Dance The Night Away (The Mavericks)
Baltimore, Thanksgiving 1998
"Can I help you, Sir?" The desk clerk asked him as he stood in reception, scanning the room, seemingly looking for something or someone.
"Hi," Will said as he approached the counter, smiling at the woman behind it, "I'm looking for Dr. Austen, I think her shift should be finished soon."
"Do you need medical assistance?"
"No, no, sorry," he responded waving his hand in the air, "I'll just wait," he paused, "over there," he said pointing at the rows of plastic chairs behind him.
Will found a seat and smiled at the woman next to him as he set the takeout coffee cup he was holding on the floor. He took out his cell phone and, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, he sent a text to his sisters, wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving. He felt a little guilty about not joining his family for the holiday, but he knew Angela was working and with her Dad living in Chicago, he didn't want her to be alone when she finished. They might not have been dating for long, but he couldn't get her out of his head and, as a result, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, drinking her in and feeling her body against his. He hadn't felt this way since Georgetown and hoped that he didn't screw up this relationship.
The nurse who had been chatting to the desk clerk when he walked in looked up at him and smirked before she disappeared down the hall. Entering the female locker room, she sat down on a bench in front of Angela. "Angie, there's a cute guy waiting in reception for you," she teased.
Angela smiled at her as she pulled her coat out of her locker, "What do you mean by cute?"
"Tall, brown hair, gorgeous puppy dog eyes, looks a bit lost…" she snickered.
Angela chuckled, "Will," she said, a broad smile crossing her face as she pulled on her jacket.
"He your latest?"
"Yeah, been together about six weeks."
"Wow! Girl, that's a long term relationship for you!" She continued to needle her friend, standing as Angela put the strap of her messenger bag across her body.
"Happy Thanksgiving Kathy, hope you don't have a tough evening, see you at the weekend," Angela said, hugging the nurse before heading out of the room.
Kathy crossed her arms and leant against the doorjamb as she watched Angela walk down the hall towards the waiting area. She smiled, happy for her friend.
Will sensed Angela before he saw her and turned to see her approach. "What are you doing here?" she asked smiling at him and quickening her pace. Standing, he picked up the coffee cup and grinned in her direction. When she reached him he offered her the cup, "I got you a coffee."
"Thanks," she said, taking a sip and tasting the alcohol along with the smooth roast. Laughing, she whispered, "What did you put in this?"
"Something to help you unwind," he laughed, pushing a few strands of loose hair out of her eyes before leaning in to kiss her cheek. He felt her free hand move round his back and pull him towards her before she kissed him full on the lips. As he pulled away, he said quietly, "I wanted to spend Thanksgiving with you."
Angela giggled before linking arms with him, "Me too," she said as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I thought you'd be with your family so didn't want to ask but, I'm so happy you're here. You really are pretty impressive."
"Can't believe you ever doubted me," he said sarcastically, kissing the top of her head as they walked towards the exit.
"I can't believe how warm it is," Angela noted as they headed to the parking lot.
"Balmy Thanksgiving!" He chuckled
"So, Mr Gardner, do you have a plan?"
"Well, you're off until Saturday evening, so I have forty-eight hours in which to entertain you," he said excitedly. "Thought I'd take you to your apartment to get some clean clothes, then we could go back to mine for some food and relaxation."
Will opened the passenger door for her, "Such a gentleman!" she mocked him as she got into the seat. He chuckled and shook his head as he walked around to the other side of the car.
"Relaxation, eh," she said suggestively, running her hand up his thigh and feeling him tense as she reached his groin. "You know that makes it very difficult to drive," he chuckled throwing her a big smile. She laughed and withdrew her hand, leaning back into her seat, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. Will was pleased that turning up at the hospital met with such a positive response and was very much looking forward to the next two days. This would be the first time that they had spent such a long period of time together and he could tell she was as excited as he was; he felt like he was twenty-two again.
…..
