Page 19 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
"Uh-huh."
"And it's hardly any of your business."
"Right. Sure."
The charts told Geoffrey nothing. He kept staring at them, and nothing managed to get through the pain in his chest. Finally, he put them down and sank into his chair to bang his head against the desk. "I did a stupid, terrible thing, Cecil."
"Levels of ether… did you turn him into a grasshopper?"
"What? No. Why would I do that?"
Cecil shrugged. "It was the first terrible thing I could think of?"
"I don't know how to turn someone into a grasshopper."
"Maybe you should learn. It sounds like a useful skill." Cecil leaned against the inkwell. "Whatdidyou do?"
"I kissed him."
"Wait. I thought kissing was supposed to be nice."
Geoffrey groaned and banged his head again. "It is. It was. And then I panicked when he pulled away and told him I was just curious."
"I guess that's not good. I mean, I'd be curious, but that's probably not why he kissed you back. He did kiss you back?"
"He did. It was wonderful." Geoffrey put his head in his arms. Banging his forehead against stone wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done. "Then I said that stupid thing, and he… Oh, Cecil. He looked so upset. And I sat here like a lump and couldn't manage to say anything to fix it. Because words. Then he ran off."
"So you're upset cause he didn't stay for sex?"
"No. Cecil." Geoffrey drew in a long breath. He was, after all, not talking to a human. "I'm upset because he's upset. Because I hurt him. It was probably stupid to kiss him in the first place, but I didn't want to… to… make him feel like some curiosest."
"Curiosity?"
"Yes. That. I feel terrible, and I can't think right now."
Cecil sat down beside him, swinging his feet over the edge of the desk. "So you screwed up, boss. People do that. Especially humans. Maybe you should apologize."
"I'm sure he never wants to see me again."
"I'm sure you need to get over yourself and give the poor half-demon an explanation. So he's not thinking of himself as some kind of traveling show exhibit or something."
"You're very pushy for a minion."
Cecil patted his arm. "You know I'm right."
"He'll be at work now."
"You know where he lives. Go visit tonight."
Geoffrey buried his head farther into his arms. "Go away, Cecil."
The lengthy silence indicated that Cecil had, indeed, gone away.Why am I so bad with people? I knew it was the wrong thing to say when I said it and still said it.
You know why. You thought he was regretting the kiss and wanted to throw up your own wall first.
That's not what happened. I just made a stupid mistake.
Two words for you. Cormac. Brightwings.
