"Oh...um..." There was no question about it -- Faelan simply could not speak the English language when looking Gabrielle in the face. He was a terrible, weak, pathetic excuse for a wizard.
"Okay, it's not that you're not...absolutely breathtaking," Faelan mumbled, staring at his beer. "Because obviously you are, and you seem pretty nice too, but the truth is that I'm actually seeing someone already. Harry doesn't know," he explained, chancing a glance up to see Gabrielle's reaction to this news.
She simply gave a single nod and said, "I see."
"And I really like her. The girl I'm seeing, I mean. I mean, I guess, my...my...girlfriend." It was the first time Faelan had ever said the word, and thinking now of Padma, thoughts of her laughter and her kisses filled his head. He wondered if it would be okay with her to be called his girlfriend, but seeing as she wasn't here, he supposed it really didn't matter. But looking up at Gabrielle again, he felt the taut line of tension between them dissolve, and he knew in his heart that it was Padma he wanted, not this vision of a person he didn't even know.
"So, I'm sorry. If I had known Harry was trying to set me up with someone, I would have told him not to bother. If it helps, I could slug him in the jaw?"
At this, Gabrielle laughed as if Faelan wasn't deadly serious. "No, 'arry has too nice of face to make bloody, but thank you. I believe I will forgive him because he did once do a very brave thing for me and I have never forgotten it. He is a friend, and I suppose he only wanted to make two friends happy, yes? So, I thank you for the drink, Faelan, and I will be going now."
After she slid off her stool and draped her handbag from her wrist, she turned back to say, "Your friend should be a happy girl, I think. Good-bye, Faelan."