[Ren's apartment.]
Maybe that was what he needed, Ren couldn't help but think, mind wandering away. Some sort of Wendy who would love him forever even though he was probably terrible marriage material. The question of someone who might though wasn't one that was easily answered. Mostly he could think of no one that would fit that assessment, and maybe he should go back over to the Capital again, except he suspected if he did, that his parents would figure out - somehow - that he was back in town. Sometimes he suspected they knew he was in Repose, but they'd just chilled about saying anything to him about it. But recently he was certain he was terrible marriage material, too self-centered to really think about other people well, and a touch too volatile when he was upset, and no one would deserve putting up with him.
He punctuated this rather unpleasant series of thoughts with another drink, and he shifted his body so that one leg was up on the sofa, and he was facing Hannah even if as he did so, and she asked about Louis he felt a little too exposed despite the alcohol. Another shift, two feet now back on the table in front of him, the remainder of the beer bottle resting between his legs with his hands cupped around it to keep it up-right.
"Yeah, I think I've read that, but it's been a while," he said, instead of addressing Louis. "We've got like two copies of it at the store right now, they're both old and worn paperbacks, but I kinda always like old and worn paperbacks - like, they're like jeans with rips, they look lived in and loved, but unlike jeans with rips which you can just buy that way cause people like it, people don't usually buy books all ripped and loved unless they're buying used, in which case they have been well-loved, so it's more authentic in books than in jeans."
The sentence ran on and he stopped at the end of it, and he took another sip of the beer. "I apologized for being an ass when he broke up with me," he offered, and then ran the tip of his tongue over his lips. He'd felt awkward, and as if he was kinda looking over the edge of his shoulder in case he ran into Louis at some point, knowing he'd feel awkward about it when he did, and so apologizing had felt like a way to like, get ahead of that embarrassment and awkward eventuality, and just not be awkward when it happened, but he wasn't at all certain that it would work. For one thing, Louis had been too nice, and it had just reminded Ren of how he hadn't felt very nice, or been very nice if he were being honest, but of course he hadn't actually ran into Louis anywhere, so maybe it would work and he was being too hard on himself. It wouldn't probably be the first time. "I had the party, on New Years. How was your New Years?"