Re: Dietre A./Hugh C.: On the patio
Dietre thought he had done the right thing in accepting defeat and stepping away from the topic before it had even been fully uncovered. He thought that would please Hugh, to let him know he was off the hook. Dietre assumed he had succeeded, everyone’s place was set and known, when Hugh agreed to hearing Claire de Lune. But he was wrong. Rather than leave things in the dark, Hugh unexpectedly pulled the covers right off and Dietre took in a sharp breath as panic burst in his chest.
A sound came from Dietre’s throat, low and uneasy. His mind had gone terrifyingly blank. How was he supposed to respond? He couldn’t quite compute Hugh opening the door he thought had just been locked. Once the old fashioned hit he knew he was going to be too drunk for this. With his mind racing he opened his mouth, lips moving with nothing coming out, he was just breathing in between a series of ‘um’s.
After a moment he felt himself nodding. “Y-You can ask…” He didn’t know if he’d be capable of answering, but Hugh was allowed to see what he could get out of him.
Dietre couldn’t look at Hugh, and he couldn’t look at the lake right then either. He kept his eyes downcast, not really seeing much of anything. With his furrowed brow, tight jaw, and desperate grip on Hugh’s hand, he looked as though he were waiting for the Inquisition.