Chapter 6:
"So what next?" Will asked, taking into consideration a trick that Serena had just taught him. He followed her into the next room with a small bottle of milk in one hand and a bag of cereal in the other. Every now and then, he would shake some of the toasted oats into his mouth and take a sip of milk. 'Cereal-on-the-go' was what Serena had called it.
"I, for one, have classes," Serena answered grabbing her knapsack and going through it to make sure all her belongings still remained.
"Classes?"
"Yes so I may have to leave you," she replied. She looked up and saw his distraught eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Leaving me? Alone? Here?" he clarified. He looked around, his expression one of reluctance then changed it to pleading when he looked back at her. "Couldn't you wait till I know what everything in this room is before leaving me to my own devices?"
"Argh, no. Don't give me that look!" she whined. Serena turned away, peeved, not wanting another man have such a say in her actions by a simple glance.
"What look? I just want you to explain to me where I am!" He looked out the window and pointed at the cars zooming by. "Explain to me what THOSE are.... EVERYTHING. I was taken here just two hours ago. I need a little... reassuring here and from my recent brush with the others in this place, I think I have no choice but to stay with you." Serena looked at him with wide brown eyes for a second, then smiled. "What?"
"You're a lot more rational and calm now than two hours ago at least," she grinned. He frowned at her. "Must be the cereal. I never thought Honey Bunches of Oats would have a calming effect on people." She wanted to say no but she kind of knew he was right. A million things could happen to him if she left him... A million things could also happen to her apartment if she left him. "Fine... what the heck. It's a Monday before Thanksgiving weekend... Might as well take the whole damn week off."
"So you stay with me?"
"yes... I stay with you," she groaned at her weakness. She dropped her book pack and just picked up her other bag. Will saw his reluctance and bit his lip.
"If you really must be somewhere else..." he started.
"Don't worry about it... I'd rather not go to my Monday and Tuesday classes anyways... There're people there I'd rather not see," she reassured him.
"Why not?"
"Why not what?"
"Why would you rather not see them?"
"It's a bit hard to explain..." she murmured. Will took that as a hint not to bring up those people. "Come on with me... I'll grab my friend and we'll take you out to eat some REAL food..." Her hands took away the milk and the cereal from his hands causing Will to voice his indignation with a "Hey!" "That's not healthy to eat just cereal all day."
"But it's good!"
"Yes, it's quite yummy..." So are you for that matter, she thought. "But eating cereal alone isn't healthy. You need to eat something a bit more substantial." So are men, as well! Wow. New metaphor... Will sucked in the pout that was going on at his mouth but Serena saw it. "Don't pout! I promise... I'll feed you something better! Now come!" Will returned her smile and followed her to the door but was halted by her hand when Serena saw what was outside.
"Hey, Serena! How's my little financially-dependent-on-me friend doing?" Katherine greeted, waltzing down the hallway to stand right in from Serena. Serena hid the left half of her body with the door and was waving Will to hide ALL of himself as well.
"Kat, that was in high school... my financial status has improved since that Titanic world premiere," Serena rolled her eyes. Katherine had paid for everything on a trip they made about six years ago to be one of the rabid fans at the Titanic Los Angeles Premiere. She never quite let it go.
"That's what you say," Katherine retorted. "Can I borrow some conditioner? I'm out." Serena realized that Katherine had nothing on but a towel. She only just held back her instinct to pull the naked girl into her apartment and throw clothes at her but Serena remembered that Will was still behind the door. Katherine was just as much a crazed Orlando Bloom fan as Serena was but more on the affirmative action level. If anything, Katherine would probably throw her towel off and jump the man if he were near enough and didn't have bodyguards dragging him away.
"I'm out too... I was about to go out and get some," Serena lied.
"Get some for me too?"
"Yea sure..." Serena waited for Katherine to return to her apartment but she just stood there. "well?"
"Well what?"
"Are you just going to stand there half-naked?!" Serena almost shouted.
"No," Katherine answered simply.
"Then?!"
"Shouldn't you be leaving to get my conditioner?" Serena remained silent. "What the hell are you hiding behind there?" Katherine asked about to push the door away in curiosity but Serena just blocked the door with her foot.
"Nuh uh... You go back to your apartment."
"There's a guy in there, huh?" Katherine grinned.
"Kat... shut up and go back to your apartment," Serena groaned in frustration. "There is no guy. I just don't want you parading around my living room in a towel."
"Riiiight and I'm Will Turner's whore," Kat snorted. Will heard the sentence and his mouth dropped in one) the words that he heard and two) the fact that this stranger knew his name. "Let me in!"
"Kat! No!" Serena argued. She nudged the door nearer to a close to give Kat a hint.
"Oh come on! Is he cute? I swear I won't touch him!"
