You could eat anchovy every day and wash as rarely as that Edgard fellow. You could be followed around by a children's choir that's constantly singing.
[ He returns to massaging that foot as they move away from sincerity and into something far more comfortable. ]
Ah, but just wait for the best part -- [ He dredges up a wry smile aimed for the edge of his bowl. ] I don't want to be alone. That's the motivation behind going with her.
[ He wiggles his toes again—nails neatly trimmed, thank you—and the feigned cockiness bleeds out of him, even though he doesn’t move much. What’s left behind is settled and happy, relaxed from the foot up, watching Byerly’s eyelashes move. ]
Well, you could grow your hair long and begin braiding it into your beard. Just one long uninterrupted— [ a hand is freed from behind him to illustrate the sweep of hair from head down to chest. ] Or you could become that fellow who is always laughing loudly at the wrong moment at the theatre. You could insist on calling your dick Little Byerly. You could even make me do it.
[ He does. And that's what makes him feel guilty. He's still got that itch of discomfort over the fact that - well, that Vanadi loved him. Or says he did. And for Byerly, it had been just a pleasant little fling.
(And so what? How many relationships have been like that in the past? Maker.) ]
It could be a fine opportunity to meet more people. You don't want your only friend to be the person you're screwing. It makes things extra miserable if something goes wrong.
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