*Beauty*
The door opened, revealing the embodiment of perfection: William Johnson.
Will's dark hair was tousled, a few strands brushing his eyelashes. He wore a tight black top that clung to his body, highlighting the muscles of his torso. His dark blue jeans were casual, but hung perfectly on his endlessly long legs.
He smiled, his lips lifting into a blinding visage as those emerald eyes, sparkling in a way I'd only seen a few times, smothered me.
I think I'm drooling.
"Hey," he said softly.
Oh, my heart.
"H-hi," I squeaked out.
His lips twitched.
Oh goodness, someone help me.
His voice was soft and rumbling, vibrating through my entire frame, "Come in."
He took my bag first, before I could protest. Then he took my hand, his touch light as he intertwined our fingers. Electricity jolted up my arm. He tugged me gently into the house, an invitation rather than a forceful action.
Even the very slightest of his movements resounded in my rapid heartbeat.
I stepped into the house, gasping at the heat that glazed my entire body when I stood in front of him.
Goodness.
He shut the door behind me. The muscles in his bicepsâwhich passed over me, inches from my faceâflexed. I nearly melted.
He led me into the kitchen, an area attached to the living room. My eyes locked on his backâWill's perfect backâless than a metre away from me. All I had to do was reach out and I could touch him.
Breathe, Ellie, breathe.
Study books were spread out on the kitchen island.
"We should work on chapter 3 today, since you struggle with differentiation," he said as he dropped my bag onto a white leather couch.
Say what?
Oh, yeah, maths. Studying.
Darn.
Despite the fact that he was speaking a mathematical language I couldn't understand, the sound of his voice still slid over me, turning my muscles to jelly.
Will walked me to the side of the kitchen island. I attempted to, as gracefully as I couldâwhich was not very gracefully considering I was literally inches from the perfection that was William Johnsonâperch on the high stool. I blushed as he smiled down at me, his eyes sparkling from behind his glasses.
Will's hand pulled away from mine, leaving it feeling empty as he made his way to the opposite side of the island. I bit my lip, holding back a sigh.
It was as if he was stretching my heart over the marble table top.
He sat opposite me. Way too far away.
He glanced down at the books and began, "Alright, so..."
Will trailed off into maths. And though his voice still washed over me, his words faded away as my eyes honed in on his lips, moving as he spoke. Then my gaze travelled up his face: his perfect skin, his strong jaw, his lashes brushing his cheekbones as he looked down at the textbook...
Wow.
"Ellie?"
I jumped, my eyes widening as Will caught my gaze.
"Do you understand it?" He asked. His brows furrowed and concern seeped onto his face. "Was I going too quickly?"
Now I felt incredibly guilty.
Such an idiot, Ellie.
My gaze hit the table. "No, you weren't," I mumbled. "I'm sorry."
I looked up at him from beneath my lashes. He was watching me, his expression confused.
He tilted his head, his brows still furrowed. "Sorry?"
Just blurt it out, Ellie!
"The truth is..." I bit my lip, looking away. "I didn't want to study today." I hesitated. "I just really wanted to see you."
I blushed, staring down at the table.
Finally, I glanced up at him. His eyes were wide, surprise flitting over his face.
I hid my face in my hands. This is so embarrassing.
Then Will chuckled. I looked up. He was smiling at me, his eyes glittering in the light.
My heart skipped multiple beats.
"OK," he said softly. "We'll continue later." His deft fingers carefully shut the books, piling them at the end of the table top.
I watched as Will stood up, walking towards the fridge. He glanced over at me, shooting me another blinding smile. "Would you like the milkshake and cookie dough from last night? You left it in the car so I kept it in the fridge." He frowned. "It might not taste as good though. I could go to The Sweet Plaza now and grab you some more?"
My eyes widened. He kept them for me?
"You kept them for me?" I gasped.
He shot me another heart stopping smile. "Of course."
My heart fluttered, came to a stop, and pounded all over again.
I was the luckiest female on the planet. Hands down. No contest.
Will pulled out The Sweet Plaza take away bag from the fridge, carefully placing cookie dough and a milkshake in front of me. I blushed as I remembered how I'd demolished my sundae.
So humiliating.
"Thank you," I beamed. You are the most amazing person on the entire planet.
He blinked in surprise, before he glanced away. I watched surreptitiously as he returned to his seat opposite me.
He moved so fluidly, his long limbs graceful. In contrast, I was a mesh of awkward body parts.
Blushing, my gaze returned to the food. I nudged at the straw of my milkshake. I had a habit of devouring food when I was nervous. I also had a habit of humiliating myself in front of Will. Together, those two components made a morbidly mortifying pair.
