"My favorite sight in Greece wasn't there this time around," he teased, meaning Leo. Truthfully, he'd planned his days in Greece with Christabel to avoid any of the things he'd visited on his birthday trip with Leo. The country was big enough to support that, luckily, and it was a handy way to keep things disentangled in his mind. Since his proposal to Christabel he'd been wondering whether he ought to feel guilty about this ... or, more accurately, not whether he ought to feel guilty about it, but rather which flavor and intensity of guilt it merited. He had been honest with Leo about everything, at every point, and maybe he got some credit for that. He was doing his best to be a good husband to his wife, and maybe he got some credit for that, too. As to whether or not either or both of them would feel betrayed if they knew how he interacted with the other when they weren't around — he preferred not to think about it. Compartmentalizing the memories helped with that.

"Do you want me to get you a Christmas present?" he asked. "I know you don't celebrate it, but I'd hate for you to feel neglected."

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