"I did go to Gold Leaf," Rai replied, keeping his voice carefully neutral and composed. He offered a slight, polite nod, but he certainly wasn't about to start beaming at a stranger who had hijacked his desk.
"I knew it!" the guy laughed, completely unbothered by Rai's cool demeanor. He possessed an energetic, easygoing vibe that practically radiated off him in waves, the kind of infectious enthusiasm that usually exhausted introverted people just by looking at them.
"I'm Julian. I was a year under you back at Gold Leaf. You probably don't remember me though. It's nice to see you again."
Rai did a quick mental calculation. A year younger. That made Julian the exact same age as Zade.
'Maybe Zade knows him?'
"I see," Rai said simply, taking a small step back to restore a comfortable boundary between them. "Nice to meet you, Julian."