I nearly jumped when Will shifted. He leaned his chin on his palm, his elbow balanced on the table. His eyes were on me now, a blazing warmth on my face.
"So, what did you want to do?" he asked.
My eyes flickered between his eyes and the table. I took a nervous sip of the milkshake.
"I," input blush here, "wanted to talk to you." Input face burn. "I thought we could get to know each other better."
I looked up at him. His lips had lifted up into a smile that softened his entire face. His eyes were warm, comforting.
Oh, Will.
Will I always blush when I see his face?
"Ask away," he offered.
I stared down at the table, billions of questions rushing into my mind.
I blurted out the simplest one. "What's your favourite colour?"
Something flickered in his eyes. "Blue," he replied.
My heart stuttered as I tried to decipher the expression. "Why blue?"
He just smiled. Then in the softest voice, he murmured, "I'll tell you one day."
Oh, goodness.
My heart was pounding.
"O-ok. So...what is your favourite number?"
"Fifteen," he replied.
That expression flickered in his eyes again.
"You'll tell me one day?" I asked.
He nodded, shooting me one of those small smiles.
What was so special about that colour and that number that he had to wait to tell me?
I swirled my milkshake straw as I tried to catch my breath. "Okay...favourite subject?"
He grinned, and I inhaled sharply. "Maths."
Yep, I couldn't keep up with this hottie.
It took me a few moments to collect my thoughts.
"Future job?" I asked.
He pondered that for a moment. I watched, biting my lip, as he dragged a hand through his hair. His gaze flickered to the table, his lashes brushing his cheekbones as his scarlet lips parted...
Stop already, Ellie!
"I'm not sure," he replied. "Something in science or maths. Something I can use to help people." His eyes flickered up to me, and something unfamiliar flashed in his gaze before he looked away. "Maybe medical research."
I imagined Will in a lab coat.
Hot.
I blushed.
"Favourite hobby?" I asked, once I could breathe again.
He grinnedâstopping my heart altogetherâand his eyes glinted, "Pass."
I bit my lip.
Inhale, exhale, Ellie. Inhale, exhale.
"Second favourite hobby?"
"Pass."
I giggled, unable to resist the warmth flooding my chest. "Any hobbies you can tell me about?"
He paused. His voice was quiet when he spoke. "Photography." Another pause. "And drawing."
I blinked in surprise. "Really?"
I'd had no idea. I'd seen Will taking photographs for the school newspaper before, a few years ago. Once, when I was obviously fantasising, I'd even thought he'd taken a picture of me. But I'd had no idea it was something he was passionate about.
I hesitated. "C-can I see some of your work?"
Red dusted his cheeks and abruptly my mind emptied.
He was blushing.
William Johnson was blushing.
He avoided my gaze, staring down at the table. "Soon." His hand reached over the table, lightly picking up my fingers. His eyes returned to mine. "But not today, okay?" he asked softly.
Without even thinking, I nodded, unable to refuse him when he looked at me like that. Like I was precious.
He pressed his lips to my palm, the brush so light, but sending a jolting bolt of electricity through my entire body.
"Next question?" he asked, his words a murmur against my palm.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Can't. Breathe.
Can't. Think.
Flustered, I tried to recall what I was thinking about before he'd kissed my hand.
My heart was now pounding erratically.
The words popped into my mind before I could stop them. "Why do you like me?" I asked.
Ellie! Why did you just ask that?!
His eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Red permeated his cheeks as he looked down at my hand. His hand caressed mine, taking the time to brush each individual finger.
I shivered.
Oh goodness, my heart.
He looked up at me from beneath his lashes and spoke so quietly and so softly that I could feel the words caressing my skin. "Because you're brave, and strong, and kind." He paused, biting his lip. "You're loyal, and you protect those you care about. You're determined, and sweet, and forgiving. If someone hurts you, you forgive them almost instantly. You never hate people. And you don't let anyone bring you down. You're smart, and talented, and beautiful. But you're still modest, and shy, and adorable."
I was caught in his gaze, his eyes burning into mine. My heart had stopped beating. I had stopped breathing.
"You're not like anyone I've ever met," he said softly. "I can't understand you. And the more I see you, the more I want to. "
...
Did William Johnson just say all of that about me?
I couldn't believe it.
No way, just no way.
Nope, I imagined it.
It couldn't be true.
He had to be talking about someone else. I wasn't the perfect girl he was describing. Around him, I was just a bumbling mess who could barely think let alone speak. I wasn't brave. It took me seven years to confess to my crush. People brought me down all the time. Every time Catherine opened her mouth, my confidence dropped by about a billion percent. I wasn't smart and I definitely wasn't beautiful. As for modesty? All he had to do was watch how arrogant my Will fantasies were and that thought would be gone in a flash.
