FORTE VIRIDIAN LIBRARY STOOD at the end of Birchfield Rd, towering over the neighboring businesses. Polished pillars held the structure, beckoning people to walk up the steps and go inside the large building. Gwenn stared from the cobblestoned path, watching few go in and out, head low as they hurried to get to their lives. Meanwhile the library, once used to be a safe haven from the loud world, now promised uncertainty on the other side of its strong threshold.
A sudden breeze blew through her sheer cardigan, and she rubbed her arms together against her chest. The late September day brought in an unusual chill, though she suspected it would soon be replaced by a normal wave of California heat. She didn't want to be outside when the clouds cleared to reveal the blazing sun, so she mustered up all the courage she could, and trudged up the steps of the library.
Stepping inside, she glanced at every visible corner for anyone dressed in black, Ronan's signature color. Long green tables stretched for what seemed like miles, most filled with students getting ahead on their projects and studies. She spied a girl her age with a large pack of index cards and a massive brick of a microbiology textbook. Gwenn ogled at the collection of markers she used to bring the complicated terms to life, before hurrying to the back.
Rows of books filled half of the first floor, all overflowing with information on various topics Gwenn could only dream of learning about. Since she moved out of Hales Bay, she frequented the spot, browsing through the psychology section for anything she could use for future reference.
She reached her hand out, caressing the spine of an old and well-used book. Her fingers dipped into the gold engravings of the letters, tracing the words A Study of Human Behavior. A book she had taken out on multiple occasions, especially during her freshman year at Lockfell U.
Before she headed back to Hales Bay to her parent's house, she would make a pit stop, scanning the words for anything useful for her papers. At one point in her courses, her professors realized her enthusiasm over psychology, reading essay after essay about behaviors and the brain.
It fascinated her.
Gwenn resisted the urge to flip through its brown pages and turned away. She stopped in the middle of a row, pursing her lips as a random blond guy passed through, arms full of books.
"Something told me I'd find you in the psych section."
That smooth voice sent shivers down her spine, and she turned around to be further chilled by those eyes. Ronan grinned, brightening up the darkened row with his presence, despite his dark tee and jeans. Her gaze flicked to his tattoos before settling over his face.
In one fluid motion, she reached down into her bag and produced a packet of papers, all stapled together for his convenience. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to do here, but I brought this." She handed him the packet, which he grasped firmly. "Questions to do about every unit coming in the next test. Once you're done, I'll correct them and we can go from there."
Ronan said nothing as he read the first few questions on the front page. "You did all this?" He asked, flipping through her work. "By yourself?"
She let out a nervous chuckle. "You wanted help to pass, no?"
"This partnership is going to be cutthroat, isn't it?" Gwenn gave a meek shrug. "Anyway, my plan was to start my part of the deal." He folded the packet in half and squeezed it in between his armpit.
"How do we start?" she asked.
Ronan crooked a finger at her, turning back the way he came. She followed close on his heels before halting. He went out into the open, the golden light shining over his dark head of hair. Gwenn hid behind a bookcase, hoping no one saw them together.
After a second, he realized her hesitation and stopped. His eyes found hers and he let his shoulders drop.
"A computer would be nice right now," he said as if talking to himself. Gwenn sighed, shrinking back to pretend to browse through books. She spied him going towards the iron staircase, and she took off.
She passed through study groups, all stressed and overwhelmed. She tightened her grip around her bag, and started her climb to the second floor. Though she focused on the steps, she couldn't help stealing glances at Ronan, a few feet away.
Once she made it to the top, cubicles and private rooms stretched for miles, all with access to a public computer. Her feet skidded through glossy tiles and turned in the same direction as Ronan, stopping right beside a massive column. She looked down the railing at the first floor, studying the lowered heads buried deep into their work. A colossal chandelier hung from the center of the building, bathing everyone in its golden light.
Ronan kept walking until he found a deserted corner, pulling back a seat. Gwenn stopped a few seats away, biting down on her lip to hide her bashful smile.
"There's literally no one here," he said, pulling out the seat beside him. "You can sit with me."
The offer was so simple, so innocent, yet her stomach knotted. If by any chance someone recognized her as Meredith Davidson's daughter, word would spread like a dangerous wildfire, consuming her life. She couldn't risk it.
"Ronan," she whispered, almost lamenting it. Ronan nodded, pursing his lips and pushing the seat back into its desk. She settled a few cubicles away, hanging her bag behind her.
"We should look for the agency you were adopted from," Ronan said. She stared at the darkened computer screen, nodding at her own reflection. "Which should take a while considering the amount of agencies in the state."
Gwenn didn't dare look at him, and busied herself turning on her computer. She didn't know what to do with it having no knowledge of how to find people. Had she known, she wouldn't be sneaking around with Mr. Tattoos.
The computer screen loaded, showing her a professional image of the Grand Canyon. She gulped while circling the mouse around the home screen, successfully doing nothing.
A conversation with her mother echoed from the deepest parts of her brain. Her slip-up. The moment of pure emotion led to her walls to crack enough for Gwenn to know the slightest detail.
The agency.
"Gwenn?"
"Look up A Chosen Bond," she replied, still staring at her screen. "Mom said something about it."
