(no subject)

[sunburned]

And there comes a point where he simply can't stay away any longer; there's no force in the world that would make him. He slept at Julie's, and he's drawn by the time he reappears, hair damp from a quick shower.

"Laurence?" he calls. "Will, are you home?"

That Julie is here with him makes perfect sense. This is a conversation that they all need to be a part of, after all.

Comments

[kissmehardy]

Nobody has ever accused me of thinking through anything to excess. I feel as though we are all too far into this already to back out now, even Laurence who hasn't really committed himself yet.

"Will." I move to the chair closest to him, take his cup from his hand and set it on the table, then lean in to kiss him on the mouth.

I hope that might be sufficient information for him to base a decision on.

[geniusofdisaster]

The first time that Granby had kissed him was not yet so far distant that Laurence could not remember both the kiss and his reaction to it in perfect detail. Then he had done nothing immediately, too shocked to respond. The same thing appeared to be happening again.

He remained perfectly still until Julie saw fit to pull away. It took him a while to find the proper words to say, and his blush had darkened intolerably, but he did speak. "I am sorry. I need very much to think."

[sunburned]

More than anything, Granby knows Laurence, and he knows a losing battle when he sees one. He finishes his tea and sets the cup aside.

"We'll go," he says, reaching out to squeeze Laurence's shoulder through his shirt. "You'll know where to find me when you need me, Will."

[kissmehardy]

You might think that I understand the value of a strategic retreat, but leaving now feels too much like surrender for my taste.

Still, I trust John's judgment here, and though I am not happy about it I will leave Will with his thoughts.

"I'm not so hard to find, either," I say quietly.

[geniusofdisaster]

"Thank you," Laurence said in reply, though their granting him time did not seem overmuch like a gift. Any reasonable person surely would have expected it just as he did. Surely.