Turn My 6's to 9's

Chapter 18: The happiest creature in the world

Beth sighed in annoyance; there was that insistent beeping noise again. Her tired eyes opened slowly, squinting against the direct sunlight that landed across her face. After a few more moments of blinking, she managed to keep them open and understood that the noise was her phone. She moved to sit up, but half of her hair was pinned under Will's shoulder, which abruptly stopped her from moving any further. She didn't want to wake him, and it took some effort to free herself.

She reached for the first article of clothing from the floor she could find, which was the t-shirt he'd worn the night before. The shirt fit like a dress, and she walked across his dorm room, trying to locate her phone. The tiles were cold on her feet as she passed the desk and the futon. She finally found it in the back pocket of her jeans. Slowly, she inched her way back into the bed and sat cross-legged with her back against the headboard.

Beth had four missed calls and a growing number of texts, all from Marianne. Each one was growing more frantic, asking where she was. Beth rubbed her eyes tiredly, feeling guilty that Marianne was worried. She'd forgotten for the last 12 hours that anything but Will existed. She responded to one of Marianne's texts, saying she would be home soon. All of Beth's movement and the noises from her phone woke Will, and he rolled over propping himself up on an elbow.

Beth smiled shyly.

"Morning," he said, his voice wonderfully scratchy and low. The two of them had the worst cases of bed-head she'd ever seen, but she couldn't seem to care. All of Will's hair was sticking out to one side. She laughed and reached over, trying to flatten his hair. It was futile. He flopped back down on the pillows, looking tired but content.

"Sorry for waking you. Marianne's been worried. I think she thought I'd been kidnapped."

He smiled, but his eyes stayed closed.

Beth couldn't help staring at him. She didn't think she would ever tire of just looking at him and his hair and his mouth. Over the evening she'd seen his face filled with laughter and merriment, intense passion, quiet contentment. Now his breathing was even and slow, and she thought he'd fallen back asleep. The sun in the window cut a sharp shadow across one broad shoulder. His hand was right next to her foot, and she traced a vein that ran down his hand and across his wrist bone.

"Will?" she asked, almost involuntarily.

His eyes popped open, and he squinted in the light, looking startled. "Yes?"

She had to ask him the question. She thought she already knew the answer, but with their propensity for miscommunications and misunderstandings, she couldn't let it dangle, unanswered. She had a sudden knot of anxiety growing in her stomach; what if she was wrong? Yesterday, they'd both agreed that they weren't going to sleep together that first night only to completely and happily disregard that agreement within a few hours of making it. What if the night hadn't meant the same thing to him as it did to her? Beth thought about all the chaos and heartache Marianne's lack of communication with John had caused her, and she stared at Will a moment, her mouth open, and finally took a deep breath. "Are we...dating now? Exclusively?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and then propped himself up to a sitting position with his elbows. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "I assumed we were. Do you want to be?" he finished, his tone uncertain.

She nodded emphatically. "Yeah! Yes. I do." Smiling widely, he leaned over to give her a slow kiss, and Beth felt overwhelmed with the feel of him and his smell and too many positive emotions to handle. When he pulled away and stretched, she noticed for the first time the small purple bruise above his collar bone. It was entirely her fault. She bit her lip, trying to smother a smile. "Uh oh," she said

He gave her a strange look. "What?"

He followed the line of her gaze and then looked across the room to a mirror. Beth started to stand up from the bed as she saw the look flash across his face that clearly implied payback. "I've gotta go home now," she said quickly, trying to suppress her laughter, but he grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back before she could get away.

"Oh no you don't," he growled, and Beth allowed him to pull her under the covers. His mouth was hot on her neck, and she thought Marianne could wait for a little while longer.

She and Will ordered brunch from a nearby restaurant and after picking it up, they barely left the bed. Hours into the afternoon, Beth had finally managed to leave him, and she all but sprinted up the stairs to her dorm. She'd never felt so exhilarated, and she stood outside her door for a minute, trying to compose herself. This was an impossible task; she knew she was an easy read with her disheveled hair and the grin that split her face from ear to ear. Marianne would take one look at her and know exactly what had happened. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it out. The goofy grin couldn't be helped, no matter how much she tried to smother it.

Marianne was sitting on her bed, and she took one long look at Beth. "Where have you been?"

Beth was about to respond but Marianne cut her off. "Do you know how worried I was about you? You went to lab and then you never came back. Was that some kind of payback for kicking you out of the room for an hour? Because..." Her head tilted as she looked closely at Beth. "What are you wearing? Is that Will's sweatshirt?" She gasped abruptly as Beth nodded. Marianne had gone from disgruntled anger to bubbly excitement almost faster than Beth could follow. "Don't tell me you...oh you did."

Beth casually flipped her hair over her shoulder, savoring the moment. "Will and I are officially together." She tried to say it with nonchalance, but her enormous smile gave her away.

