Ford frowned at her, less because of the actual words she was saying and more because he got the impression that she didn't believe him. It was perfectly plausible that the two of them might be friendly enough to get drinks together, wasn't it? In another universe, they might have been. They'd had a friendly enough chat at the art exhibition, friendly enough that Fisk had thought it appropriate to come over to Ford at the sonata and start chatting about — contortionists. If not for their interaction at the post office where Fisk had ended up on top of him (and, of course, if not for all the kissing in the Muggle house when they were both supposed to be working), maybe they could have settled into friendly-enough-for-drinks. They hadn't, and now Ford thought there was absolutely no future in which the two of them could ever just get casual drinks together, but there was no reason Miss Fisk ought to know that.
Unless she knew all of Dorian's friends? That seemed unlikely. Dorian Fisk was older than Ford, while Miss Fisk was younger, so the age gap between the two of them would have been as large or larger as the one between Ford and Grace, he suspected. Grace certainly didn't know everyone he considered a friend. Given what had happened the last time he'd tried to invite a friend over for dinner, she might remain quite blissfully unaware of them for the foreseeable future. But maybe the Fisks were different? Maybe Dorian and his sister were exceptionally close, and it was suspicious enough to her that she'd never heard Dorian mention anything about Ford before that she didn't believe him.
Or maybe she had heard Dorian say something about him, which contradicted the idea that they were casual friends. Ford's stomach flipped nervously at the idea that anyone might have been talking about him, but particularly that Dorian Fisk might have said anything. He didn't think it possible that Dorian might have told Miss Fisk everything — it was not the sort of thing you told siblings in general, in Ford's opinion, but it was certainly not the type of thing you told sisters — but he was filled with anxiety over what else, if anything, Fisk might have said. Would it have just been an offhand remark or would Fisk have actually talked about him? What context could it have come up in? Was it something bad? Was Fisk angry at him for having stopped things last week?
Oh no, what if he was angry? Ford thought things had ended relatively smoothly, all things considered, but it wasn't like he had any prior experience to base this assessment off of. And obviously Fisk would have preferred if they hadn't stopped, right? That was why he'd kissed Ford in the first place. Presumably he'd wanted to... do whatever the logical follow-through was when you started kissing someone, which Ford really had only the vaguest notions of (not that his inexperience in this department had slowed the pair of them down at all last week; his body seemed to know what it was doing, even if he didn't). But when Ford had protested Fisk had stepped back right away, and he'd taken over the rest of the assignment on his own and given Ford a chance to clean himself up in the washroom... really, everything had been quite — well, polite, he supposed, despite the lingering tension in the air.
And surely Fisk knew that Ford's backing out had nothing at all to do with wanting to kiss him. Surely he had made it abundantly clear, throughout that entire interaction since their lips had first met, that he did. Ford could understand if Fisk was disappointed, maybe, because he'd wanted to do more — Ford did, too, despite knowing it was impossible — but there was nothing for him to be angry about, was there? But if he wasn't angry, what could he have said to his sister that was making her act so strange about this?
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Fisk hadn't said anything, and his sister was just reacting to Ford himself — because he'd been answering too quickly and he was nervous, despite trying to hide it. Maybe he was panicking over nothing.
Or maybe Dorian Fisk was upset with him and never wanted to see him again and Miss Fisk knew that, to some degree, and Ford was standing here caught in the process of stealing his scarf.
"Yeah," he said eventually, and bit his lip hard to keep himself from accidentally saying anything else.
Set by Lady!
Unless she knew all of Dorian's friends? That seemed unlikely. Dorian Fisk was older than Ford, while Miss Fisk was younger, so the age gap between the two of them would have been as large or larger as the one between Ford and Grace, he suspected. Grace certainly didn't know everyone he considered a friend. Given what had happened the last time he'd tried to invite a friend over for dinner, she might remain quite blissfully unaware of them for the foreseeable future. But maybe the Fisks were different? Maybe Dorian and his sister were exceptionally close, and it was suspicious enough to her that she'd never heard Dorian mention anything about Ford before that she didn't believe him.
Or maybe she had heard Dorian say something about him, which contradicted the idea that they were casual friends. Ford's stomach flipped nervously at the idea that anyone might have been talking about him, but particularly that Dorian Fisk might have said anything. He didn't think it possible that Dorian might have told Miss Fisk everything — it was not the sort of thing you told siblings in general, in Ford's opinion, but it was certainly not the type of thing you told sisters — but he was filled with anxiety over what else, if anything, Fisk might have said. Would it have just been an offhand remark or would Fisk have actually talked about him? What context could it have come up in? Was it something bad? Was Fisk angry at him for having stopped things last week?
Oh no, what if he was angry? Ford thought things had ended relatively smoothly, all things considered, but it wasn't like he had any prior experience to base this assessment off of. And obviously Fisk would have preferred if they hadn't stopped, right? That was why he'd kissed Ford in the first place. Presumably he'd wanted to... do whatever the logical follow-through was when you started kissing someone, which Ford really had only the vaguest notions of (not that his inexperience in this department had slowed the pair of them down at all last week; his body seemed to know what it was doing, even if he didn't). But when Ford had protested Fisk had stepped back right away, and he'd taken over the rest of the assignment on his own and given Ford a chance to clean himself up in the washroom... really, everything had been quite — well, polite, he supposed, despite the lingering tension in the air.
And surely Fisk knew that Ford's backing out had nothing at all to do with wanting to kiss him. Surely he had made it abundantly clear, throughout that entire interaction since their lips had first met, that he did. Ford could understand if Fisk was disappointed, maybe, because he'd wanted to do more — Ford did, too, despite knowing it was impossible — but there was nothing for him to be angry about, was there? But if he wasn't angry, what could he have said to his sister that was making her act so strange about this?
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Fisk hadn't said anything, and his sister was just reacting to Ford himself — because he'd been answering too quickly and he was nervous, despite trying to hide it. Maybe he was panicking over nothing.
Or maybe Dorian Fisk was upset with him and never wanted to see him again and Miss Fisk knew that, to some degree, and Ford was standing here caught in the process of stealing his scarf.
"Yeah," he said eventually, and bit his lip hard to keep himself from accidentally saying anything else.
Set by Lady!