"If I tell you yes, will you leave me alone?"
"I KNEW IT! THERE IS A GUY! You finally got over Ryan!" Serena grimaced at her ex's name. "Yes! Fine! I'll leave you alone but I want name and from a scale of one to ten, overall, how would you rate him?"
"His name is William and I'd say 15," Serena answered reluctantly, hoping the Will didn't understand the scale and inflate his ego to unmanageable proportions.
"15! Damn! I'd only rate ORLANDO BLOOM that good!" Katherine exclaimed grinning.
//You have no idea...//
"Would Devin be happy to hear that?" Devin was Katherine's on again off again boyfriend for the last few years. Kat just laughed.
"He's got no control over who the hell I'm gonna picture naked so I really don't care," Kathy scoffed.
"Oooo, so they're on an Off-stage," Serena grinned. "Okay.. now time to go bye bye, hun."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Katherine said winking mischievously as she walked away in her towel.
"That leaves me quite free to do what I want then, doesn't it?" Serena teased.
"What?! I am NOT that bad!" Kathy exclaimed, indignant.
"I know you're not that bad... I'm just teasing. You know I love ya..." Kathy just huffed.
"You'd better get me some damn expensive conditioner..." The door slammed behind her and Serena sighed in relief, closing her door as well.
"She knew my name... and she said she's my whore..." Will murmured in bewilderment.
"It was said in sarcasm, Will," Serena said trying to comfort the confusion in his eyes again.
"Sarcasm or not, she still knew my name... And who's this Orlando character? That's the second time I heard of him..." Will asked still as confused ever.
"Will..." Serena smiled, sympathetically at him. "I want to explain to you everything but I'm afraid it'll just make your head spin..." How can she tell this poor (but gorgeous) man that in this world he was but a figment of someone's imagination and that he only looks the way he does because of a man a hundreds of miles away from where they stood? "Just... let me give you the information in small quantities that I know you can swallow, okay?"
"Fine..." Will sighed putting his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"Just to be fair, I'll tell you who Orlando Bloom is. Orlando is a...." Will waited for her to continue, smirking at the dreamy expression Serena's eyes took. "... REALLY handsome and talented actor. He's quite famous right now and many of the women around the WORLD have taken a fancy to him."
"You fancy him as well, don't you?" Will laughed as Serena blushed and laughed as well.
"That question, if answered can lead to waaaay too much... stuff," she laughed. "so no... I'm not answering that question." Serena took out two jackets from the closet, handing the large, more sophisticated, black leather one to Will. "Jacket... wear it." She also took out a dark blue baseball cap. "Wear this as well..."
"What is it?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A hat of course!" She placed it on his head, pulling the brim low, below his eyes. "Keep it low... The girls that you described as 'possessed'? There are many out there..." She slipped on her own dark gray wool jacket that came down to her knees. "You ready?"
"I guess..." he shrugged, finding that he'd never been quite this warm in ANY piece of clothing he'd had before.
"All right, let's go," she beamed at him, leading him out to the hallways and down the stairs. She led them to the parking lot underneath her apartment complex and to her dark blue Honda Accord.
"And this is...." Will asked, a bit apprehensive at coming near any of the metal machines surrounding him.
"A car," she answered, amused at his childlike shyness. She took his hand and led him to the passenger seat. "It's our mode of transportation here." She opened a door and gestured him to sit inside. He did so, still a bit uneasy. Serena just laughed as she ran to the driver's side to sit in her own seat.
"Transportation?" Will asked as Serena closed the door.
"How we get from place to place. Much faster than horses," she nodded. "First you need to put on your seatbelt..."
"Seatbelt?" Serena leaned across him, pulling the strap in front of his body. She didn't notice how he sniffed her hair when she leaned forward, or hear the sigh from his lips when he smelled the scent of flowers and fruits from her hair. He heard the click and found himself held to the chair.
"It's a safety strap, so you don't fall out of your seat in case of an accident," she explained. Serena smiled as she started up the car and Will first experienced the vibrations of a car. A small smile spread through his face. "You're gonna be fine... Trust me..." She put a reassuring hand on his, and felt his fingers grip her hand. She pulled out of the parking spot and into the little driveway leading into the streets.
Hearing Will's sigh of relief and feeling his muscles relax on her hand, but not let go, she looked at him and smiled again. Her eyes glanced at the car clock and realized it was a little more than thirty minutes since she had first opened the door to her apartment to see Katherine strolling down the hallway nothing but a towel.
"You know, if it takes this long to get you out of my apartment, safely, I don't think I'll take you out anymore," Serena joked. Will just shook his head, staring in wonder at the other cars around him, laughing nervously.
AN// I updated... after how many months I updated! And I'll try to update more. *grimace* My apologies to those who waited so long for it.
