Early in the morning, you feel yourself being lightly shaken awake, groaning as you wonder what time it is.
You slowly open your eyes to see William standing above you with a grin.
"Damn y/n, you really are from the future."
Quietly laughing, you nod your head as he continues to look at you with curious eyes.
As you sit up, the ivory knitted blanket falls into your lap, eventually reminding you of last night.
"Oh!"
Remembering you are still curled up on the living room couch, you eagerly look past him to the television and notice percentages sweeping the screen.
"58.8%... 40.6%..."
You sigh a small breath of relief that you correctly recalled the numbers, happy that school came in handy at least once in your life.
"I will be back after taking Michael to school," he whispers.
Before leaving, he gently lifts the knit blanket back up to your shoulders, and you close your eyes to return to sleep once you hear him walk out of the room.
♡~~~♡
Six hours have passed since you've last seen William, and you can't help but feel a bit apprehensive.
He is an unpredictable man, sure, but he has never been out by himself this long while he's known you.
A flood of unreasonable thoughts fills your head as you wonder what could have happened to him.
'What if he's hurt? What if he's been murdered? No, I don't think he'd allow that...'
Sighing, you gently lay your head on the back of the couch while briefly closing your eyes.
'He's an intelligent man, he can handle himself.'
A moment later, you decide to make yourself some lunch in the kitchen upon hearing your stomach grumble.
As you bite into your grilled cheese sandwich, the sound of the garage door finally opening quickens your heart rate and permeates the otherwise silent house.
Slight relief but mostly annoyance that he had left you alone without warning for so long fills your body.
Listening to the door, you expect to hear him come inside but to your surprise, he lingers in the garage for about ten minutes before entering.
"Where were you?" you ask, eventually hearing him step inside and groan quietly.
Your eyes widen slightly as you see his disheveled appearance.
His dark messy hair is lightly damp, wrinkle lines are visible on his black dress pants, his white button up is only partially tucked in, the once perfect tie is now loosely hanging from his neck, and his silver eyes appear somewhat dull and tired.
"William!" you gasp, hopping off the kitchen island seat and hesitantly walking over to him.
"What happened to you?"
As you approach him, he remains standing in the same place, carefully watching as your eyes search his body with concern.
Only when you lift one hand to his upper arm does his face relax, and a smug smirk crosses his lips.
"Care about me, dear, do you?"
You pull back your hand in response, looking away as your face blushes.
"I do not! But you look like a mess!"
He laughs softly, amused at how easily he can fluster you.
"If you insist..."
As you slowly look back up at him, you suddenly notice a faint red stain on his collar that catches your attention.
"What is this?" you hum, gently lifting your fingers to him.
Within seconds, he takes your hand into his and lightly steps back.
"Are you bleeding?"
Now worried, you try to move his hand away from hindering your view, but he doesn't relent.
"No, I am not," he sternly says, his eyes staring into yours.
Before you can question him further, he calmly straightens his tie and passes by you as he silently walks through the foyer and to the staircase.
'That was strange...'
Softly shaking your head, you head into the living room when you hear William's smooth voice call you from the top of the stairs.
"You'll need to get ready for tonight soon, love."
You gasp quietly as you realize that you had completely forgotten about tonight's event with Henry somehow.
As you make your way through the upstairs hallway and to the guest room, you can't help but wonder what it'll be like.
Just like William, you usually don't go for fancy nights such as this... but you would certainly attend if it meant something to Henry.
'It might be fun, anyways.'
Smiling, you tilt the black bag sitting on your dresser and gently lift the wine purple dress from it.
Before changing, you decide to prepare in Michael's hall bathroom, although you aren't sure what hair tools or beauty products may be in the lower cabinets.
You cross your fingers as you bend down, hoping to find something you can work with.
'Thank God!'
A sigh of relief escapes your lips as you pull out a small box of bobby pins and a white makeup bag.
Searching through the bag for any unopened products, you silently think to yourself.
'This must have been his mother's old makeup...'
Your thoughts are interrupted as you happily smile upon finding a few products in their new boxes, including a blush, mascara, and lipstick.
