Re: lakeside mansion; hugh c. & dietre a.
While Dietre had been in a relationship, Aleksi was as clueless about most things as he was himself, so there hadn’t been much flirting going on. Dietre was just stumbling blindly here, not expecting anything he said to stick. Imagine his surprise when Hugh lit up with a megawatt grin and hit him right back with ‘Where’s the fun in that?’ without skipping a beat. Dietre was not at all prepared. Equally shocked and delighted, words left him. He just breathed a nervous version of his ghost laugh, blushing to the roots of his hair, and shrugged helplessly.
Who knew that playfully suggesting someone stay in their own space would produce the opposite effect? Dietre’s brows arched in mute surprise as Hugh settled down even closer than before. Their shoulders touched, which was several steps higher than being poked in the leg by a foot, and Dietre was very grateful that Hugh’s eyes remained on the television screen because he could feel that the heat in his face was not about to subside anytime soon. He likewise kept his gaze fixed on the movie and sat very, very still.
“Um… I don’t mind.” He cleared his throat, then downed the rest of his wine like a man dying of thirst. The glass remained in his hand, however, Dietre needed it to fidget with.
Luckily, the movie seemed to be arriving at it's dramatic climax. Dietre was able to distract himself from his current situation with the plight of the characters on screen. If he was quiet, it meant he was paying attention, so there was nothing rude about it. Eventually, though, he was moved to comment. “...Why doesn’t she tell her father it wasn’t Johnny?”
Dietre had been prepared to hate Baby’s father, but he was proving himself to be decent enough by helping Penny and not getting anyone into trouble. Still, he didn’t understand why Baby wouldn’t jump to defend Johnny if she cared about him. Why protect a cruel person who didn’t deserve it at the expense of someone you supposedly loved?