When it was clear Bryce was not going to answer the door, they knocked a third time. “Bryce, it is Zef, your roommate,” they said. “I am done thinking now.”
A lamp clicked on, the light reaching from under the door to kiss Zef’s feet, and Bryce huffed and puffed as he lumbered out of bed and across the room. The moment before he opened the door, panic seized Zef’s chest, making them want to retreat back to their room, but they planted their feet, barbs hooking into the carpet to anchor them in place.
The door opened, revealing a frowning, sleep-rumpled Bryce. His dark hair was messy and he had a crease running the length of his cheek from hispillow. He was not wearing a shirt, and Zef was momentarily distracted by his broad chest and large, hairy belly. Their wings hummed in appreciation.
Well, the question of whether Zef found Bryce physically attractive could be put to bed. He was so very handsome, and one day, maybe he would let them run their fingers through his furry chest hair. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying all at once.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Bryce asked, tone gravelly with sleep but hard to the touch.
The coldness of it threw Zef off kilter because he had never spoken to them like that before. “No,” they answered honestly, because they had never once checked the clock through all their thinking and pondering.
He rubbed his left eye. “It’s three in the morning, Zef.”
Genuinely shocked at that, they glanced down at their watch. 3:07 A.M. Apparently, they had been thinking for quite a while.
“Oh,” they said.
Bryce blinked at them, and they struggled to recapture their train of thought before his cool demeanor had derailed them. As if they were taking too long to do so, the human huffed in impatience. “What do you want, Zef?”
And oh, he was angry with them. They could see it in the line of his brows and the stiff set to his shoulders. And yes, the hardness of his gray eyes, like blank concrete.
“You are upset,” they said.
“Astute observation,” he said, voice clipped.
“And I am the cause?” they asked, though it sounded more like a statement of fact than an inquiry.
The human worked his jaw. “You’re a large contributing factor, yes.”
Bad feeling. Bad, bad feeling. Like their chest was being compressed in a fist. They curled in on themself, squeezing their hands together until their fingers throbbed. “Oh.”
Whatever Bryce saw on their face softened him slightly, and he sighed, sounding very tired. “What do you want, Zef?” he asked again, gentler this time.
“I… I…” They had lost their words. They had arrived with a plan, but this was not going according to it, and they were cast adrift. “I wanted to say that I am done thinking now.”
“Congratulations,” he said, and they flinched. “Can I go back to bed now?”
“I was hoping to talk with you about… You wanted to talk,” they said, and Bryce barked a mockery of a laugh, sharp and mirthless.
“I did want to talk,” he agreed. “Nine hours ago. Not at three in the morning after you abandoned me during a particularly vulnerable moment.”
Nodding, they swallowed thickly and squared their shoulders. “I admit I did not handle the situation well. You offered your honest feelings with openness and vulnerability, and I reacted poorly. I was taken aback, and I ran away, even when you needed me to stay. I was selfish, and I hurt you.” They blinked against the burn in their eyes. “It was—itis—never my intention to cause you harm, but I did, and I am so very sorry.”
Bryce’s eyes watered, and he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Well, as far as apologies go, that’s a pretty darn good one.”
“I mean every word,” they said, and he nodded.
“I know you do. That’s why it’s so annoying.” He cracked a crooked smile. “I wanted to stay mad a bit longer.”
They nodded, unsure whether they were forgiven yet. “That is fair and understandable. If you wish to remain angry with me, then I will continue my contrition with humility and—”
“Shut up, Zef,” Bryce interrupted them, a wider, more genuine smile breaking over his face. “I forgive you.”
“Thank you,” they whispered, brushing at the corner of their eye where moisture was welling.
“I’m sorry if what I said—”
“No, do not apologize. You need not apologize.” They stepped forward, all four hands clasped tightly in front of their torso. “What you said was lovely, and it was I who did not respond appropriately. Because I have never been in this situation before, and I do not know what to do. Because I do not want to hurt you and lose your friendship, which I hold very dear.”