"So what next?" Will asked, taking into consideration a trick that Serena had just taught him. He followed her into the next room with a small bottle of milk in one hand and a bag of cereal in the other. Every now and then, he would shake some of the toasted oats into his mouth and take a sip of milk. 'Cereal-on-the-go' was what Serena had called it.
"I, for one, have classes," Serena answered grabbing her knapsack and going through it to make sure all her belongings still remained.
"Classes?"
"Yes so I may have to leave you," she replied. She looked up and saw his distraught eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Leaving me? Alone? Here?" he clarified. He looked around, his expression one of reluctance then changed it to pleading when he looked back at her. "Couldn't you wait till I know what everything in this room is before leaving me to my own devices?"
"Argh, no. Don't give me that look!" she whined. Serena turned away, peeved, not wanting another man have such a say in her actions by a simple glance.
"What look? I just want you to explain to me where I am!" He looked out the window and pointed at the cars zooming by. "Explain to me what THOSE are.... EVERYTHING. I was taken here just two hours ago. I need a little... reassuring here and from my recent brush with the others in this place, I think I have no choice but to stay with you." Serena looked at him with wide brown eyes for a second, then smiled. "What?"
"You're a lot more rational and calm now than two hours ago at least," she grinned. He frowned at her. "Must be the cereal. I never thought Honey Bunches of Oats would have a calming effect on people." She wanted to say no but she kind of knew he was right. A million things could happen to him if she left him... A million things could also happen to her apartment if she left him. "Fine... what the heck. It's a Monday before Thanksgiving weekend... Might as well take the whole damn week off."
"So you stay with me?"
"yes... I stay with you," she groaned at her weakness. She dropped her book pack and just picked up her other bag. Will saw his reluctance and bit his lip.
"If you really must be somewhere else..." he started.
"Don't worry about it... I'd rather not go to my Monday and Tuesday classes anyways... There're people there I'd rather not see," she reassured him.
"Why not?"
"Why not what?"
"Why would you rather not see them?"
"It's a bit hard to explain..." she murmured. Will took that as a hint not to bring up those people. "Come on with me... I'll grab my friend and we'll take you out to eat some REAL food..." Her hands took away the milk and the cereal from his hands causing Will to voice his indignation with a "Hey!" "That's not healthy to eat just cereal all day."
"But it's good!"
"Yes, it's quite yummy..." So are you for that matter, she thought. "But eating cereal alone isn't healthy. You need to eat something a bit more substantial." So are men, as well! Wow. New metaphor... Will sucked in the pout that was going on at his mouth but Serena saw it. "Don't pout! I promise... I'll feed you something better! Now come!" Will returned her smile and followed her to the door but was halted by her hand when Serena saw what was outside.
"Hey, Serena! How's my little financially-dependent-on-me friend doing?" Katherine greeted, waltzing down the hallway to stand right in from Serena. Serena hid the left half of her body with the door and was waving Will to hide ALL of himself as well.
"Kat, that was in high school... my financial status has improved since that Titanic world premiere," Serena rolled her eyes. Katherine had paid for everything on a trip they made about six years ago to be one of the rabid fans at the Titanic Los Angeles Premiere. She never quite let it go.
"That's what you say," Katherine retorted. "Can I borrow some conditioner? I'm out." Serena realized that Katherine had nothing on but a towel. She only just held back her instinct to pull the naked girl into her apartment and throw clothes at her but Serena remembered that Will was still behind the door. Katherine was just as much a crazed Orlando Bloom fan as Serena was but more on the affirmative action level. If anything, Katherine would probably throw her towel off and jump the man if he were near enough and didn't have bodyguards dragging him away.
"I'm out too... I was about to go out and get some," Serena lied.
"Get some for me too?"
"Yea sure..." Serena waited for Katherine to return to her apartment but she just stood there. "well?"
"Well what?"
"Are you just going to stand there half-naked?!" Serena almost shouted.
"No," Katherine answered simply.
"Then?!"
"Shouldn't you be leaving to get my conditioner?" Serena remained silent. "What the hell are you hiding behind there?" Katherine asked about to push the door away in curiosity but Serena just blocked the door with her foot.
"Nuh uh... You go back to your apartment."
"There's a guy in there, huh?" Katherine grinned.
"Kat... shut up and go back to your apartment," Serena groaned in frustration. "There is no guy. I just don't want you parading around my living room in a towel."
"Riiiight and I'm Will Turner's whore," Kat snorted. Will heard the sentence and his mouth dropped in one) the words that he heard and two) the fact that this stranger knew his name. "Let me in!"
"Kat! No!" Serena argued. She nudged the door nearer to a close to give Kat a hint.
"Oh come on! Is he cute? I swear I won't touch him!"
