Knight in Real Life:
Part Five, Such Sweet Sorrow
Getting the knight was surprisingly easy, Bethany thought, especially considering his sudden fascination with T-shirts.
Getting the coffee, not so much. She and knight were still waiting thirty minutes later when Paul finally walked in the room.
“They didn’t have coffee. Afternoon rush.” Paul apologized to Bethany with everything but his eyes, which fell and held on the sleeping girl on the other bed.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Bethany said.
Paul held up a travel tumbler. “I got tea. I thought maybe it’d do the same thing.”
“Well, let’s hope this works. Good knight, hold out thy favor. Paul, pour there.”
Paul raised his eyebrows at the ironic voice in which the orders were delivered, but he did as he was bade. “Now what?”
“I’m not entirely sure.” Bethany wrinkled her forehead. “Either he drinks it or I drink it.”
Paul gave the tumbler a shake. “I’ve still got more here.”
“I guess I should drink it first. Yes.” The idea settled firmly in Bethany’s mind; she was not going to drink out of her own mug after the knights and have unwashed mustache hairs caught on the rim.
“May I?” Bethany held out her hands for the black mug.
The rather large mustache twitched. “Pardon, wait.”
Then the knight turned to the dozing roommate and gazed on her long enough to have Paul burst out, “Alright, already, say goodbye and leave the lady!”
Bethany tried to silence Paul with a glare. At that moment Lisa awoke to stare into a pair of eyes and a large mustache approaching her. Lisa screamed, causing the knight to toss the contents of the mug on himself and across the room. Warm tea splattered Bethany’s eyes and when she wiped her sleeve across them the knight and her mug were gone.
Lisa stared at Bethany. Bethany looked between Lisa and Paul. Paul was trying to casually smooth his hair on top. The roommate saw where Bethany’s eyes traveled.
“Hi, there,” Paul said. “You remember, I’m Paul.”
“Get out!” Lisa shrieked. “Get out, get out! You perv!”
Bethany’s mind raced to a solution. “Did you have a nightmare, Lise?”
Lisa’s arm stopped halfway to her pillow. Indecision flickered in her eyes. “There was this –” She fell silent.
“There was this…what? Go on.” Bethany’s eyes flicked to Paul. His face hung between dejection and confusion.
“Never mind. It’s your fault, Bethany?”
“Why would you say that?”
“All your late night reading’s got me seeing – well, it’s too much light. And what’s he doing here?”
“Paul offered to repay the favors he owes me by getting me coffee.”
Lisa blinked. “That’s tea.”
“Well, I had a small accident.”
Lisa took in the sight of the charred laptop, the spattered and cloven desk behind Bethany. “Are you sure –”
Bethany forced a laugh. “It’s these cheap grants – they don’t pay for the greatest computers. Walking time bombs, like I’ve said.”
“Oh yeah,” Paul said, “She’s told me that lots of times.”
Lisa looked from Bethany to Paul. She said. “Well, what do you expect when you go into pretty useless medieval studies? I mean, those days are long past.”
Bethany glanced at Paul. “Some days I’d agree with you.”
Getting the coffee, not so much. She and knight were still waiting thirty minutes later when Paul finally walked in the room.
“They didn’t have coffee. Afternoon rush.” Paul apologized to Bethany with everything but his eyes, which fell and held on the sleeping girl on the other bed.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Bethany said.
Paul held up a travel tumbler. “I got tea. I thought maybe it’d do the same thing.”
“Well, let’s hope this works. Good knight, hold out thy favor. Paul, pour there.”
Paul raised his eyebrows at the ironic voice in which the orders were delivered, but he did as he was bade. “Now what?”
“I’m not entirely sure.” Bethany wrinkled her forehead. “Either he drinks it or I drink it.”
Paul gave the tumbler a shake. “I’ve still got more here.”
“I guess I should drink it first. Yes.” The idea settled firmly in Bethany’s mind; she was not going to drink out of her own mug after the knights and have unwashed mustache hairs caught on the rim.
“May I?” Bethany held out her hands for the black mug.
The rather large mustache twitched. “Pardon, wait.”
Then the knight turned to the dozing roommate and gazed on her long enough to have Paul burst out, “Alright, already, say goodbye and leave the lady!”
Bethany tried to silence Paul with a glare. At that moment Lisa awoke to stare into a pair of eyes and a large mustache approaching her. Lisa screamed, causing the knight to toss the contents of the mug on himself and across the room. Warm tea splattered Bethany’s eyes and when she wiped her sleeve across them the knight and her mug were gone.
Lisa stared at Bethany. Bethany looked between Lisa and Paul. Paul was trying to casually smooth his hair on top. The roommate saw where Bethany’s eyes traveled.
“Hi, there,” Paul said. “You remember, I’m Paul.”
“Get out!” Lisa shrieked. “Get out, get out! You perv!”
Bethany’s mind raced to a solution. “Did you have a nightmare, Lise?”
Lisa’s arm stopped halfway to her pillow. Indecision flickered in her eyes. “There was this –” She fell silent.
“There was this…what? Go on.” Bethany’s eyes flicked to Paul. His face hung between dejection and confusion.
“Never mind. It’s your fault, Bethany?”
“Why would you say that?”
“All your late night reading’s got me seeing – well, it’s too much light. And what’s he doing here?”
“Paul offered to repay the favors he owes me by getting me coffee.”
Lisa blinked. “That’s tea.”
“Well, I had a small accident.”
Lisa took in the sight of the charred laptop, the spattered and cloven desk behind Bethany. “Are you sure –”
Bethany forced a laugh. “It’s these cheap grants – they don’t pay for the greatest computers. Walking time bombs, like I’ve said.”
“Oh yeah,” Paul said, “She’s told me that lots of times.”
Lisa looked from Bethany to Paul. She said. “Well, what do you expect when you go into pretty useless medieval studies? I mean, those days are long past.”
Bethany glanced at Paul. “Some days I’d agree with you.”
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