I really need to work on my maths homework, but I like to write on this story so much, I can't stop! I guess you don't mind, haha.
I skipped a lot of time in this chapter, yes, my lack of inspiration was that big. I hope I didn't ruin things this way. If I did, just tell me, so I know that for the next time I write a story like this. I started writing on this chapter as a chapter filled with cuteness, but the result is a mix between angst and cuteness. Sorry, I simply prefer angst to fluff!
What can I say? Uhm, of course I tried to write this as much in character as possible, but I have the feeling I lost it sometimes.
Again, I have no idea if the song suits the situation, but I think it did.
Hope you enjoy it anyway! :)
Chapter 7
Lying awake at night, Emma thought about everything that they had done that day. It had started with grading the papers and after that her temperature had been measured again. And it had looked good this time, only slightly higher than average, which meant she was getting better quickly.
To her, it felt like the day had passed in a blur, certainly because she had felt better with the hour and only in the evening she had felt worse, but then the fever had returned slightly.
She felt much better, yet she wasn't able to sleep. Too many things were going on in her head. A lot of thoughts about Will. That wasn't really unusual for her, but spending so much time with him made it even worse. Today, there had be a moment when their legs had touched under the table and, even though she had felt childish afterwards for feeling that way, her mind was sent straight into the gutter.
She turned the light on and stared into her room. It didn't help, but she didn't feel like getting out of her bed. She almost jumped though, when she heard knocking on her bedroom-door.
"I saw light coming from your room, is there something wrong?" Will's voice said.
"I'm fine, Will, but I can't sleep, just like last night," she sighed, "come on in," she added and he opened the door and did a step inside her bedroom.
"I'm afraid I don't have another book to read you," he joked, "well, I'm glad to see you're alright, so if you don't mind I'm going back, the couch is waiting for me."
Emma thought about what she had thought the night before, before she fell asleep. If she wanted to give it a try, she would have to ask it him now.
"Will?" she asked, lying on her right side so she was facing him, "I have a question, I mean, if you don't want to, don't do it, but I don't think this...illness is really contagious, because you would've gone sick too for spending so much time with me. That's why I thought maybe...well, would you, would you stay?"
"I'll still be here tomorrow, I won't be gone," he said, but when she looked into his eyes, they talked without words, "you don't mean it like that, do you?"
She shook her head lightly.
"Right now," she whispered, barely audible, even in the silent room. She looked at him and he looked back and in his eyes she could obviously see the hestitation, "you have to understand, I'm not asking you to sleep with me. I'm only asking you to lie here, with me."
Will frowned, "I want to, if you want me to, but are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I don't want to be the reason you have to change your bedsheets tomorrow."
She got up, so she was sitting cross legged on her bed. She fumbled with the sheets.
"Will, I gave up the idea of you infecting my surroundings a long time ago."
"What do you mean?" he asked, closing the door behind his back and he sat down on her bed. Somewhere she felt he already knew what she meant.
"I mean, I don't care," she said breathlessly.
"You don't..."
"...care," she murmured, "not with you. I realized it would ruin anything going on between us, even if it wasn't there, even if it was only in my head. I thought you already knew I didn't care so much: I let you touch me, let you dance with me...and I let you kiss me, and I couldn't believe it when that happened, that's what I had wanted for so long, but it was...so selfish..." she suddenly felt the tears in her eyes, "Oh God, I just realized, I once told Terri that you deserved someone better than her! That was so selfish of me, and that doesn't make me any better than her!" she said, eyes wide open and the first tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Hey, Emma, don't cry," Will said, he inched forward on the bed and he caught her head between his hands, looking right into her eyes, "you need to understand that this world is full of selfish people, but you're not one of them," he spoke while he brushed her tears away with his thumbs, "you are one of the most honest people I know. And if you told Terri that I deserved better, then you were right."
She had stopped crying, but she bit her lip.
"And if you'd say that you are that better person, I'd believe you without doubt," Will continued and Emma felt like her temperature rose with three degrees, "and if I told you that I would love to stay here with you tonight, you'd better believe that as well."
Emma's sad face faded and a small smile began to show on her face. She withdrew the white sheets to create some space for him and he slipped underneath. He lied down on his back, his hands tucked behind his head. He looked at her and he looked serious and happy at the same time, or maybe that's just what she wanted to see. Maybe he was gauging her reaction, she couldn't really tell.
She made it herself comfortable, lying on her left side, facing Will and their eyes locked. They weren't touching, and yet it was one of the most intimate things she had ever experienced. It was like opening up herself a little bit. She felt him swift slowly and she squealed loudly when his ice-cold foot touched hers.
"God, Will, your feet are so cold!"
He didn't say anything, he just laughed. When she felt his right foot move, her own right foot rested on his and moved along. When he noticed what she was doing, he smiled and lazily began to draw patterns on her foot with his toes. She giggled because she began to feel ticklish, but she didn't withdraw her foot. Emma captured his toes with hers so hers were in the gaps between his.
"What are you doing?" Will laughed.
"What are we doing is a better question. I believe we're playing footsie," she giggled again. That was a bit unlike her, but she didn't care.
"Does this feel right?" he asked, and to her it sounded a little bit unsure, but that could be imagination.
"It feels great," was her reply and she lifted the covers and they both looked at their locked feet simultaneously, "your feet are big," she said, but then remembered what was said about men with big feet. She laughed softly and he laughed along.
"Oh, you have no idea," he said, which resulted her to have a new burst of giggles.
"I think I can't fall asleep like this, Will," she said and she withdrew her foot.
"Shall I sing you a song?" he asked and she nodded, "hmm, let's see," he said, but he didn't have to think long about a suitable song. He began to sing and Emma closed her eyes.
When you're down and troubled You just call out my name
And you need some love and care
And nothing, whoa, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up, whoa, even your darkest night
And you know where ever I am
I'll come running, to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you've got to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah I'll be
You've got a friend
When the song was over, she sighed and said,
"I love that song, Will, thanks."
She reached for the light-switch and turned off the light. She then turned over. Her double bed was huge, but she could feel Will lying close to her. She could feel his warmth and hear his breath.
Yes, she thought, I got what I wanted, this is good.
Aww, that was kinda sweet, wasn't it? Next chapter will take a few days, I haven't written a single letter of it yet, but I promise I won't keep you waiting for too long!