Ozymandias took the cigarette gingerly, as though he feared it might bite him — had he touched her, her skin might well have. He had left his lighter in the box with his cigar case, but he had his wand in his pocket and he retrieved it to light the cigarette when she turned away. He took a second to inhale deeply, held the smoke in his lungs, then blew it out in a cloud above the heads of the rest of the crowd. He was tall enough that he barely had to tilt his head to do so. He watched her as he smoked. Her body language confused him. She'd moved away, but her body was still angled towards him. He couldn't tell what he ought to read from her posture, or where she'd fixed her gaze (near him but not exactly on him).
He didn't know why she was telling him this, either. Of course he knew what result she would get if she followed his directions; he wouldn't have sent her a test like that unless he'd been sure of the outcome. Her mentioning it was just a way to making sure that he knew that she knew, about the truth of the cologne — but to what end? If she was offering him an olive branch, why the standoffish air? Why the step back? On the other hand, if she was ready to cut ties and move on, why mention it at all?
Still, he admitted he was gratified that she'd gotten to the heart of the matter. Even if he never saw her again, it had hurt his pride to think that someone might think he was the sort to resort to such ridiculous tricks in pursuit of a woman. Perhaps she had intuited this about him, and had offered it merely to satisfy the same urge that had caused him to send the letter in the first place. Perhaps, having said this, they could part ways and never think of each other again.
A fleck of ash fell from the end of his cigarette, which was his first indication that he'd been looking at her too long and hard for a supposedly chance encounter. He took another drag and tapped the ash into a tray mounted on the nearest wall. "I'm wearing it tonight," he said. It was likely a needless remark, since he didn't intend to be in close enough quarters with her that it would make any difference, but her reaction to it had been so strong the last time that he still felt perhaps he ought to warn her. (That, or — if her words had been an olive branch, perhaps this was his subtle way of warding her off, at least for tonight). "I didn't expect to see you here."
He didn't know why she was telling him this, either. Of course he knew what result she would get if she followed his directions; he wouldn't have sent her a test like that unless he'd been sure of the outcome. Her mentioning it was just a way to making sure that he knew that she knew, about the truth of the cologne — but to what end? If she was offering him an olive branch, why the standoffish air? Why the step back? On the other hand, if she was ready to cut ties and move on, why mention it at all?
Still, he admitted he was gratified that she'd gotten to the heart of the matter. Even if he never saw her again, it had hurt his pride to think that someone might think he was the sort to resort to such ridiculous tricks in pursuit of a woman. Perhaps she had intuited this about him, and had offered it merely to satisfy the same urge that had caused him to send the letter in the first place. Perhaps, having said this, they could part ways and never think of each other again.
A fleck of ash fell from the end of his cigarette, which was his first indication that he'd been looking at her too long and hard for a supposedly chance encounter. He took another drag and tapped the ash into a tray mounted on the nearest wall. "I'm wearing it tonight," he said. It was likely a needless remark, since he didn't intend to be in close enough quarters with her that it would make any difference, but her reaction to it had been so strong the last time that he still felt perhaps he ought to warn her. (That, or — if her words had been an olive branch, perhaps this was his subtle way of warding her off, at least for tonight). "I didn't expect to see you here."
MJ is the light of my life <3