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Of course, he was the absolute worst choice in terms of boyfriend material. Someone like him shouldn’t be with the beautiful and kind crown prince of Gaoxing. He was a trained killer with bloodstained hands.
He needed to get the fuck out of town before they both grew more attached than they already were.
So, it was only natural that instead of checking in with his people that night and making sure all the little assassins had moved on to new targets, he drifted off to sleep holding Jin against his chest.
And that instead of doing any of that when he woke the next morning, he got ready with Jin as if it were their normal routine and went down to have breakfast with the crown prince and his brother.
He was losing his grip. Jin’s world was swallowing him whole, and he wasn’t doing a damn thing to break free.
No, it was worse than that.
Qin had handed West his own schedule.
The times Jin was stuck in meetings West couldn’t sit in on, he was now taking discreet etiquette lessons so that he knew how to act in the presence of the two princes while others were around.
Jin leaned closer, tipping his head so that he could see what was on the paper, and it only made him frown. “Qin, what’s this?”
“It’s my doing, Dianxia,” West interjected, as Qin took a breath to answer. “During my fitting yesterday, I asked Qin for some pointers so that I didn’t embarrass or humiliate you or Prince Jin Ming Tao.”
The crown prince’s frown didn’t fade. “I don’t think I like this.” He continued to glare at the piece of paper as though it had insulted his family and all his ancestors.
West glanced around to find that none of the servants were close to their table. There was only Qin, and well, he’d already seen worse. He reached out and placed his hand over Jin’s, giving it a small squeeze before caressing his knuckles with his thumb. “It’s playing a part, so your people will believe that you chose someone like me. It won’t change anything between us when we’re alone behind closed doors.”
“Not someone like you,” Jin corrected, turning his hand so he could thread their fingers together. “I chose you and only you.”
“And I need to be worthy of that choice.”
“You’ve always been worthy. Since that first day in the tea shop.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to call Jin ridiculous, but he was pretty sure that was at the top of the “don’t” list in terms of royal etiquette: “Don’t call any member of the royal family ridiculous.”
Not that it mattered. A loud sigh stopped their conversation. They both looked across the table at the same time to find Ming Tao staring at them, his head resting in his hand and his elbow braced on the table. His expression could only be called lovesick.
“Do you have any single friends like you, Westin? Or maybe some siblings?” Ming Tao inquired in a weary, lovelorn voice.
“Male or female?” West replied with a chuckle.
“Yes, please.” Ming Tao sighed.
West shook his head as he released Jin’s hand so he could continue eating. “I’m an only child, and all my close friends have recently found their one true love. No one is single.”
Ming Tao groaned and straightened in his chair. “Fine, but I’m hitting you with a royal command to get more friends. Single friends. I want…” He paused and motioned between West and Jin with his chopsticks. “That. I want that.”
Jin laughed as he turned his attention back to his porridge. West grabbed his chopsticks but stopped when his phone vibrated in his pocket. There were very few people who could call him. He put the chopsticks on the side of his plate and grabbed his phone, his heart giving a strange little beat to see Kairo’s name flash across the screen. He’d not talked to the man in three days. This could be a simple check-in, or there was a new problem.
Or a job.
West swallowed hard, his eyes darting up to Jin. For the first time in his life, he prayed it wasn’t a job. He wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet.
But he also couldn’t abandon the team.
“Your friends?” Jin was smiling, but there was worry crowding his lovely eyes. West nodded. He couldn’t get any words out of his tight throat. “You can answer it. We have time.”
After putting aside his linen napkin with his free hand, West shoved to his feet and crossed the room. He answered the call a few steps from the table.
“Hey, K,” West greeted, trying to sound normal even though his heart was racing in his chest.
“Hey, West. How are things?” Kairo replied in a warm and friendly voice. Once the knot in his chest unwound a little, West had to admit that it was good to hear from him. He might be enjoying his time with Jin and even Ming Tao, but he missed everyone else and their unique brand of insanity.
