Be yourself

Jay

Father must have a meeting this morning. He's not in his office. I usually try to avoid him in the morning, but today is Rin's first day, so I wanted to be early. Anon isn't even here yet. He always beats me here.

-knock knock-

That must be Rin. Anon comes in. 

"Come in!" I say as I tidy my hair. 

Rin peeks in before he enters. Cute. 

"Good morning, Prince Jay," Rin says as he bows. 

HUH?? What is the sudden shift in behavior? This is not the Rin I was expecting. 

"Prince Jay, huh? You don't have to change the way you behave just because I'm your boss now. I find it off-putting, if I'm being honest. I prefer the smart ass persona." I say with a smile. 

Rin is hesitant. Why is he acting so reserved? Since we came to the palace, he has been acting differently. I know I don't know him very well, but it still doesn't seem right. 

"Come on, man. I don't like the people working right next to me to be too formal. It makes me nervous. Just act like you usually do. Please." I stand up and walk over to Rin, pushing him to sit on the couch in the center of the room. 

"Anon will be here soon, and then we will start with your contract and go over your duties as my bodyguard. Please speak up if you have any concerns. Now is the time to do so." I walk back to my chair and sit down. 

Rin looks around the room before saying, "Honestly, this is pretty stressful. I never thought I would meet a royal, let alone live in the palace and work for one. I don't think Anon and the other employees appreciate my presence either. I'm just trying my best to fit into a place where I don't belong. I'm sorry for making you nervous and uncomfortable." 

Rin picks at his fingers again. Man, we have to fix that bad habit. 

"Who says you don't belong? Anon? The other staff? They don't have a say in the matter. I am the only one who does. Well, my father does, too, but that's beside the point. You are going to be treated differently because you are different. You are going to be put in danger daily for my sake. I want to make things comfortable for you while you are here. So, please just be yourself and let me know if anyone else gives you any shit. Only I'm allowed to do that." I say with a giant grin. 

I didn't even think of how he might be feeling about living here. I should have been more observant. Anon is always like this with anyone who gets close to me. It's beginning to be too much. I will have to talk to him.

While we wait for Anon, I explain my day-to-day life to Rin: Royal council meetings, budget meetings, general royal affairs and appearances, and treasury duties. Rin looks exhausted just from the explanation of my job. I feel his pain. It gets to be too much sometimes. I grew up in this environment, so I'm used to it, but Rin isn't. He's just an ordinary person. 

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Rin asks, rubbing his temple. 

I look at my schedule. 

"Seems I have a lunch meeting with the foreign affairs minister about imports and exports. That's the only thing I have to leave the palace for. Lucky first day, right? Haha," I say while forcing a chuckle. 

This is actually bad. The foreign affairs minister is a real asshole. He is close to my father, and he is trusted by everyone on the royal council, too. I don't know how Rin will behave if the minister causes trouble. I will have to hope he won't be interested in Rin.

Anon shows up and is shocked by the fact that I arrived before him. He predictably was short with Rin through the whole contract signing process. It's probably because Anon stayed up most of the night to draft it. Rin, however, gave an attitude right back. It was nice to see. I don't like them arguing, but at least Rin is acting like himself again. Maybe he can't help it when it comes to Anon. It's the birth of a rivalry. They're competing for my attention. I like it. After dealing with all the paperwork and explaining his duties, we set off to my lunch meeting. 

"You need to get a license, Rin. I will help you study. I need a bodyguard who is able to drive." I say

Rin scowls at me. 

"I am able to drive, just not legally here," Rin says in an annoyed tone. 

What does he mean by "here"? He was born and raised in Dalmane. He shouldn't be legally allowed to drive anywhere else. What a strange way to say that. 

"This is what you get for making a rash decision. You didn't think this through, and now I am the one paying for it. Thanks, Your Highness." Anon grumbles. 

"Oh, shut up! You had to come anyway. Don't be a prick." I say with a smirk. 

Anon actually listens to me and shuts up. The rest of the ride is in awkward silence. Just lovely.

We pull up to the restaurant with a few minutes to spare. We decided to head in, any way, so Rin could check out the layout. Before we could make it inside, an extremely buff-looking man walks up behind Rin and attempts to grab him. Rin dodges him without even turning around. How did he know he was there? Rin turns to face the man and is stunned by his appearance. 

"Dude, when did you learn a move like that? Did Parker make you practice with him again? I keep telling him you're too weak to be a good practice partner. Bwahahaha!" The man wraps his arm around Rin's neck and starts rubbing his knuckles on Rin's head. 

"LET GO! Who the fuck are you?" Rin shouts. 

The guy is taken aback. 

"Harsh, man. I know we broke up, but don't act like this. We've been friends since high school. Aren't we cool now?" The man says while straightening Rin's clothes. 

WHAT?! They dated? So Rin is gay? Hm, I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm even more intrigued now. This guy is full of surprises. The funny part is he is surprised by it too. I find this very amusing. I'm glad I hired you, Mr. Grace.