I sit stiffly in my seat, staring nervously at the road ahead of me. I try to tell myself that this is normal but I've spent the last twenty one years of my life driving on the opposite side of the road, and turns out, this is going to be a hard habit to break.
In the seat next to me, Will chuckles, "Don't worry, Sid, I promise you, I won't crash."
I nod, feeling myself flush, "Yeah."
"Don't worry, we're almost there."
I nod, nervously, "Good."
Will looks over at me, "We can stop if you-"
"No!" I say quickly, "The sooner we get off the road, the better."
He smiles brilliantly, "Alright then."
A couple minutes later, Will pulls into the drive of a decent brick building. It looks a little old. Peeling white paint on the window sills, faded, green shutters to match a faded green door, white curtains on the inside of the window. It's quite a charming place. It sort of seems like something Will would have, but at the same time, it doesn't.
I slide out of the passengers seat as Will opens the trunk, pulling out my bag. He looks at me, "So, this is home. It's a little.....quiant, I know, but.....it's kind of a calm place for me."
I look at him, smiling, "It looks wonderful."
Will grins, "Glad you like it. Shall we go in?"
I nod and we walk together on the walkway, straight to the front door. He unlocks it and we step in. The entire place smells like Will - a little spicey and rustic. The floors are hard wood, and a lot of the furniture is oak wood. There's a small sitting room in the front, right off the front hallway, and what I can see of the living room is cozy.
I smile, looking at Will, "It's nice."
He grins, looking a little shy, "Good. I mean, thanks. I mean, i'm really glad you like it.....what i'm trying to say is-"
I laugh, "It's okay, Will. Just don't talk for a bit."
He nods, "Right."
Suddenly, I hear a small bark and I hear the padding of feet. A second later, a golden retriever walks in, wagging it's tail. It rushes up to me, looking excited as it sniffs me.
"Oh, hi." I say, looking at the dog surprised. I glance over at Will, "You have a dog?"
He nods, "Yeah, this is Daisy. Didn't I tell you?"
I shake my head, "No, how long have you had her?"
He thinks, "Since the first Maze Runner movie. It was originally given to Iris by Thomas. But they ended up getting busy, and just.....things were going on in their life, so they had me watch her for a while, but things just kept getting crazy for them, and eventually it became an unspoken agreement that she was now my dog. Which was totally fine with me, Daisy is chill and she keeps me company. Plus, I know Iris loved Daisy, but I don't think she really wanted the responsibility of having a dog."
He pauses before he adds, "And Daisy gets on really well with my neighbors dog Sparkles, which I don't understand because Sparkles is a little devil."
I laugh, "Such resentment towards a dog."
He raises his eyebrows at me, "That dog is flipping evil."
There's a pause while I pet Daisy, and Will watches me bond with her. Finally, we both look at each other, rather awkwardly. Will smiles softly, slipping his hand in mine, "You want a tour of the full house?"
I smile, holding his hand tighter, and enjoying the warmth that spreads up my fingers, "Sure."
: : : : :
The next morning when I wake up, I find myself snuggled next to Will. One of his hands rests on my hip, while I clutch his shirt in my fist. Light shines in through a window and it looks to be about nine o'clock. I stretch my back a little and snuggle a little closer to him. He shifts slightly, not waking up, but gaining consciousness for a second and he wraps an arm around me pulling me closer and enveloping me in his strong arms.
I close my eyes, dozing happily for a few minutes. I press my forehead just below his collar bone. I breathe him in, causing goosebumps to run up and down my arms. His breaths are heavy and soothing. I feel his chest rise and fall as he sleeps. His hair sticks up in small little tufts. He looks incredibly handsome sleeping.
With a sigh, I finally, shift away, slowly, being careful not to wake him. I slide out of bed and slip carefully into the bathroom. After a quick shower, I throw on minimal makeup and dry my hair, hoping that it won't be as rebellious as usual. I toss on a blue tank top and a purple sweater before I walk back out of the bathroom.
Will let me know where everything was and made it clear I was welcome to anything he had in his house. He also said something about having plans for the day, all of which I have no idea what they are, but Will seemed excited to be able to show me around his turf.
My feet pad on the floor on my way to the kitchen and I spot Daisy laying on the floor, snoozing lazily. When she sees me, her ears perk up and she lifts her head slightly. I smile, stepping over to her and bending over. I scratch behind her ear, muttering, "Hey, girl. Did you sleep well? Me too. Will says you like to sleep with him, and i'm afraid I stole your spot. Sorry about that."
She closes her eyes , letting me rub her some more. I get up and walk over to the fridge, seeing what Will has to eat. Daisy follows me over, sniffing. I look down at her, "What are you doing? Are you hungry? Want some food?"
She continues to look at me expectantly.
I raise my eyebrows, "I'll take that as a yes, then?"
I walk over the the pantry, and find the dog food. I get a scoop and pour it in a bowl. She eats contently as I start making some coffee and grab a couple of English muffins. When I've finished making my breakfast, I sit at the dining room table and read as I eat. I can see Will asleep on the bed from where I sit and every so often, I glance up and watch him resting.
