucked her?”
“Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?” Nate started to turn left, but Kazimir stopped him, directing him in the other direction with a finger point. Whatever. Didn’t matter to him where they went. They needed to iron out a few details about this arrangement, for lack of a better term. He’d agreed to be Kazimir’s boyfriend, but there’d been no mention of a timeframe or how deep into the role he was expected to get.
“What are you so upset for?” he risked asking. “I was only doing what you wanted. There’s no way anyone wouldn’t believe we’re together now.”
“Yeah,” Kaz said, “that’s true. I’m curious, though, how you seem so good at reading everyone around youbutme?”
The direction Kazimir had taken them turned out to be a wide wooded area with no other traffic. The hovercar passed a foot over the paved road as Nate drove, keeping it lower to the ground than he would if they’d been on one of the main ones.
“What—” He let out a startled sound when suddenly Kaz’s hand was on the steering wheel, jerking to the right with all his strength.
