Howard stares for a minute. For a moment it's like time warps, and he can see Cedric's mouth moving and hear the words coming out, but he can't hear it over the sound of the sink dripping or the purr of the cat under the table. And then it hits.

"Cute. Real cute," he says, getting up and shoving his chair back. His face takes a harder edge, a desperate attempt to look stony instead of just hurt. "I'm going to my room."