*Beauty*
Will looked like he'd just walked out of the pages of a magazine.
He was wearing a dark green sweater, which made his emerald eyes sparkle. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his black jeans. But it wasn't just the clothes. It was the way they fit him, draped in a way that made it obvious that he had an amazing physique.
His black hair was rumpled, in the way that made me think he'd been shoving his fingers through it. Which was what he always did when he was frustrated or trying to think. That made me want to ask him what he'd been thinking about. Which made me imagine speaking to him in person after this last week. Which made it very difficult to breathe.
Then I remembered he was looking straight at me.
And, as per usual, a surge of heat flooded my face and my entire body.
Will's lips twitched into a smile. He crossed the room in a few long strides, each stride setting my heart off faster in my chest. He stopped a metre in front of me and I tried to remember how to breathe.
I had almost relearned how to inhale and exhale, when his fingers brushed my face and the technique vanished like it had never been there in the first place. The touch was so light, but sent jolts into my heart when I hadn't been sure it could beat any faster.
His voice was as warm as hot chocolate fudge. "Hey," he murmured.
Breathe, Ellie, breathe.
"Hey," I rasped.
Great job, idiot.
Amusement danced over his features, and my emotions became a mix of awe and embarrassment.
The sound of familiar voices broke me out of my daze. Abruptly, I remembered what I had been doing before Will's perfection had distracted me.
I glanced around quickly, searching for a place to hide. My gaze locked on an ajar door. The plaque on the front of the wood read 'Supply Closet.'
"Come on," I whispered rapidly, wrapping my hand in his. His eyes widened slightly in that way that made me wonder if he'd felt that same jolt of electricity that ran through my veins the second his skin met mine. His eyes were locked on mine as I pulled him into the supply closet.
Just before I closed the door, my eyes froze on a pair of light brown eyes behind him. Chelsea Simmons, dressed in tiny lace and satin shorts and a matching camisole was watching both of us, her expression blank.
The door clicked shut as Madison's voice floated into the front room.
"Chelsea, have you seen Ellie?"
My heart pounded rapidly in my chest. She was totally going to give us away. She was totally going to give us away.
Okay, maybe I should update you on what's going on.
The cheer and football teams were playing Hide and Seek. Perfectly fine, except we were playing Gemma's version of Hide and Seek. Which meant that the first few people caught by the 'searchers' (Gemma, Layla, Madison and a few others) would have to take dares. Gemma's dares were never innocent and I'd suspected foul play the moment she hadn't picked me as a searcher.
It hadn't taken me long to realise my three best friends were determined to set me up with one of the student attendants assigned to us from the university. And, since I wasn't prepared to tell them that Will and I were datingâhere where all the cheerleaders and jocks were constantly together and anyone could overhear our conversationâI couldn't get caught.
Which meant I was completely at Chelsea's mercy.
"I think she came right past here," Madison continued. "Did you see where she went?"
The sound of my heart pounding filled my skull.
I could almost imagine Chelsea just smirking with glee. It would be easier if I just came out myself and admitted the truth.
Then abruptly, the image in my head faded.
"No." Chelsea's voice was blasé, calm, bored.
I blinked quickly. Maybe she hadn't seen us.
"Okay." After a moment, I heard a set of footsteps leaving.
There was a long beat of silence.
Tentatively, I pushed open the door. And froze.
Chelsea was still standing across the room. Her gaze met mine for a beat, before she turned and walked down the hall.
So she had seen us. And she'd covered for me.
Why?
My gaze flickered around as we stepped out of the closet. I bit my lip. "There has to be a room we can hide in," I mumbled.
At that moment, I felt Will's gaze burning into my face. I glanced up. His eyes were dark and I couldn't decipher the emotion within them. He seemed withdrawn.
He tilted his head to a large spacious hall to the right. "There's a conference room nearby."
I nodded and he started walking. He was quiet, his eyes still shadowed.
Anxiety tightened my chest. Had I done something to upset him? Had I said something wrong?
The walk was silent. I glanced over at the walls to our right, which were made completely out of glass. With the darkness outside, it was almost impossible to see the grounds beyond. Instead, the glass painted an image of our reflections. I jolted as I remembered I was still in my bunny onesie. Will, on the other hand, looked like a young male model, tall and sleek.
It seemed everything was intent on reminding me that, in comparison to Will, I was inadequate.
We stopped in front of a door. Will tried the handle and it swung open. He held the door for me and I murmured a thanks as I slipped inside.
He clicked the light switch, frowning when it didn't switch on. The only light seeping into the room was from the pale moon and the yellow glow of the streetlamps.
I wrung my wrists as Will headed towards one of the windows. Too nervous to follow him, I sat hesitantly on the edge of the large oblong table that filled most of the room.
The silence strangled me.
"I'm sorry we had to hide," I said quickly.
Will turned, but I couldn't see his expression.
"The team was playing hide and seek and I was really scared I'd get caught because then they'd dare me to go...Anyway, I'm sorry," I said, the words coming out in a rush.
