Jean raised an eyebrow of disbelief, but then his mouth curled into a grin, the sort of smile that could best be described as smug. Never mind that she was teasing, that they had never been lovers, that none of the things they had been could ever be described as 'considerate' on his part. Flattery was flattery, and he was always easy to please. «How rude of me,» he said, «to have left you ruined for all other men.»
The more she spoke the more neutral his expression became, suddenly feigning far more interest in his wine. «I cannot imagine who you mean,» he lied, shuttered gaze fixed on his drink though it would do him no good. No point to it at all when Adelphie could taste a lie the same as he could, when she could surely detect his irritation and anger and what might have been regret.
She'd probably know better than he did. It wasn't as if he could taste himself.
He sipped at his wine, much daintier than she was, carefully controlled gentility. «I must have forgotten,» he said. «There have been so many, after all.» As if the man in question did not even still have a bedroom waiting for him upstairs, exactly as hideous as he'd left it.
The shop was a far preferable topic of conversation, even if the two were intrinsically linked, a cascade of consequences that had not yet finished. «Those wares are not for sale, Madame,» he said, an aura of offense. «Not that there is anything wrong with that oldest of professions,» he added, as if that concession applied in any way to her. He did not even hesitate when he picked up the bottle and poured her another glass, muscle memory in defiance of his words.
«Out?» he repeated, because that gave him pause. The way he said it suggested that she had said something absurd, even though it was perfectly reasonable on the face of it. It wasn't as if he never left the house. He simply did not go… out. Did not go to bars or restaurants any longer, did not invite himself to parties, did not have a social life outside his front door. The closest he had come to that of late was to visit those who had invited him into their homes – and, to be fair, at least one of them had lived in a bar. But that was incidental to the reality of it, which was a tête-à-tête and not a public social engagement.
He did not know why it was that he should shy now from the idea, when his hermitage was a recent development not long-lived in the grand scheme of things.
«Later, perhaps,» he said, hedging. «The store is still open, and there are still customers, after all.»
The more she spoke the more neutral his expression became, suddenly feigning far more interest in his wine. «I cannot imagine who you mean,» he lied, shuttered gaze fixed on his drink though it would do him no good. No point to it at all when Adelphie could taste a lie the same as he could, when she could surely detect his irritation and anger and what might have been regret.
She'd probably know better than he did. It wasn't as if he could taste himself.
He sipped at his wine, much daintier than she was, carefully controlled gentility. «I must have forgotten,» he said. «There have been so many, after all.» As if the man in question did not even still have a bedroom waiting for him upstairs, exactly as hideous as he'd left it.
The shop was a far preferable topic of conversation, even if the two were intrinsically linked, a cascade of consequences that had not yet finished. «Those wares are not for sale, Madame,» he said, an aura of offense. «Not that there is anything wrong with that oldest of professions,» he added, as if that concession applied in any way to her. He did not even hesitate when he picked up the bottle and poured her another glass, muscle memory in defiance of his words.
«Out?» he repeated, because that gave him pause. The way he said it suggested that she had said something absurd, even though it was perfectly reasonable on the face of it. It wasn't as if he never left the house. He simply did not go… out. Did not go to bars or restaurants any longer, did not invite himself to parties, did not have a social life outside his front door. The closest he had come to that of late was to visit those who had invited him into their homes – and, to be fair, at least one of them had lived in a bar. But that was incidental to the reality of it, which was a tête-à-tête and not a public social engagement.
He did not know why it was that he should shy now from the idea, when his hermitage was a recent development not long-lived in the grand scheme of things.
«Later, perhaps,» he said, hedging. «The store is still open, and there are still customers, after all.»
