—make yourself at home. I’m sorry.” The door slid open, and while Jainan was still pushing himself up, protests on the tip of his tongue, Kiem had left.

The door slid shut before Jainan could reach it. He stood frozen in front of it, his hand just outside the reach of the sensor trigger, the blank, white surface only inches from his face. He could go through. It wasn’t locked.

But what would he say? There was no way to fix this.

He turned away. Kiem had made his intentions clear: Jainan had the whole room to himself, and Kiem would make his own arrangements. Jainan looked at the bed. Everything in him recoiled. He briefly entertained the thought of sleeping on a chair, or on the floor, but dismissed the idea as ridiculous. He was not someone who made dramatic gestures. He was practical, and discreet, and a dependable partner. He didn’t have to be liked.

He lay back on the bed and stared at the white ceiling. Sleep would come. It always did.

CHAPTER 5

“I’m going to geo-tag you,” Bel informed Kiem when he came through the door the next morning. “I checked all your usual breakfast spots and couldn’t find you. I even checked the janitors’ canteen. Answer your messages.”

“Sorry,” Kiem said, swallowing the last of his breakfast roll. Morning light streamed through the window, highlighting the folded bedsheet on the back of the sofa more clearly than he would have liked. The bedroom door was still shut.

He assumed Jainan was asleep. “I went for a walk.”

Bel gave him a disbelieving look. “By yourself?”

“Yeah,” Kiem said. Bel didn’t lose the skeptical look. He added, “I met a security guard when I was in the Ash Garden. We had a nice chat. Told me about tree borers or something.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Bel said. “I was starting to think you were coming down with something.” She flicked her fingers and sent his calendar to the wall screen. “You’re down to meet the Auditor this afternoon. The Resolution calls it instation, but I understand it’s just an official confirmation of you two as the Thean representatives.”

“Great, great,” Kiem said. He supposed it couldn’t go worse than last night.

“I’m ready to be instated. I’m so official and responsible it makes elderly monks weep. What else?”

“You’re still scheduled for a College event this morning. Are you planning to go to it, or has the Emperor given you a new schedule now that you’re married?”