group
"You need to stop saying that," Eve whispered. "You deserve so many good things in this world, Rowan. You many not believe it, but you do. You're not a bad person. You're a good person who has had bad things happen to you."
"No, no, no… I can't… I can't be good enough. It's impossible. T-There's always somebody better, and… I'll never be good enough for them. For anyone. You deserve so much better than me, Eve…" Rowan kept his eyes closed, trying to relax into Eve's hands. It wasn't like he got a whole lot of hugs or anything from his parents, so he needed this right now.
group
Eve's eyes shone as she rested her forehead against his and whispered adoringly. "You're good enough for me."
Rowan shook his head weakly, but he did seem to relax a bit more. "Why do you want me, Eve…? You can do so much better than me… you're amazing…"
group
"You flatter me," she replied with a soft laugh and closed her eyes. This moment between them was so vulnerably intimate, so it felt right. "This may surprise you, but my personality tends to scare most people away."
"You're confident, and strong… and you're so good at what you do. How could I not want to get to know you better?" Rowan smiled weakly. "You're everything I aspire towards."
group
Eve felt a tear slip out from under her closed eye, and it trickled down her cheek. "If only you knew," she whispered sadly.
"Well… it doesn't matter to me what your past is. You've worked hard to get where you are, and I'm proud of you." Rowan offered another tired smile.
group
"And it doesn't matter to me what your past is," she whispered, keeping her eyes shut. "You're here now."
"Mmnh…" Rowan buried his face in Eve's shoulder again, holding tightly to her. "But my past is still causing problems…"
group
Eve couldn't help but laugh. "So's mine. Or have you already forgotten about my deranged ex-boyfriend? And he's only a piece of the puzzle."
"Mmnh… I guess, but still…" Rowan mumbled tiredly. "Did he… did he kick you out for a couple days, and… mm… make you sleep outside…?" He was clearly exhausted now, and delirious enough to not have much of a filter.
group
Eve's eyes flew open. "What?" she demanded, not answering the question he'd asked.
Rowan didn't reply. He just yawned and huddled closer to Eve with his eyes closed, just wanting to fall asleep and forget about the world for a while.
group
Eve blinked quickly and readjusted so they could both lie down. Though Rowan was falling asleep, Eve's racing thoughts kept her awake.
Rowan fell asleep pretty easily despite the noises of the movie still in the background. He was still fast asleep in the morning, and he held onto Eve as well as he could.
group
Eve stayed awake late into the night with her thoughts, and only fell asleep when the movie finished. She woke before Rowan too, her heart racing a bit as she realized they'd both slept on the couch, holding each other.
Rowan seemed content holding Eve in his sleep, thankful for the warm, safe contact. Eventually, he did stir and opened his eyes, blinking drowsily.
group
Eve gasped softly as Rowan began to stir. "Good morning," she said hesitantly.
"Mmmnh… morning…" Rowan mumbled sleepily in reply. It took him a minute or two for his memory to kick in. "M'really sorry about last night…"
group
"Don't be," Eve assured him. "I actually liked it."
"You enjoyed me whining about my parents and getting all worked up over nothing?" Rowan laughed weakly and yawned.
group
Eve shook her head. "You keep looking at things the wrong way. I enjoyed getting to know you better and knowing that you felt comfortable enough to share with me."
"I just… feel bad for dumping all my issues on you." Rowan sighed, closing his eyes again. "It's… it's a lot to process all at once. I shouldn't force you to deal with my problems."
group
"We're doing this again?" she asked with arched eyebrows. "I told you it's okay."
Rowan looked up at Eve meekly, flushing a bit. "S-Sorry… I appreciate you being willing to listen…"
group
Eve laughed quietly. "That's better," she teased. "But really, I'm here if you ever want to talk. About anything."
Rowan nodded and looked away. "I just… probably shouldn't talk about it. They would be furious if I got them into trouble…"
group
Eve's smile faded. "Oh… alright…" She shifted so she could sit up, not letting Rowan see the hurt on her face.
"I guess… if they got into trouble, they couldn't… they couldn't do anything to me, right?" Rowan fidgeted with his hands, clearly uneasy.