I was an insecure, jealous, self-centred, bumbling teenage girl.
My heart couldn't take it.
I blushed, my face burning as I stared down at the table.
I bit my lip, trying to hold back the monumental grin that wanted to stretch across my face.
William Johnson was perfect. He was utter perfection in human form.
And, somehow, this perfect being believed I was worthy of his attention.
It was impossible.
There was silence. I couldn't even look at him.
My heart pounded a million miles a minute as I struggled to catch my breath.
"Ellie? You OK?" Will implored softly. He caressed my fingers, destroying any progress I'd made in restoring my breathing.
No. I'm freaking out because this is probably a dream.
You're too perfect. This is too perfect.
Finally, I nodded, still unable to look at him. "C-can I ask you another question?" The words came out garbled and unintelligible.
But he still managed to decipher my statement. Will was amazing that way. He never made fun of my incredible nervousness. "Sure, what do you want to ask?"
Oh goodness. I needed to ask something simple this time before I literally boiled alive from all this blushing.
I asked the first thing that popped into my head. "Where did you live before you moved here?"
Silence.
I frowned. My cheeks still burning, I glanced up at Will.
He had stiffened, his smile dissolving. His hand slipped away from mine, his eyes growing distant.
What did you just do Ellie?!
Ice slipped over his expression.
"Colorado," he replied. His voice was empty, deflated.
He stood, striding over to the fridge, shattering our connection.
I must have asked the wrong thing. My heart sunk.
Great, Ellie! You completely ruined the moment!
Will drank from a bottle of water, facing away from me.
Had I upset him? Please don't be upset Will. Tell me what's wrong. The urge to comfort him surged through me.
Nerves rolled up my stomach as I finished my milkshake and began jabbing at the cookie dough.
I'd ruined our day. Again.
I wanted to kick myself.
Will returned. He attempted a smile, but his eyes were dark, sucking the light out of the room.
I glowered down at the table.
Stupid Ellie. I seriously hate you.
Panic burned my throat. What did I do wrong? How could I fix it?
I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to stroke my hand through his hair and ask him what was wrong. To tell him he could trust me and to beg him not to be upset.
The pain glinting in his eyes was crushing my chest, pulsing through my entire body.
I'm so sorry, Will.
"My turn?" Will said suddenly.
I looked up. "Huh?"
"Can I ask you questions?" he explained. His jaw was still clenched, his eyes still icy, but he attempted a small smile.
My heart thumped back to life. Maybe this day wasn't completely ruined. Maybe I could still cheer him up.
I nodded rapidly. "Y-yeah."
His smile softened and I blushed.
"What's your favourite colour?" he asked.
I bit my lip as I stared up into those gorgeous emerald green eyes. "Green."
Not because that was the colour of his eyes or anything... Haha... Who am I fooling? Green became my favourite colour on the 15th of Octoberâat 8:29 to be exactâwhen I first set my eyes on William Johnson.
He smiled. "Your favourite number?"
My face burned at this. "15." The date I met him: 15th of October. If he asked me my favourite time it would be 8:29. If he asked me my favourite day, it would be Monday. Guess why?
He cocked his head, but didn't say anything.
"What's your favourite subject?" he continued.
Maths. Because I was in his class. But he'd see through that in a second.
"Cheer," I replied.
"What job would you like to go into?"
I paused, pursing my lips as I stared down at the table. I hardly ever thought past high school. My focus had always been on cheer and dance contests, not my future career.
"I'm not all that sure either. But," I looked up at him, "I want to help people too."
His eyes softened now. "Alright, so what's your favourite hobby?"
Watching Will read. Watching will blush. Watching Will smile. Watching Will jog.
OK, maybe I am a stalker.
I bit my lip, avoiding his gaze. "Dancing and Cheer." I mean, its not as good as watching Will but it's a decent second. I hesitated over the final statement. "I like sports too, like basketball and soccer." And baseball. And hockey. And football. I blushed. "But don't tell my mother that. She'll murder me."
I didn't talk much about sports. My dad used to take me and my sisters out to play sports when we were younger. Most of my sisters had hated it, but I'd loved it. Every afternoon, I'd drag my dad to the park so I could play soccer. Eventually, I had to stop though, because my mother didn't believe my choices in sport were feminine enough and was worried that I would build too much muscle mass.
I peeked up at him, wondering what he thought of that.
He didn't look surprised, a soft smile remaining on his face.
