Sorry it has taken me so long to update! Already working on next chapter, so hopefully the next update will be sooner. Hey, we've got to have something to get us through the summer, right?
Still sarcastic, still don't own these guys.
They sat like a frozen, silent statue on his couch for a long time. Eventually her tears stopped, but neither of them could find the words to move forward. So she continued to stare blankly ahead. He continued stroking her hair and massaging her scalp. And they said nothing.
Will was roused from his thoughts by her sniffle. He blushed a bit when he realized he'd been recalling a rather intimate moment between them. He looked down to see her eyes had drifted closed, but he could tell by her breathing that she was awake. He looked up to the clock on the wall and realized they had been on his couch for over an hour. It was now after midnight, and they had to make a decision about where to go from here.
"Alicia," he whispered gently to get her attention. Her eyes flew open and he felt her body tense just slightly. "Can I get you anything?" he offered.
She just shook her head in refusal. "It's pretty late. Would you like to stay the night?" She looked up towards him, a questioning look on her face. He knew what she was thinking and answered her unspoken question. "I'll stay on the couch," he replied quietly.
She nodded her head as she whispered, "Ok" and moved to sit up on the couch, lifting her head from his lap.
"Is there anything I can do to help you sleep," he asked, wondering how she could ever fall asleep after such a day. She refused silently, strong and stoic once again. He remembered everything about her though, and thought of something to offer her that would be difficult for her to refuse.
"I can get a bath ready for you if you'd like," he offered.
She looked up at him and for the first time that evening, she looked him in the eye and smiled slightly. "That sounds nice," she said, reminded again that he knew her so well.
He gently touched her knee as he stood and said, "Ok, I'll be right back." He walked off towards his bathroom and left her sitting on the couch. Distantly, she heard the water begin running. He did know her very well. Probably better than anyone else, except Owen of course. And Peter. Peter. She felt her stomach sink at the thought of him. How was he tonight? How were Zach and Grace doing? Was Jackie working her tricks in Alicia's absence?
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She wouldn't focus on this now. Worrying about it wouldn't change anything and she knew that. She just needed to remind herself. Often.
She stood and walked across Will's living room. She noticed the pictures of his sisters and nieces. She admired them for a moment, then realized she knew very little about this part of his life. This was also something she didn't want to think about now, and so she wandered down the hallway after the sound of running water.
She expected to find him in the guest bathroom, but the small room was dark and empty. She continued into his bedroom and found Will kneeling on the floor of his master bathroom, testing the temperature of the water in his giant bathtub. He had one sleeve rolled up to keep it from getting drenched in the water, and she found the entire scene endearing. Somewhere deep inside, she felt the urge to burst into tears again and she fought it with everything she had.
He must have heard her, because he turned his head to throw a glance over his shoulder at her. He was grabbing a towel to dry his hands when she said, "You don't have to do this."
"But I want to," he replied. He finished with the towel and placed it gently on the towel rack as he walked toward her. "I know there's not much I can do to help, but if this helps you, I want to do it." He wore his courtroom face, void of any expression of tenderness, but his quiet voice soothed her. His serious eyes bore into her until she lowered her gaze and nodded, as if agreeing that he could help her.
Will went back to the tub to shut off the water and then turned back to her. "The controls for the jets are here," he pointed them out to her. "I'm not sure if they even work. I've never used them." He looked slightly embarrassed, as if he'd made some secret admission.
Alicia mistook his embarrassment. She thought he meant he should have used them with her. Again, she offered a quiet, slight smile as she looked to the floor, but Will missed it. "Let me get you some clean clothes," he said as he left the room. He returned in just a moment and left a folded stack of clothes for her on the counter.
She stood alone in the center of his bathroom, an island of beauty in the ocean of cold tile. He stepped backwards towards the door and asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
"No," she said, making quick eye contact before averting her eyes. "Thank you, Will," she whispered, glancing at him quickly again.
"It's not a problem, Alicia," he said as he reached for the door. He was closing the door from the outside as he stuck his head back in to say, "Just let me know if there's anything you need." He shut the door firmly and heard the latch click. He walked a couple of laps around his bedroom, hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking for something to do. Then he remembered his purpose.
