━━ CHAPTER FIFTEEN / out of town

Kaylea came with two bottles of cheap wine and food the next day. Ronny was thankful for the blonde even if the gesture was unnecessary. After the conversation with Marc, she felt a little lighter and the sleep had been good for her. The negative thoughts flying away despite her overthinking and anxiety. They were two glasses deep when Ronny broached the topic of Jake or well... Marc.

"You didn't sleep with Steven." Ronny's British accent stayed strong this time. After her brief time with Thoth, she had grown some sort of stability in her powers again. Her foundation had re-secured itself and she felt calm.

"They looked identical." Kaylea responded as she turned around, sipping on her wine. Ronny shrugged and pushed herself to sit up. Her back pressed against the arm of the sofa.

"I talked to him about it. He doesn't have a clue who you are." Kaylea narrowed her eyes before she placed her wine glass down. She then shuffled up to Ronny, leaning over and taking her free hand. Their eyes met and Kaylea's head tilted slightly.

"We've both been in this game long enough to know that men lie." Ronny knew that it was meant to make her feel better but she felt like slapping Kaylea for even implying that about Steven. She had been burnt by plenty of people before but Steven was one of the most honest people she had ever met and she knew liars when she saw them.

"Not Steven." Kaylea rolled her eyes in response and slid back against the back of the sofa. She then finished her glass of wine and poured another one. Ronny held her glass out and Kaylea filled it as she let out a soft, "Mhm."

"I know liars when I see them," Ronny said, giving Kaylea a playful look. The blonde's jaw dropped slightly and she stared at her, playfully offended by her words. Ronny chuckled and took a sip of wine before resting it on her thigh.

"You calling me a liar?" Kaylea asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't know, am I?" Ronny shrugged. Kaylea was only a liar about some things. She lied about how happy she was and whether she was busy on the weekend. She lied about the little things which meant Ronny wouldn't worry about her but Ronny could spot a lie from a mile away. Not that she would ever call Kaylea out. She disappeared for five years, it was making up for lost time and she had a support group that could do better than Ronny at dealing with that shit.

"I have never ever lied to you." Kaylea almost sounded offended as she slid down, planting the soles of her feet on the edge of the sofa. Ronny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you have."

"When?"

"You called Jake bad in bed. You certainly don't go back to people who are bad in bed. You especially." Kaylea's face turned into a scowl and Ronny chuckled. Ronny hadn't thought much about the lie until she realised that it was Marc and then it had greater implications. Implications about Steven that swarmed her mind despite her attempts to just stop thinking about him like that.

"Okay, maybe he wasn't shit." Ronny grinned triumphantly at Kaylea's admittance.

"So how was he in bed?" The question slipped out without a thought, a teasing lilt to her tone but a greater part of Ronny was very very curious.

"That's for me to know," Kaylea dismissed before she drank more of her wine. The two lapsed into silence as Ronny tried to work out how to get her to admit the truth. It really wasn't something that Ronny should have been invested in but Kaylea had lied through her teeth the first time so something must have changed or been mind blowing. Ronny was curious.

Once they were finished with their glass, Ronny picked up the bottle and poured more into Kaylea's glass without even bothering to ask. The glass was practically overflowing when Ronny took it away. Kaylea stared at her and shook her head. A smile creeping onto her face and her eyes crinkled in amusement. Ronny smiled right back.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Kaylea asked before she took a long swig of wine.

"Maybe then you'll stop being a liar." Ronny shrugged as she poured the rest of the wine into her own glass. She placed the empty bottle on the floor.

"I'm not a liar!" Kaylea exclaimed as she placed her glass on the table. Ronny hummed in response and slid down on the sofa, placing her glass on the floor in front of the sofa.

"I am," She mumbled, mostly to herself. She didn't care if Kaylea heard but it wasn't intentional.

