The launch was considered a success, seeing how Scott and Connie ran off just from one gaze upon the man they supposedly killed three years ago. Even if no words were exchanged between them, Rowan felt like it was enough for the first day.
Yes, that was only the first day of his stay here in Gideon City, also simply known as the capital.
The alarm clock rang, and a hand sneaked out of the blanket. Rowan rose from under the blanket after sleeping on his stomach the entire night. By 'entire night,' it was only the four hours before daytime. His eyes almost squinted at the intrusive sunlight that went through the windows. He quickly missed his black-out curtains and his little daytime stars.
"Rowan?" Knocks came on the door, and Rowan looked up to find Duke knocking on the door. It was the one connecting their rooms together.
"I want to say good morning, but I don't have a good morning mood…" Rowan shook his bed hair, which was only made worse by his action. He sat on his bed and let the blanket slide down his bare back. As if no one just walked inside his room, he stretched out his arms.
Duke arrived in simple attire, ready to leave the hotel room for their breakfast appointment. However, he was still carrying cups of coffee as if it was a need for Rowan to start moving. "Don't forget that our schedule is pretty full on the first two days as well. You should wash up and get decent for breakfast."
Rowan looked up at the man and only received his coffee. After a sip, Rowan remembered how his alarm had been blaring all this time. "Any sign of Scott anywhere? Did they even run back to his house?"
"The house in question is already vacated, Rowan," Duke answered after sitting on the edge of the nightstand. "They don't seem to be using that unit anymore. Perhaps they moved out last night. Would you like me to investigate more?"
"So quickly? It doesn't seem like he's against the wall right now." Rowan hummed as he rubbed his eye and yawned widely before having another sip of his coffee. "Let's forget about him for a bit. I want to look around later when everything's free. Wait, we have a guesting today, right?"
Duke only nodded, sipping on his coffee as well.
That made Rowan sigh before moving carefully to get his legs to cross as he sat on the bed. He didn't want to make a mess and waste the coffee Duke brewed for him. Rowan whispered, "I hope Reeva secures a good place for us soon. I want to start painting again…"
…
The papers and Internet articles were filled with the launch and Rowan's name. Photos of him also spread around as if he were a real celebrity. Rowan, however, could simply put on spectacles and a blonde wig to escape people. Duke was not sought by people, so he was left to wear whatever he liked.
It was a spare hour before the lunch meeting with the executives of the art gallery. After all, the three artworks would be on display for a while. Reeva normally worked on these, but the gallery requested Rowan's attendance. Since they needed the paintings up, Rowan couldn't decline. Even if he had never been so visible to the public, he had to suddenly be a monumental figure to drive Scott away.
Rowan looked around the boisterous capital city that he used to admire every day. Walking hand in hand with Duke, Rowan couldn't help but smile at the strange memories the places brought him. It's just that, at this point, the face of the other person was being scratched off in his memory.
His memory was a secret weapon of his. Rowan could seemingly take pictures with his mind and recreate them in paintings. However, even that absolute talent wanted to get rid of Scott's visage.
"Wait, let's stop there for a bit, Duke." The painter spotted an old candy shop at the edge of the block. "I used to buy a lot of sweets over there. I want to see if they are still selling my favorite."
"Go on ahead." Duke felt how his phone kept on ringing. He took it out to show Rowan, so the other only jogged off to see the shop. Since their hands were laced, Duke reached out his hand first before letting go. Rowan did the same, albeit laughing as he did so.
Rowan reached the candy shop in the next minute. He glanced at Duke, who had a smile on his lips and a warm gaze on his eyes. Even if he had the phone on his ear, he was still watching Rowan from afar. Seeing how Duke was just walking slowly, Rowan opted to enter the shop on his own.
A sweet scent pervaded the air inside the shop. There were a lot of jars on the top shelves, while the candy dispensers were only half-full. A few couples of a parent and a child were looking through the sweets, and Rowan felt like standing by the entrance. After all, it was a heartwarming sight to him.
It was just that it would translate differently when he started painting it. He'd rather not taint the innocence of the scene.
The painter walked to where he remembered the candy should be. Those were simply referred to as strawberry drops, but they did have a very subtle sweetness. Even someone who didn't have a sweet tooth would snack on dozens of them in one sitting. They were also soft with a pink-white exterior—generally attractive and not hard to identify among the rest.
"Hmm… they must have been relocated…" Rowan frowned as he couldn't find his candy. He then looked at the other shelves, but they had different kinds of candies on display. It seemed like his favorite strawberry drops… were already phased out.
"Relocated? Are you looking for something?" A maiden in the shop's uniform came to ask Rowan. After all, he had been going around. He didn't even have a kid with him.
Rowan turned to find the attendant. She looked like she was still in high school; this must be some kind of summer job. He then smiled to answer. "Yes, I used to live here in the capital. I normally buy these small pink-white strawberry drops from the dispenser over here."
The attendant wasn't confused since he gave a good description. She widely smiled back at him. "Oh, the strawberry drops are now being sold in packages. We have them at the counter. Are you hoping to buy other candies? If not, we can head straight to the counter for them."