I'm not in love

Bad Boyfriend

A few hours later, Wolfie was watching Gwen call someone. They didn't know who it was but they knew it was someone she hated because she was shouting at them. After hearing a bit more, Wolfie realised it was on of her ex's that she was talking to. They must have had a fight because there were sobs coming from the phone and after a short while she hung up.
Wolfie looked over at Gwen who was lying in bed with tears streaming down her face.  It was a sight they hadn't seen in a long time. They weren't sure if she was crying about something she'd done or what happened earlier but either way, it pained them.
They went over and sat next to her. "You okay?"
"No," Gwen replied as tears continued to flow out of her eyes. "I'm not okay." She turned away from Wolfie and sobbed again, hiding her face.
Wolfie just sat there, their arm around Gwen's shoulders, rubbing circles into her back. Eventually she got herself under control and sat up.
"Thanks for being here," she said as she wiped her tears off her cheeks. "It was just my ex threatening me."
"Don't apologise," Wolfie replied. "We're friends now aren't we? I don't want you to feel like you need to be alone with all this shit."
Gwen smiled gratefully before hugging Wolfie tightly.
"Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate all the times you've been here for me."
Wolfie returned her hug. As much as they tried, they weren't good enough people to deal with Gwen when she was in distress. So when she needed them, they were there.
When they let go, Gwen went and grabbed some clothes and disappeared.
Once they were certain she wouldn't come back, Wolfie went and checked the news. They were reporting on how the police were searching for someone who had been arrested for the murder of one of their officers. He'd also been accused of killing another officer and he was currently in custody. They didn' t believe him though.
After finishing the rest of their tea, Wolfie changed into their sleepwear and climbed into bed. Gwen joined them not too long afterwards.
"Are you going to be alright?" Wolfie asked when they lay down.
"I'll manage," Gwen replied with a tired smile. Wolfie could tell she wasn't telling the truth.
As the night progressed, both of them eventually fell asleep. When they woke up the next morning, they found themselves curled up against each other. Wolfie was slightly embarrassed and Gwen seemed a little embarrassed too. They got up and decided to make breakfast together.
While cooking, Wolfie made conversation. At first, Gwen said nothing which made them worry that she was angry or upset. However, once they'd finished the pancakes they'd cooked, she finally spoke.
"My mother has been acting strange recently," Gwen said quietly. "She always seems very distant and I can' t figure out why."
Wolfie nodded and waited for Gwen to continue. When she didn't say anything else, they decided to press a little further.
"Have you told your father?" they asked.
"I try to," Gwen replied. "But it doesn't seem to help." She shook her head and sighed.
"What do you think is wrong?" Wolfie asked.
"I wish I knew," Gwen replied sadly. "Maybe it's nothing. Maybe there's just something I haven' t been doing that will fix it soon."
Wolfie didn't respond immediately. Instead, they just took Gwen's hand and kissed the back of it.
"I'm sorry," Gwen said after a moment. "I know it's stupid." She stood up and went to the kitchen cupboard where they kept some coffee. "Do you mind if I get a refill?" she asked as she poured two cups.
"Of course," Wolfie replied. "Go ahead."
Gwen came back into the room with two coffees. They sipped from their cups and stared outside. Suddenly, Wolfie spoke.
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Yes, three."
"Do they live near here?"
"The last one lives nearby. Why?"
"Do you ever feel like something's missing?"
"Missing from what?"
"Your family. Do you sometimes miss it?"
Gwen put her coffee down and leaned her elbows on the table.
"Sometimes," she admitted. "But I'm never sure if I miss them or not. They're only part of my life. There are so many things I don't remember and I doubt I ever will."
Wolfie thought about what Gwen said and realised what they might mean.
"Is that why you never want to talk about your parents?" they asked.
"Yeah." Gwen reached across the table and held onto Wolfie's hand. "It's like I lost everything that mattered."
Wolfie didn't reply. Their relationship was based entirely on trust. If Gwen didn't want to speak about something, they would respect that. No matter how difficult the subject was, they never pushed her to speak about it. It was up to her to decide whether she wanted to open up. But they also knew that opening up about stuff that upset you was probably harder than dealing with things that did hurt you. And it seemed like Gwen had dealt with plenty of things that hurt her. "What's wrong with you and your ex?" they asked quietly.
"We broke up because I didn't think he was serious about me and he just felt like he had to prove himself." She paused for a second. "He cheated on me and then he got scared of getting caught by my dad and left."
Wolfie understood. They didn't really know Gwen' s ex well. They didn't really know anybody. But they did know that Gwen wasn't the type to cheat on anyone. She was loyal and kind and funny. She was everything anyone could hope for in a woman. And she deserved better. That's exactly what they told her.
"Thanks." A small smile appeared on Gwen's face. "And thank you for listening." She squeezed Wolfie's hand lightly. "I just hate it whenever he calls or texts me. And whenever he goes to see his family, I get the feeling that there's something between them and I can tell that they hate each other."
"Why would they hate each other?"
"He's a bit of an arse and they have no idea how lucky they are to have such good parents." She laughed. "At least they are. Sometimes I wonder what they'd do if they had to be with a loser."
Wolfie thought for a moment. "Well, if they don't deserve you, maybe you should dump them," they suggested.
"Ha ha."
"What? You're right! You have nothing to worry about!"
"Whatever."
Wolfie couldn't resist laughing at Gwen.
Later that evening, Wolfie and Gwen were sitting on Wolfie' s bed, having a lazy day together. Gwen had fallen asleep on Wolfie' s shoulder, which was fine since they were still holding hands.
Wolfie looked at the screen of Gwen's laptop. It was open to a youtube video titled "A Good Boyfriend Is What You Need".
Suddenly, Wolfie froze. Did Gwen feel unsafe in the relationship she was in with her ex? Wolfie suddenly became aware of Gwen's breathing and it stopped for a couple of seconds.
"What?" Gwen whispered.
"Nothing," replied Wolfie. "Just thinking." Gwen moved closer to Wolfie.
"You don't have to keep looking at those videos if you don't want to," she said.
Wolfie sighed and closed the lid of the laptop.
"If it's bothering you, I'll stop watching it," Gwen replied. "Really, it's fine if you don't want me to."
Wolfie turned around and faced Gwen, wrapping her arms around her. "No, no, it's fine," they replied. "I just...I guess I was thinking that you might not like the idea of us watching videos together, but I don't know. Are you uncomfortable with that?"
Gwen chuckled softly.
"Not at all," she replied. "I actually find them quite enjoyable. Especially when you watch them with me. I'm glad you're willing to share them with me."
"They're pretty cute," added Wolfie.
"Thank you."
"So, what are we gonna do today?"
"Hmm..." Gwen started to hum as she thought. Then she remembered something. "There's this new book store down the street."
"Ohhh yeah?"
"Mhm."
"Can we go look?"
"Sure." She smiled before adding: "But please promise not to look at books for hours straight. We need to relax."
"Fine, fine."
A few minutes later, they were walking towards the bookstore. As they entered the store, they saw a young girl standing in front of a shelf with several books on it.
"Hi," said the girl with a smile. She turned around and spotted the pair standing behind her. "You must be Gwen and Wolfie."
"That's us," replied Gwen.
"I' m Yvonne, by the way. I heard from a few people in the shop you'd like to read one of these," she replied as she handed Gwen a book called 'Breath of Fire'. Gwen thanked Yvonne and gave Wolfie a quick hug before leaving the store.