Though she didn't look to see what he did, keyboard clacks echoed through the library. Gwenn leaned forward against her cubicle, opting to browse the internet on her own. Curiosity burned in her stomach, but she held off from searching the adoption center. The last time she sat down to search the amount of centers in California, she made herself dizzy with the large number. Instead she logged onto her school account, scrolling through the assignments due in the next week, all of which were done.
Ronan continued with his task, head almost touching the computer screen by how close he leaned in. When she realized she was staring, she snapped back to her own screen, letting her ears focus on him—grasping onto every click of his computer, the creak of his seat when he shifted positions, and every breath out of his nose.
"A Chosen Bond Adoption Center has three locations in the state," Ronan revealed. "One of which...is in our very own Lockfell."
Gwenn whizzed her head to him, lips parted in surprise. She forgot all about her secrecy and stood from her seat in a flash, leaning down by his seat to look at his screen. Ronan cleared his throat, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as he pointed at the screen.
The internet page showed the adoption center situated right at the outskirts of town, almost colliding with the town of Old Watford. The building looked humble and welcoming with a white exterior and colorful flowers painted to what she assumed was the lobby. Gwenn almost giggled. It was the exact place she imagined her parents going for to adopt a child.
"Wait, you said there were three?" She asked, turning to Ronan. A beat passed between them before she leaned back, hoping to not make him uncomfortable with her closeness. "Sorry...but um how do we know which center was the one?"
Ronan ran a hand through the front of his hair, messing it up so it stuck out in odd angles before he shook his head to let it fall back down over his eyes. "We start by going to the one here, honey."
A bubble traveled up her chest and throat, waiting to burst out into the library. Every bone in her body ached to turn to the door and run out until she heaved on the entrance of the adoption center.
"When can we go?"
She stared down at him, watching for any indication that they could go right then. They could run out of the library doors, out into the brisk Lockfell afternoon. His gaze met hers, and she froze. The golden light of the library warmed up his iris, melting the ice into a pool of glistening blue water. She blinked to sever the staring contest taking place unannounced.
"Ronan, is that you?"
Gwenn retreated, almost knocking onto the seat behind her if she hadn't grasped it to steady herself. A guy, probably Ronan's age, approached them, a smirk plastered onto his face. Blond hair sat over his head brushed to the right as light brown eyes watched them. Ronan stood to his full height, an inch above him, and pulled the fakest smile she had ever seen.
"Wolf," he greeted. "I didn't think you were a library type of guy."
The guy, Wolf, nodded. "I could say the same for you." His gaze flickered over to her. She straightened up her spine, shuffling her feet as if caught. Someone had seen them together.
"And who is this?" He asked, outstretching a hand to her. She stared at it before reaching out and shaking it.
Ronan cleared his throat. "This is Gwenn Davidson. She works for my mom, so it was a pleasant surprise to bump into each other here."
Gwenn sent a grateful look his way, and his lips quirked up ever so slightly.
"Well, Gwenn Davidson, it is a pleasure to meet you," Wolf said, his tone dropping at the end of his sentence. "I'm Wallace Lawrence, though everyone knows me as Wolf in these parts."
"It's nice to meet you," she said, nodding as if to ensure Wolf read her as attentive and not at all distracted. "How do you two know each other?"
That got a garbled chuckle out of Ronan. Wolf smirked, leaning in closer to her. "He's actually my competition right now. We've known each other for years. We went to Galewood High together."
Gwenn turned to Ronan as if waiting for confirmation. His gaze was locked on Wolf's.
"We were the two chosen for the MNTR internship. We're fighting for the spot to be a full-time employee once we graduate," Ronan affirmed. "If we win, we get to work for one of the best engineering companies in the state."
Understanding dawned on her face. The clenched jaws, the hardened stares, the stiff postures. They all showed the ongoing battle between the two, and though they saw each other outside of their internship, they were not going to let their resolve crumble.
"Sounds intense," she commented.
"That's one way to put it," Wolf said. Then he sharpened his gaze, letting it roam down her small figure. "I do like intense every once in a while."
"Okay!" Ronan interrupted just as her cheeks flushed. "It was nice to see you, Wolf, but I'm gonna go back to my work. Someone's gotta turn in that model to Carson."
Wolf narrowed his eyes. "You aren't the only one working on that, King." The two glared at each other, a silent fight happening in between their eyes. Gwenn almost slouched back before they exploded in the middle of the library, taking her down in the process. After about a minute, Wolf lowered his gaze down to Gwenn's. "I guess I'd better head out. Maybe we'll see each other again, blondie."
With one last wink, he waved at the two, looking between them like he knew something was up but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Gwenn exhaled when she could no longer see him.
"I know you're a smart woman, so you should know," Ronan said, stepping closer. "Stay away from Wolf. He's no good."
She said nothing, only nodding as she stared at where the guy in question stood moments before.
After a few seconds, she looked up at him. "Thanks for the save."
"Of course," he murmured. "Now, do you dare take a roadtrip to A Chosen Bond with me? Or do I have to pick you up at an undisclosed location before we make our trek?"
Gwenn hummed, staring out at the rest of the library. "I'd say the latter."