Roger was out of his chair again, coming around the desk to lean against it, leaving very little room between them.Sage turned his legs out of the way, brows furrowed with confusion as to why the man needed to be so terribly close.Roger looked around the room and then gave one final long glance at the closed door before he leaned in even more.
“I need your help with something,” he whispered.
“I’m sure I can’t imagine why,” Sage replied at normal volume.
Roger went on in a hushed tone.“As this is our first summer in the house, it only made sense for us to spend time hosting.Wyn said I could invite some of my friends, and I have, but perhaps a few more than he was expecting.”
Sage’s expression shifted from confusion to curiosity, though it was still guarded.“You’re having a party, then.”
Roger brightened, but held a finger to his lips to indicate that Sage should lower his voice.He peered at the closed door again.“Exactly.”
“A secret party,” Sage amended.
“Shhh,” Roger urged.“Yes, a surprise party.For Wyn’s birthday.”
Sage snorted.“This should be interesting.”
If he knew one thing about Wyndham better than most, it was how much he despised being the center of attention at any social gathering.For a long time, Sage had wondered if he used it as an excuse for them to wander away from a party earlier to hasten their more private moments.Eventually, he decided it was a genuine discomfort that made him wish to leave as quickly as possible.They had never talked about it, of course, but Sage could feel it.
“Wyn has been working so hard on everything for the Council since the beginning of the year.I want to show him how much we all appreciate his dedication to the project we’ve just finished, and make him feel as special as he is for a night, surrounded by all the people who love him.”
Sage gave him a long, level look.“And you wanted me to be a part of this?”
“Iwantyou to be a part of this, yes,” Roger corrected with a nod.
“Why?”
“You’ve known him for a long time.Far longer than I have, on a personal level.I want your help to make sure he will enjoy this night as much as possible.”
After a pause, one corner of Sage’s mouth curled into a smirk.His eyes flickered over Roger’s form on instinct, before he met the man’s gaze again.He leaned in this time and finally lowered his voice to a murmur.
“Mr.Wrenwhistle, did you invite me here to fuck your husband?”
Roger’s reaction to his question was worth every miserable moment of the journey he’d just taken.His eyes went wide as he sputtered over his attempt to speak, until finally he managed to choke out a strangled, “No!”
Sage sat back and gave a small shrug.“More’s the pity.”
Once recovered, Roger promptly returned to his own chair and sat.He adjusted his spectacles again and straightened the sad excuse of a knot in his cravat before he spoke.
“Mr.Ravenwing.You would not be here if you did not still care about Wyn.I believe my letter could’ve said just about anything, and you would still be sitting exactly where you are right now.I am attempting to do what you have yet to try: apologizing.I do not wish to live my life avoiding people at social gatherings or wondering what other horrid things someone has said about me without my knowledge.Therefore, I have invited you to our home in the hopes that you might find it in yourself to also rise above, mend the rift, and rejoin the life of a man you still hold dearly in your heart as a true friend.If that is not what you wish, then of course you are welcome to stay as long as you need and be on your way.But if I am correct, then my offer still stands.”
Sage’s magic was a storm in his chest.He had never felt so angry at someone who was being kind to him before.He wanted to argue; he wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.In the end, all he did was gesture vaguely with a loose turn of his wrist.
“Show me to my room.”
