A/N: Whoew, two chapters in a day! (look at me go)
CHAPTER 6:
"So you're the local fisherman who provides my favorite restaurant of their fish." She stated with approval in her voice. He grinned carefully and nodded.
"Yeah, although I find it ironic that they use fish you wouldn't typically find in the French cuisine." An amused chuckle left her and she shrugged, checking if all the dogs were still following them.
"Not a lot of people here know enough about the French dishes to realize they're not really eating them." It was Will's turn to chuckle now. A stick caught his eye and he picked it up. He clacked his tongue at the dogs and when they barked back and gathered around him, he threw it as far as possible.
"Fetch." He ordered them and watched as they sprinted off happily, barking at; each other, them, and the stick.
"I have to say you're quite pale for a fisherman, Will." He smirked and glanced at her cheek.
"I could say the same about you. You're a sailor, you're constantly exposed to reflected and direct sunlight as well." She rested her weight on her right leg, leaning ever so slightly closer to him.
"There isn't a lot of bright sunlight here. Besides, blonde people often don't tan as easily as dark-haired people." She gestured towards his dark curls and he ran his hand through them, feeling self-aware.
"I guess you're right." He confirmed and heard his dogs approach them.
Laura smiled a bit at the first fallen leaves that spurred and twirled in the wake of the dogs' enthusiastic sprinting.
"Your French is very good by the way." Will noted and took the branch that Amelia offered him proudly. He threw it away in a different direction and the dogs scrambled away again.
"Thank you." Her eyes took in the tall trees as they walked through them at a leisurely pace.
"Where exactly in Europe are you from, if you don't mind me asking." She held back a grin and lowered her gaze to the dirt-path.
"Not France, if that's what you're hinting at. Belgium. We're taught several languages at a very young age there. We've got a Dutch and French speaking part and in the east we've got a small community that speaks German. Naturally they teach us English as well, seeing as Britain's just across the canal." He could tell she took pride in the languages she had mastered, yet none in where she came from.
"Brussels is in Belgium, right?" he asked while thinking hard where her country was somewhere on the map. She nodded back and bent down when Gary came towards her with the branch.
"Do you speak any other languages?" by the time Amelia and Buck appeared, they had to go running after the stick again with Gary.
"I've got a basic knowledge of Japanese and Spanish as well." Will nodded, a curl bouncing against his temple. It tickled his eyebrow and he pushed it back behind his ear without much thought.
"That's impressive." Her laugh startled him a bit and he saw how she adjusted her bag, pulling the hair that got stuck beneath the strap free and flipping it away from her chest.
"Thank you."
/
He opened the bag of small biscuits and poured them into the bowl. Will wiped his hands on his trousers and stared at the sweets. This common courtesy. He reassured himself and took it with him to the porch. The second he caught sight of her sunlit self, he felt something pull at his stomach that urged him to speed of his pace. He stepped out of the front door and set the plate down on the small, low wooden table in front of the bench.
"Will, is this a date?" she asked out of the blue. His stark-blue eyes widened shocked and he glanced at her. The late evening sunlight darkened the green and grey in her eyes as she stared at him. Her cheeks were rosy from the long walk in the woods and her legs were crossed, her ankle peeking out. The expression she wore was collected but there was obviously some curiosity shimmering behind her eyes.
"If that's what you'd like to call it." He muttered and gave a strained smile, eventually sitting down beside her at a safe distance.
She lifted her one eyebrow even higher at how he now had to force himself to come across as comfortable. The blonde rolled her eyes at what she found to be an overreaction on his part. Obviously not used to this kind of thing. Shouldn't really be that surprising.
"Fine, then that's exactly what I'll call it." She mused and took the steaming mug, ticking it against his in a toast, and took a slow sip.
"Is this shortbread?" she wondered and picked a biscuit, turning it over between her fingers. He tilted his head towards her direction, indicating he was willing to keep up the conversation.
"Yes. I think they're pretty nice. Although I don't expect them to be as good as the ones from Belgium." She chuckled agreeingly and took a bite, letting out an approving hum.
"Do you like chocolate, Will?" with every casual question she asked him, he felt himself relax. She didn't dwell on subjects he wasn't comfortable with. He felt grateful for that. Other women would have tried to question him out about his discomfort of relationships. Truth was that not many had appreciated his company for a longer period of time. The feeling is more often than not mutual. For now, Laura seemed comfortable to be around.
"I do. Milk chocolate." A short, pleased laugh left her and she shifted in her seat. Angling her body more towards him. Laura was obviously an intelligent woman who had a very good control over her body-language. Will couldn't help but think she was adjusting her position just to make clear she appreciated his company and felt at ease with him.
"Good, I suppose you know Belgium's quite famous for its chocolate. If you want to I can give you some of my spare bars. It's cheaper and tastier than the imported and mixed stuff at the shops in town." He couldn't hold the grin back at the small hint of pride in her tone and looked at her pink cheek again.
"That'd be nice. Maybe you can bring some to our next get together." She tilted her head with a playful smirk and mouthed the word 'date' to him. He shook his head amused at her almost child-like way of making the remark and smiled, drinking some coffee.
"It's also a country known for its beer." He reminded her.
"Oh yes. It sure is." He could hear the glee she tried to hide. She clearly liked to drink a good beer.
"I've got a few crates of them in my basement. Just let me know when you'd like to taste some." She told him and a comfortable silence fell, warming his feet calmingly. Will's eyes lowered to Amelia who had placed herself on Laura's foot again.