About and hour and a half later, I still sit at the dining room table. I've finished my food and now I just read. I hear Will start to shift around in bed and I look up at him. He rolls over, looking like he's starting to come to consciousness.
I get up and load my dishes in the dishwasher before I head back into the master bathroom. I brush a few tangles out of my hair out of boredom and decide that I'll head to a market I saw down the street as I wait for Will to wake up.
I start out of the bathroom and find Will sitting up in bed groggily. He looks at me with dopey blue eyes, "Why are you up?"
I look at him smirking, "Why aren't you up?"
He looks at me condescending, "No one is up at this hour!"
I raise an eyebrow, "The whole world is up!"
"False." He says, furrowing his eyebrows.
I chuckle, "Whatever."
"How long have you been up?" He asks.
"Nine." I answer, stepping closer to the bed.
He looks at me open mouthed, "That have one of those in the mornings too?"
I smirk, "Yeah."
He groans, "Come back to bed!"
"I want to explore! I want to look at London!" I say stubbornly.
He looks at me smugly, "You want to see London? Look, there's a window. Now come back to bed!"
"I'm going to the market down the street." I nod.
"No, you can't." He says, playfully, grabbing my hand and jerking me into bed. I fall on the sheets in front of him with a grunt. He wraps his arms around me from behind.
I look at him with shadowed eyes, "Why not?"
He thinks, "Because.....there are.....hippies in the market. Big, scary, recycling hippies and I can't let you see those kinds of things."
I grin, "I recylcle too."
He holds me closer, "See! They already have their hold on you!"
"I'm going." I roll my eyes, smiling.
Will looks at me, sticking his lip out, "No. We hardly see each other. We have to snuggle. Or do something together."
"Okay, let's go to the market together, right now."
He shakes his head, "No, I mean, we snuggle now and then we do something later. We could lay in bed and talk. It would be fabulous!"
I snort, "Do you even know what the word fabulous means?"
He cranes his neck, offended, "Of course I do, Mrs. Harvard!"
I smile, "Fabulous is like glamorous, so you're saying it would be glamorous of us to lay in bed all day. Which is not polli-"
"Stop being so smart and let me kiss you." He interrupts, leaning forwards and pressing his lips to mine.
After a few seconds I pull away, "You going to get out of bed and go to the market with me?"
He sighs, "Because I love you, sure. But we get snuggle time later!"
I grin, "Deal."
I try to get up, but his arms are still firmly draped around me. I look back at him, "You know, in order for the both of us to get up, you have to let me go."
He grins, taking his arms away from my waist, "That's the worst offer I've gotten all day."
I smile, standing, "Be ready in ten minutes."
: : : : :
That evening, Will and I walk into a bar hand in hand. Apparently, this is one of his favorite restaurants and he insisted on coming here. The place is very open with dim lights and candles. There's a bar, and a stage for karaoke. He signs in under reservations and we take our seats.
The waiter hands us our menus and we both look at them. As I'm looking at the menu, Will speaks, "Did I tell you - you talk in your sleep."
My eyes widen, "I do?"
He looks up at me, "Yeah. You were doing it last night."
I lean forward, interested, "What did I say?"
He smirks, "Well, you sat up, shouted something in Hungarian and then you looked at me and said, 'that's why we don't eat purple cats when it snows.' And then laid down and went back to sleep."
I look at him horrified, "I did not!"
He grins, looking at his menu, "Did too. It was hil-ar-ious!"
I feel myself blush, embarrassed, "No! Oh, my gosh. That's so embarrassing. I can't sleep in the same room as you anymore!"
He laughs, "What are you talking about? Yes, you can. I insist that you do, it was very amusing."
"I'm disturbing your sleep and what if I say something dumb?"
He raises his eyebrows, "Then that'll be a first. I will be able to hold over your head, the fact that once when you were sleeping and unconscious, that you did in fact say something dumb, and it will make me feel better about myself."
"Oh, my gosh." I repeat, shaking my head. I feel like crawling in a home and hiding.
He chuckles. The waiter comes by, ordering our food and leaving us to wait. We talk while we wait, conversation topics change from time to time. Drunk people get up and sing in the background. We talk about things we did when we were younger and our families. Covering our backgrounds is something we've been doing in depth for the past month and a half. We finally land on the topic of what we want to do after dinner when the waiter arrives with our food.
"We could go dancing." Will suggests, "Since you like it so much."
My mind immediately goes back to that day nine months ago when Zeke took me salsa dancing. I haven't gone out dancing since, and I'd prefer not to. I scrunch up my nose, "No. How about, um, I saw an arcade down the street? You like video games?"
He thinks, "Eh, sometimes. Not tonight though. We'll think of something.....do you just want to head back to my place and watch a movie?"
"Sure." I getting an idea, "We should watch Willy Wonka! Do you have Willy Wonka?"
