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Was that why he needed to go for a run? To clear his head?
And why the hell had Daven brought up Archer?
Then he remembered Cyprian’s invitation to breakfast at his friend’s house and groaned. He hadn’t expected Daven to let him go by himself.
A second knock followed, sharper this time, making Ryneth jump out of his thoughts.
“Coming!”
Pulling on his bathrobe, he hurried through the penthouse, swearing when he nearly knocked over a plant that stood by the front door. He swung open the door, suddenly feeling self-conscious under the stare of the uniformed guard.
“Sorry, I—Five minutes?”
Vandor’s smile was professional and distant as usual. “Of course.”
Ryneth rushed back to the bedroom. Great. Now he couldn’t concentrate. They had classes today, so he needed to wear his uniform. But then he had this… breakfast.
Blindly grabbing a shirt and jacket from the closet, he stopped mid-motion. Wait, was he supposed to get changed after he’d had breakfast? Was he supposed to bring any gifts to this breakfast?
He glanced through the door that stood ajar, taking in Vandor’s demeanor. The other man wore his school uniform with the golden brooch pinned neatly to his chest.
Ryneth let his gaze linger a second too long, measuring the cut of the jacket and the collar, wondering if he should match it, then caught Vandor looking straight back at him.
Heat flooded his face. He jerked his head away, his heart kicking hard.
Light, I wasn’t staring. I was just checking the uniform.
Footsteps approached. “Is everything okay here?”
“Yes. Yeah. I just…” Ryneth let out a long breath, then started to get dressed.
“You just?” Vandor asked from the other side of the door.
“I wasn’t sure what to wear, is all,” Ryneth snapped, and pulled his pants up.
There was a beat of silence. Then—
“You have classes today?”
“Yeah.”
“So why don’t you know—”
Ryneth pulled open the door. “Because I’ve never been invited to someone’s house before, all right? Now cut it out and never mention the subject again.” He bared his teeth when Vandor’s lips twitched, huffing when the other man let out a laugh. “Let’s go.”
The ride through Zephyr never grew old. Ryneth leaned back in the seat and let the city move around him. Towers caught the morning light. Glass reflected sky. People streamed along the walkways below, rushing to work or class, while students already sprawled across Umbral Park in the early sun.
He could have driven like this for hours. Watching Helion wake up still felt unreal.
Ryneth’s stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since last night.
“He told me you’d be looking for him,” Vandor said. “Eat first.”
Ryneth just nodded. He was not in the mood to talk, his eyes scanning the streets for any sign of Daven despite Vandor’s warning. Where had he gone for a run?
Just thinking about him made Ryneth’s palm tingle.
He felt the lack of Daven beside him more sharply than he expected.
