Sleepy Fox Hollow Last long enough to go extinct,

Why was his first instinct to be unkind? The words left Anselm's lips - words he'd authored - and he pulled back.

Etienne's gaze was kind, his answer patient. Anselm was already retracting back into his shelf. That brief glimpse of interest was eclipsed again, this time by an uglier emotion.

Do you need me? Anselm's lips worked in a thin line, curling. He was not yet arrived at a place where he could be vulnerable.

No. He turned his angled shoulders, their edges hard with self-contempt. This time Anselm began to walk away, though a small part of him hoped Etienne would call him back.