Gwen rolled her eyes but could stop the small smile on her lips as she placed the plam of her hand on his face and pushed him out the door.
"Goodnight, Thorndyke," she slammed the door on his face but his laugh didn't go unnoticed by her.
He knocked at the door before his muffled voice reached her ears, "Goodnight, Venom. Dream about me if you can."
Gwen rolled her eyes and smiled despite herself as she heard his voice through the door. She leaned against the door for a moment, her heart still palpitating in her chest.
Damn him.
Why did he always have to be so cocky and infuriatingly charming at the same time? It was driving her crazy.
The sound of a giggle startled Gwen. She had completely forgotten that she had a roommate.Turning back to face Sibby, Gwen's cheeks flushed, and she quickly tried to regain her composure.
"How long have you been there?" Gwen asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Long enough to witness your little lover's quarrel," Sibby replied, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
Gwen's cheeks turned even redder as her roomate's question. She couldn't deny that it was a moment indeed. A moment that was as frustrating as it was confusing. She crossed her arms and looked away, trying to keep her cool.
"It wasn't a 'lover's quarrel'," she retorted, using air quotes on the last two words. "We were just..." her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right word.
"We were just... arguing," Gwen finished lamely, knowing deep down that it wasn't the complete truth.
Sibby raised an eyebrow skeptically, clearly not convinced by Gwen's answer. "Uh-huh. Sure."
Gwen sighed and plopped down on her bed, burying her face in the pillow. She didn't know what to make of the whole situation herself, how could she explain it to her best friend?
"It's complicated, okay?" she finally said, her voice slightly muffled.
"I mean, he's infuriating, and he riles me up all the time. And..." Gwen's voice trailed off again, trying to find the right words to express her feelings.
Sibby, still sitting on her bed and watching Gwen intently, suddenly smirked. "He gets under your skin. And you like it."
Gwen froze for a moment, caught off guard by Sibby's comment. She didn't expect her friend to see so clearly through her own muddled thoughts.
"I... I mean, it's not like that," Gwen protested, her voice weakening as she tried to deny what Sibby was implying.
Sibby chuckled, clearly enjoying the exchange, "Come on, Gwen. You can deny it all you want, but even a blind man could tell that you're definitely attracted to him."
Gwen sat up, sighing in defeat. She knew Sibby was right. She had been trying to deny it for weeks now, but deep down, she couldn't stop thinking about Thorndyke. His sarcastic remarks, his smug smile, his confidence - it was all annoyingly attractive.
Hell, even Zyre noticed how much she looked forward to it all.
"Fine," Gwen admitted, reluctantly. "I just find him a bit hot, okay?"
Sibby's smile widened and she couldn't help but squeal with excitement, "Knew it! I knew it!"
Seeing her friend's reaction, Gwen rolled her eyes and tried to downplay it, "Relax, it's not a big deal. I just think he's not...completely repulsive. That's all."
Sibby gave her a knowing look, clearly unconvinced by Gwen's attempt at nonchalance. "Not completely repulsive? Wow, such a glowing recommendation."
Gwen chuckled despite herself and threw a pillow at Sibby. "Okay, fine. He's stupidly handsome and annoyingly charming. Happy now?"
Sibby caught the pillow, still grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, now we're getting somewhere. Keep going."
Gwen rolled her eyes again but couldn't help the smile creeping onto her lips. "What do you want me to say? That he's a pain in the ass, but he makes me...feel things?"
Sibby widened her eyes, "Feel things? Did you two—"
"What? No!" Gwen cut her off, twisting her face in disgust, "Ew, Sibby, what the hell? You really need to stop reading all that erotica."
Sibby burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Hey, don't knock it! Those books are research," she joked.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, trying to look serious but failing miserably. "Research for what, exactly?"
Sibby waggled her eyebrows suggestively, "For when I need... inspiration."
Gwen rolled her eyes and threw another pillow at Sibby, who dodged it this time. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"
"But you love me anyway," Sibby countered smugly, sticking out her tongue.
Gwen sighed but couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, unfortunately, I do."
She dreamed about Thorndyke that night.
———
The next day, Gwen woke up to someone shaking her.
"Gwen! Wake up!" she squinted her eyes through the light to see Rose and Sibby's concerned faces. They both were in their nightgowns with their hair dishevelled.
Gwen looked at the window, and frowned. It wasn't even dawn yet. She sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Is it time for training?" she asked, yawning.
"No, Gwen. We just heard something really bad," Rose said, her eyebrows knitting in tension, making Gwen frown in concern.
"What happened?" she asked, trying to rub the sleep away from her eyes.
"It's about Luna Hammond. You know, the silent girl from our class?" it was Sibby who replied with her furrowed eyebrows.
Gwen nodded, remembering how she saw the girl last night, "What about her?"
"She disappeared," Sibby continued with dread coated words.
Gwen frowned in confusion, "Disappeared? Like, she ran away?" Sibby shook her head, making Gwen realise the most dreadful thing.
Disappeared.
Just like those cadets last year.
She widened her eyes, looking at her friends but they nodded, confirming her suspicions.
Rose and Sibby exchanged a worried glance, hesitating before looking at Gwen again.
It was Rose who spoke this time.
"They are suspecting that you have something to do with the disappearance."