Authors note: This chapter will be focussing mostly on character building, no real action to be found.
Thank you to those who have left reviews, they do warm my heart.
Don't hesitate to point out flaws in my writing, part of this story is to learn and grow as a writer.
Pinching her eyes to keep the light at bay she rolls over. Burrowing deeper into the pillow. Resting in the haziness of her mind. Trying to drag out her waking for as long as possible. She draws her knees up. Relaxing as she breathes deeply.
Time passes unhindered as she lays there, too content to truly wake. The troubles of her mind kept away by the comfort of the bed and the trace of a familiar scent near her. Slowly the last vestiges of her dreams disappear, making it impossible for her to deny that she is awake.
Turning to lie on her back she stretches. Feeling each limb go as far as possible, going just a little bit further to feel that delightful stretch. Melting back into the sheets. Luxuriating in the calmness and stillness of her mind.
Rubbing the remainders of sleep from her eyes she sits up. Bringing her ankles in beneath her knees, her hands resting on them. She sits there, waiting a bit longer.
Lazily her eyes open up. Taking in the room around her and it's sparse furniture. A simple enough king sized bed with two bedside tables. Eucalyptus colored walls and luxurious sheets. A glass with water waits for her on the bedside table. She drinks to chase away her dry mouth.
Leaning back against the headboard she sits. Mind finally awake and aware enough to start churning.
Contemplating the last few weeks, reliving the events of the previous night. Absently her hand sweeps across the soft sheets. She stills when it comes into contact with something else.
Looking down she can see Ben's t-shirt in her hand. A soft smile comes to her face, the rapid storm of thoughts stopped. With the stillness of her mind a realization comes with it as well. This was the first morning in so long that she woke up feeling content and relaxed. The first morning that she allowed herself to wake slowly. Unbothered by alarms and their snooze functions.
These past few weeks were spent in denial of a truth that is now all too obvious. However crazy Ben's idea might have been, it's actually working. Flashes of sensation come to her as she remembers the rope wrapped around her. Shaking herself she whispers "It's more then that."
She remembers not only the rope but the person that came with it. The steady presence of him near her as she was bound. His calming influence as he worked with her.
A blush comes to her face as she thinks back to how her skin tingled at the brush of his fingers. The trail of fire it left in its wake. The shortness of her breath as she felt that same fire spread. How torn she was when he stopped.
She steps off the bed, feet meeting plush carpet. She paces. Worrying the nail of her thumb as she thinks. The calmness of her morning interrupted by worries and problems.
Catching sight of something black on the pale sheets she pauses. Slowly going back over to the side of the bed. Her fingers tracing the fabric of his black shirt she stills.
Her worries and frown disappear as she feels the phantom sensation of his hand stroking her hair again. In that moment she decides to let go of her troubles for the time being and simply enjoy the reprieve from her stress.
Opening the door she is met by light snoring. Stepping lightly, she lays her hands on the back of the couch. Gazing down at Ben, sleeping with his mouth open. Hair in disarray and a slight trail of drool staining his cushion. She smiles as she looks down at him, taking a moment to decide if she should wake him or simply leave.
Pressing her finger lightly down on his nose when her decision is made.
Watching as he springs awake. Eyes wide open, rapid breath as he looks at her weirdly. Scrunching his nose "What the hell Gwen, I was having a good dream!"
She scoffs, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Judging by the amount of drool on the cushion I'd expect it was more about chili fries than anything else."
Flopping back down onto the couch he grumbles. "Whaddaya want? Let me go back to sleep."
Giving a laugh at his pouting she speaks. "I wanted to say thank you and goodbye before I left."
"Leave?" Abruptly he sits back up again. "Why do you need to leave? Wait what did you tell your parents in the first place?"
Tapping her finger against her cheek. "Early morning study session with a friend from school. I may have forgotten to say when I would be back." She admits with a laugh in her voice. "I do still have a lot of work to do and I need a shower."
