Tay is left with the family inn after his father dies. He’s unsure what to do with it and considers closing the doors forever, until a gorgeous traveler walks through the front door one afternoon. The next thing he knows, the inn is not only open but thriving, with Mykah, the young traveler, at his side helping run things. He’s happy for the first time since his father passed away.
Trouble is, Tay knows Mykah has to leave soon for his sister’s wedding, and is likely never to return. He lives in the city, several days’ ride from Tay’s little town, and has his own life already. Is Mykah really even interested in him? Are they stuck just being friends, or at the most, a short fling soon forgotten?
When he returned to Maury’s table, the little fellow gave him a knowing smile. “How long have you and the lad there been a thing?”
“Wait, what?” Tay asked in shock, almost dropping the other drinks he was carrying.
“Is he not your boyfriend?”
Tay was speechless, unable to come up with any sort of response, looking around nervously to see if anyone else had heard Maury. It seemed nobody had, and Tay quickly excused himself to deliver the other drinks.
After a while, Tay recovered from his shock and returned to Maury’s table -- his usual spot, in the back corner, close to the fireplace. He took a seat without asking, as Maury almost always sat alone, and this was not the first time Tay had sat with him for advice.
“How did you ...?” Tay asked, trailing off partway into the question.
“See something that was right in front of my face? You think that because I’m a goblin, I wouldn’t notice such things?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Tay said. “He’s just a traveler who is staying on for a few days, and is helping me out in exchange for a place to sleep.”
Maury gave him a look that was part affection, part exasperation. “Tay, I have known you since you were a small boy. I’ve seen you interact with hundreds of people in this very room. The way you talk to that fellow is different. You consider him special, whether you’ve admitted it to yourself or not.”
Tay considered protesting further, but he knew from long experience that Maury always saw to the heart of the issue, and was almost always right. “Do you think anybody else noticed?” he asked sheepishly, looking around the crowded room.
“Humans tend to miss things like that,” Maury observed. “Especially if it’s not what they want to see. Everyone in this town likes you, lad. But you know how they would feel in general about ... such things.”
“I guess you’re right,” Tay said, looking down at the table.
“Have you told him you like him?” Maury pressed gently.
“No,” Tay answered with a shrug.
“Well tonight, after we all leave ... maybe you should make sure he knows.”
Tay hesitated, then nodded, giving Maury a smile and a pat on the shoulder as he stood to return to work.
