Torex was lounging on the bed. His eyes glittered, and there were hectic patches of color on his cheeks. He was wearing a nightshirt, and Pel tried not to let his eyes be drawn to the man’s legs, which were dusted with fine black hairs. He wasn’t sure why his mind was fixating on them. He’d seen the man without a tunic when he was training, after all. Legs weren’t that exciting. Maybe it was the fact that he was sprawled on the bed.
Torex was holding a glass in a limp grasp, and he was propped up on pillows to recline at an angle sufficient to be able to drink. There were two bottles on the bedside cabinet.
Torex stared at Pel for a long moment, almost as though he couldn’t figure out who he was, and then he scowled.
“What do you want?”
Pel tried not to take the expression and the tone personally.
“I came to see how you’re doing. If you weren’t well enough to come to dinner or to come for a ride, I thought something might be seriously wrong.”
“Nothing whatever is wrong,” the Prince announced with very careful diction. “Everything is perfectly fine.”
He took what looked like a defiant gulp of his drink.
Pel raised an eyebrow. “If everything were perfectly fine, then you wouldn’t be moping in your room.”
“I’m not moping!” Torex snapped.
“In the dark.”
“It’s not d—”
Pel just started him down.
Mutinously, Torex muttered, “The fire is lit.”
Pel’s lips twitched. “There’s also a perfectly nice sun, and it’s right outside those covered windows.”
The clouds were patchy today, and it was actually possible to see a bit of the sky and the sun.
“I don’t want to deal with the sun,” Torex told him petulantly.
“A little too worried that it’s going to pierce your eyeballs because you’ve had a foolish amount to drink?” Pel asked with mock solicitude.
Torex frowned at him again. “It’s none of your business.”
“Of course it’s my business,” Pel responded impatiently. “We’re meant to be doing something together, and you decided that drinking alone in bed was more important. Since I disagree, I’ve come here to tell you so.”
Torex was frowning again, and it looked like his jaw was clenched. “Why do you care?”
“Why wouldn’t I care?” Pel asked, now confused.
“You don’t want to spend any time with me.”
Pel… didn’t know what to make of that. Carefully, he admitted, “I didn’t at the beginning, but it’s been a while since that’s been true. I thought we were both enjoying ourselves.”
That revealed a little more than he’d meant it to, but it was the truth.
A furrow grew between Torex’s brow, like he couldn’t quite figure this out.
He didn’t seem to be a particularly angry drunk, just a bit sullen, and Pel was a bit surprised by the urge he had to take care of Torex when he was like this. He’d learned early that it was best to minimize contact and conciliate with Forex when he had to. He’d already told Torex he thought he was doing something foolish, and Torex hadn’t gotten angry with him.
Pel poured him a glass of water from the sideboard and brought it over to the bed. “What are you doing?”
Torex looked even more confused by this question. “Drinking. What does it look like I’m doing?”
Gently, Pel said, “It looks like you’re punishing yourself.”
