William almost felt sorry for the four men.
No, he didn't. He enjoyed their torment at least as much as Grell did. As days crawled by, their despair grew. William wanted their spirits to break. Just like they had almost done with his sweet girlfriend.
Speaking of Grell, she was horrible at keeping secrets. When Ronald Knox asked her why she was suddenly the first of the reapers to arrive at work, instead of the last, she had blushed and said, "It has nothing to do with Will! I arrived here after him, honestly! I haven't seen him after we left work yesterday! Separately, that is!"
William himself also had a hard time keeping their relationship hidden. He would sometimes stare at Grell a bit too long, or keep her in his office for stupid reasons. He tried to be cold, but he couldn't. Every word he said to Grell was covered in affection.
Grell had been living in William's apartment for the last few days. Yes, it was soon, but neither of them were uncomfortable with it. Quite the contrary. Any outsider would have thought them to be a married couple. Everything about being with Grell felt natural to William. She had become home to him in such a short time.
A loud cry came from the cubicle section. At last, someone had reached their breaking point.
One of the four bullies stormed into William's office, his face red. "This is madness!" he panted. "That guy's insane!"
William raised an eyebrow. "Which guy are you referring to?"
"Sutcliff, of course! It would take an army to complete all the tasks he's giving us."
"I think you're confused. You seem to be of the opinion that reaper Sutcliff is male."
The man stared at him for a few seconds. "You're just as mad as he is. You're both bloody insane."
"And that's three hours of overtime for you."
"Unbelievable." He left William's office, dazed.
William smiled to himself and went back to his work.
A soft knock. "Will?" A face framed by red hair peeked around the corner. "I've got those reports you asked for."
"Great. Those extra hands seem to come in handy."
Grell closed the door behind herself and stepped closer to the desk. "They do. And I must admit, I do love the power you've given me. Is this what it feels like to be you? Being able to boss your subordinates around?"
William chuckled and put his work aside. "You're forgetting about the endless frustration and annoyances my subordinates bring."
"Oh, you!" She laid the reports down and sat across William, on the other side of the desk. "I think those four are at the end of their sanity."
"Good. Keep pushing them until they break."
Grell smiled and leaned forward over the desk. "Oh, Will, you know I love it when you get all cruel and bossy."
He tilted her chin up. "I'm not being cruel, darling. I'll never forget how broken you looked that night. They deserve to feel the same pain. Anyone who hurts you deserves their punishment."
"Protective, are we?" Grell nearly purred before leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. "Oh, Will, I'm trying to keep our promise, but…"
"Ronald Knox?"
"He's just so clever! He sees through all my lies, somehow. I wonder what it is that gives me away…"
"One more day, dear. Tomorrow's the gala. Then the rumors will spread like a fire. There'll be no point denying us anymore."
"I'm so excited! I won't come home with you tomorrow after work, though. I have a lot of preparation to do. Hair, nails, makeup…" She bit her lip and looked down as she grabbed William's hand. "Are you really sure about this, though?"
"What's are you talking about? Weren't you the one who came up with this plan in the first place?"
"Yes, but…" She sighed. "You need to be really sure about us. Because people will treat you differently when they find out you're dating me. You need to be sure that this isn't a passing thing, or…"
"Or what?"
"Or that you're doing this out of pity."
William frowned. "Pity?"
"That night, I lumped you in with those bullies. You defended yourself. And perhaps you even feel like you need to prove yourself."
"Prove what?"
"That you're not like them. That you don't see me like everyone else does. Or perhaps you were lonely, and you thought I was an easy catch. Or perhaps you wish to rebel. Or maybe you thought it would be easier to control me if you…"
"Stop it." He squeezed her hand so hard it almost hurt. "There's a limit to the amount of nonsense I can take."
"That's the thing. Is it nonsense?"
"Of course it is."
Grell gave him a small smile. "I'm glad to hear so. I trust you fully. But I just wanted you to think about what it is you're feeling before you bring everyone's attention down on you. It wouldn't be worth it if this relationship is a two-week thing."
William looked genuinely surprised. "Why would it be? We're doing fine, don't we?"
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'll be going back to work now." She gave him a quick kiss before disappearing out of his office.
William decided he needed more coffee. He walked over to the cafeteria, got his refill and went back to his office to ponder what he could have done to make Grell say such things. He didn't get the chance, though. Reaper Knox insisted on blocking his way.
"Mister Spears! What a coincidence!"
