Page 15 of Prince Material (The Prince Pact #2)

ORSON

The bass from the frat house speakers vibrated through my bones as we approached, and I already regretted letting Floris talk me into this. Halloween parties weren’t my thing. Too many people, too much chaos, too many opportunities for things to go wrong.

But he’d looked so excited when he’d asked, those green eyes lighting up as he described the “quintessential American college experience” we needed to have.

He’d been almost giddy to discover that VTC did, in fact, have frat parties.

The fact that I’d survived three years here without ever attending one was apparently not convincing proof it wasn’t all that quintessential.

It was getting harder and harder to say no every time Floris invited me to do something. My almost consistent rejections didn’t seem to deter him from asking again, which somehow made me feel guilty.

Plus, I liked spending time with him. He was funny and kind, caring and smart, and he had this aura about him, this charm that drew me to him like a damn moth to a flame. And he was so, so freaking hot. Sharing a room with him had become the sweetest kind of torture.

“You okay?” Floris asked beside me, his hand brushing my arm.

He was dressed as Han Solo, because of course he was.

The costume suited him perfectly—that casual confidence, the way he carried himself like he owned any room he walked into.

Meanwhile, I’d cobbled together what passed for a Luke Skywalker outfit, mainly because Floris had insisted we needed matching costumes and I’d been too flustered by his enthusiasm to argue.

“Fine,” I lied, adjusting my glasses. “I’m processing.”

His smile was knowing. “We don’t have to stay long. Just long enough to say we did it, yeah?”

The fact that he was already offering an escape route brought such warmth inside. Two months ago, I would’ve sworn the “Party Prince” wouldn’t understand my discomfort with crowds. But Floris had proven to be full of surprises.

Inside, the party was exactly what I’d expected—too loud, too crowded, and definitely violating several fire codes.

Red cups littered every surface, and the air was thick with the smell of cheap beer and cheaper cologne.

Fake cobwebs draped the ceiling, and someone had arranged plastic skeletons in questionable poses throughout the room.

Floris’s face lit up as he took it all in. “This is brilliant! Look at that skeleton doing a keg stand!”

I couldn’t help smiling at his enthusiasm. Everything about American college life seemed to delight him, from the dining hall’s mysterious “meatloaf surprise” to the ancient washing machines that ate socks. His joy was infectious, making even this chaos seem almost bearable.

“Prince Charming!” A voice called out, and I turned to see a guy from Floris’s calculus study group approaching. Mike? Mark? Something with an M. “You made it!”

“Matt!” Floris’s grin widened. Of course he remembered everyone’s name. “Nice costume!”

Matt was dressed as what I assumed was supposed to be a zombie frat boy, though he mostly looked like someone who’d lost a fight with a make-up kit. “Thanks! You guys want drinks? We’ve got this stuff called ‘witch’s brew’ that’ll knock your socks off.”

I opened my mouth to decline, but Floris beat me to it. “Maybe later. We just got here, want to look around first.”

Matt nodded, already distracted by someone else calling his name. “Cool, cool. Catch you later!”

As he disappeared into the crowd, I gave Floris a look. “Prince Charming?”

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…”

I quirked an eyebrow. “The matching costumes aren’t enough to convince you?”

James blinked as if registering our characters for the first time. “Yeah, but he’s?—”

“Not interested,” I finished for him, surprising myself with how steady my voice sounded. “Now, if you’ll excuse us?”

I took Floris’s hand, ignoring the way my heart jumped at the contact, and led him away from the increasingly awkward situation.

We didn’t stop until we reached the back porch, where the cool, night air helped calm down my temper.

My mom always said it took a lot to ignite it but once it did, it burned hot.

“Thank you,” Floris said quietly, still holding my hand. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did.” I reluctantly let go of his hand, already missing its warmth. “You looked uncomfortable.”

“I was.” He leaned against the porch railing, moonlight catching the green in his eyes. “Usually, I’m better at handling those situations, but after… Well, you know. The video. I get nervous about causing scenes now.”

The admission made my chest ache. “You shouldn’t have to handle them at all. No means no, drunk or not.”

His smile was soft, genuine in a way his public ones rarely were. “My hero.”

“Shut up.” But I was smiling too, unable to help myself. “I was being a friend.”

“A very convincing boyfriend, you mean.” His eyes sparkled with amusement. “The way you stepped in all protective and commanding? Oscar-worthy performance.”

Heat crept up my neck. “It was the first thing I could think of.”

“Well, it worked perfectly.” Then, before I could process what was happening, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. “Thank you, Orson. Really.”

The spot where his lips had touched my skin burned like a brand. “You’re welcome,” I managed, hoping the darkness hid my blush.

We stood in comfortable silence for a while, watching the stars peek through scattered clouds.

The music from inside was muted out here, and the October air carried the damp, earthy scent of wet leaves.

My cheek still tingled where his lips had touched it, and I tried very hard not to think about how natural it had felt to call myself his boyfriend, to hold his hand.

“Want to head back?” Floris asked. “I’m done with this party. We could grab some hot chocolate from the vending machine, maybe watch a movie?”

The offer was tempting, more tempting than it should have been. “Yeah,” I said, trying to ignore how much I liked the sound of “we” in his voice. “That sounds good.”

As we walked back across campus, Floris stayed close, our shoulders occasionally brushing. The contact sent little sparks through me each time, and I was hyper-aware of his presence.

“You know,” he said after a while, “you’re pretty good at the whole knight in shining armor thing.”

I snorted. “Says the actual prince.”

“Hey, some of us prefer to be the damsel in distress occasionally.” His tone was light, but there was something underneath it. “It’s nice, having someone willing to step in like that. ”

The vulnerability in his voice made my chest tight. “Any time.”

“Careful, I might hold you to that.”

“I mean it.” The words came out more intense than I’d intended. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of situation alone.”

Floris was quiet for a moment, and when I glanced at him, his expression was thoughtful. “You’ll make some lucky guy an amazing boyfriend one day.”

The simple honesty in his voice made me glow on the inside. Dangerous territory, I reminded myself. I had goals, responsibilities. I couldn’t afford to get distracted by how the moonlight caught his eyes or how his hand kept brushing mine as we walked.

But maybe, just for tonight, I could let myself enjoy this moment. After all, what harm could one cup of hot chocolate do?

“Race you to the vending machines?” Floris suggested, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

I laughed. “In these costumes?”

“Why not? Let Worcester see Luke Skywalker and Han Solo sprinting through the Commons. Give them something to talk about.”

And before I could protest, he was off, his long legs eating up the ground. I hesitated for only a moment before following, my own laughter joining his in the cool October night.

For once, I didn’t think about my father’s sacrifice or my carefully planned future. I ran, chasing the sound of Floris’s laughter and ignoring the truth that took root in my heart.

Because I was definitely in trouble. Big, big trouble.