"No!" Cedric balls his fists. "I'm not taking anything out. I...I knew something wasn't quite what I wanted it to be with you. Seeing all sorts of them made me realise what it was." That little bit of encouragement has made him dare to hope. Foolish, he now thinks.

He walks to the other end of the couch, still at a safe distance. "Maybe that's what I like about you. Maybe I'd miss it if you stopped making fun of me. It's...charming."

Their life after this rejection is going to be so awkward.