“Oh,” Aneski gave him an odd look, like he thought he was crazy. “I guess everyone doesn’t know. You two are both Retinue, I assumed you were close.”
“Pavel isn’t exactly close with anyone, Tiny Terror,” Flix stated, resting an arm on his boyfriend’s shoulder before turning to Zane. “He just wanted to brush up on his body study and got tired of the models at Guest. Pavel overheard us talking about it in the parking lot the other day and offered to invite him into today’s class. Problem is, he never gave me the room number, and I’m not one to frequent the art department.”
“He’s in Room G7,” Berga announced, checking his multi-slate before adding, “Unfortunately, I’m late for a meeting. Zane can escort you.”
“I what?” He’d probably been to the art department less than Flix.
Berga merely stared at him pointedly, as though he should be getting the hint.
Whatever the hint was.
“Cool, can you take him?” Flix asked, checking his own device now. “That meeting is with Baikal and I forgot I was called to it as well.”
“Something the matter?” Zane asked.
“Only if you consider a dead visiting Royal a problem.”
“Ah.” Yes, yes that definitely fell under the category. There was a good chance Zane and the Retinue would be ordered to involve themselves as well if it was really bad. Depending on who the Royal was and how they’d died. If they were summoned to help though, it could be an excuse for Zane to see Pavel…
Or he could do Flix a favor and bring his boyfriend to the art department like Berga had offered.
“I can bring you,” he told Aneski, a part of himself screaming at how foolish he was being. He couldn’t possibly miss Pavel’s attention. It was crazy and controlling, and—
Hot.
Super fucking hot.
Damn it.
Berga’s words returned to him and he thought maybe he finally understood them. They both had a secret thing about being wanted, something they’d recognized in the other early on, but hadn’t spoken of often. Zane might have the attention of multiple people, but it wasn’t strictly the attention he was after.
He could never be Lyra or Wellseverything. Which meant neither of them could fill the void inside him.
Pavel claimed that’s what he wanted to do, but after discovering their past…Zane wasn’t so certain he could trust him. Still, the fact that it’d only been a week and he already missed the insufferable stalker had to meansomething, even if that something wasn’t something he wanted to admit to.
They parted ways, Zane mostly in his head as he directed them toward the art building located on the opposite side of campus. Really, it was no wonder he’d had no idea Pavel took classes there, how could he have? They never would have run into one another in that location since he remained firmly in the same two buildings.
Still, it irked him that Pavel was right about him not knowing anything about him. About him not having seen the other man at all these past years.
He’d always prided himself on being responsible for the Retinue, but here he was, walking to a department he hadn’t even known any of them were a part of.
Recalling his attempt to get to know him while on their way to Bibo’s that one day irked him further. He’d asked what the guy’s favorite subject was, hadn’t he? It wasn’t his fault Pavel hadn’t taken that opportunity to share he was some sort of art savant.
“You’re less scary up close,” Aneski stated suddenly, dragging Zane from his thoughts.
He quirked a brow. “Thank you?”
“I said less,” he reiterated. “You’re still scary.”
“Do me a favor and don’t tell Flix that.”
Aneski snorted. “He’d know what I mean if I did.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve got this whole,” he waved a hand around Zane, “icy exterior thing going. Very—”
“Unattainable,” Zane drawled. “So I’ve heard.”
