Page 32 of Shelf-Made Man
After a moment, Alfie stood and, light-footed, crossed to where Tobias sat. He spoke quietly. “Is this because you are a troll? Are you trying to prove that you’re not beastly like the others?”
Tobias was more fatigued than angry. “I’m not tryingto prove anything. Look, I might not have known my true identity until today, but Idoknow I’m not a murderous asshole. My mother raised me better than that. In fact….”
He stood, which made Alfie retreat a few steps. Tobias wasn’t trying to intimidate him, but he was going to make a little speech and felt he ought to do so on his feet instead of slouched in the torture chair.
“My mother marched for women’s rights and gay rights. She volunteered with community organizations to mentor young people of color. When she saw injustice, she spoke up. She wrote letters, cornered politicians in their offices, donated money, posted signs, gave lectures…. She made her voice heard. And as a single parent, she took in a baby troll and made sure he always knew he was loved. She taught me that nobody should abuse their power, and that it was worth making personal sacrifices for important causes. She also taught me that if a battle is important enough, sometimes you need to fight it even if you know you’re going to lose. Especially when nobody else is going to rise to the challenge.”
For a moment, his little audience simply stared. Then Aunt Virginia stood, came to him, and wrapped him in a gardenia-scented embrace. “I am so proud of you, Toby. Your mother would be too.”
He hugged her back—gently, because she felt frail—and they both sniffled a bit. Then she pinched his cheek and returned to her chair.
That left Alfie, standing like a statue of an elf in poorly fitting clothing, his eyes as bright asflames. He came closer to Tobias—and then dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “Please forgive me,” he said, his gaze trained on the floor.
It took a moment for Tobias to recover enough to answer. “For what?”
“I have behaved abominably. Your behavior on my behalf has been nothing less than heroic—I acknowledged this myself—and I have distrusted you, maligned you. I have treated you poorly, Tobias, and for that I am deeply sorry.”
“You’ve had terrible experiences with trolls. I’m a troll.”
“And I have judged you by that rather than by your actions, which was a terrible thing to do. And Iknewbetter! I saw your beauty from the very beginning, and yet I stupidly turned away from that.”
Kneeling must be uncomfortable for a guy who was still recovering from torture. Tobias held out a hand and helped Alfie to his feet. “I think I’m a pretty decent person, but I’m not beautiful. You don’t have to?—”
“But you are!” Alfie grasped Tobias’s hands with his own. “Don’t you understand? Just as trolls have particular talents, so do elves. One of those is that when we look upon a person, we see past their skin and faces and bodies. We see their true selves. That is how we judge beauty. And you, Tobias, are gorgeous.”
That wasn’t an adjective Tobias had ever expected to be applied to him, but Alfie seemed sincere. Deciding that this was one of those situations where actions spoke louder than words, Tobias grabbedAlfie’s shoulders, bent a bit, and gave him a kiss. He wasn’t sure whether Alfie wanted this, so it was a tentative kiss at first. Just the gentlest connection of lips. But Alfie immediately made a desperate sort of moan and threw himself into the activity wholeheartedly. As Tobias had noted before, he tasted like mint.
It was the type of kiss that made you momentarily forget that ill-behaved trolls were trying to kill you and that you were standing in the middle of your godmother’s parlor. For a brief time, nothing in two worlds mattered except that kiss. It was monumental.
But kisses cannot go on forever, unfortunately. Alfie and Tobias separated, both of them breathless and wide-eyed. Aunt Virginia, meanwhile, was watching with an expression of satisfaction. “That, Toby, is the way to carpe your diem. Well done.” She stood and brushed imaginary crumbs from her clothing.
“Sorry, Aunt Virginia. I’m being rude. I’ll just?—”
“You’ll do nothing at this moment. You two are going to stay—no arguing, boy—where you’ll be safe from attack.”
Alfie argued for him, which was a nice change. “My lady, you are exceedingly generous. But we cannot stay here like caged birds.”
“Nobody knows that better than I do. Sometimes a prison is mistaken for a refuge. But you can spend tonight, at least, and face your difficulties in the morning, refreshed. My spare bedroom hasn’t been used in decades, and I haven’t had the opportunity to entertainsince… well, it’s been far too long. Besides, it’s the holidays. I will provide a festive meal for all of us today, the pair of you will get a nice night’s sleep, and you’ll be ready in the morning to conquer your demons.”
While Tobias was set on facing Snjokarl, he wasn’t in any hurry to do so this exact second. He’d experienced a series of trying days, and a little break would be nice. Besides, since this would likely be the last time he’d see Aunt Virginia, it would be nice to spend a little extra time with her.
“How can we help, my lady?” Alfie looked eager.
“Please get the spare room ready. You’ll find cleaning supplies and fresh linens in the closet. Feel free to get some rest as well. I’m just going to change and then I’ll go out for provisions.” She clapped her hands. “I find myself so looking forward to a holiday meal!”
Tobias glanced outside, where the sun shone brightly. “Um… I could go pick up groceries.”
“And risk getting attacked? I think not. I won’t order a delivery either.”
“But—”
“But I’m a recluse?” She smiled at him. “Yes, I honestly can’t remember the last time I went out in daylight except to a doctor appointment. But that, my dear, is because I am a great fool. I’m still alive, and I ought to act like it. If you can face an evil elf, I can most certainly do a bit of shopping.”
He thought he’d lost that cinnamon-roll feeling,but now it came back. He’d inspired Aunt Virginia to be brave.
Alfie, however, looked concerned. “Will you be safe, my lady? The trolls?—”
“They can’t harm me. Nor you, as long as you stay within this apartment. And I must get moving before the day grows later. I estimate that my errands will take approximately two hours.” She winked at Tobias before sweeping out of the room.