"Of course I have Willy Wonka! That movie was awesome!" Will jokingly condecanding, "Then we'll have to stop on by the grocery store on the way home."
I furrow my eyebrows slightly, "Why?"
He looks at me as if the answer is obvious, "You cannot watch Willy Wonka without mass amounts of junk food, and if you didn't notice, I don't have enough at my place. You and your weird, healthy eating habits have worn off on me."
I look at him, amused, "Right. Of course. You NEED junk food. My 'weird and healthy eating habits' will save your life one day."
"Probably will, but am I really living if i'm not eating at least five marshmallow bunnies a day?"
I roll my eyes, "Diabetes. It's a real thing. And you're gonna get it."
"Fat and happy." Will grins.
"Happy and healthy." I smirk back.
"You should sponsor Honey Nut Cheerios."
"I would, if I wasn't a poor college student."
"Actually, Honey Nut Cheerios are gross."
I gasp, horrified, "You're gross!"
Will laughs, "I love you too."
On the stage, someone gets up and starts singing Our Song by Taylor Swift. She does a pretty good job, seeing ad it's a country song. I look over and watch her, "She's pretty good."
Will looks over at me, "You should go sing."
I look at him blushing, "No way!"
The corners of his mouth twitch up, "I've heard you sing, I know you're good. You're just shy about it."
I look at my lap, awkwardly, "I'd have to be really drunk to go up there and sing."
Will grins, stopping a waiter, "That can be arranged. Two shots of something really strong please."
My mouth drops open, and I look at the waiter, "No! No. Ignore him. I veto his request." I look back at him, "I'm not getting drunk just to sing. Plus, we have a very important arranged TV time after this."
"So are you going to go sing?" Will asks, leaning forward.
I sigh reluctantly, "Fine."
He grins, "Great! Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
I slump my shoulders, "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back in a minute."
I go request my song to the DJ, and he adds me on the list. While i'm waiting for the girl to finish her song, I have pleanty of time to contemplate what a terrible idea this is. I hate doing things in front of people. It's awkward. And humans are judgmental buttholes. They watch you with judgmental eyes and stuff. I look across the room and spot Will, who grins at me cheekily. I scowl at him across the room, even though my heart skips a beat. He takes a sip of his drink and wiggles his eyebrows. Dang it, Will! Would you just stop being so dang sexy and-
There's a tap on my shoulder. I turn and find the DJ behind me, "You're up."
I widen my eyes from nervousness. I take shakey steps climbing up the stairs. Somehow, although I never would have imagined it, I find myself center stage in front of a mic. I look out at the crowd, terrified. I make eye contact with several people. Some look curious, others friendly and supporting. Finally, I breathe, "Hey.....so, um, I dedicate this song to my boyfriend of nine months, Will." The music starts playing, and I mutter looking at Will, "Here we go."
I start singing the song Bubbly by Colbie Calliet.
"Can you count me in? I've been awake for a while now. You've got me feelin' like a child now. Cause every time I see your bubbly face. I get the tingles in a silly place. It starts in my toes, makes me crinkle my nose, whoever it goes I always know. You make me smile, please stay for a while now. Just take your time wherever you go. The rain is falling on my window pain, but we are hiding in a safer place. Under cover, staying dry and warm. You give me feelings that I adore" I sing the chorus, my voice cracking a bit from nerves. Will stare up at me with a look in his face that I can't place. But his eyes look soft and he smiles ever so softly. "I've been asleep for a while now. You tucked me in just like a child now. Cause every time you hold me in your arms, i'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth. It starts in my soul, makes me loose all control, when you kiss my nose, the feeling shows. Cause you make me smile , baby just take your time now, holding me tight." It's a few more seconds of light humming and singing before the sing ends.
The people, who were actually listening, clap. I do a slight bow and wave before I hurry off the stage. I pass the DJ on my way down and he nods, "Good job."
I smile, "Thanks."
I approach my table and find it empty. I know Will was here a minute ago. I stand over the table, looking around in confusion. "Where....." I mutter.
Suddenly, a soft pair of arms loop around my waist. He steps up right behind me, firmly enveloping me in his warmth. He cranes his neck whispering in my ear, "Hey, ace, no worries, I just went to the bar for a second."
The softness of his voice sends chills down my spine, and I shiver, "No whispering. It's seductive and not fair."
He grins, still hugging me from behind, "Why is it not fair?"
I scrunch my nose, "Because I'm not good at it."
He chuckles, "On the contrary, I think you're very good at it."
I snort, "Okay. Name one time when I was seductive."
"When you gaze intensely at me. That is very seductive. And when you bite your lip. You do it regularly without even knowing you do."
I sigh, "Well, that doesn't count."
He kisses my cheek, "It does for me."
I smirk, turning around so i'm facing him in the hug, "Well, now that I've publicly serenated you, shall we go stock up on mass amounts of junk food and watch Willy Wonka?"
He leans forward, kissing me slowly, something that still takes my breath away. When he pulls away he slides his hand in mine and nods, "We shall."