"I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you. Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo."
~Hailee Steinfeld, 'Starving'

~~~

*Zon's POV*

"You did WHAT?!" Hwa shrieks, jaw dropped and eyes wide. I purse my lips, wanting to scream along  with Hwa but choosing to remain calm. My upbringing was every bit as strict as Tutor's and Hwa's, but I'm not as comfortable being as loud and open as they are. My parents have made it clear that I'm already a disappointment, and I don't want to prove them right.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Tutor scolds, lightly smacking her arm. "I don't want the whole palace to hear."

"You've been hooking up with Fighter," Hwa hisses quietly. "Why didn't you tell us sooner??"

Tutor rolls his eyes. "It's not like I can just call you whenever I want. You know how my father is. The day he finally lets me have a cell phone is the day when Hell freezes over."

"He is pretty old-fashioned," I muse, glancing at Tutor warily. "It makes me wonder..."

"What?"

"Well... what do you think your father will think of you being gay?" I ask him. "From what I know of the king, he prefers to live in the past. Do you think he'll be very... accepting?"

Tutor's eyes darken as he looks down at his lap. "I've tried talking to him about this before," he admits quietly. "He interrupted me before I could come out to him, and to make things worse, he—"

He snaps his mouth shut, fidgeting with his fingers.

"What did he do, Tutor?" Hwa asks as she sits next to Tutor on his bed.

Tutor chews his bottom lip nervously. "He said it's time for me to find a wife."

Hwa and I gasp simultaneously, gaping at Tutor with round eyes. Tutor's getting married??

"What are you going to do?" Hwa questions, tucking a strand of her silky dark hair behind her ear.

Tutor shrugs while shaking his head. "I have no idea. I'll go on the dates he sets up for me, but... I don't see how I'm supposed to marry someone I could never love."

"I'm so sorry, Tutor," I reach over to take his hand comfortingly. "I do have to ask though... did you already know this when you started this fling with Fighter?"

He narrows his dark eyes at me. "It's not a fling. We like each other... I think. I like him, at least. He's never directly said he feels the same way about me, aside from physical attraction."

"Regardless," I say pointedly, "did you already know you would have to get married when you started this kind of relationship with Fighter?"

Tutor's gaze falls to his lap as he whispers, "Yes."

Pity settles in my chest. Tutor started a relationship with Fighter, knowing he'll have to eventually end it once he finds a bride. To make things worse, Tutor has genuine feelings for Fighter.

It's a recipe for heartbreak, and Hwa and I will be here to gather up his shattered pieces.

"Does Fighter know?" Hwa asks, sadness reflecting in her eyes as she sits on the opposite side of Tutor.

"He does," Tutor admits. "We discussed it briefly once, but we haven't talked about it since. I know what you're both thinking. It's clear on your faces. You think I'm reckless and stupid for starting something with Fighter when I'm supposed to be getting married."

"Can you blame us?" Hwa scoffs softly.

As one of my best friends, I want Tutor to be with whoever he wants to be with. But I also don't want to see him get hurt. And I don't see a way for this to end without Tutor getting his heart broken.

Tutor falls silent for a moment, gazing out the window in contemplation. "If I'm going to be forced to pretend I'm straight for the rest of my life, I'm going to have at least one epic romance with that gorgeous man first."

Hwa and I exchange glances before sighing. The tone in Tutor's voice lets us know that he's made up his mind. Stubborn and strong-willed, we know we're not going to be able to change his mind.

"Well, if you're going to continue this steamy love affair," Hwa wiggles her eyebrows, "I'm going to sneak you in a cell phone. I can't keep waiting until we get to come over to hear the dirty deets."

Tutor rolls his eyes. "As if I would even tell you any private information," he retorts, making Hwa pout.

I grin at them before standing up. "I'm going to the bathroom," I announce, leaving the room and heading down the hall.

Once I finish in the bathroom, I open the door and immediately yelp. An extremely tall man towers above me, and I have to crane my neck to look up at him. It doesn't help that I'm already shorter than most men my age, but this guy really does seem like a giant.

