ARDENT

Chapter 7

' 𝑺𝑾𝑬𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 '

Early in the morning, Kaito climbed out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom to freshen up. It seemed a bit weird and crazy to decide to schedule an appointment with administrators, but he was determined.

Heading downstairs, he noticed Caden was already up, flashing his pearly white smile.

"Morning?" Kaito said, his brow furrowed in confusion as he gathered his coat and cross bag.

Caden smiled back. "Hey," he replied. "I thought we should go together."

Kaito paused, turning to face the excited Caden. "What are you up to?" he questioned, suspicion evident in his eyes.

Caden was quick to come up with an excuse, puckering his lips slightly. "Uh, looking towards college tour," he said, trying to make it sound convincing. Kaito squinted at him, still suspicious.

"Mhm," he responded skeptically.

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Driving to the campus grounds, the boys were amazed by the structures they passed. Caden scoffed, "You know, maybe I'll find some hot, rich girl here who'll be my baby mama," flashing a grin.

"I bet you would trap someone," Kaito responded dryly as he parked the vehicle.

Exiting the car, they walked towards the main entrance. As they approached the desk, the woman behind it lifted her head, her expression showing shock at the sight of two handsome young men standing before her.

Caden smiled, "hello," his tone soothing as he spoke. Kaito nudged Caden's shoulder, glaring at him. "Don't start," he warned firmly.

The woman adjusted her glasses, her eyes darting between the two. "Uh, why-why hello," she stammered nervously.

Returning the smile, Kaito introduced themselves. "I'm Kaito Lee Young, and this is Caden Kavinsky. We're here for a college tour. We signed up and everything, just seeing about joining the college." Kaito played up the charm, sensing the girl's shyness and slight terror.

Caden stared more intensely than Kaito, which only seemed to enhance their appeal.

The woman behind the desk blushed slightly, her fingers fumbling with some papers. "Oh, uh, yes, of course. Let me just check the list," she said, quickly scanning through the names.

After a moment, she nodded. "Yes, I see you both here. Welcome to our campus! I'll give you a brief overview before sending you off on the tour," she said, her confidence growing.

As she began her spiel, Kaito and Caden listened attentively, occasionally exchanging glances and smirks at each other's reactions.

After the introduction, the woman led them to join a group of other prospective students. Kaito and Caden fell into step with the crowd, their heads turning to take in the campus surroundings.

Kaito shrugged, "I don't know, maybe because you tagged along on this tour?"

Caden chuckled, "Fair point. But I'm just checking out the options, you know? Gotta keep my options open."

Kaito nodded, understanding. "Yeah, I get it. But this place seems...pretty good so far."

Caden grinned, "We'll see about that. I've got a lot of places to compare it to."

As they continued the tour, Kaito couldn't shake the feeling that Caden was keeping something from him.

"This place is huge," Caden muttered, his eyes scanning the buildings and grounds.