In the Eyes of the Queen [ Labyrinth ] ✔

Chapter Twenty

I turn to Jareth, who is studying the scene visible from the largest window of the apartment. I walk up beside him and follow his gaze.

"It could never be as interesting as the Labyrinth," I say, gesturing to the view, "but the humans can sometimes be as endearing as the goblins." Jareth snorts as I point to a little girl sleeping in her father's arms as he walks from their car toward their apartment. I look at him, ready to chastise him for snorting about the cuteness of a little girl when I realize he was snorting about me calling the goblins endearing. I turn back to the window and watch the two disappear through their doorway. "But the view is interesting enough for occasional pondering." I have the scene memorized from staring out the window so often.

Jareth says nothing, but I know he has acknowledged my words. I go back to sit on the sofa.

"I will stay up until, perhaps, midnight and then have a short night since it is now morning in the Labyrinth and I am still wide away from a good night's sleep." I ignore Jareth's unspoken reaction to that statement. "We will have to prepare a few things before you can meet my family, but cannot leave until later in the morning—perhaps ten—so if you meet me at nine then that should be sufficient. I will have a few hours between waking to get ready and pack, then, and that is helpful, too."

Jareth looks at me with an unreadable expression. "I do not plan on leaving."

I tilt my head. "Excuse me?"

"I am suppressing your magic from finding a way of returning you to the Goblin Kingdom." Translation: His presence here negates my desire to go to the Goblin Kingdom because I want him, not the Labyrinth.

"But I was fine before."

"You had a piece of the Goblin Kingdom here, with your goblins" (my goblins?) "and your friends, and you only spent ten hours there before, so the pull was only fractionally as strong."

I sigh. He is probably right; I cannot know. "Okay, but we will have to find you a place to stay."

He says nothing as he looks at me coolly.

"The entire apartment is smaller than your bedroom. Although my pull-down bed is for two people by human standards," (I am lucky to have a queen-size Murphy bed) "I do not want to assume you will stay in this small, drab space or share my humble bed. I can arrange for a rented room." I do not have much in the way of extra funds, with the money "owed" Dad already set aside (I calculated after my wonderings about traveling Europe), but I can manage.

"That will not be necessary."

"Are you sure?"

Jareth looks at me, annoyed.

"You are not the only spoiled one," I comment with attempted disinterest, "I just wanted to make sure."

After a moment of silence, I decide to break the awkward atmosphere. "It is late evening here, so there is not much to do. We can go for a walk now while there is still light or shop while the stores are still open. We can dine out, or watch a movie, or we can stay here and read or play games. I do not have cable, but I do have the internet." He does not know what half of that means does he?

I sigh. "Sorry, that was probably overwhelming." I pause and begin again, editing my options to more familiar activities. "We can stay in the apartment—if you do not mind the cramped space—and read or play games or just talk. If you do not mind altering your appearance for the evening, we can dine out or visit the shops." I look at him. "We will have to go shopping anyway, but I planned on doing so tomorrow morning and just pushing back our meeting with my family."