[A/N: And HERE we get a lovely insight into Mr. Todd's lovely mind! Enjoy! Thank you again to my regulars for their comments! I loves youu! xxx Teeny Sweeney. =D]
Admittedly, he was sad to see Gerard leave when his mother returned, but there was no valid reason to keep him around. Thus, the barber picked his razor up again and resumed his pacing habit. The one that he had to force himself out of at night, just to let Gerard sleep. Not that he minded awfully, it was only fair to let those who could, sleep. He was, however, tempted to pace and keep him from sleeping, simply for the company.
He didn't get much of that company for the next few days, only fleeting glances and hushed greetings. Both along with a smile that he'd found his thoughts lingering over. Then again, Gerard almost always looked content, usually enough to be smiling. It was infectious enough to put the intense frown off the barber's face when it was directed at him. Another thing he had noticed was the innocence of his pout, so childlike. It was no secret that Gerard was clumsy, so he was no stranger to an injury or two, but he'd always react dramatically, whining and pouting and stomping his feet for a moment or two before continuing as he had. Innocent and childlike, but all with the intention of seeking attention. However, all the attention Sweeney normally gave was a skeptical raised eyebrow, to which Gerard would respond with more pouting or, occasionally, an embarrassed smile.
All personality traits that Sweeney had steadily begun to notice in Gerard and although he wouldn't dare admit it, he was growing affectionate towards him, though his constant and rather sudden distance was slightly maddening. On the other hand, there was rarely a moment when Gerard wasn't busy or sleeping. During a lot of his free time, he would go out for a while, either hanging around out at the front of the shop with a friend or two, or disappearing to other parts of town. If he didn't spend the majority of his time by the window, Sweeney wouldn't have known that, but such was the case.
It was a Thursday, and the sun shone. Not blindingly, but enough to make the normally grey and damp streets of London slightly prettier to look at. This would be the type of day that Gerard would go out, and go out he did, but not far. He stayed by the alley across the street and looked from left to right until a young man of about his own age walked up to him. Gerard shot the other lad his characteristic grin and embraced him for several moments. The barber furrowed his eyebrows; there was a strange feeling in his chest that he didn't like. He tried to return to pacing, but he found himself back at the window before a minute had passed. The two outside were close now, Gerard listening intently to whatever his friend was saying. The friend leaned in and whispered something to him, Gerard blushed, but whatever was said apparently caused him great amusement as he laughed out loud, slapping his hand over his mouth. The strange feeling in Sweeney's chest intensified until it tipped precariously on the borderline of anger. He clenched his fists tight, willing himself to relax. He spent a few moments thinking hard about the strange feeling before letting out a gasp of realization. But no…there was no possible way that he could be…
He couldn't be jealous…
Could he?
Surely not, he didn't have any right to be. His thoughts and feelings towards Gerard had nothing to do with their relationship. Right? He frowned deeper, shoving himself away from the windowsill and returning to pacing.
"Relationship? A quick snog…or…a few…does not count as a relationship." He muttered under his breath.
He questioned himself over and over again. He shouldn't be jealous. He couldn't be jealous! It must've been something else. He must've gotten his feelings confused.
He had lost the cynical edge to his mood. It had left him to ponder the one he started out with. Surely there was some element of relationship there? They had spoken, right? They got along, so that had to mean that there was some element of relationship if anything.
The barber let out a frustrated noise, rubbing his eyes with one hand. There was no way he was about to admit to being jealous, because he wasn't jealous. Just confused by a feeling he wasn't used to. A feeling that he told himself repeatedly, wasn't jealousy.
He sighed again and sat down, still thinking to the point that it hurt his head. When he couldn't come up with anything better, he decided that he was simply curious to know who he was talking to, because they looked a little bit more than friendly. He wanted to know, out of pure 'curiosity'.