A Man Has Horns // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 8 - Room Plans

"Where were you, I was looking everywhere for you?" 

Garreth's eyes squinted as I had just reached back to the pub counter. I was slightly winded as if I had ran a mile to get here, and it was with my uttermost resolve not to gasp for air. 

"Went outside for some air. It's so stuffy here," I omitted my encounter, my lungs burning from wanting to pant. 

My heart had not slowed down. I was hoping I could be alone for a moment but Garreth had gone looking for me. 

"It's like being inside of someones mouth," he agreed trying to catch my eyes.

I mustered a smile, deliberately looking away from him to some distant table in the room, as if it had just commanded for my attention, as if I had heard someone call my name that he did not. 

I inhaled the stuffy air a little bit deeper, exhaling to steady and ready myself to put the event behind me. 

I looked back at him as he rested an arm on the counter, seemingly having had waited the whole time for me to turn to face him.

"You have the same thing as me," he took a sip of his Butterbeer and pointed at my neck. "You get red near your neck when you drink."

He started to unbutton his first two buttons of his shirt the spread the fabric and to show me a slight blush on the base of his collarbones.

"How embarrassing of us," I swallowed noticing my throat becoming dry.

"We just wear ourselves on our sleeves," he bantered resting both his elbows on the counter.

I tried to keep my face as I understood that the more things that Garreth found out about me, the more they were lies and half truths.

He tipped his tankard to observe the contents before putting it back on the table saying, "I can't drink this slosh anymore. Could I perhaps walk you back to your common room?" he waited for my reply.

"The common room? Isn't it the opposite side of the castle from the Gryffindor one?" I looked at him with widened eyes, understanding that this was the first time he was properly courteous.

"Yes," he deeply and quickly nodded, waiting for me to just say yes.

"Yes," I just repeated after him with a smile.

He nodded deeply again and turned to grab his sweater from the chair before heading to the door, opening it and holding it for me to exit first.

"Wait, one second," I stood before the door giving a quick glance around to see if Imelda was still around. The pub wasn't as busy anymore but it by no means empty. I tried to peak my head to see if I really couldn't see her from standing the door but has no luck. I also didn't notice Nerida.

"Wanted to say goodbye to someone?" Garreth asked in a simple manner.

"She's not here," I answered turning to exit through the door he was still holding open for me.

"Let me guess.... Poppy?" he tried to guess as we started walking down the cobbled stones back to the castle.

"No, but was she here tonight? I didn't see her," I turned to him feeling guilty not even thinking she would be there.

"She must have been, every single Hufflepuff was," he said decisively. He looked at me and sensing my reservation. "I think their House had the best time tonight," he tried to assure me.

"'Who ate all the pies' is a brilliant sports slogan," I remembered and couldn't help but grin.

"So did they eat all the pies because they are the best or did Ravenclaw eat the pies because they were the slowest? Good slogan but I did ponder that," Garreth laughed and waited for my input.