'Perfect!'
For the next half hour, you apply subtle but pretty makeup to your face, lightly laughing at how you haven't seen yourself with it for several days now.
After this, you delicately pin pieces of your soft h/c hair up with the bobby pins, letting just a few strands frame the sides of your face.
You can't help but smile as you look into the mirror.
Admittedly, you have never been the most confident in yourself... but in this moment, you can agree that you look lovely.
Satisfied, you put the cabinet items back where you found them before leaving the bathroom and going to get dressed in your room.
You take William's warm hoodie off and neatly place it on the foot of your bed, rubbing the sides of your shivering arms as you walk over to the dresser.
The silky fabric of the elegant dress feels so soft in your hands, and you watch as the bottom cascades to the floor as you lift the top up.
Slipping it over your head, you find that it feels and fits so perfectly on you, the delicate lace around the bust and all.
A gentle knock turns your attention to the door, but a muffled voice speaks before you can answer.
"I am letting you know we'll be leaving before long."
"Okay," you call back, turning your eyes from the door as you hear his footsteps walk away.
The sky outside your window darkens as nighttime approaches, but you know your night is undoubtedly far from over.
Thinking it is likely about time to leave, you open the bedroom door and head through the hallway.
Lifting the bottom of your dress up as to not step on it, you carefully tread downstairs and pass through the foyer before glancing up to meet a pair of eyes on you.
You watch as William's face turns a deep shade of red, his silver eyes closely looking from the floor to your head.
He admires you as if he doesn't want to look away, like he doesn't want to miss a thing.
Blushing yourself, you softly laugh as you walk towards him, and hear his throat clear before speaking.
"You look... beautiful, love."
He lifts one hand to the back of his neck while embarrassedly looking away, his face still red.
"Thank you, William."
Looking at him, you have to admit that he looks quite nice as well. His usual dress may be a suit and tie, but he is exceptionally handsome tonight.
"So do you..." you whisper, feeling your face get hot as you speak just loud enough for him to hear.
Though you are looking down, you feel William smile at your compliment.
Pulling your face close to his, he suddenly takes a finger underneath your chin and forces your eyes up to meet his.
Looking into your eyes with a lip-biting smirk, he softly chuckles as your face turns bright red at his touch.
"Don't tempt me, kitten."
He watches your panicked expression with amusement for a moment, as if trying to decipher what you must be thinking.
You try to hold eye contact with him, but your face is overcome with heat as his words repeat in your head.
'Tempt him?'
You aren't sure he simply intended to fluster you, or if he truly meant what he said.
Not allowing you more time to think, he drops his hand from your face to your back before leading you through the living room and towards the garage.
"W-William," you blurt out, finding your words for only a moment.
He hums a questioning "hmm?" as you quickly lose the courage to speak.
Helping you into the car, he settles himself in the driver's seat before backing out of the driveway, leaving in a direction you haven't been in before.
Outside your window, twinkling stars become increasingly more visible in the pink evening sky as the night matures.
"How far away are we?"
Not knowing what to expect, feelings of excitement but also apprehension cloud your mind after nearly twenty minutes of driving.
"It is a little further," he responds, driving with one hand on the wheel and the other on his leg.
"Possibly twenty five more?"
You nod as you hear him, keeping quiet as you turn slightly to glance at the time on the dashboard.
'8:02'
"Tired already?" he chuckles.
"No," you defensively state, continuing to stare out of the window.
'I wonder why he had blood on himself this afternoon...'
"Just thinking."
The rest of the car ride is silent, and the two of you drive just short of half an hour longer before he makes a left turn, revealing the only estate in sight.
Your mouth opens in shock as you see the grand stone home, no less than a mansion, with tall glass windows and 19th century details.
As he pulls the car through the black ornate iron gate, your eyes sweep the three tiered granite fountain and spacious balcony over the lavish exterior entry.
It is, simply put, nothing short of extravagant.
William notices your awed but nervous expression, and takes your hand into his as he parks the car.
Warm feelings reassure you as he continues to hold your hand, the two of you passing through the front door and into the stately home.
