Forever Luminescent

Chapter 14

BRIGHT SUNLIGHT BLINDED HER the moment her eyes opened. Light blue greeted her from above. For a moment, Gwenn thought she was back in her childhood bedroom, but the squawk of a bird brought her back to reality. She blinked back the sleep, wincing at the crunch of mascara over her lashes.

She shifted onto her other side, cuddling closer to the comforter. Her breath caught when she spied Ronan, crouched over his duffle bag as he sifted through it, all whilst lacking a shirt over his body, which showed off all the ink covering his skin.

A colossal tree sprouted from the small of his back, spreading roots to his sides. Thick branches reached his shoulder blades. Half of it almost rustled with lush leaves, while the other half remained barren. The landscape in the depth of the artwork showed mountains, all bathed in sunshine, however divided. Under luxuriant foliage were lively hills and animals prancing about the scenery. Decaying deers laid in heaps on the opposite side. Life and death joined together at his spine.

"What inspired that tattoo?" Gwenn asked.

Ronan almost jumped out of his skin, yelping. After losing his balance and landing on his bottom, Gwenn fell into a pool of giggles.

"God, honey," he groaned, running a hand down the side of his face. "That's not funny," he complained. His eyebrows scrunched together as she covered her consistent chuckles underneath the comforter.

He leaned his head back on the edge of the truck, exposing more of his tattoos from his torso up to his collarbones. An assortment of ink traveled all over his skin, showcasing a collection of small pieces—animals, symbols, and random landscapes. His body was a canvas.

She couldn't help her eyes wander.

"It's not polite to stare, you know?" Ronan said, staring up at the morning sky.

"I've never seen so many tattoos in my life," she confessed. Her eyes zeroed in on a phrase right over his ribcage: monsters are real. "How many do you have?"

"And here I thought you were just checking me out," he grumbled. The tiniest squeak escaped her throat as she struggled for air.

"What?" she stuttered.

That dimpled grin appeared as he pointed those icy eyes at her still tucked-in body. She refused to move, her limbs frozen underneath the white cloud that kept her warm all night.

"You want to grab breakfast?" He stood up, going back to his initial task. He dug through his bag to produce his laptop and a crumpled shirt. Gwenn took the opportunity to stretch, staring straight at his back tattoo. One of the deers on the lively side caught her eye, as if it stared her down from Ronan's skin. "What do you think?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Ronan pulled his shirt over his head. Alas, all of his tattoos were hidden from the rest of the world.

"I did not think you the type, Ms. Davidson," he said with a tsk of his tongue. "I'm not a piece of meat to stare at."

An exasperated cry fell from her mouth. "I was not—Ronan!" The most infuriating laugh filled the air as he sat back down. Her cheeks flushed bright red, her chest heaving. "I was just looking at the deer on your back. You should name it," she finished as a mumble.

His eyebrows shot up, his dimple threatening to appear. "You already want to name my tattoos?"

She ignored his question and sat up, running her fingers through her mess of hair. A hairbrush and a makeup wipe would've been perfect right then. Staring off into the distance, she remembered she was at the abandoned basketball court. The only noise heard for miles was the occasional buzz of bees and chirps of birds.