2. Alexi

"Those pinssure seem to be popular," the barista said over the steam coming out of the machine as she prepared my tea.

"What?"

She pointed at my jacket. "They're really pretty."

"Oh right, thanks." I hurried to remove the pin and stuffed it in my pocket. If the Elite person turned up now, I couldn't meet them. Not with Troy right there. After all, he was the reason I was meeting someone I didn't know in a part of the city I'd never been to, as far away from campus as possible.

I paid for my drink and walked toward Troy. He kept glancing out the window as if waiting for a date or something. The thought made my stomach sour.

"Hey," Troy said, pointing at the chair opposite where he sat. "Want to join me?"

"I don't want to get in your way if you're meeting someone already."

"Fishing for information?" He winked and gave me his smile that always made me weak in the knees. "I'm not meeting anyone. Are you?"

At that point, my phone buzzed. I took a seat and pulled the phone out.

"Sorry, I have to get this," I said.

I couldn't help the relief I felt when I saw the message was from Elite, canceling my meeting and offering me another date with many apologies.

"Your dads checking in on you?" Troy asked.

"Um…yes," I lied. "They're…you know how they are. They think someone's going to kidnap and torture me or something."

Troy laughed. "Well, you are a prince, and your parents are known to be a little overprotective."

"Shhh…don't say it out loud. I'm not really…that. I'm just their adopted son."

I blew on my steaming tea before taking a sip.

"Alexi, I hope you're joking. You know Charlie and Kris love you."

"I know. I love them too. They're my dads, and I am very lucky they found me. But it's hard to see myself as royalty, you know? I still remember the foster homes I lived in, keeping food from breakfast to have for lunch at school because my foster parents didn't pay for my school meals…"

"It's like you're two different people who's lived two different lives," he said.

I let out a breath. How did he know?

Because he's Troy.He was the guy who everyone saw as the computer whiz kid, but in reality, he was so much more. He'd helped me navigate meeting my new extended family. He helped me escape and talked to me like we were equals.

Was it possible to fall in love at fifteen all those years ago? One hundred percent yes.

Was it possible to be so inexperienced and out of your depth that you had to resort to methods like hiring a secret matchmaking company to help? Also, yes. Although I'd been told by my roommate, whose cousin's girlfriend's best friend had used the company, that Elite was like a concierge service for the wealthy. They could get me tickets to Taylor Swift, a date to a charity ball, or, in my case, a tutor to help me…with my dating needs.

"How are you settling in?" Troy asked, and I was thankful he didn't press the other subject.

"It's fine. I like my roommate, and I love the classes."

"Have you made friends?"

I straightened a little in my chair. "Yes, loads of friends. I may have been sheltered over the last few years, but I'm not a total hermit." Which was a complete lie because apart from my roommate and a few class friends, I hadn't made a connection with anyone.

Most of the time, I was afraid someone would recognize me, so I made myself invisible. If they didn't see me, I wasn't there.

"That's great. College can be hard to get used to, especially when you come from another country."

"And how about you? Looking forward to graduating this summer?"

"Absolutely. I'm so done with all the assignments."

I smiled. "I bet you want to get out there and do some real work. Build some kickass programs and rule the tech world."

"Yeah, something like that."

His eyes met mine, taking me back to the long night we'd spent talking at his brother's wedding. He'd told me all about his dreams for after college, and I'd hung on every word, lost in his blue eyes that came to life whenever he spoke about something he loved.

Of course, that was before we grew apart. And that wasn't the only thing that had changed.

He finished his coffee and put down the cup. I wanted to say something to make him stay, but I didn't know what.

I couldn't pinpoint when our time together went from exciting, interesting, and like there wasn't enough of it to these forced conversations like we were mere acquaintances.

He'd grown up. That's what it was. He didn't have time to babysit the kid his brother-in-law's friends adopted practically from the streets of Lydovia.

Troy had changed. He wore different clothes. He even sounded different.