"Is it?"
"Yeah, I'm quite surprised myself! But now that I've got a moment with you anyway…"
"The reports?"
"How did you guess? You see, there was this girl, and…"
William zoned out after a few words. Why had Grell acted this way? Was it all too soon after all? How could he make it clear to her that he really, really loved her?
"Mister Spears? Sir?"
William woke from his thoughts. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
Ronald studied him for a few seconds. "Sir, if I may say so, you seem awfully distracted lately. So does Sutcliff, come to think of it…"
"What are you implying?" William was shocked by the ferocity of his voice. Surely there was no need to deny their relationship this fiercely? After all, it would be public in a day. He imagined how Ronald would react if he told him about him and Grell. Suddenly he became a lot less confident about the gala. Maybe Grell was right. Maybe he really dated her out of pity, or to be different. To feel good about himself. He had never thought of himself as a good person. It wouldn't surprise him if he let his own ego guide him. After all, he had resented Grell for so long before this. And no matter how well they got along behind closed doors, his stomach twisted at the thought of showing affection in public.
He knew now. He was bad for Grell, and he had to protect her from himself.
Grell was delighted when the work day finally ended. She would pick up some shoes before the shop closed and come back to the office to meet up with William. When they got home, they would cook a delicious meal together. William was more skilled at cooking than he would admit.
She waited in the lobby, her bag with shoes in her hand, and waved when she saw him appear. He looked tired. Worried, too. Poor dear. Always working way too hard. "Are they putting too much on your shoulders again?" she asked as they walked arm in arm.
"Yes, they are. One of my colleagues is expecting a child and they are handing some of her tasks over to me."
"How wonderful for her." She squeezed his arm a little tighter. "Do you like children, Will?"
"If I told you, you'd just react like everyone else does."
"And how might that be?"
"With disbelief."
"Try me."
A small smile tugged on his lips. "I love them. Always wanted a big family."
Grell raised her eyebrows. "Who would've thought? You don't seem like the type…"
"That's what everybody says. But it's true. Despite whatever image I might be giving off."
"How surprising. Here I was, thinking I would hear some rant about everything that's wrong with children."
"Everyone expects that."
"Mister Spears, you are full of surprises." She leaned on him dreamily and tried to push the nasty voice to the back of her head.
Dinner had been delicious, and now they were sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping wine. Both suspected the other was troubled by something, but neither dared ask. "Tomorrow's the big day," Grell said, testing the waters.
"It is."
"You know, if you want to think our relationship over for a little while longer…"
"No need." William hated himself for being ashamed. He was going to push himself over the edge.
"Still, I think it's a good idea to talk about our relationship. I unofficially moved in with you, which must have had an impact. We need to know where we're going from here, how serious we're going to allow this to be."
"What kind of things do you want to talk about, then? Can't we just see how things will work out?"
"Well…" She took a sip from her wine. "Imagine if our relationship becomes really serious. Like, super serious. What if you'll propose to me one day?"
"Then what's the problem?"
"Oh, Will…" She took another sip. "For example: you said you want a big family. But let's face it, I can't give you that. So if children matter a lot to you, we should prevent our relationship from becoming too serious. I wouldn't be the right woman for you."
William moved the wine around in his glass. "Are you saying you want to break up?"
"No, I… Yes. Perhaps it would be best."
"I see." He took an extra long sip. "Why don't we give it some time? We'll go to the gala separately, and if we still feel this way afterwards, we can always meet up and talk things through."
"Wait a minute." She studied his face. "If we still feel this way? If you're having doubts as well, why were you acting all careless just now?"
"I just… It's what you said earlier today, and…"
"Yes?"
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I've been misinterpretating my feelings all along. I'm sorry, Grell. I'm so sorry. I just can't…"
"Can't what?"
"I can't love you in public. It makes me feel…"
"Ashamed?"
He couldn't look at her. "Yes. But that's not your fault, it's me who…"
"Don't worry. You're not telling me anything new. I had already expected this to happen. It was too good to be true, I guess."
"Grell…"
"It's okay. Really." But her eyes told him it wasn't. "I'll go home now. I'll see you tomorrow, and at the gala, of course."
"I'm so sorry."
She leaned forward and cupped his cheek. "Don't be. Even Romeo and Juliet didn't fully get their way in the end. It was beautiful for as long as it lasted." She gave him a kiss on the forehead before getting up to gather some of her things.
As the front door closed, William knew he had made a big mistake.