The following 1 user Likes Tindome's post: Blade
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-06-2014, 10:35 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-08-2014, 08:10 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-09-2014, 05:29 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-09-2014, 07:02 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-09-2014, 08:30 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by jazzhands - 11-10-2014, 01:37 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-10-2014, 03:05 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-10-2014, 05:33 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by jazzhands - 11-10-2014, 07:01 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-10-2014, 07:30 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-10-2014, 09:54 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-11-2014, 03:15 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by jazzhands - 11-11-2014, 11:23 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-11-2014, 02:39 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-12-2014, 01:49 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by jazzhands - 11-12-2014, 11:13 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-13-2014, 11:27 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by jazzhands - 11-13-2014, 12:44 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-13-2014, 01:46 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-17-2014, 07:40 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-18-2014, 01:17 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-18-2014, 02:22 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-18-2014, 05:29 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-18-2014, 06:20 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by jazzhands - 11-18-2014, 06:33 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-18-2014, 06:50 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-18-2014, 10:19 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-20-2014, 04:16 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-21-2014, 12:30 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-21-2014, 05:24 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-21-2014, 07:12 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-21-2014, 11:33 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-22-2014, 07:43 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-24-2014, 02:49 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 11-24-2014, 08:06 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-25-2014, 01:32 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-25-2014, 02:07 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 11-25-2014, 05:20 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-25-2014, 02:50 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-25-2014, 09:04 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-26-2014, 07:21 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 11-26-2014, 05:45 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-26-2014, 07:39 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-26-2014, 10:46 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-27-2014, 12:12 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-27-2014, 11:09 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 11-27-2014, 05:31 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-27-2014, 09:43 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 11-28-2014, 01:16 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 11-28-2014, 12:51 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 11-29-2014, 04:16 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 11-30-2014, 02:23 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-30-2014, 03:39 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 12-01-2014, 03:26 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 12-01-2014, 06:28 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 12-03-2014, 07:48 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 12-04-2014, 04:00 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 12-05-2014, 12:56 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 12-05-2014, 04:41 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 12-05-2014, 10:22 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 12-08-2014, 02:21 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 12-08-2014, 09:16 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 12-24-2014, 08:01 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 01-03-2015, 01:30 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 02-10-2015, 04:25 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 02-11-2015, 05:52 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 02-19-2015, 01:18 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 02-19-2015, 10:35 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 02-23-2015, 06:58 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 03-06-2015, 09:33 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 03-21-2015, 02:44 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 03-22-2015, 11:33 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 04-25-2015, 11:13 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 04-26-2015, 10:34 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 04-26-2015, 11:11 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 05-03-2015, 09:44 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 05-14-2015, 04:59 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 05-15-2015, 12:08 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 05-15-2015, 10:51 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 05-25-2015, 03:03 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 05-25-2015, 11:59 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-06-2015, 06:19 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 06-06-2015, 09:26 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-06-2015, 06:31 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 06-07-2015, 07:28 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-07-2015, 08:20 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-08-2015, 01:38 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-09-2015, 08:35 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-09-2015, 03:30 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 06-12-2015, 12:53 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-16-2015, 05:05 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-16-2015, 05:40 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-16-2015, 06:37 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 06-17-2015, 06:21 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-18-2015, 12:07 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 06-18-2015, 05:04 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-18-2015, 09:41 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-19-2015, 08:45 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-19-2015, 09:42 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 06-19-2015, 03:49 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-20-2015, 07:27 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-23-2015, 09:01 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-23-2015, 09:35 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 06-23-2015, 11:59 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 06-25-2015, 11:09 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 06-26-2015, 09:52 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 06-28-2015, 05:37 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 06-29-2015, 12:25 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 08-08-2015, 06:03 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 08-08-2015, 09:39 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-09-2015, 06:07 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 08-10-2015, 12:39 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 08-10-2015, 04:20 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-11-2015, 08:12 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-11-2015, 08:28 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 08-11-2015, 09:52 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 08-12-2015, 02:36 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-12-2015, 09:42 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-12-2015, 10:46 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 08-14-2015, 01:32 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 08-17-2015, 12:24 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 08-18-2015, 05:20 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-22-2015, 08:40 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-26-2015, 10:00 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 08-26-2015, 08:42 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 08-26-2015, 10:30 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-29-2015, 03:15 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 08-29-2015, 08:01 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 09-15-2015, 02:58 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 09-16-2015, 11:22 AM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 09-17-2015, 05:03 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Hobo_Bob - 10-01-2015, 03:01 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by tindome - 10-04-2015, 09:38 PM
Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Angel Kimmi - 10-06-2015, 07:08 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 10-14-2015, 09:41 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 11-21-2015, 05:17 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 12-14-2015, 11:56 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 12-14-2015, 01:55 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 01-16-2016, 03:57 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 01-20-2016, 11:36 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 03-09-2016, 04:07 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 03-09-2016, 04:48 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 03-09-2016, 05:52 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 03-17-2016, 01:04 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 05-16-2016, 10:49 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 06-27-2016, 06:40 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 07-05-2016, 08:37 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 07-12-2016, 07:03 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 08-10-2016, 12:43 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 09-01-2016, 01:46 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by kaythebold - 09-12-2016, 10:25 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 09-13-2016, 12:08 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 09-13-2016, 06:12 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 09-14-2016, 11:28 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by kaythebold - 09-14-2016, 05:53 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 09-18-2016, 02:49 AM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 09-20-2016, 04:01 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by megs - 09-28-2016, 03:18 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by kaythebold - 10-01-2016, 04:21 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Tindome - 10-25-2016, 02:33 PM
RE: Tsundoku - Antique and Well-Loved Books - by Blade - 03-14-2017, 07:16 PM