Page 33 of Shelf-Made Man
That meant Tobias and Alfie were alone, which was a bit awkward. A lot of emotions had passed between them today. Tobias knew what hewantedto do—grab Alfie and make out until they were unconscious from lack of oxygen—but he didn’t know what heoughtto do. Or what Alfie wanted.
Luckily Alfie saved him. “Shall we go prepare the room, as she suggested?” He smiled.
“Okay.”
Tobias hadn’t actually been in this room since he was a young boy. He and his mother used to sleep there during their visits—she on the bed and he in a nest of cushions and blankets on the floor. It had changed very little since then, with an ornate four-poster still dominating the space. There was also a shelf stuffed with books and a dresser that matched the bed. Although the furniture was made of dark wood, the room was far from gloomy, thanks to the large windows with views of the bay. One of the windows had a built-in seat, and as a child Tobias had loved sitting there and watching the activity on land and water below.
“The photos are of you.” Alfie turned slowly as he took in the decorations on the walls.
“And Mom, yeah.” School pictures of each of them from every year, along with high school and university graduation shots. But also a few photos of the two of them together—at the beach, at Disneyland, in the desert—with Mom looking radiant. None of it had the feeling of a shrine, but he had the sense that these photos were important to Aunt Virginia.
“Your mother was stunning. Such a beautiful family!”
They were, weren’t they? Tobias had thought he lacked Alfie’s elfin skills to see inner beauty, but it turned out that wasn’t true.
As promised, the closet contained a set of lavender-scented sheets, along with a broom and dustpan, a dusting cloth, and a few other odds and ends. More than enough, since aside from a bedding change, the room didn’t need more than a quick tidy. Tobias wondered whether Aunt Virginia had a maid service or managed the cleaning herself.
“Oh, look at that!” exclaimed Alfie, pointing at a large box made of clear plastic.
“Holiday decorations. Aunt Virginia used to let me put them out.”
Alfie’s eyes sparkled. “Do you think she’d mind if we did that now? I don’t want to upset her, but some holiday cheer wouldn’t go amiss.”
No, Tobias decided, it wouldn’t. “Why don’t you godecorate the dining room while I tackle this room? There’s not much to do in here.”
In answer, Alfie danced close, tugged Tobias down for a kiss on the cheek, and then grabbed the box and danced away. The entire time that Tobias swept, dusted, and made the bed, his skin tingled where Alfie had touched him.
His task was soon complete, and when he went to check on Alfie, Tobias gasped at what he found. In a short time period and with only a box of simple ornaments, Alfie had transformed the dining room into a holiday marvel. Glass ornaments in gold, silver, red, and green hung from the chandelier and were scattered artfully on the large table. Artificial tree boughs that looked real were twisted around the curtain rods, helping to frame another lovely bay view. Electric candles flickered on the tabletop, the sideboard, and the windowsills. And in the center of the table, several small porcelain elves were perched on skis with wrapped gifts in their hands.
“Not bad, yes?” Alfie looked very pleased with himself.
Tobias pointed at the elves. “They’re not enchanted too, are they?”
“I don’t believe so. They sayMade in Chinaon the bottom.”
That was a relief. Tobias was thrilled to have met Alfie, but a single elf had certainly brought a sleighful of problems. He didn’t want to think what half a dozencould do. Besides, he couldn’t wish from the bottom of his heart for all of them to be real.
“When will the countess return?” Alfie asked. There was a certain sparkle in his eyes.
Tobias glanced at his watch. “Hour and a half, I guess.”
“Time enough.”
“For wha?—”
Before Tobias could complete the question, Alfie had grabbed his hand and was dragging him toward the bedroom. He was fairly strong. But Tobias was a lot bigger and hadn’t been tortured or turned into a doll, so in theory he could have resisted.
He didn’t.
As soon as they were inside the spare room, Alfie shoved the door closed and threw himself into Tobias’s arms. It felt wonderful to Tobias, just holding him, feeling his solid body and the warm tickle of his breath. His pointed ears flushed rose-pink.
“I behaved like an ass and treated you atrociously. If you are too angry or hurt to want me, I understand. I’ll?—”
Tobias kissed him.
Yes, he had been upset, but he also understood why Alfie had behaved as he had, and Alfie had admitted he was wrong and apologized. Tobias wasn’t prone to holding grudges. And he felt deeply for this creature who had brought literal magic into his mundane life and had helped him understand himself. Not just the part about being a troll, but the rest as well. Because ofAlfie, Tobias considered himself brave and capable and, well, heroic.
Also, Alfie felt lovely and smelled like candy.