"Sorry, my lord," the man — Saifah, I believe — smirks at me. For some reason, the way he said 'my lord' sends a shiver up my spine.

"It's fine," I squeak embarrassingly before clearing my throat. "It's fine," I repeat in a deeper voice.

He chuckles breathily, leaning his arm over his head against the door frame as he grins down at me. "Do you remember me, Lord Zon? I'll be sad if you say you don't remember my name."

"S-Saifah," I stammer as my brain short-circuits. Shit, why does this guy have such an effect on me?

Despite his massive height and broad shoulders, Saifah has an adorable innocence to his smile that I find endearing. His eyes resemble a begging puppy, making my heart skip a beat.

"I'm glad," Saifah smiles. "That would've made this really awkward."

My brows furrow as I open my mouth to ask him what he means, but he suddenly pushes me back into the bathroom. He doesn't push me hard; just enough to make me stumble back a few feet as he follows me in and closes the door behind us.

"W-What are you doing?!" I question nervously, cheeks heating up as my heart races a mile a minute.

"I've seen you around, you know. A lot," Saifah says as he backs me up into the sink counter. He places his hands on the edges of the counter on either sides of me, locking me in place. "You seem really close with the prince."

"I'm just friends with Tutor," I explain quickly, although I want to smack myself for feeling the need to even explain myself to him.

Saifah smiles, causing a flurry of butterflies to erupt in my stomach. "I know. Tutor doesn't strike me as the type of person to date two people at once."

"Wait, you know about him and Fighter?"

"Fighter's been in love with the prince for years. He's my best friend, of course I would know they started seeing each other."

I nod my head slowly before remembering how close Saifah is to my face. My eyes widen and I press my hands against his chest, holding him back.

"D-Don't stand so close to me! It's weird!" I order, earning a lopsided grin from the giant.

To my surprise, Saifah does what I ask and backs up until he's leaning against the opposite wall. My heart is pounding in my chest as I eye him warily.

"I would never do something to make you uncomfortable, my lord," Saifah reassures softly, and my heart rate begins to calm down.

"Zon," I tell him, making him blink in surprise. "Y-You don't have to keep saying 'my lord'. Just Zon is fine."

"Zon," Saifah echoes, as if testing out my name on his tongue. The thought sends a confusing thrill throughout my body. "I'll keep that in mind."

I look up at him, my breath catching in my throat. He's really handsome... I've seen him around the palace before and recognized that he's good-looking, but being this close to him allows me to see how handsome he really is.

He has soft brown eyes, filled with a kindness that puts me at ease. His smile is tender and friendly, and I find myself unconsciously staring at his lips.

A blush rushes to my cheeks, and I awkwardly clear my throat. "If that's all, I need to get back to my friends."

Not waiting for his response, I quickly push past him and rush back to Tutor's room. I slam the door shut behind me, earning odd looks from Tutor and Hwa.

"What the hell happened to you?" Hwa bluntly questions. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-I'm fine!" I shout louder than necessary. "I ran into Saifah in the hall."

Hwa hums with an amused smile, casting a sideways glance to Tutor. The prince quirks an eyebrow as he stares at me with a small grin.

"Maybe I should move into the palace," Hwa muses, leaning back on the bed. "You both found hot guys, perhaps it's my turn."

My face burns with embarrassment. "Shut up" I grumble, hugging myself tightly. Hwa giggles as Tutor's smile widens.

They're wrong. There's nothing going on between me and that giant. Nothing at all.

...so why is the image of his smile still burning in my memory?

~~~

A little look into SaiZon!

I feel like their story is more of a challenge since we didn't get to see their full story. I try to keep my character's original personalities, writing with the thought: "how would this character respond to this situation?"
(For example, in IOTH, I kept Type and Tharn's original personalities, and wrote based on how I think they would respond to a werewolf universe)

I hope that made sense lol

Anyyywaaayyyy I'm excited for the next chapter! I bet you guys will be too 😏

See you next time!
-Gumbie