Re: [Ren's apartment.]
She immediately began to ask the obvious question: Why can't you?
But she could tell he had spurted the words out thoughtlessly, that they'd escaped when he hadn't really intended them to, and so she waited. She waited as he thought, collected himself, put it all together. She waited until he spoke again. When he did, she listened, but she was shaking her head by the time the words had left his mouth. "Ren, you can't hide yourself from everyone in your life. I think you really, really can't hide yourself from your lover. I think that's supposed to be someone who sees all of you, the good and the bad, and who still wants you above anything. I think everyone needs that."
He sighed, moved, walked and returned, and she knew he was going to say Heathcliff and Cathy weren't healthy. She didn't disagree with him, but they were open and honest, and they felt. It wasn't safe, and Hannah thought safe love sounded worse than no love at all. "I know they're a mess, but I think they really loved. They felt it deep and in the marrow, so deep that no one could scrape it out, not even them."
She took his hand, if he let her, and she squeezed his fingers. "What if he would've liked you better as you? Because, Ren, if you don't show someone all of you, then it isn't you they love. It's a made-up you. It's a you that doesn't exist. Louis has his own demons, and I think he could handle yours." It was softly spoken, but earnest. "Ren, the real Ren, the one that makes drinks levitate, and the one that makes barrels fly, is a much, much better and more interesting man than when you try to pretend to be some perfect thing from a book." And this was coming from a girl who loved books. But Hannah knew that perfection was overrated, and all the best bits were covered in tarnish.
She tugged, tugged, tugged on his fingers, and then she tucked dark hair behind his ear. "This town is filled with marvelous things. I don't think you need to be scared here." This was an addition, because Hannah knew a thing or two about hiding and being scared.