10 Hours previous
"I'm sorry if I woke you, Will..." Ellie said as she came into his apartment (soaking wet and looking to the floor).
"Don't worry about it, Elle, I wasn't sleeping anyway. Lately, I haven't been able to get to sleep much before two..." Will explained as Ellie led the way to the kitchen and started up the coffee machine.
"You're not the only one. I'm pretty sure everyone in Tellrav has been pulling late nights," Ellie agreed as the coffee started to boil. She tried to sound like she was joking a little, but she sounded exhausted. She grabbed two mugs from the cupboard next to his fridge.
Being part of project Tellrav meant that Ellie and Brandt spent a lot of time together, usually in an office or a hotel abroad, but sometimes in each other's apartments. That meant that Ellie knew Brandt's apartment almost as well as she knew the house she shared with Ethan.
"Shouldn't you be in a bar or at least a hotel, relaxing or celebrating?" Will asked as Ellie started pouring the coffee. She paused as he asked that question.
"I probably should be. That's what normal people do, isn't it? But then again you and I aren't normal people. None of us in this business are!" Ellie muttered as she finished pouring the coffee.
"Yeah," He agreed as he took the coffee from the counter and started sipping it. "But I know people who would give their right arm to have a relaxing day off before getting married to a hot guy," Brandt muttered as he took another sip.
"Well let's just say I would want to do pretty much anything else..." Ellie said quietly. She seemed so upset, but Brandt couldn't fully tell why. He could guess it was probably about the wedding tomorrow but he didn't understand why. Ellie had seemed fine until tonight. Actually she seemed really happy to get married to Ethan.
She took a sip of her black coffee and asked, "Do you have something a little stronger?" Brandt nodded as he opened another cupboard in his small kitchen. "What would you like? I've got a couple of bottles of wine, and vodka. If you don't feel like that, I've got a bottle of Baileys and half a bottle of whisky in here too," he said as he bent down and looked through the cupboard.
"Whatever is strongest," Ellie said as she walked into the living room.
"Is it that bad?" Brandt asked as he grabbed the vodka and two glasses.
"Yep," She whispered. Her voice sounded strained and almost as if she was holding back tears.
In the years he had known Ellie, Brandt had only seen her cry twice, so he found it extremely odd that, on his sofa, after only 3 vodka shots, Ellie was sobbing. "Talk to me Ells, I don't like seeing you like this. Tell me what's wrong," Brandt whispered as he put his arm around the sobbing woman's shoulders.
She shook her head softly. "I can't, it'll sound so bad..." Ellie whispered into his shoulder.
Brandt moved his head slightly so it was almost on top of her hair. "Come on, you know me. I doubt it will sound as bad as you think it is. If it was so bad, you would have done something about it already," Brandt whispered into her hair. Even though it was still a little damp, her hair was soft and smelt of grapefruit and tea tree oil. It smelt strange but beautiful.
"No, it's bad, but I can't do anything about it without breaking Ethan's heart..." She whispered as tears continued to stream down her face. "What's happened? Is someone going to hurt you or Ethan?" Brandt asked, almost instantly sobering up. If somebody was threatening Ellie he wouldn't hesitate in making sure they wouldn't be able to threaten her anymore.
She shook her head. "No, no, no. Nothing that serious..." She murmured into Brandt's shoulder.
"Then what is it? I know you, and I know you wouldn't be like this unless you thought it was serious. What is so bad that the only way out is... oh," Brandt said as he realized why Ellie was like this. She didn't want to get married tomorrow but she didn't want to hurt Ethan again. Brandt could see the conflict in Ellie's current situation.
"You don't want to get married tomorrow..." Brandt said matter-of-factly. Ellie's head bobbed up and down slightly in reply. They were silent for a few minutes before Brandt asked "Why?" Brandt didn't particularly want to ask but he felt obliged to. His analyst mind needed to know.
"I don't want to bullshit you, Will, but it's very complicated..." Ellie whispered as she looked up towards Brandt. His sparkling blue eyes looked concerned but were soft and caring.
"I don't think I'm intoxicated enough to discuss it all..." She confirmed as she leant further into Brandt. He smelt like a fine wine mixed with burnt cinnamon. It was delectable!
The bottle of vodka was almost empty when it started.
Her soft smile was the thing that started it all. "I never noticed how soft your skin is, Will." Ellie said groggily as she rubbed the arm wrapped around her shoulder. "It's so soft," She said softly as he smiled in reply.
If Brandt hadn't drunk as much as he had, he probably would have told her to go to bed. He would have said that this would be something she would regret tomorrow, that this shouldn't be how the night before her wedding should end. However he was just as drunk as she was (maybe even slightly more) so he just ended up going with it.
Her light brunette hair shined as she led him through the small corridor lit by one lone light. As they entered the bedroom together, the light from the hall illuminated her curvaceous figure. It was as if she was a goddess who had just descended from the heavens. Maybe she was. He liked to think she was like Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. She was a smart warrior who looked stunning. She was fascinating.
Her soft hands slowly unbuttoned his silky shirt. The warmness of her hands made him more elated than he could imagine. It made him twitch with anticipation.
Slowly she put her finger to her mouth and whispered "Not yet..." Her voice seemed so intimate and soft that it made him wonder whether she had been like this with everyone she'd been with, or if he was special. Her voice made him think that he must have been special to her in some way. The softness of her voice portrayed a woman who had been hurt in the past and hadn't trusted anyone in a very long time. It seemed so unique, and it was like a window into her soul, perhaps.
She took her time, which was odd to him. The few women who he had been with in the past had always liked it fast. They took as little time as possible getting to the 'good bit', but this time it was different. He liked it though. It might have turned him on a tad bit more, but he couldn't be sure. The woman oozed sexiness.
After what seemed like forever, she had stripped down to her underwear and was playing with his belt. He was so hard that when she started touching near there, he whimpered slightly. She gave a little laugh as she continued touching the belt. After a couple more moans, she said gently, "Not yet, we don't want to create too much mess..." He smiled at the comment.
"Don't worry about that!" He said as she undid his belt.
"I'm not," She smiled. She was ready, and so was he.
A sense of euphoria was invoked in both participants. It was an amazing high. Such a moment that she forgot all of her problems. They didn't matter, especially in this moment when she was with him. It was peaceful and she felt warm and loved as it happened. She was happy.
Later she would try to convince herself that she didn't feel this way, but she wouldn't be successful. It was a moment that connected both of them in a way she had never felt before. This was more than just a fling, it was love.
He was elated. He was extraordinarily happy. He didn't know what had happened but he was sure he was in heaven. She had transformed him, but later he would try to convince himself that she was right. That it was a mistake, a horrible little mistake that should never be spoken about again. But he wouldn't be successful. It was more than just a moment. There was something special that felt like the essence of love. He knew he couldn't escape it, even if he tried.
They laid down in the quiet darkness, before both of them eased into sleep. Tomorrow might still be a mystery for both sleeping figures, but they didn't care. They didn't care about anything past the few hours of sleep they had left together.