“That’s a sophisticated analysis,” Williams said. “Are you considering graduate work in comparative politics?”
“I’m still exploring my options.” Eddie could hardly tell her that in his case, he was born into the family business, so to speak. “There’s something appealing about understanding how different systems address similar challenges.”
Williams turned to me with expectant interest. “And what about you, Mr. Puller? What draws you to International Relations?”
My blood went cold. This was the kind of conversation I’d been dreading, where my complete lack of education in this field would be exposed in front of people whose job it was to know these things.
I opened my mouth, hoping something intelligent would come out, but my mind went completely blank. International Relations? I could talk about military strategy, maybe, or law enforcement protocols, but theoretical frameworks and academic models? I had nothing.
The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity. I could feel sweat starting to form at the back of my neck as Williams waited expectantly, her scholarly interest clearly piqued. Any second now, she was going to realize I was a fake.
“Bash brings such a grounded perspective to theoretical discussions,” Eddie said smoothly. “He’s focused on real-life applications rather than abstract models. It’s so valuable to examine policy questions from the standpoint of how they affect actual communities instead of as mere conceptual frameworks.”
“That’s an important viewpoint.” Williams nodded. “Theory without practical application is just that: a theory.”
Eddie patted my arm. “Bash asks the kinds of questions that force the rest of us to think beyond academic models, like do these policies actually work when they encounter real-world constraints? It’s made our study-group discussions much more dynamic.”
I couldn’t do anything else but blink and stand in absolute awe of that masterclass in diplomatic misdirection. Eddie had managed to turn my complete inability to answer a basic question into what sounded like a sophisticated methodological approach.
“Excellent,” Chen said, nodding profusely.
“Indeed.” Williams turned to me. “And what specific area are you most interested in exploring for your senior thesis?”
That one, I could answer because Eddie and I had discussed it that very morning. “We’ve been discussing focusing on the evolution of NATO expansion policy, especially how military perspectives influence civilian policy decisions.”
Jesus, I sounded a thousand times smarter than I actually was, thanks to Eddie and his ability to translate my rather concrete and practical thoughts into academic jargon.
Chen’s eyebrows went up with interest. “That’s a sophisticated angle. Are you planning to collaborate on your research?”
“We’re exploring the possibility.”
Chen gave another approving nod. “That’s exactly the kind of interdisciplinary thinking we hope to see from our seniors. I’d love to hear more about your theoretical framework as you develop it.”
They moved on, leaving me standing there with an insane amount of gratitude. Eddie had saved my ass so smoothly that the professors had walked away thinking I was some kind of policy genius instead of a guy who’d learned everything he knew about International Relations from Wikipedia and cramming sessions.
“Thank you,” I said.
“For what?” Eddie asked innocently, but there was something knowing in his green eyes.
“You know for what.”
“We’re a team,” he said simply. “That’s what partners do—they cover for each other.”
The wordpartnershit me harder than it should have. Because standing there listening to him talk about NATO expansion with the kind of casual brilliance that came from a combination of intellect, dedication, and high-level education and watching him navigate academic conversations with professors while simultaneously protecting my cover, I realized how out of my league he really was.
This wasn’t about him being royal, though that was certainly part of it. This was about him being impressively intelligent in a way that made me feel like I was playing dress-up in someone else’s life.
“Where’d you learn all that?” I asked quietly.
“Oxford has rather rigorous academic standards,” he said with a self-deprecating smile. “Plus, when your family’s job involves understanding International Relations from a… practical perspective, you tend to absorb certain things.”
Right. His family’s job. The job that involved running a country and maintaining diplomatic relationships with half the world. Meanwhile, my family’s job involved fixing cars and serving in the military and making sure everybody had enough to eat.
“You’re brilliant,” I said, immediately regretting it. That had come out more reverent than I’d intended.
Eddie’s cheeks flushed pink. “Hardly. I happen to know a few things about European politics.”
“A few things?” I repeated with a laugh. “Right. Like how I know a few things about guns.”