Pulling a face he exclaims. "On a Sunday?" Shuddering visibly before he begins to lie down again. "Just shower and study here. Change of scenery might be good for you."
Surprised she pulls back from the couch, standing straight "What?"
Pulling the blanket back over himself he simply waves a hand at her. "You have everything you need with you, right? Just make yourself at home."
Not moving as she thinks, she startles when he speaks again. His face still planted in the cushion, his words muffled. "Gwen. Get in the shower."
Shaking her head she follows the command.
"Are you still studying?" Ben's question snaps her from her focus. Sighing deeply she looks at him. "You've been at it for hours, you hardly took a break to eat."
Shaking her head, voice laced with irritation as she speaks "Yes and I'm still not done. I've got hours more ahead."
"Oh come on." He stands across from her, palms on the table. "You're doing all this without even taking a single break?"
Pointedly she picks her highlighter up from its resting place and returns to her notes. "Yes."
"No."
She looks up at him again, eyebrows raised before they pinch together. "What?"
Standing straight he folds his arms before him. "You're taking a break and we're going out for a bit."
Indignation flashes over her, voice raised. "You don't get to decide that."
Shaking his head, calmly he says. "This isn't healthy and you've hardly gotten anything done in the last half hour." Raising a finger at her when she tries to speak "Don't try to deny it, you haven't turned that page in the last half hour. Either you come willingly or…. "
She folds her arms as she scowls at him "Or what?"
He simply raises an eyebrow at her. Mimicking her own stance from weeks ago.
She meets his glare head on, facing his stern eyes as he simply looks at her. Finally shoving away from the table with an audible growl. "Alright already."
Ben walks over to get his keys with a cheerful grin. "Aww, don't pout like that. You know you want it."
If at all possible her eyes would have set him aflame as she stomped after him.
Her glare at that moment could vanquish the strongest army. Given the strongest enemy chills to their very bones. Children would cry. Grown men would scream at the sight of it. Yet the object of that fierce glare could not care less.
The sun continues its path through the heavens. Unminding that it shines directly in her eyes.
Ben appears next to her, ice cream in hand. She doesn't notice him, still attempting to make the sun move through her force of will. Giving her a nudge with the hand that holds her cup he snaps her from her attempt.
She groans and gives in, skootching over to gain shade from the leaves. Ben looks befuddled as she takes her cone. He simply shrugs, sitting down. Enjoying his cone with two scoops while he basks in the sunlight.
Gwen sighs deeply before speaking "Thank you. It's been a long time since I actually took time to relax."
Pausing between licks Ben says. "No problem, you just needed a reminder." He turns to her slightly concerned. "I know that what we do helps you relax but it's not the same. Everyone needs some time for themselves."
Swallowing her small bite she pulls her knees up, wrapping one arm around her legs. Resting her chin on top of her knees. "Yes, but it's not that easy to always take the time like that." She stares out over the park, seeing the children play and the various people go about their day. "There's so much to do and so few hours in a day. So many expectations to live up to." The last she admitted with a sigh.
He frowns as he looks at her, she seems so much older then she is in that moment. Searching for the right words to say he looks out over the park as well.
Unbidden his mouth opens and words come out, admitting something he had kept hidden away. "You know I used to be jealous of you." She snorts at his words.
Taking another lick he leans back against the tree. "It's true, you always got high grades and your pictures were up on the fridge. Your mother used to brag about your awards so much." He chuckles at memories of the past. How he used to stick out his tongue and roll his eyes whenever he heard it.
Ice cream forgotten he speaks casually. "We were always like cats and dogs but I started doing things because I was jealous." Shaking his head at his own childish actions. "Then I began to see something else as well."
She turns to look at him, seeing the slight melancholy on his face. "You were always too busy to have fun, sometimes you looked like those porcelain dolls." The melancholy is chased away by the grin that stretches his mouth. "But when I played pranks on you? You were bursting with life!"
"I still pulled pranks on you for fun, no doubt about it." He looks at her, grin softening to a smile. "But most of them were because it looked like you had fun because of them."