Marianne let out a whoop and ran over to hug Beth, spinning her around and around. "I'm so excited for you! I told you it was only a matter of time. Oh, how romantic." She pulled back slightly and sighed with happiness as she looked Beth over. "You have to tell me everything. And do not tell me that he slept on the futon this time because I won't believe it. In fact, your face tells me you two didn't sleep at all last night."

Beth's face hurt from smiling as she gave Marianne all the details of the night that she was comfortable sharing. Marianne clapped her hands, and then a wicked smile played across her lips. "And now I have to go call Cole because he owes me money."

"Marianne! You made a bet with him about us?" Beth asked in disbelief.

"Oh yes, and he lost. I said you would hook-up this week, and he said it would be at least another month."

Beth huffed in indignant outrage, but Marianne merely pecked her on the cheek and skipped outside to the hallway to gloat to Cole in private.

Alone for the first time in a full 24 hours, Beth sat down at her desk, wondering what to do with herself. Her thoughts were so full of Will that she couldn't concentrate on anything else: not her work, not her papers, nothing but Will. She found herself grinning again as memories from the evening flowed freely across her mind, and she lost herself in daydreaming and reminiscing about all that had happened. She'd been so afraid they were never going to work out as anything more than friends. So many missed opportunities and misunderstandings had characterized her interactions with Will. They'd had a rocky start and a rockier middle, but finally they were together. Chin in hand, she propped an elbow on her desk and closed her eyes, reliving each moment of the night before with quiet joy.

Beth's phone beeped, and she typed a quick response to Will, telling him her dorm room number. She'd been trying to cram in a few more minutes of studying before he arrived, knowing how distracted she'd be once he was in her room. Marianne had already left for breakfast, as Beth was planning to go for a short meal with Will before her class started in 40 minutes

Suddenly, his tall frame was in the doorway, and Beth pushed back from her desk and stood with a bright smile, still feeling giddy at the sight of him. This was the first time Will had been to her room, and he walked around looking with noticeable interest at her plants and pictures and finally at the two lofted beds.

"Lofted, hmm." He tilted his head and a smile played across his face as he sat down on the corner of her desk, legs angled out before him. "You know, I've never...been in a lofted bed before." During the pause in his sentence, he gave her a meaningful look and she responded with a flirtatious smile.

"We'll have to remedy that, won't we."

He turned his head to look thoughtfully at her loft, and she could imagine he was doing calculations about weight in his head.

"Can two people fit up there?" he asked with curiosity, half jokingly, half serious, and Beth laughed.

"I thought we were getting breakfast. And I have class in less than an hour."

"Plenty of time," Will said with his most winning smile. "We'll climb up there just to make sure it's structurally sound and then climb right back down." He laced his fingers with hers as he held her hands. "I swear," he added unconvincingly a moment later, his face a careful picture of innocence.

"Right," she said with disbelief and amusement, and Will smiled, bending his head to kiss her. His hands dropped hers as he moved to pull her close. One of his hands was warm on the skin of her back under her shirt, and the other was deep in her hair, cradling the back of her neck as the kiss changed from playful to passionate. Beth hooked her fingers into his belt loops and drew him closer, loving the feel of him against her.

"We have to lock the door," she said a few minutes later, breathlessly disentangling herself from him just long enough to do so. Then she was back in his arms, responding eagerly to his kiss. They moved until her back was against the door, the length of his body pressed against the length of hers. She dragged her hands under his shirt, feeling the muscles under the skin. She tugged at his shirt until she got it over his head, her hands running freely over his chest and stomach. Her shirt soon followed his, and the coolness of the door against her back was a contrast to the warmth of his body. He moved down to kiss her neck, his hands rising up along her back to her bra clasp. She felt seriously unsteady from it all.

But there was a timid knock at the door, and they both froze with the unwelcome reality check. Beth was suddenly aware again of her fluttering pulse as it beat loudly in her ears as neither of them moved. Will's mouth was motionless on the crook of her neck.

"Beth...are you and Will still in there? I just wanted to check," Marianne called out sweetly.

Beth groaned, letting her head fall back against the door in frustration, and Will raised his head to rest it against the door, placing his chin lightly on the top of her head. Beth was so tempted to kiss the hollow of his throat as it was right in her line of vision, and it looked extremely kissable. She sighed in resignation instead.

"Just a minute," she said unsteadily and she heard Marianne laugh in the hallway.

Regaining the use of her slightly unstable legs, she moved off the door, silently raging against the unfairness of roommates. Why hadn't they met at Will's dorm instead? He was the one with a single. But after all, she did have class. They shared a look of muted frustration as they retrieved their respective clothing off of the ground. But she couldn't keep the grin off her face a moment later; she loved kissing him.

Shirts back in place and hair quickly brushed, they opened the door to a highly amused Marianne, though she had enough charity to not say whatever was clearly on her mind at the sight of the two of them.