Will blinked quickly. "Oh." The shadowed expression vanished. "That's why."
I frowned, but, before I could respond, he was walking towards me, and anything I was planning to say evaporated.
A smile played over his lips as he stopped in front of where I was sitting. Despite the elevation sitting on the desk gave me, I still had to look up at him.
His hand reached towards me and my heart started hammering away in my chest. His fingers slid beneath the hood of my onesie and his gaze shifted from my hair to my eyes. "Can I?"
My breath caught in my throat, I nodded. His fingers light, he slipped the hood off my head, letting my hair tumble around my shoulders.
His fingers fiddled with a strand of my hair, before he brought it to his lips. I sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes shifted to mine. Then his gaze brushed my lips. He slipped his other hand over my cheek. Slowly, he lowered his head. My eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to mine.
His lips were so soft, softer than anything I'd ever felt before the first time he'd kissed me. And gentle. Always so gentle, as if I was this precious being who would shatter if he pressed too hard.
My eyes fluttered open as he pulled away. A smile stretched over his face, the kind that completely relaxed his features and made my heart miss several beats.
His thumb brushed my cheek. "I missed you."
I blushed. "I-I missed you too." I'd literally thought about nothing else the entire week.
His smile widened and a burst of happiness ran through my chest.
The sound of his phone vibrating distracted me. When it vibrated again, he murmured an apology and pulled it out. His expression darkened, his smile vanishing, as he read something on the screen. He switched off the phone.
I frowned, concerned. "What was it?"
His eyes were still shadowed. "Nothing important," he said. But his voice was tight.
I felt my chest constrict. He didn't want to tell me. If I was Catherine, if I was someone he trusted, he would have told me.
Like he'd told her about what happened to him seven years ago.
It shouldn't have hurt so much but it did.
Will blinked rapidly. His brows furrowed. "What's wrong?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." But I couldn't meet his gaze.
Ellie, you are such an idiot.
Concern slid onto his face. "Please tell me what's wrong. Did I do something wrong?" He started to step back. "I didn't mean toâ"
I shook my head quickly, my hands tightening around his shirt to prevent him from walking away. "No, that's not it. I'm sorry, I..." I bit my lip. Finally, I blurted out, "It's just, when you said nothing, it reminded me of something Catherine said a few weeks ago, and it just made me upset. I'm sorry, I'm overreacting."
His thumb brushed my cheek. "Don't be sorry," he said softly. "What did she say that upset you?"
My gaze dipped to the ground and I rushed the words out. "She was asking how much I really knew about you, about your family and...and why you moved here seven years ago."
I glanced up.
Will had stiffened. His hand fell from my cheek and I felt a cold gush of air hit my skin.
"Will?" I whispered.
He stepped back abruptly, putting several steps of space between us. I could see his chest trembling as he tried to breathe. He shoved a hand through his dark hair, an expression of pain and panic that I'd never seen on his face before stealing his expression.
His voice was pained. "She told you about that? How did she even know?"
I stumbled to my feet, walking towards him. He stepped back. It felt as if someone had stabbed a giant shard of glass through my chest.
I shook my head quickly. "No, she didn't tell me anything." My eyes were starting to burn. "She just asked if I knew. I'm sorry, I won't pry. I didn't mean to upset you."
He just shook his head, dragging his hand through his hair again.
I'd messed up. I'd really messed up.
"Will..." I choked out.
His face was full of conflicting emotions, each flashing too quickly for me to identify.
Great job, Ellie. It seemed that every time I'd seen Will this upset, I was the one who'd caused it.
I choked out another apology. I took a step back. "If-if you want me to go..."
I was always causing him pain.
Will caught my hand.
"Please," his voice cracked and I felt something inside me break, "Please don't go."
Will's conflicted expression hadn't disappeared. His gaze fell to the ground. I wanted to say something, anything, to comfort him. But I was completely useless. I couldn't say a word.
He took a deep breath, his chest moving with the inhale. "I...I want to tell you," he rasped. "I just, I've never...I don't like talking about it." His gaze met mine. His eyes were pained. "It's not that I don't trust you. I'm just...I'm scared," he whispered. "I'm scared that if I tell you..." he trailed off, his wide eyes never leaving mine.
My breath was locked in my throat, any useful thoughts gone from my mind. Why was I always useless when it came to Will's pain?
"I'm sorry," I whispered again. "Please forget I mentioned it." A lump had lodged itself in my throat. "Can we...can we do something else?"
After a moment, he nodded. He attempted a smile, but his eyes didn't lighten. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
*
Hiya wonderfuls :) Merry Christmas! And happy holidays! I hope you all had a wonderful week and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wish you amazing fulfilling and lovely days during this holiday and for the rest of your lives. And I want to say thank you for sticking with this story and not giving up on Wellie. Love you all :)
This chapter is dedicated to someone who has been tremendously helpful in taking questions and giving me advice about this story. Thank you :)
Anyway, see you all soon :)
God Bless
xxx
Yemi Everest