<i>He stood in front of his father's home office with dread. He didn't know what could be running through the man's head. He had been doing perfectly well in his studies and he behaved like a Saint at the charity banquet his father threw last night. As if his father cared about charity of any kind. He was a politician and a business man way before he was a caring human being. James drew in a steeling breath, and opened the door.<br/>
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His father's office seemed to be specifically designed to make him the first thing you noticed in the room, though his presence alone commanded attention. He motioned wordlessly for James to come closer, and as always with his father's orders, James obeyed.<br/>
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"You needed to see me, sir?" James started.<br/>
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"Explain this to me," is all his father said, before sliding his tablet across the desk. On the screen was a gossip article from a well-known bottom-feeding 'celebrity news' website. The headline was some cheap pun, just vague enough to draw attention. What mattered was the picture beneath it, that showed James cuddled up with another boy on the beach. Luckily the other boy's face was obscured. Not so luckily, James's wasn't.<br/>
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"I-I, uhm..." James stammered.<br/>
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"We've been over this. Whatever you do with whoever is none of my business. But, it becomes my business when the public sees you. Our family has a reputation to uphold, and I won't have you sullying it by--"<br/>
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"He's just a friend!" He hadn't meant to have the outburst. His head was pounding just at the thought of another lecture from his father about why he can't live his life the way he wants to. About how everything he does has to be in the best interest of their reputation. He tensed and squeezed his eyes shut. He waited for his father to yell at him, to scold him for daring to interrupt him, not to mention to speak out against him.<br/>
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"That will be all, James," his father said, dismissively, as if he hadn't even heard James. James opened his eyes in surprise that he was being let go so easily, and couldn't help but feel even more uneasy. "Get back to your studies. And I'd better not hear about anything like this happening again with one of your 'friends'."</i><br/><br/><br/><br/>That was a few years ago now, but the memory was still fresh in James's mind. He was just finishing up getting ready in Kat's guest room. The room's bed was a bit short for the 6'3 young man, but being here was more efficient than getting ready alone in his own house. He smoothed out his vest in the mirror as he heard Kat call out for him.<br/><br/><br/><br/>"Yes and thank you again for letting me stay over, Katelynn," James said, the words smoothly flowing from his baritone voice.<br/><br/><br/><br/>He hadn't yet looked at his phone in his pocket, despite the back and forth messages blowing it up. Instead, he made sure to examine his present for Avalon. A lovely jewelry box encrusted with actual amethysts, exquisite yet tasteful. It was protectively placed in the gift box with styrofoam to prevent damage, and wrapped neatly with a bow. Before he left the room, he made sure to take his one of his metal water bottles with him. He had a water cooler-sized jug as it was of utmost importance that he remained hydrated at all times, in case of danger. However, it wouldn't look very elegant to lug that around everywhere he went, so he usually left it at his own house, and took a metal water bottle with him everywhere he went instead, of which he had several.<br/><br/><br/>He finally looked down at his phone as he stepped out of the room.<br/><br/><br/><b><u>The Circle (and Nina</u></b>)<br/><br/>Thank you, Adam. I'm quite excited to see all of you again. Happy Birthday, Avalon.