Here's the first actual chapter to the story. It takes place a couple of years after the prologue. The characters in my story are rowers, as I am. I've tried to make things self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, feel free to send me a message, and I'll try to clarify things. I hope you like it!

-Absit Invidia

Chapter One

For the first time in a long time, Will Darcy gave serious thought to ignoring his 5:00 am alarm. Not because he had been having such a great night's sleep, rather, because he hadn't. He'd had the dream again, the one that played out their last night. Habit won out in the end and he pulled himself out of bed to throw on workout clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, he parked his car in the empty lot at the boathouse. He'd beaten Richard, then. Yawning, he set about getting out the oars while he waited on his boat mate.

Richard arrived minutes later and they began stretching. "So, Will. How was your weekend?" Rich asked as they stretched their quads. "Get any action?" he added with a wink.

"Plenty," Will sarcastically replied as they moved to stretching on the ground. "On Friday, I had a hot date with my spreadsheets. Saturday, it was the overseas conference calls, and on Sunday, a bottle of scotch kept me nice and warm. You?"

"My weekend wasn't quite so action-packed. But I did have another date with Jane," Richard smirked.

"Well, in honor of that, I'd say that you get to buy the breakfast this morning," Will drawled as they moved toward their boat.

"Okay, okay. You win this time."

"I win every time," Will chuckled. "Hands on."

They each took a position on either side of the boat. "Waist in two. One. Two." They hefted it off its boat jacks. "Shoulders in two. One. Two." They lifted the boat to rest on their shoulders as they carried it down the dock to the water.

"Heads in two," Will called out, "One. Two." They lifted the boat over their heads. "Over the water in two. One. Two." Then the men lowered the boat down and out over the water and placed it in. Richard held onto the boat while Will retrieved their oars.

When both men's oars were in place and Richard had taken his seat and tied into his shoes, Will took his place in the stroke seat and together they pushed away from the dock. The sky had barely begun to brighten in the east when the men paddled away from the dock and began their warm up.

"So tell me more about Jane," Will said cheerfully as he set a steady stroke rate. He could already feel his mood improving as his muscles woke up. Being out on the water never failed to ease his mind from what had burdened it the day before.

"Well, you know we met at a conference last month. She's 27, blonde, sweet, and gentle. She has a thing for 80s rock and I haven't managed to scare her off yet."

Will could hear the smile in Rich's voice. He was happy for Rich, who seemed to have found the woman of his dreams. And yet, he couldn't keep his thoughts from turning to her, the girl that plagued his dreams. He felt the familiar pang somewhere around his sternum and sighed.

Will suggested they bring up their stroke rate and begin their piece. He hoped that Rich didn't mind a hard row, because he had some memories he needed to outrun this morning.

An hour later, they wearily turned the LizzyBeth around and headed back to the dock.