He didn’t much want to let her go, but he needed to catch his breath as well, so he only gave her arm a light squeeze as she stepped back. He knew something was wrong by the difficulty in trying to answer her comment with a chuckle, or even the slightest smile, because neither came. His mouth moved slightly, but it felt more like a tremble than anything.
Maybe his body hadn’t caught up, yet, with events. The apparating; the crowd; the tearing across a quidditch stadium; the tension from seeing that bludger hit the stands and not knowing who it had hit, not knowing where Elsie was -
She was right in front of him. Tyb rubbed his face in his hands for a moment as though he’d just woken up with bleary eyes; dropping his hands to his sides, he inhaled deeply. After that, he felt more settled, and even just observing Elsie was anchoring him, and they were on solid ground and he should stop thinking about that bludger.
“You know,” he said, in visible relief, “I’ve never been so glad I wasn’t playing, either.” More than anything, he was glad it hadn’t been his bludger hit. He grimaced at her in apology, scuffing the tip of his shoe in the grass. “I’m so sorry I made you go today.”
Maybe his body hadn’t caught up, yet, with events. The apparating; the crowd; the tearing across a quidditch stadium; the tension from seeing that bludger hit the stands and not knowing who it had hit, not knowing where Elsie was -
She was right in front of him. Tyb rubbed his face in his hands for a moment as though he’d just woken up with bleary eyes; dropping his hands to his sides, he inhaled deeply. After that, he felt more settled, and even just observing Elsie was anchoring him, and they were on solid ground and he should stop thinking about that bludger.
“You know,” he said, in visible relief, “I’ve never been so glad I wasn’t playing, either.” More than anything, he was glad it hadn’t been his bludger hit. He grimaced at her in apology, scuffing the tip of his shoe in the grass. “I’m so sorry I made you go today.”
