A/N: Ever since last week I felt like writing a new D/W one-shot too and today I finally had this idea that developed while writing. It almost turned into something, then it didn't. I tried to use both povs for a change, hope it worked out. Enjoy and reviews are always welcome 3
Something that is meant to last
In her best attempt not to make any noise she almost tumbled over the threshold of her kitchen. She bit her lower lip not to let any curse word out of her mouth and once inside the room she carefully closed the door.
She wasn't used to tiptoeing in her own apartment, having anyone sleep over, it rarely happened. Even when she was seeing someone, they seldom got to the stage to spend a night at her place. She wasn't very good at sharing, whether it was about a piece of clothing, a slice of cake or her master bed.
Of course she didn't often meet men with whom she was even tempted to share a piece of cake or a bottle of wine for that matter, let alone her bed or any bed. But there was Will, her business partner and through the course of the years she'd somehow learnt to share certain things with him. And she'd realized that sharing didn't necessarily mean losing something, it meant gaining something more. That's how Will had become her friend.
And for her friends, she was willing to bend the rules sometimes. And that's how Will had ended up in her apartment last night and that's why she had to tiptoe to her coffee machine this morning. She filled the device with coffee and water and turned it on, hoping the closed door will hide its noise from his ears.
While waiting she searched the refrigerator for suitable breakfast food and found the piece of cake she'd brought home last night from the party. She smiled to herself and unwrapped the package that revealed a huge slice of strawberry cream cake. She cut herself a piece, put it on a plate and the rest back in the fridge.
Once the coffee was ready she poured herself a cup, added sugar and cream and sat down with a fork to enjoy her special breakfast.
#
The damn sirens practically dragged him out of his pleasant sleep and the awakening was quite painful. He tried to stretch his legs, but they bumped against something that made him open his eyes. The first thing he saw was a painting. His sight was a little blurry but he assumed it showed mountains around a lake and he had to blink a couple of times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
He shifted his eyes to his legs that were covered with a blanket and that's when he understood why he couldn't stretch them any further. He wasn't lying in a bed, but on a couch. He just wasn't sure who that couch belonged to yet.
He started searching for last night's events in his memory. The vague image of a party entered his mind, a cake that said 'Happy Birthday' and then it hit him. His big birthday party, the fortieth, the one he'd specifically told Diane not to make a fuss about, but of course she hadn't listened. And now here he was on her couch with a massive hangover, because he hadn't listened to her either when she'd warned him not to drink too much.
The rest of the night was fuzzy at best, he remembered some dancing and some singing… No, that couldn't be true. He shook his head, but it turned out to be a very bad move, because it hurt like a bitch. He needed coffee, in extra doses. And suddenly he began to smell the desired brew.
Hoping his sense wasn't betraying him, he slowly sat up, pushed the blanket aside and followed where his nose lead him. He opened the door and even if he was still half asleep, half hangover he knew he'd never forget the sight of Diane with the slice of cake in front and the coffee mug in her hand. He'd never seen her like this before, wearing only a robe, with no makeup on her face, her hair undone. She only vaguely reminded him of the business woman he was fortunate enough to rest his eyes on from his desk in the office on a daily basis.
"Good morning, sleepy head," Diane said teasingly and had to hold back the chuckle that was about to form on her lips seeing her business partner like this. His hair was messy, his eyes were barely open and he managed to ruffle his once ironed clothes during the night very badly.
She could have given him something to sleep in, but for that she'd had to take his clothes off and put the other ones on. And dressing her business partner when he was stone drunk wasn't part of their partner agreement.
"Hey, can I get some coffee?" his eyes were glued to her mug now as he approached the table.
"Sure," she jumped up and fetched another mug to fill it for him. She knew that he liked his coffee black, so she just placed it on the table while he sat down. "Your cake is still delicious," she noted, sitting back.
"Can we please not talk about food?" he whined as he tasted the black brew from the red mug and he almost felt it turning into blood as it ran through his veins.