This was probably better, Beth thought, as she and Will quickly grabbed breakfast burritos from the dining hall so Beth could get to her class on time. At least this way, she'd have some food for the day, even if now she'd be too frustrated to pay attention to anything in class! But as Will kissed her goodbye with a promise to pick up where they'd left off later, she had to admit there were certainly worse problems to have.

As the weeks passed, Beth was amazed by the simplicity of her relationship with Will. She never worried about his feelings for her; he was open and caring and generous and all the good things she'd already known him to be. And she couldn't help being the same to him in return. It was almost shocking how easily they got along, how easy it was to spend time with him. He was never boring, and if he frustrated her, it was only ever during a friendly debate. No matter how much time they spent together, he didn't annoy her. And she was grateful that he wasn't overbearing or insecure. As a result, she didn't feel anxious or confused; she felt safe. She'd never known a relationship could feel so good.

Their friendship changed for the better once they began dating. She had always been able to talk with Will, but she'd never felt at ease doing it. But the wall that had always been between them finally dropped, and she felt more comfortable talking to him than anyone besides Jane. It was strange to think of, but very suddenly he'd become her best friend at Pemberley.

The romantic part of their relationship was just the same as it always had been: intense.

But her feelings for Will were so much more than just lust, although there was plenty of that to contend with. When they were alone together, they couldn't stop touching. They had chemistry; they were drawn to each other. But it was more than physical gratification. There was something else in him that she responded to. Not just his looks or his height, but his character.

She thought she might be in love with him.

The thought was completely ridiculous to her. She'd never been in love with anyone before, and it had only been a month.

But she couldn't get rid of the feeling. It was there in the little lurch her stomach gave when she saw him. It was there every time he smiled. It was there in the way she felt when he kissed her. The only problem was how to tell him.

Every time she saw him she wanted to say how she felt, but she worried he wouldn't feel the same, or that she'd be smothering him with too much too soon. She would have to wait until the time was right...

Beth and Will walked in a pleasant silence to the center of campus. She'd just finished her chemistry lab and they had all evening to do whatever they wanted. A soft spring breeze was blowing through the newly flowered trees around them. Daffodils and crocuses dotted the walkways and the hills. They were nearing the end of the semester and the first hints of warmer weather were finally arriving. For the first time this year, Beth was only wearing a light jacket as they walked.

"Pint of ice cream?" she proposed. The milder weather had her in the mood, and she'd discovered over the course of their relationship that Will loved the stuff.

"Are you trying to make me fat?" he asked with mock concern.

"I can think of a way to burn some calories afterward..."

He looked down at her with a grin and replied with enthusiasm.

Beth had selected an ice cream sandwich from the freezer at the campus store, and she was enjoying it as they walked back slowly toward his dorm, feeling a sense of nostalgia from her childhood at the taste. She heard the tell-tale sounds of someone on a skateboard rolling down the sidewalk and moved to the side, but the skateboarder still jostled her arm accidentally, calling out a hurried sorry as they zoomed past. But it was too late; the ice cream had gone flying down to the ground with a sickening plop. She stared at it for a few moments in horror and dismay.

"What the hell!" She pouted as she looked down at her ruined ice cream, hearing Will beside her trying and failing to hide his laughter. "Will," she asked, drawing his name out. She smiled innocently. "What flavor did you get?"

"Hey, wait a second—" he protested, but he let her take the pint out of his hands.

"You are very wonderful for letting me have yours. I promise to be extra nice to you the whole night," she said with a wink, winding her fingers through his to hold his hand.

"I love you."

Beth stopped and stared at him, her stomach gave an odd flip, and she forgot about all the people walking around them on campus because he was serious.

He looked down, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to blurt it out like that—but I meant it." He rubbed nervously behind one ear. "You—you don't have to say anything back. I just thought you should know. I love you."

Beth felt the teeniest bit like crying; he never did what she expected. She stood for a moment, taking it all in, and then went up on her toes to kiss him. The kiss was nice because he was surprised, and because he tasted like ice cream and something else she couldn't ever describe except as 'Will', and because she felt happier than she had in her entire life. She decided she liked it this way; saying it out of the blue. To tell the truth it wasn't that much of a surprise anyway. She'd been feeling it for some time.

She held his gaze, her lips curving up into a slow smile. "I love you, Will."

The exchange had been so easy, so simple. She wondered why she had worried in the first place. She watched the dimples appear in his smile and the light flush on his cheeks, and then she held up the pint.

"More ice cream?"

He shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and they continued their walk. Nothing had changed, really, Beth thought. It was merely a matter of stating the obvious.

The school year was almost over, Beth realized. So many amazing things had happened. She'd learned so much. She'd met Marianne and Cole and Emma. And Will, she thought, looking up at him. Though she'd known him before Pemberley, everything had happened after she'd arrived there.

She could see the future ahead of her. She would come back next year and learn more, and meet new people, and be happy with Will. It would be the same the next year, and the next, and even when they moved on to new careers and new cities, Will would be there with her.

And that was really all that mattered.