"If I tell you yes, will you leave me alone?"
"I KNEW IT! THERE IS A GUY! You finally got over Ryan!" Serena grimaced at her ex's name. "Yes! Fine! I'll leave you alone but I want name and from a scale of one to ten, overall, how would you rate him?"
"His name is William and I'd say 15," Serena answered reluctantly, hoping the Will didn't understand the scale and inflate his ego to unmanageable proportions.
"15! Damn! I'd only rate ORLANDO BLOOM that good!" Katherine exclaimed grinning.
//You have no idea...//
"Would Devin be happy to hear that?" Devin was Katherine's on again off again boyfriend for the last few years. Kat just laughed.
"He's got no control over who the hell I'm gonna picture naked so I really don't care," Kathy scoffed.
"Oooo, so they're on an Off-stage," Serena grinned. "Okay.. now time to go bye bye, hun."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Katherine said winking mischievously as she walked away in her towel.
"That leaves me quite free to do what I want then, doesn't it?" Serena teased.
"What?! I am NOT that bad!" Kathy exclaimed, indignant.
"I know you're not that bad... I'm just teasing. You know I love ya..." Kathy just huffed.
"You'd better get me some damn expensive conditioner..." The door slammed behind her and Serena sighed in relief, closing her door as well.
"She knew my name... and she said she's my whore..." Will murmured in bewilderment.
"It was said in sarcasm, Will," Serena said trying to comfort the confusion in his eyes again.
"Sarcasm or not, she still knew my name... And who's this Orlando character? That's the second time I heard of him..." Will asked still as confused ever.
"Will..." Serena smiled, sympathetically at him. "I want to explain to you everything but I'm afraid it'll just make your head spin..." How can she tell this poor (but gorgeous) man that in this world he was but a figment of someone's imagination and that he only looks the way he does because of a man a hundreds of miles away from where they stood? "Just... let me give you the information in small quantities that I know you can swallow, okay?"
"Fine..." Will sighed putting his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"Just to be fair, I'll tell you who Orlando Bloom is. Orlando is a...." Will waited for her to continue, smirking at the dreamy expression Serena's eyes took. "... REALLY handsome and talented actor. He's quite famous right now and many of the women around the WORLD have taken a fancy to him."
"You fancy him as well, don't you?" Will laughed as Serena blushed and laughed as well.
"That question, if answered can lead to waaaay too much... stuff," she laughed. "so no... I'm not answering that question." Serena took out two jackets from the closet, handing the large, more sophisticated, black leather one to Will. "Jacket... wear it." She also took out a dark blue baseball cap. "Wear this as well..."
"What is it?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A hat of course!" She placed it on his head, pulling the brim low, below his eyes. "Keep it low... The girls that you described as 'possessed'? There are many out there..." She slipped on her own dark gray wool jacket that came down to her knees. "You ready?"
"I guess..." he shrugged, finding that he'd never been quite this warm in ANY piece of clothing he'd had before.
"All right, let's go," she beamed at him, leading him out to the hallways and down the stairs. She led them to the parking lot underneath her apartment complex and to her dark blue Honda Accord.
"And this is...." Will asked, a bit apprehensive at coming near any of the metal machines surrounding him.
"A car," she answered, amused at his childlike shyness. She took his hand and led him to the passenger seat. "It's our mode of transportation here." She opened a door and gestured him to sit inside. He did so, still a bit uneasy. Serena just laughed as she ran to the driver's side to sit in her own seat.
"Transportation?" Will asked as Serena closed the door.
"How we get from place to place. Much faster than horses," she nodded. "First you need to put on your seatbelt..."
"Seatbelt?" Serena leaned across him, pulling the strap in front of his body. She didn't notice how he sniffed her hair when she leaned forward, or hear the sigh from his lips when he smelled the scent of flowers and fruits from her hair. He heard the click and found himself held to the chair.
"It's a safety strap, so you don't fall out of your seat in case of an accident," she explained. Serena smiled as she started up the car and Will first experienced the vibrations of a car. A small smile spread through his face. "You're gonna be fine... Trust me..." She put a reassuring hand on his, and felt his fingers grip her hand. She pulled out of the parking spot and into the little driveway leading into the streets.
Hearing Will's sigh of relief and feeling his muscles relax on her hand, but not let go, she looked at him and smiled again. Her eyes glanced at the car clock and realized it was a little more than thirty minutes since she had first opened the door to her apartment to see Katherine strolling down the hallway nothing but a towel.
"You know, if it takes this long to get you out of my apartment, safely, I don't think I'll take you out anymore," Serena joked. Will just shook his head, staring in wonder at the other cars around him, laughing nervously.
AN// I updated... after how many months I updated! And I'll try to update more. *grimace* My apologies to those who waited so long for it.