It was true. The magical building had turned all the cups around Corin into a matterial that didn't shatter upon impact with the floor. Like it was learning his particular brand of chaos and preparing for it.
"Very accommodating," Azelon commented, speaking for the first time since they'd sat down.
Corin kept his eyes fixed on his plate. "Some things are."
The temperature dropped.
Jamie shot a look between them but said nothing, simply continuing to eat as if the tension wasn't thick enough to cut with the knife he was holding.
Dinner dragged on in awkward silence. Corin pushed food around his plate and tried desperately not to project the maelstrom inside him.
When they finally finished, Corin volunteered to clean up, hoping the mundane task would keep his mind occupied.
"I'll help," Jamie offered.
"No need," Corin said quickly. "You cooked. I can handle a few dishes."
What he didn't say was that he needed the space, needed to not be trapped between Jamie's quiet concern and Azelon's cold distance. He needed to breathe without feeling like he was drowning in emotions he couldn't control.
Jamie seemed to understand anyway. "Alright. I'll be at the front of the store if you need anything."
Azelon rose silently and disappeared into the labyrinth of the building without a word. Corin watched him go from the corner of his eye, hating that he still tracked the Tideborn's movements like a flower following the sun.
Once alone, Corin let out a shaky breath, bracing his hands against the edge of the sink. The silverware rattled slightly as his control wavered.
"Get it together," he muttered to himself. "Just because he admitted he'd rather go back to the people who exiled him than be with you doesn't mean—" He broke off, throat tight.
Didn't mean what, exactly? That Corin wasn't worth the sacrifice? That whatever had grown between them over eight months of travel and nightmares and cautious trust wasn't enough?
It shouldn't hurt this much, should it?
In truth, Azelon had never promised him anything.
But he'dbeenthere, night after night, a solid presence when the darkness closed in. A lifeline Corin had clung to with increasing desperation, even as Azelon maintained his careful distance in daylight.
How pathetic, to keep hoping for something Azelon had made clear would never happen.
The dishes washed themselves as Corin's projected emotions agitated the water. He let them, too tired to fight for control over something so minor. At least his magic was useful, for once.
When night fell, Corin's feet carried him to Jamie's door without conscious decision. He stood there, frozen, staring at the polished wood.
Jamie had helped last night… and the night before that, without comment, without conditions.
But could Corin continue to burden him?
Would he grow tired of Corin?
Was that why Azelon had rejected Corin? Because Corinneededso much?
"Are you going to sleep with him again?"
Corin's spine stiffened at the sound of Azelon's voice behind him. He turned slowly, truly meeting the Tideborn's gaze for the first time since their confrontation in the pool room.
He wished those eyes would not make his knees grow weak.
He had to get a hold of himself.
Steeling himself, he forced lightness into his voice. "What do you care?"
