I want to say a big thank-you to everyone reading this story. It means a lot to know people like it or is even reading it. This chapter is for real Diane and Will shippers I suppose.
Diane slowly turns in her bed clutching on to the duvet, as the light from the windows begins to permeate through. She can hear a faint sound; its music and someone moving around below. She can smell cooking as well.
Her eyes open and adjust to her surroundings and it is only then she remembers. Will. Will brought her here and no doubt that is will in the kitchen below. She smiles.
She gets out from underneath the crisp white cotton sheets and throws on her night gown. She pauses to look at herself when she is in the bathroom. She looks better already. The circles under her eyes are gone and there is more colour in her cheeks. When she got into bed last night, putting on her turquoise and pink pyjamas, she looked pale and unwell.
She pads down the stairs to the kitchen. There he is.
With Dean Martin playing in the background, there is Will Gardner in his element cooking a full breakfast and singing, still like her in his pyjamas. His are just a simple t-shirt and check trousers- very country living she thinks. He looks happy. Relaxed and care free.
"Morning" He grins as he places down a wooden spoon in a pan.
"Care to join me for a celebratory dance as we didn't have one last night.
Diane isn't aware of it but she is smiling so widely that the room is lit up by her.
She doesn't answer but they move towards each other.
Will wraps one arm around her waist and takes her hand.
"How do you like your toast in the morning. I like mine with a hug. Dark or light. the world's all right as long as I get my hug" He croons gentle waltzing
She laughs before he's pushing her to join in
"I've got to have my love in a.m." She rolls her eyes in defeat, knowing she'll have to sing.
"Or the rest of my day is positively mayhem" He grins
"I'm a regular monster" He sings jokingly
"How do you like your eggs in the morning" She is perfect he thinks. Radiantly smiling, whilst her voice is as smooth as velvet, and her steps as light as air.
"I like mine with a kiss" They are looking at one another.
There should be another line. Diane's mind has gone blank. All she can focus on is Wills arm around her waist, his hand in her hand and his eyes staring back at her. Will can only focus on his breath and the look on Dianes face.
He's unsure what it means. He would kiss her in that moment but he's not sure if he should. He's not sure if she would want him too. The seconds tick by and he panics, smiles and picks up the next line
"I'm a regular monster" He sings this time with added comedy dramatics.
She laughs.
They suddenly become aware of the unattended cooking. He rushes back to it. Diane follows looking on quite impressed with the amount of different foods being cooked at once.
She sits up at the breakfast bar watching him.
"Don't watch me you'll put me off"
She laughs and looks at him "I'm nothing to be afraid off"
He glances at her and smiles "I know"
They eat their breakfast slowly, chatting and laughing about culinary skills and anecdotes.
Will says they should go for a walk in the hills. Never one to sit and do nothing, Diane agrees.
"Be ready in two"
Diane sighs "Always making me rush. I have to find some clothes"
She raises of her seat and walks up the stairs with a glass of orange juice in hand.
"No stilettos Miss Lockhart!"
She rolls her eyes.
10 minutes later, she appears dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white cotton shirt.
"Well come on. Hurry up" She shouts to Will who is bored sitting at the kitchen table.
He turns to her. She is stood leaning against the open front door; glowing underneath the stream of golden sunshine.
"Sorry I took so long" he says as he nears. She laughs and hits him on the arm.
Diane thought it would be a gentle hill climb. It seems more of a Himalaya type mountain she thinks as she nears the top.
"Will Gardner, I am going to make you pay for this one day"
He laughs as he continues his climb ahead
"It will be worth it just you wait, all this hard work and time will pay off"
When? Diane thinks. "Come on" He goes to take her hand but Diane pulls away slightly.
He looks at her.
Diane has always found it difficult to take help. She was an only child you see, with a mother who was so meek and mild mannered, Diane from a young age felt it necessary to protect her, rather than the other way around, and a father who was stubborn, confident and the apple of his daughter's eye. He pushed her to stand on her own two feet and as she followed in his law footsteps, he pushed her to rise above the boys club, be better than them, and only rely on herself. It worked off course.