He leaned his chin against the palm, elbow on the table. Internally, I sighed with relief. He didn't look upset any more.
"Why do you like it?"
I bit my lip. "Sports are really...really freeing." I gestured with my hands. "When I'm cheering and dancing I feel free too, but not the same way." I peeked up at him. "Besides, cheer and dancing are the two things I'm actually good at."
"I don't think that's true, Ellie. The part about you only being good at those two things. You're very talented." His fingers brushed my cheek, sending a spurt of heat down my spine.
My gaze was glued to the table as my face burned. "T-thank you."
"I'm only being honest," he murmured.
Heart...stopping...
There was a beat of warm silence.
"Then..." Will paused and my heart pounded.
According to the order of questions, this was where he asked me why I liked him.
Oh, goodness, I can't do this. My cheeks burned just thinking about it.
He finally spoke, sending a shiver down my spine. "Ellie, why do you like me?"
I couldn't meet his gaze. I couldn't think over the heat that was burning my entire body. I couldn't speak.
I bit my lip.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he said suddenly. He brushed a comforting caress over my hand. "I can move on to the next question if you want?"
Even now he was trying to help me.
Guilt gnawed at my chest. Will I ever be good enough for him?
He'd answered for me. He deserved to hear my answer.
I shook my head rapidly, still avoiding his gaze. "No, l-let me, please."
I took a deep breath. Okay, here goes everything.
"I've always admired you," I began.
Oh goodness Ellie, you're so embarrassing!
"You've always been such a kind person." I stared down at my fingers, twisting around each other nervously. "Ever since I first met you, you've been selfless and self-sacrificial. You give up things you want for the benefit of your friends. You never betray anyone you care about. And you work so hard, never giving up no matter how difficult the task. You're smart, and strong, and I can tell you'll achieve great things. But you're never arrogant and you're never cruel. You protect people that you don't even know." I remembered the way he'd saved Betty Lancaster from drowning. "And when you smile..." I searched for air. "It's like the entire room lights up."
I was officially burning alive right now.
"You always hide your emotions, so no one ever sees the real you. They don't see how sweet and kind you are," I explained. "When I'm with you, I forget everyone and everything." I took a deep breath. "You make me want to be a better person."
Because, William Johnson, I l...
Will didn't say anything in response. I felt as if I was suffocating, the silence smothering me.
I'd just completely humiliated myself in front of him. Now he knows how totally and completely obsessed you are with him Ellie.
Finally, he spoke.
"Thank you."
I looked up at him. He was looking away from me. Red covered his cheeks. His lips twitched, like he was fighting a smile.
Wow.
Blushing, I glanced away again.
"I have one last question," he said, his voice softer.
I looked up, curious.
What was he going to ask?
Anticipation fluttered in my chest as his eyes met mine.
Slowly, he traced a finger down my chin, sending electric sparks through my jaw and up my face. I think my brain must have malfunctioned because I couldn't peel my eyes off of him.
Oh, wait, that happened all the time.
His smile dropped slightly, his eyes becoming more serious as they peered into mine.
"Ellie..." he began.
"Yes?" I breathed, my voice trembling.
My heart pounded in my chest.
"Will you be myâ"
A movement behind him disrupted my sight.
I blinked rapidly as I noticed a man standing behind Will. He stood by the living room door, staring right at me.
I frowned.
The man looked like an older version of Will. His hair was lighter, a dark brown cut short and neat. His eyesânot as luminescent as Will's of course, but just as unreadableâwere garnet green and bordered by thick dark lashes. He wore all black, his t-shirt displaying tanned muscular arms. His cheek bones were high and stubble decorated his chin. He was handsome in an older guy kind of way.
He looked like he was in his early twenties, though the dark circles beneath his eyes made him look much older.
He held a bag in one hand and a bouquet of roses in another.
My gaze returned to Will, who was still looking at me. He frowned, his eyebrows furrowing.
"What's wrong...?" He turned slowly to see what I was staring at.
I could have sworn Will's entire body turned to stone.
The man smiled, but the expression was tight, cold. His eyes were icy as he stared at Will.
He spoke, "Hey, little brother."
*
Tada!!! *Waves hands dramatically* I hope you liked the chapter ;) If you did, please vote/share :) Also, I want to hear what you guys think. What do you think is going to happen? What do you think The Incident is?
By the way, does anyone have any ideas for Ellie's actress? I'm trying to edit the cast but I can't find someone who suits her perfectly.
Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to a avid commentor who makes me laugh constantly XD I adore her passion, and she makes posting these chapters a joy :D I hope you keep reading you wonderful person ;)
See you soon my chocolates,
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest