Cecil checked his watch for the eleventh time. Four more minutes had passed. He tapped his finger against the covered table and drank quickly from his wine glass. According to the only "true timepiece" in Night Vale, it was thirty minutes later than the time he and Carlos had set for dinner.
His phone signaled to him that he was getting a call, and he picked up almost immediately. "Hello?" he asked, anxious.
A beautiful, rich, smooth voice spoke through the line. "Cecil! You'll never believe what I just found! You know that five-foot iridescent gecko under the stop sign by old woman Jose's house? There's another gecko there, only smaller than the first one. I think it might be the first gecko's offspring? And now they're both singing opera at passersby, but not just any opera, it's-"
"You forgot about dinner…because of a gecko under a stop sign..?" Cecil articulated his words, listening to himself to make sure he understood what was going on here.
"I- Oh no, Cecil, I'm sorry, I completely- I was- …I'm sorry." Carlos' excitement was quickly replaced with remorse.
There was a pause. Then Cecil opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a sigh. He stared at the phone.
"Cecil..?"
"I'm going to finish the wine by myself, then. Goodnight, Carlos." He pressed the "end call" button, pursing his lips as he reached for his wine glass once again.
He wasn't in a particularly good mood after the pile of dead moths appeared on his bathroom counter this morning, but he instantly felt a pang of guilt at hanging up on his boyfriend. Still, he refused to call Carlos back after he stood him up.
He sipped the wine, then sipped some more, then poured himself a full glass of red from the wine bottle he'd bought for just this occasion.
Drinking mercilessly, he leaned back in his chair, fully intending to drink the entire contents of the bottle before Carlos had a chance to taste. That'd teach him, the gorgeous man.