"Excuse me?" Kaylea's entire body turned to face Ronny and the brunette just smiled mischievously. The blonde then proceeded to climb onto the lap of the brunette, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout on her face, "Do you have a secret life you're not telling me about?" Kaylea was being overdramatic and Ronny couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's for me to know." Ronny was teasing but there was a pang of guilt at her own words. Kaylea could never know. There was already a threat on her life and if Harrow found her, if any of her enemies found her, they could both be dead in a week.

"Come on. I tell you all about my life!" Kaylea whined as she collapsed so she was lying on top of Ronny. The brunette rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Kaylea, letting her cuddle up to her. Her blonde hair smelt like strawberries and coconut.

"It's nothing significant," Ronny mumbled. Kaylea lifted her head up and just stared at her friend who cocked an eyebrow.

"Nothing significant?" Kaylea asked, emphasising the last word, "God you're so fucking posh sometimes." Ronny poked Kaylea's cheek and let her head fall back against the pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

"Sorry I grew up in Cambridge." Another lie and it fell from her lips so easily. Ronny had grew up in New York City, halfway across the world but Kaylea didn't need to know that.

"I bet you went to Oxford just to spite your parents," Kaylea said as she sat up again and grabbed her wine glass. She was straddling Ronny's waist as she sipped on the wine and the brunette shook her head in response,

"I went to Durham." Another complete and utter lie but she had read enough books, visited and done enough research to make it seem like she had. Nobody asked about her past so she didn't have to be specific most of the time.

"Oxbridge rejected you? My sexy best friend? They have no taste." Kaylea shook her head dramatically and stood up, taking another long swig.

"Their egos would be too big even for me to handle." Kaylea chuckled and placed down her glass, "Plus, they're all upper-class pricks." Kaylea nodded her head and turned around, offering her hand out to Ronny. The brunette tentatively took her hand and was pulled to her feet.

"Is that why you like Steven? He's a working-class boy? Dating him to spite your parents?" Kaylea asked. She was tipsy and it was obvious she was taking the piss but Ronny found herself - briefly - frowning.

"Fuck off." The words were brushed off in seconds and Ronny dragged her out into the open space of the flat. Kaylea pulled Ronny in and they stood there. Kaylea's head resting on Ronny's chest while she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. There was no music, just the two of them swaying slightly. Ronny tilted her head down, not wanting to think about Steven.

"You really like him don't you? Like proper like him." Kaylea's words were soft, non-judgemental and comforting.

"I wish I didn't." It was a secret confession. Quiet but so raw and honest. Kaylea pulled back and stared at her. The look on Ronny's face said more than her words ever could and Kaylea shook her head. She grabbed the bottle of wine from the side and shoved it into Ronny's hand.

"Fuckin' hell, go get him." Every word was emphasised but Ronny shook her head, pushing the wine back into Kaylea's hand.

"I can't. He's out of town." Ronny had tracked his flight to Switzerland. He was out there doing something brave that she didn't have the energy to do anymore. It was easier to fight him alone in London than follow him there, somewhere dangerous.

"Where?" Kaylea asked, rushing to grab her phone.
"No idea." Ronny knew exactly where he was. He was in the Alps, probably getting the scarab. Thoth had informed her hours earlier that it would be handed over to the Cult of Ammitt there but she knew Marc would get there first. She let him. But she couldn't tell Kaylea that. She couldn't tell Kaylea that Steven's other personality was the one that slept with her and so they had been with the same man. And she certainly could not tell Kaylea that she was a mercenary that would fight Marc for the scarab when he returned to London. It was too complicated and messy.

"You better snog his face off when you see him." Kaylea said as she turned around. Her phone in her hand but her excitement had fallen slightly. Ronny's had too but she pushed a bright smile onto her face and nodded. It was easier to pretend than be honest. Kaylea couldn't know the truth. It would kill her.

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NOTE
the moonknight series plot is coming (i swear) and excuse the messiness of the past few chapters!! i hope you enjoyed nonetheless <3