Your eyes are instantly drawn to the regal foyer with a domed ceiling and double staircase, your long dress lightly sweeping the floor as you walk.
Squeezing your hand, you feel as his warm body keeps close to yours, leading it further into the house.
The sounds of people gathering and chatting amongst themselves fill your ears, so loud that you can hardly feel your heart beating in your chest.
You spot Henry before long, watching him come closer into sight as you both meet him in the center of the room.
"Hey Will, and wow y/n you look stunning!"
The two men shake hands as you smile sweetly at Henry, glad to see he's not too bummed by being here.
You can't help but feel eyes on you as you walk around, and all of the attention you receive is matched by women staring at William.
He must feel you clinging on harder to him, because he leans down to say something into your ear.
"A little jealous, are we?"
The surrounding noise requires him to speak directly into your ear, but the smug grin plastered across his face leads you to believe he would have leaned that close regardless.
You simply roll your eyes, subtly pointing at a group of men nearby who had been ogling at you all night.
Despite his efforts to hide it, his demeanor shifts entirely as he glares at the men before leading you away.
"Oh, Mr. Afton!"
You both turn your heads to see an older couple smiling at William and curiously eyeing you.
"Ah, Eileen and Wilbur, nice to see you both."
You hold in a laugh as you can tell he doesn't entirely mean what he says.
"It has been quite a while," the woman responds, shifting her eyes over to you.
"And who might this be?"
He smiles as he introduces you.
"This is y/n," he says, turning as he looks at you, "and dear, these are Mrs. Emily's parents."
'They are very... proper. I can see now why Henry's personality wouldn't match, and his wife must have been the same way.'
You smile with a polite "hello" as you watch them contemplate asking something.
It is clear they are curious about exactly what kind of, uh, relationship exists between you and William... but the obvious age gap between you two makes them hesitate.
You are left alone with each other as the couple's attention is directed elsewhere, a somewhat awkward pause lingering in the air.
"Would you... care to dance with me?"
Ever so slightly blushing, you follow his eyes to the opulent ballroom on your right, watching as couples slowly dance with one another to soft music.
He takes your hand as you gently nod, leading you into the room adorned with delicate white and gold details.
As you walk, William abruptly stops upon hearing a feminine voice call his name behind the two of you.
"My God, William?"
You turn around to see a familiar looking woman, but can't quite place your finger on who she is.
'Blonde hair... green eyes... have I seen her before?'
Color drains from his face as he sees her, and he takes a breath before responding.
"Hello, Clara."
Your heart drops as you hear her name, but you do your best to keep yourself composed.
"I've missed you, Will. How are you?"
As she flirtatiously tilts her head and smiles, you watch as he grows more irritated.
"Better without you, obviously."
She pretends to appear offended before lifting a hand to his arm, and it is painfully obvious that she is tipsy at the least.
"Don't touch me," he scowls, keeping his voice down.
All at once, Clara's attention completely shifts as she notices you standing there.
"Oh, I didn't mean to ignore you. Who might you be?"
Before you can answer, William firmly wraps his arm around your shoulder and holds you close to him.
"She is my girlfriend."
Feeling your face get hot, you look up at William to see him intently watching Clara's eyes and face.
'I am his what?'
You expect her to be upset, shocked at the very least, but her face remains perfectly fixed as she hears his words.
"I see. How wonderful!"
Your face reveals your surprise at her sudden change in voice, almost as if she is an entirely different person than two seconds earlier.
From flirty, to serious, to now oddly enthusiastic, you had just seen three completely different people in the past minute.
A pit in your stomach grows as you look at her. Nothing she says or expresses would be cause for worry, but you can't help but feel... apprehensive.
"Well, nice to meet with you both," she smiles, subtly studying your face before turning around and leaving the room.
William lets out a sigh as she leaves.
"She didn't seem so bad," you say, remembering all the awful things he had told you about her.
"You don't know her," he responds, wiping the arm of his suit where she touched him.
Taking your hand back into his, he leads you to a spot in the ballroom near the balcony before squinting his eyes at your relentless staring at him.
"What?"
"And I am not your girlfriend."
•
[word count: 2638]