He didn't know what her plans were until she grasped his hand. He was torn between the urge to wrench his hand away or to cling on tight; luckily, the latter was what he'd begun to do, just before they were pulled out of the alleyway altogether.
Tybalt blinked at the sudden stillness of the place, slower to adjust than Elsie as she let go and moved over to the door. He drank in the space, entirely foreign to him - he could not remember ever having been here before - but also no different to the room he would've imagined. It was soft and cosy and neat and brimming with books, and even the scent of the room and the gentle sunlight streaming through the window fit, were perfectly Elsie.
If this had been another time, he would have taken his time taking it in, revelling in it, running his hands over the surfaces, leafing teasingly through a book or two, peering through the window or perching jovially on her desk. If this had been another time, he would have followed her to the door, waited for her to turn towards him again and then leaned in to kiss her where she was.
He still wanted to kiss her now. After everything he had promised and all she had already said to him, though, he knew he shouldn't still feel this way.
So instead he pushed down the feeling, or maybe let it go, and remained where he was, loitering awkwardly in the middle of the room. The tension was so thick around him that it was almost a relief when she began to speak. Best cut to the chase, Tybalt supposed, and fell those old feelings for good. "Why don't you start with what I won't understand?" He suggested, a touch of belligerence in his stare. Anything to cover the desperation.
Tybalt blinked at the sudden stillness of the place, slower to adjust than Elsie as she let go and moved over to the door. He drank in the space, entirely foreign to him - he could not remember ever having been here before - but also no different to the room he would've imagined. It was soft and cosy and neat and brimming with books, and even the scent of the room and the gentle sunlight streaming through the window fit, were perfectly Elsie.
If this had been another time, he would have taken his time taking it in, revelling in it, running his hands over the surfaces, leafing teasingly through a book or two, peering through the window or perching jovially on her desk. If this had been another time, he would have followed her to the door, waited for her to turn towards him again and then leaned in to kiss her where she was.
He still wanted to kiss her now. After everything he had promised and all she had already said to him, though, he knew he shouldn't still feel this way.
So instead he pushed down the feeling, or maybe let it go, and remained where he was, loitering awkwardly in the middle of the room. The tension was so thick around him that it was almost a relief when she began to speak. Best cut to the chase, Tybalt supposed, and fell those old feelings for good. "Why don't you start with what I won't understand?" He suggested, a touch of belligerence in his stare. Anything to cover the desperation.
