Summer Savings [Byler]

Chapter 4

Will delicately slid the french doors shut behind him, careful not to slam them or rattle the glass. He turned straight into Karen, who hadn't seen or heard him coming, and uttered a small, shocked gasp. Her face lit up however, when she saw it was Will who had knocked into her.

"Oh, Will! Dinner's on the table already, go and get a seat," she smiled and placed a hand gently on his shoulder, guiding him the direction of the table, already filled with Mike, a man who Will could only assume was his dad, and two girls, one who looked older than Mike and one quite obviously younger. Will assumed one must be Nancy.

Will saw there were two free seats, one between the youngest girl and the man, which Will assumed would be Karen's seat, and one between Mike and the eldest girl. Will gritted his teeth, walked over, and sat between Mike and his older sister. He stared straight at the tablecloth below his head, not daring to lift his eyes or move them an inch in any direction.

Will ate his food in silence for the most part, after his introduction to Mike's dad, Holly, and Nancy. The family didn't seem to notice Will's silence and continued on with their idle small talk and a few pointless arguments that broke out, mainly between Mike and Nancy, who fought over the top of Will's head due to the fact that at some point he had shrunk significantly futher down in his seat.

Will finished his food as quickly as he could and then raised his head for one of the few times that night.

"Uh, excuse me, I'm done, so I'll just wash my plate and get going," Will tried to phrase the scentence as politely as he could so as not to make it seem like he was in a rush to leave, but it still came out harsher than he would've liked.

"Are you sure, Will? It's chucking it down," Karen responded in a concerened tone, glancing out the kitchen window.

The skies which had previously been clear blue and bright with promising sunshine had now been filled with black cloud after black cloud, and the rain pounded thunderously on the windows and glass doors. How had Will not noticed? Too wrapped up in his own thoughts, he supposed. And he hadn't brought a coat because he hadn't expected to need one, he realised with a groan.

"Yep, I'm sure, don't worry about it!" Will replied, as cheerfully as he could manage, with the not so pleasing prospect of being soaked through to the bones looming over him.

"You don't want to wait until the rain stops? Do you have a coat?" Karen still sounded concerned, and made it obvious she wasn't about to let this slide due to the intensity of the rain.

"No, no, it's okay," Will thought a little about the next scentence. "I forgot my coat back at the B and B, but it's a short run, I won't get that wet, and I don't need to borrow one of Mike's coats, I'd probably forget to return it anyway."

Will rambled as quickly as he could, hoping that Karen wouldn't have heard him properly and would just let him leave already. He understood she did it out of caring for him, and he appreciated that, but he just wanted to be away from Mike and the awkward tension that was clearly between them.

However, Karen was not letting him leave.

"No, Will. I'm not having you getting sick. You can either stay until the rain is over, or you can borrow one of Mike's coats and he will come and pick it back up tomorrow morning before you leave to work, or after your shift," she stated this firmly, and he knew not to push his luck as her decision was final.

Will gave in and sighed.

"Mike, can I borrow a coat, please?"

Mike stood up from the dinner table, and as Will made a move to follow him, he bent over towards Will.

"Stay," Mike warned, so quietly only Will would hear, his breath blowing a strand of Will's hair against his face. Then he stood back up and strode off in the direction of the stairs. Will sat back down, as naturally as he could, trying to make it seem like he was just getting comfy in the chair.

Mike returned quickly with the coat, a thin, seafoam green one. It looked like it was meant to be used as a fashionable jacket more than anything else, but Will still accepted it gratefully. It was too big for him, the cuffs covering his hands, and the bottom sweeping below his thighs, and an awkward gap in the shoulders where the fabric was too wide. Mike pulled the front of the jacket, dragging it all forward, and the fabric seemed to fall into place, leaving Will looking less like a bedraggled toddler. Probably still not nice looking, Will speculated. But better.

He waved goodbye to everyone, and thanked Karen for the food, and Mike for the coat, and them all for their invitation.

And Karen said lots of "you're welcome"'s, and "thank you"'s, and Mike's dad gave Will a brief handshake, Nancy simply waved, and Holly did nothing. Mike adjusted the coat one more time, leaving his hand lingering on Will's shoulder longer than was socially acceptable. His mouth was slightly open, and it looked like he was about to say something. So Will just stood, and looked at him, and waited for him to say that "something". But he didnt. He closed his mouth, and let his hand drop from Will's shoulder back to his side, and he stepped away.

Will struggled to hide his disappointment, but still gave one final wave to everyone before opening the door, and stepping out into the rain, closing it behind him. The closing of the door muffled the roaring sound of the rain suddenly, causing there to be an instantaneous silence the second it was closed. The Wheeler's stood for a moment, then fights broke out between Mike and Nancy, and Holly wailed, and their evening continued.

Will however, stood for a moment on the doorstep, debating knocking on the door and asking to come back in, like a naughty child that's claimed to be "running away" but only meant "walking to the end of the street". But he didn't. He strode off into the rain, mimicking the confidence he'd seen Mike exude earlier that day. He wondered if his newfound confidence came from wearing Mike's coat, but then just laughed at his stupid idea.