Second Ave Series: Ac-Counting on You (WLW)

Straggler at My Door

Brook stood on the threshold between the outer hallway and Gwen's loft, hovering in the doorway as she watched her slip on her shoes. "Are you sure you don't mind walking me home? I hate the idea of you going home alone afterward."

Gwen finished tying her shoes and got up from the stool she kept by her front door, then took Brook's hand as if out of habit. "I'll be fine. I'm used to walking home alone anyways and it's not too late."

"It is a bit chilly, though." Brook waited as she closed and locked her door, then they made their way into the freight lift nearby. She pulled the gate down and hit the bottom floor button, then met Gwen's eyes again. She felt she could stare into them for an eternity and didn't even notice when they arrived on the ground floor. "How about a quick nightcap at my shop before you come back home?"

Now it was Gwen's turn to tip her head and she marveled at the smile that hadn't left her face throughout their entire evening with their families. "I'd love that."

They began the short trek to Brook's store and she rubbed her thumb along her hand as she intertwined their fingers. "So tell me, do you enjoy your brother's music?"

"I do. He taught himself to play the guitar when he was still very young and the lyrics just came in droves." Gwen gazed ahead and grinned from ear to ear. "He even wrote me a song."

"Really? Maybe I could swing by later this week and listen to it?"

This achieved Gwen's full and undivided attention and she bashfully nodded her head. "I think that can be arranged."

It didn't take long before they were standing outside of Brook's cafe and she unlocked the door. In companionable silence, she led Gwen over behind the counter and flicked on a few lights to find that Hersh had left her a note. He'd run the shop and bookstore with their new employee in her absence and it appeared the night had gone well by the giddiness in his words on the note. She smirked as she stuffed it into her shirt pocket, letting go of Gwen's hand as she began readying her drink.

Pulling a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet below the sink, she placed it on the countertop nearby and grabbed the kettle. "Have you ever had a spiked hot cocoa?"

"Can't say that I have, but that sounds yummy." Gwen leaned along the counter beside her and watched her every move as she prepared their drinks.

Waiting for the kettle to ding after she'd divided some whiskey and cocoa powder into two separate mugs, Brook glanced over at Gwen. "Tonight was great, Gwen. You have an awesome family."

"I do. I don't think I'd have made it this far in my life without them." Gwen turned her gaze away and grew a bit despondent as she added, "They were there for me the most over the years. Although I did have at least one friend in college, I was rather lonely."

"So, you didn't have a great experience at university?"

"Not really. Freshman are still teenagers, so they can be quite judgmental. There was one senior who took me under their wing, though they graduated before me, so I was left without much of a friend group afterward. I spent most of my time with my family over the weekends and decided to just move back in with them during my second year." She glanced over at Brook and arched her brow with a strained gulp. "My one respite outside of them was that my primary bully didn't attend the same college as me. Thankfully."

"And you've never seen her again since?" Brook moved around to stand in front of Gwen and braced her hands on the counter behind her, sending her the most disarming grin she could muster as she noticed her shoulders tightening.

"I thought I may have about a week ago, but I think I was just mistaken." Gwen's eyes trailed down toward Brook's lips and she felt her smile become more sultry by the moment.