"Sorry," she smiled, but took another bite of the dessert, enjoying it to the fullest.
"Thank you for letting me stay here," he eyed her with a soft smile.
"Seemed like the easiest solution," she remembered the state he'd been in on her couch in the office when she'd called the cab. She'd had three options. Leave him in the office, take him home or bring him to her home. She'd chosen the last not only because she lived closer to the firm, but also because she'd somehow felt responsible for him.
"I hope I didn't do anything too weird," he inquired, trying to remember the part after they'd left the firm together, but came up with nothing.
"Unless you consider serenading me in a cab weird, you didn't," she chuckled and noticed the embarrassment on his face.
"So the singing part really happened," he concluded and considered asking her what song he'd sung exactly, but chose not to. It was probably better not to know.
"Yep," Diane grinned at the memory. "No one has given me a serenade before," she confessed and it seemed to please him.
"You're welcome, I guess," he smirked and consumed the rest of his coffee quickly as he started to feel the positive effects.
"Sure you don't want some cake?" she asked, feeling a little selfish for eating his cake in front of him.
"I'm sure. In fact I should probably go, I'm in a desperate need of a shower and clean clothes," he declared as he became aware how terribly he could look and probably smell too.
"I picked up the bag of spare clothes from your office last night, they are in the hallway and you're welcome to use my shower," she offered.
"I've always known I don't deserve you," he smiled at her gratefully and didn't miss the twinkle in her eyes.
"Consider it my birthday present," she returned his smile and took the last bite of the cake.
#
While he showered she washed the dishes and returned to her room to get dressed. When she stood in front of the mirror and saw the way she looked she wished she had considered putting on proper clothes earlier. She hadn't planned for Will to see her like that, but she'd thought he'd have slept much longer. She entered her closet to find something to wear, when she heard the phone ringing in the other room.
He finished the shower and dried himself with the towel Diane had given him. But when he wanted to get dressed he realized he'd forgotten to get his clothes from the hall. Unwilling to put yesterday's clothes back on, he folded the towel around his waist and left the bathroom to fetch his bag. When he heard Diane's voice he thought she was talking to him, so he entered her living room and found her standing there with the phone in her hand.
He was pretty sure she didn't notice him, which was for the best because he forgot his eyes on her longer than he should have. The robe she had on was way too short and revealed a lot more of her bare legs than he'd ever seen. And for the first time he found himself wondering how she could look underneath the robe.
He shifted his gaze to her cleavage and secretly wished for the robe to open and fall on the ground so he could take a look at her. This was the first time he imagined his business partner naked and he already felt ashamed. He was about to turn around, when she noticed him standing there and their eyes met.
She had a feeling someone was watching her, that's why she turned to the door, and found a half-naked Will standing there, staring at her. To say she felt uncomfortable was an understatement, she actually forgot what her friend had just said on the other end of the line, but felt too embarrassed to ask again.
"I'm sorry, someone's at the door, can I call you back later?" she cut the conversation short with a lie, while Will disappeared from her sight and she wasn't sure if she felt disappointed or relieved.
She walked back to her room, closed the door behind her and changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a purple top. By the time she left the room Will was also dressed in a jogging suit and seemed ready to leave.
"Thank you for everything," he stared at her, trying not to imagine her naked anymore. He could only hope she wasn't angry at him for what had happened a few minutes ago.
"You're welcome," she let a weak smile form on her face.
When he turned around she suddenly remembered something. "Wait," she stopped him and hurried to the kitchen to get something from the fridge. "This is yours," she handed him the rest of his birthday cake.
"You should keep it," he tried to decline the sweet gesture, but she was persistent.
"No, it's yours. Happy Birthday," she placed a kiss on his cheek and moved away just as quickly.
"This will definitely remain one of the memorable ones," he smiled at her, grateful for the party, the company, the shelter for the night, the coffee and the cake, but most of all her friendship.
And he was grateful for their better judgment not to ruin what they had for something that probably wasn't meant to last anyway.