Page 28 of Prince Material
He shrugged, a slight flush coloring his cheeks. “They decided I look like Disney royalty. I didn’t correct them.”
I snorted. If they only knew.
“Come on,” Floris said, gently guiding me through the throngs of people. “Let’s find somewhere less crowded.”
We ended up in a slightly quieter corner near a window, where the cool, October air provided some relief from the press of bodies. Floris seemed to know half the people there, greeting everyone with that easy charm that made him so popular. But I noticed he never left my side, always staying close enough that his presence felt like a buffer between me and the chaos.
“You’re good at this,” I observed as he finished chatting with yet another classmate whose name he somehow remembered.
“At what?”
“Making people feel seen. Important.” I gestured vaguely at the room. “Everyone loves you.”
His smile faltered slightly. “They love the version of me they see. It’s not quite the same thing.”
I hated that I had inadvertently brought up something that bothered him. “I’ll go grab us some drinks. What’s your poison?”
He hesitated. “Better make it a soda. A Coke, please. And no, Pepsi is not okay. If they serve Pepsi, water will do.”
I snorted. Of course he was a Coke snob. “Why no beer? Campus police rarely intervene at these parties from what I hear.”
“Can’t risk it. If I get photographed and my identity leaks, it may cause problems for my family.”
He gave me another one of those sad smiles, and it shocked me how much I was willing to do to make it disappear again. I’d find him a Coke if I had to grab it from someone’s personal fridge myself. “One Coke coming up.”
As it turned out, no drastic measures were needed as I found countless cans of Coke in a massive cooler. Thanks to the buckets of ice dumped in there, they were even cold. I grabbed one for myself as well. I’d need the caffeine to get me through this. No alcohol for me, thank you very much. I didn’t like how it made me feel. Too loose, too reckless, too uncontrolled.
When I came back, carrying the two cans, I found Floris in a quiet corner with another guy standing very close to him. He had his hand on Floris’s shoulder, but as I came to a sudden stop and watched, it traveled lower, morphing into a… a caress. Who the hell was that and what was he doing? Should I interrupt? Maybe Floris was into him and I should give them some privacy?
In the end, my curiosity won. I needed to know who this guy was. Sliding a few steps to the right, I was able to see his face. He looked familiar. Wasn’t he in my project management class? Bit of an obnoxious guy with an annoyingly high-pitched voice that sounded very fake. James. Yeah, that was his name, James.
He was slightly unsteady, wavering back and forth, and his eyes were glassy. How drunk was he? My money was on straight-up intoxicated. Was Floris into that?
He was now brushing Floris’s cheek with his right finger, leaning in even closer. Maybe it was time to walk away and give them their privacy. Up until now, I’d been focused on James, but now I took a good look at Floris… and froze.
Floris’s expression made my chest tight—a flash of genuine anxiety beneath his careful mask. Something was wrong. He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t his usual confident self. His whole body was tense, coiled as a spring, and he looked like a cornered animal, desperate to get away.
He didn’t want this.
But why was he not simply sending James packing? I’d never seen Floris lost for words. Surely a few of his well-timed remarks would end this.
He was scared.
The realization hit me with the force of a gale. He was panicking. He was trying to be polite, to avoid causing a scene, but this asshole wasn’t taking the hint. This must’ve stirred up bad memories from that incident in the UK, from that video, and now he was panicking.
I had to help him.
“Come on, don’t be like that.” James trailed his hand down Floris’s chest. “One dance? I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
Before I could think too hard about it, I stepped forward. “Actually, he’s here with me.”
Both of them turned to look at me, James with annoyance and Floris with surprise.
“I’m his boyfriend,” I added firmly, putting the drinks down on a table and moving closer to Floris. “So maybe back off?”
Understanding dawned in Floris’s eyes, and he immediately played along, leaning into me slightly. “Sorry, James. I’m already taken.”
James looked between us, clearly trying to process this through his alcohol-fogged brain. “But you’re…”
