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“There was a point to this tangent, I’m sure of it,” Patrick huffs out a charming laugh-smirk combination to the audience to give the appearance that his mind isn't spiralling.
He blinks at bright lights, barely able to see past the first row of attendees. The auditorium stretches far beyond the blur of the stage lights. Patrick's heart starts to pick up speed as he remembers the 150 tickets that were purchased for his presentation.
At least the front row seems to be listening attentively, not dozing off, going by the silent eyes that follow him as he walks from the podium to a desk that holds his notes.
He riffles through them, still unable to figure out what his original point was. He'd spent so long on a side note that wasn't scripted, this is all very very unsettling. Why did he sign up for an hour long talk again?
He continues to stall, taking a sip of water and loosening the tie David fastened around his neck that morning.
As he turns back to the audience, ready to wing the last ten minutes, he notices someone in the audience has a hand up.
Patrick is relieved to receive a question; he gestures to the silhouette of the raised arm, "Yes, person near the back, any questions?"
The minute he hears the voice, Patrick sighs in relief. It's David. He wasn't sure if his husband was going to make it or not, given it was a long drive from the store. Patrick smiles gently, walking back to the podium as he listens.
"So, how does this relate back to the expansion technique you mentioned earlier?" David's voice asks.
Right! Of course.
And, while Patrick can only see his silhouette, he's never been so happy to have his anchor nearby. God, he could kiss David right on the mouth for setting him back on track.
Well, he will. Right after he crushes this conclusion.