Forever Luminescent

Chapter 23

THE LEFTOVER RESIDUE OF Wolf's last rendezvous wrecked her body like a wave of sickness. She almost caved and lied to her mother about almost falling ill when they spoke earlier on the phone, but instead she sighed and confessed she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. If waking up meant walking out of Florentine Portrait Galleria four days ago.

Gwenn stayed cooped up in her apartment as much as she could, spacing out as she recalled every second at the galleria, trapped by Wolf. She would stay inside forever if she could help it, but, alas, she noticed an upcoming paper for her abnormal psychology class. She knew, without a doubt, that Ronan would need the extra help.

However, instead of going out to one of their infamous hideouts, Gwenn invited him over her place. She sent him the message not thinking much of it, until he said he would be there in a few minutes.

She took one hard look at her reflection, and bolted around her home, organizing everything that was messy, crooked, or even dusty. Once she was done in her kitchen and living room, she threw her hair into a more put-together bun, framing her face with loose tendrils, and trotted into her bedroom to fetch her beloved light brown blanket.

When the awaited knocks came, Gwenn tumbled to her doorway, wrapped in a cocoon of her blankets, and found Ronan standing so sheepish in his black hoodie and sweats, he looked like a sore thumb out in her apartment complex's hallway.

"You..." he stopped, studying her up and down, "look comfy."

She looked down at herself and flashed him a bashful smile. "I really don't feel like joining society today," she explained.

He ran his fingers through his hair, his other hand gripping his tattered bag slung over his shoulder. "I can see."

She stepped aside to let him in. His footsteps were soft against the linoleum floors. He looked around her apartment, taking in the new environment—the white kitchen counters and stainless steel appliances, the beige couch decorated with plush pillows and the fluffy area rug underneath it, the glass coffee table with brass legs, and the sleek TV mounted to the wall with the glossy white table standing beneath it, showcasing various trinkets like an oval ceramic vase, a glass sculpture of a torn body, and a large vanilla candle.

"Make yourself at home," she found herself saying as he continued his inspection. "I'll go get my laptop real quick."

When she came back from her room, Ronan stood by her couch, shoulders tense, as he continued eyeing the space.

Gwenn wanted to ask if he was okay, but stopped the words from rolling out of her tongue. Their last true encounter involved an illegal break-in, escaping cops, and making out in his truck. Being alone again brought back all the memories. She tightened the blanket around her body, and walked past him to place her laptop on her preferred corner of her couch.

She straightened and cleared her throat. "Would you want something to drink before we jump in?" He shook his head, still dazed as he lowered himself on the other side of the couch. "Alright..." she trailed off, frowning as he took a moment for his shoulders to drop as he sat back against the pillows. "So eating disorders, let's get right into it."

Ronan snapped into action, listening to her every word. She devised the best plan to attack the new paper, already having a good idea on how he worked best. However, when she began to quiz him on the material, she realized something was not right. Any other day, he would be answering every question with ease, and they'd find the right topic he could expand upon within minutes. That wasn't the case at present.

He kept his answers curt or told her he didn't know. He shut his eyes every time she tried to pry for his knowledge to flow, sucking on his lower lip as if to swallow his words. Gwenn stopped short after going in literal circles for what seemed like forever.