He re-made his bed with fresh sheets for Alicia. He turned off the lights in the room and turned on the lamp for her. He walked quickly to the kitchen to fill a glass with water and get two tablets of Tylenol PM. He glanced around the room again. With nothing else to do, he leaned against the wall next to the bathroom and door slid to the floor. He hoped she didn't hear the thump as he hit the ground.
He leaned his head back against the wall and brought his arms up around his knees. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to process the events of the day. He could hear the jets running in the tub. He hoped she was able to relax. He tried not to think of her in the tub, but he couldn't help himself. He should have tried out those jets with her when they were together. He tried to wipe the smile off of his face at the thought of it. He listened harder to see if she was still crying. He couldn't tell over the sound of the rushing water.
After awhile, he heard the jets shut off and the water swishing before the drain was lifted from the tub and the water began to drain. He could hear her stepping out of the water and imagined her drying herself on his towel. He wouldn't wash that one. He'd keep it as a sacred memorial to her. He shook his head to clear those thoughts and scolded himself. He knew he shouldn't be listening and that she shouldn't find him sitting here when she came out of the bathroom. He moved to the chair on the other side of his bedroom instead, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He pretended to be reading his email while he waited for her.
Alicia ran the towel over her damp hair and dressed quickly. She caught a glance of her face in the mirror, still red and swollen and now wiped clean of her makeup. She looked like a plain, sterile version of herself, bleached clean of the most familiar traits with only a few distinct features left behind. Her pale skin, the shape of her nose, her dark hair framing her face. She placed her hands flat on the counter and forced her gaze down, fighting back tears once again. She thought the tension in her shoulders might steel her soul against the trauma to her heart. She drew in a sharp breath, flipped her head back up and stepped to the door.
She found Will sitting in the dim bedroom. He stood up and walked to her, saying, "I thought you might like something to help you sleep." He gestured toward the pills and water next to the bed.
She nodded as she sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled and gave a quiet, "Thanks," before she swallowed.
Will gestured for her to climb under the sheets and he covered her up. He kneeled next to the bed and pushed her damp hair back from her face. He stared into her face with genuine concern as he asked, "Alicia, can I do anything else for you?"
She shook her head to indicate no. Will turned off the lamp and began to walk out of the room. He was shutting the door when he heard the lamp snap back on behind him.
"Will," Alicia called, with a tone in her voice that Will didn't recognize. He turned around to see her half sitting up in his bed. His raised eyebrows were his only answer. Alicia turned her glance down as she said, "I'm embarrassed to even ask you this, but would you sit with me?" She met his eyes with her own. "Just until I fall asleep," she added.
He nodded and said, "Of course," as he moved to pull over the chair from the corner of the room. He sat beside her, feeling awkward that he was unsure what she wanted from him.
She sensed his uncertainty as she lay back down and settled into his pillow. "Tell me something I don't know about you," Alicia said. "Make it a good story," she added with a smile.
Will leaned back in the chair as he thought, propping one foot against the rail on the bed to aid the process. "I don't know what you know about me," he said with a grin, stalling for more time.
"Well, I met you in Georgetown, so something before that," she suggested.
Will leaned forward and clasped his hands together as he began his tale. He was telling her about his state baseball championships in high school, how awful the refs were and how they only won by the skin of their teeth. He told her about their victory celebration and returning home as almost heroes, as their fellow students didn't value the baseball team too much. He told her about his senior year, the girl he dated, his fights with his parents, his graduation and how he chose Georgetown for pre-law. When he looked up, she was asleep on his pillow. He hadn't noticed her nodding off as she sat there quietly absorbing his stories.
He pushed the chair away from the bed so she wouldn't trip over it when she tried to get up. He was reaching to shut off the lamp, and glanced at her gorgeous sleeping form. For the second time that night, he had the chance to stare at her unobserved. He had loved this about their time together, on the few occasions he had had to watch her sleep. He couldn't hold himself back from kissing her temple lightly before he turned off the lamp and left the room to make his bed on the couch.