I wanted to know if I'd done anything or if we'd just grown apart because that's what was meant to happen, and most of all, I wanted him to know I'd grown up too.

I put my empty cup down on the table. Was I stupid for trying to chase something that wasn't there?

Suddenly, I felt really out of place.

"I need to go." I stood and the chair made a screeching sound. "Sorry. I just remembered I have an assignment. I have to draw a…um…" I glanced around the coffee shop. "A cup. That's it. I have to draw a cup and make it look real for my pencil drawing class."

Troy's brows narrowed a little, but he stood too.

"Same. I mean, I don't have to draw anything. I'd fail that class. Is it even possible to draw a cup as a stick figure?"

"That's the beauty of art. Anything is possible."

We took our cups to the counter and the barista waved us goodbye.

"Do you need a lift or something?" he asked.

"No, I have a car."

"Okay. See you around, Alexi."

Alexi, not Lexi like I once was. Sadness and nostalgia filled my heart.

Before my brain stopped me, I gave Troy a quick hug. He stiffened under my arms.

Well, that's a sign if I ever got one.

"See you around."

I walked in the opposite direction to where I'd parked my roommate's car around the corner.

* * *

The door to my dorm room opened before my key was out of my pocket.

"What have I told you about your phone-tracking privileges," I said to my roommate as he gave me enough room to get inside before he looked into the hall and then closed the door.

"You said I have diplomatic immunity. Besides, I was checking on my car. Now, spill the beans. How was it?"

"Jett, that's not how diplomatic immunity works. I said it was for emergency situations only. And your car is safe."

He waved me off. "I'm sure you mentioned the diplomatic word in there somewhere."

I crashed on my bed and toed my shoes off, staring at the ceiling. "It didn't happen."

The bed dipped on my side. "You got cold feet?"

"Troy was there. I didn't see the Elite person, and a moment later, I got a message canceling the meeting."

Jett's face hovered over mine.

"You're creeping me out." I pushed him away, but for a tiny guy, he was weirdly strong.

"No, I'm not leaving until you tell me everything. What was Troy doing there?"

I shrugged. "Don't know, but we kinda had a drink together."

"Kinda?"

"I'm sure he did it because he felt sorry for me."

Jett rolled his eyes.

"Why is your face still here?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"It's a beautiful face, and you know it."

I snorted.

"Why don't you just marry me, and then I can be a prince too?"

"Because I don't love you and you don't love me."

"Pfft. Details. No royal marriage is for love."

I opened my eyes to find him still there, looking at my mouth and making a weird face. "My parents love each other. My aunt and her husband love each other. I will not marry for anything other than love—and stop staring at my mouth like it's covered in boils."

"I was just wondering what it would feel like to kiss you." He gagged.

"Get off." I pushed him harder, and he fell off the bed.

"Ouch. Fine, I accept you don't want this fine specimen of a human being. Tell me about your date with Troy."

"It wasn't a date. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time, and I couldn't even come up with anything smart or interesting to say. How can I ever show him I'm not a kid anymore if I can't even carry a conversation with him?"

"You could ask him to fuck you. I bet he'd be in to that."

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, I forgot," Jett whispered. "He doesn't know your secret."

I huffed and turned over to face the wall.

The first step in my mission had seemed the hardest: get my parents to let me continue my degree in the US without a security team following me.

The rest? I assumed it would all fall into place. Troy would find out, we'd hang together after class, and one night, after we'd watched too many movies, we'd fall asleep in each other's arms. Then, the next morning, he'd wake me with a kiss, saying he'd been watching me sleep—in a non-creepy way—and he couldn't resist.

I laughed to myself. Yup, I was deluded, in addition to inexperienced, and a total loser. Maybe this had all been a mistake.

"Hey, boo," Jett said from his bed.

"What?"

"How about an American burger for dinner?"

"Aren't all burgers here American?"

He chuckled. "This one comes with extra fat content, crispy bacon, and a free pie at the end. Can't get more American than that. It'll also make you feel better."

"Okay, let's do it."