Chapter 138: Should I just wear an eye mask so I don’t have to look at these fools?
"Hmm, well, that’s arguable. We all have a lot on our plate." Cass said, maybe a little insensitively, but hey, it was his right. The way that Vespertine’s face twisted told him that the other man was struggling. Shit. "So, the ranks mean something to the temple?" Cass tried to recover it, but he’d unfortunately stepped his foot right into the deepest part of the shit he’d stirred. Damn it.
"I suppose you are correct. If she was busier with work, how else would she have found time to flirt with everyone in the hero party?" Ah fuck. Vespertine’s smile was a little warped, a little twisted and Cass knew he probably shouldn’t say this, especially with his shoulder still exposed and Vespertine next to him, not a table length away from him.
"Well, uh, I wouldn’t exactly be throwing rocks in glass houses." Cass joked, and Vespertine turned pale. Fuck.
"What was I supposed to do? I need to eat!" Vespertine protested. He sounded like he was wailing. "I really liked her! What am I supposed to do?" Cass felt a twinge in his gut. This could go really badly. Was Vespertine about to get mad that Lady Fiona was involved with another woman? After he’d kissed Cass like that?
Cass was bracing himself.
Vespertine turned away from Cass, getting to his feet in earnest, and ran his hands through his hair with jerky movements as he began to pace the small space between the couches and coffee table, and the door. Cass reached for a hand snack that Sam made him slowly.
"How am I supposed to be able to compete with another woman? I have no fucking chance! Despite all of her flaws, Ava is beautiful, so there is no way! I had thought she was just taking it slow, and I find out she’s been having ’sleepovers’ with Ava and now it all makes sense!" He scoffed, probably more at himself than anyone else. "I’m such a damn fool. I thought she was just taking her time. I should have known better. I’ve always had terrible taste when it comes to making choices for myself."
Oo. That was a little harsh there, Vespertine. Cass didn’t realise he was so self-deprecating, yet here they were. Vespertine was pacing the floor like he was trying to make a hole in it. He hadn’t noticed Cass subtly eating some food while the other man moved as if the world was ending. Maybe in Vespertine’s eyes, it was.
He was supposed to be the loyal playboy in the story. The one who looked like he was sleeping around, but then it became clear that wasn’t the case, he was just having a little snack, sustaining his life on the blood of others because he didn’t want to hurt the woman he loved. It was...romantic, if you wanted to put it that way.