But what it also done was destroy any chance of a good stable relationship. Diane inadvertently was looking for a man just who as confidant, stubborn, and strong as her father, yet was not willing for that man to protect or help her.
In that moment she remembered walking with her father as a little girl. He was rushing and was pulling her along.
"Come on, take my hand, it's not far now"
She nods at him and he gently guides her up over another rock, before walking at her pace alongside her.
Her hand feels small in his, yet she knows it is not particularly. She likes that he's not ahead of her. They are side beside. Her independence can cope with that.
They finally reach the top and she takes a deep breath. "It's beautiful"
He looks at her "I told you, worth the work and the wait"
They stand there a moment taking it all in before they realise they are both still holding hands.
"What is going on between us Will?"
He looks at her
"I'm not sure. But I'm willing to just let it see where it goes, if you are."
She looks out over the hills and for some reason, beyond her better judgement her eyes are beginning to tear up
"No. I don't want to lose you. You're the only constant and I'm not jeopardising that"
She begins to tug her hand away wanting to retreat.
He holds fast. "Diane you're not loosing me. Just for this weekend, lets just not think. Lets just have this weekend as if this alone was ours. There is nothing else but that house, these hills and us. Just us"
Diane worries. He knows she worries. She is worrying, this will destroy them. If they change the statis quo, they'll become like all their other failed relationships; broken. But Will knows they won't. Suddenly his mind wanders back to the image of the house on a winters evening, the picture is progressing , the little girl looks around to someone in the background and slowly Diane walks into view lifting up the little girl in pink and smiling out the window.
Wills sees her mind still analysing the facts, all the worries, the pros and cons being weighed up. He decides to take his course of decision making into hand.
Diane is taken back at first by the kiss. She can feel the last worry disintegrating in her mind as his soft lips touches hers. She can feel the gentle breeze on her face, as warm arms encase her. She had heard before of people melting in lovers arms and had always rolled her eyes or snorted at the fake romance of it all. She never for a second thought it actually could happen until then.
Nor had a kiss ever stopped her train of thought completely. When they broke away, she sees Will Gardner as only a man for the first time. Not a lawyer, a business partner, a friend, but a man.
"Let's go home"
By the time they make it back it is almost dusk and the house is lit in a pale orange and pink hue, with light shadows beginning to form.
The walk back has been filled with touches and looks, thoughts and feelings.
The air is laden with expectation and want.
Diane suddenly pauses. She doesn't know why. Something just stops her. She looks at Will.
Her mind cannot figure out what it is trying to tell her but she begins to speak.
"If this is the only chance we get…"
"Diane, I told you …"
"Just let me speak, I don't know why I even need to say it but I need to. If this is the only chance we get at this, I want you to know I'm happy we done it. That we took the opportunity."
"We have forever Diane, if you want us too. We will have a lifetime someday."
He pulls her to him again and they kiss, more passionately than before. His hands trail underneath her white shirt at the bottom of her back across her tanned skin. She caresses his back as if she were trying to memorise it.
That evening they made dinner together and lay across the sofa in front of the open fire.
Diane had never been one for cuddles and sweet nothings but there she stretched alongside Will Gardner, with one hand on his chest watching it rise and fall in sync with his breathing.
They talked about everything and anything as they always did. Diane told a story of David Lee from years ago and they laughed uncontrollably.
It was this laughter that turned into light butterfly kisses, that Will trailed down Diane's neck and across her collarbone.
Both of them then slightly out of breath, rested their foreheads together.
"Let's go upstairs" Diane whispered looking down at Wills mouth.
Silence. Their eyes meet once more.
He kisses her check, and she feels his hot breath on her neck "Are you sure?"
She breaths out in barely a whisper "Take me to bed, Will"