Her eyes locked on his, the gentle smile he sported unseen as they gazed at each other. Their bodies naturally leaned towards the other. In that moment it seemed as if the rest of the park was gone. That only they, the grass and the sun existed.
"Ben." Her voice a soft whisper in the wind.
His lowered to match. "Yeah?"
A moment before she bites her lip.
"Your ice cream is melting all over your hand." Her chuckles threatening to escape her.
"What?" His eyes dart away from hers, seeing the pink and brown rivulets dripping down his hand. "Ah crap." Frantically he begins licking at the cream running over his fingers.
Gwen can't hold it in any longer, openly laughing as he tries to fix the mess.
"Aww c'mon I just washed these earlier this week." He bites off the end of the cookie cone, sucking the remainder out through the hole.
A few chuckles still escape her as he manages to clean the last remaining bits of cream on his hand.
Looking back out over the park, the setting sun glowing in the background of children playing and couples in love.
"Thank you." The words stop his scrutiny of the stain on his jeans. "For what you did when we were kids and what you're doing for me now." She hesitates, still unsure if she can voice what has been plaguing her. "Can I tell you a secret?"
Folding his feet under his knees he looks at her as if she is the sole focus of his attention. "You can always tell me anything."
She looks down at her outstretched legs, wiggling her feet. "Yes I guess I can." The soft smile she is sporting goes as the words finally come. "I don't know what I want to be."
"Lots of people don't know…"
She cuts him off with a shake of her head. "No, it's not the same. I always knew what I wanted to be or rather my parents always knew what I wanted to be." She exhales. "It's always been the same, something was chosen and I had to work to make it happen. Karate was the only thing I really chose myself."
Her hands tighten on her legs, knuckles turning white. "It used to be enough, the promise of a good future. It used to be worth the work and the loss of other things." She shakes her head again, more violently. "But it's not the same now, everything is so much bigger now. I could be whatever we wanted but with everything I know and can do now."
She bites her lip. "Is it so bad that I want to be something else? That I want to explore the word and myself? That I don't want to be a doctor or a lawyer. That I want to be a sorceress?" Pinching her eyes shut she admits what has been worrying her at night. "Does it make me a bad person to want to decide for myself?" The agony and self-doubt plain in her voice, her eyes pinched shut. Tears visible on her lashes.
Ben lays his hand on hers. Giving up her death grip on her leg she allows him to turn her hand over. Squeezing it with his own. Showing her that she isn't alone.
"It doesn't make you a bad person, Gwen." She turns her head away even as he speaks. "It means you've grown, that you're different then you used to be. That's not a bad thing." Squeezing her hand to make her look at him.
"Your parents did what they thought was best but they love you. I don't think they'll hate you for being who you are." She finally turns to him. He looks at her with a gentle smile as he says "You are amazing and you could be whatever you wanted to be. You'll excel at it not because someone made you do it. You'll be good because that's who you are. You give everything you have." The words spoken as if they are a fact that cannot be denied. "When that's not enough, you squeeze out more. "
She still shakes her head, not sure of what he says. He pulls on her hand, bringing her in for a hug. "If none of that's enough I'll explore the world with you. Hunting for magic books could be interesting." She chuckles at him even as she melts into the warm embrace. Feeling the strength of his being, a rock for her to cling to.
She rubs her face down into the space between his shoulder and his neck. Taking strength and comfort she whispers "Thank you." Giving a squeeze he whispers back. "Anytime."
Sitting back she wipes at her eyes. Taking away the tears best she can as she breathes deeply. Looking out at the last rays of sunshine as they sit beside each other. "I still don't know what I'm going to do."
His words are as simple as the day turning to night. "You don't have to. We'll take it one step at a time."
Their hands rest close together on the ground not quite touching as they look at the disappearing sun.
This chapter was mainly about building their characters more. Showing small parts of Ben but more of Gwen and why she has been struggeling so much lately. However both of them have their demons.
The next two chapters should be more action packed.
Thank you for reading.