As Angela unlocked the door to her apartment Will put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck, eager for their time together to really begin. They entered the apartment with Will still holding her loosely. As the door swung closed, he spun her around to face him and placed his lips on top of hers, kissing her passionately, sliding his tongue forward as she opened her mouth to welcome him. Their tongues danced together as they shared a much longed-for kiss. Pulling away, Angela looked up at him, "Come on, I'll get a few things and we can go back to your place, since you have it all laid out," she said leading him into her bedroom. "Laid did feature in my plans, Ange," he laughed causing her to giggle.
Will sat on her bed as Angela moved around the room packing a small bag for the next few days. "I don't think you'll need many clothes," Will chuckled, a broad crossing his face. "Oh, yeah, it is unseasonably mild," she teased moving over to the dresser and taking out a silk and lace babydoll, "so I won't be needing this?"
"Oh, no, you'll need that," Will replied grabbing her and throwing her on the bed as she laughed softly, he leant over her to whisper, "I can't wait to take it off you." Her laughter descended into a quiet giggle as she tugged at him, moving to get off the bed to continue packing, "Better hurry up then!" she winked. Will groaned, a combination of disappointment and longing.
Disappearing into her bathroom, she returned with toiletries and threw them into the bag, "Finished," she declared. Will literally bounced off the bed and pushed her into the hallway.
…..
Will took her bag through to his bedroom as Angela took off her jacket and sat down on the couch. "Hungry?" He asked as he returned to take in the sight of her in the dim light of his living room. "Mmm, yeah," she replied as he sat beside her, putting his left arm around her shoulders so she leant in and rested her head on his chest. "This feels good," she murmured nestling into his warm body, aware of how tired she really was. Will nodded, "Yeah, it does," closing his eyes and kissing the top of her head. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Will said, "Maybe we should have some food, you need to eat something," he knew it was what she really needed but he was reluctant to move, enjoying the closeness of her body and feeling her heart beat against his chest. "Yeah," she said moving to look him in the eyes, "but first can I have a shower, been a long day?"
"Sure, I'll sort some food for when you're ready," he said, kissing her on the cheek and pulling her to her feet.
…..
Angela put on a pair of jeans and a soft cream sweater that hung off one shoulder; the shower had rejuvenated her, she felt relaxed and was looking forward to the next forty-eight hours. Walking barefoot into the living room she smiled at the scene in front of her.
Will had placed a sea of tea lights around the room, alongside some hurricane lamps that were usually in his bedroom, creating a warm, romantic glow. The throw pillows that were usually on his couch were strewn on the floor behind the low coffee table at which he had set two places for dinner.
"You look lovely," he smiled at her, proffering a bottle of beer.
"Thanks," she replied, taking the beer from him, "I thought you might have joined me in the shower," she added flirtatiously. "Maybe later," he replied catching her arm and sending a tingle through her body.
"The second game has just started, so we could watch that as we eat, then see what you fancy. I recorded the parade and the Lions game, so maybe we could watch them together too," he said before adding quickly, "no spoilers I promise, I haven't seen them either."
She chuckled, "That sounds good," taking a sip of her drink and putting her right arm around his waist. He placed his left arm on top of hers and pulled her closer, "You know I'm not a cook, but I've got a ton of food from the deli and the restaurant down the street."
"Did you get sauerkraut?"
"Of course," he laughed, "But I did make one dish," he said gesticulating with his beer, "green bean casserole - as it is the one thing my sisters trust me not to mess up!" She laughed with him at the idea of mixing together canned soup, green beans and fried onions.
…..
After they had eaten and watched the Minnesota Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys, they lay on the floor as the recorded game played on the television. "OK, so two neutral teams, who do you want to win, the Steelers or Lions?" Will asked, prodding her arm. "Gotta be the Lions!" She replied.
Several beers and a bottle of wine later, they had moved to the couch as the game was sent into overtime. "Coin toss!" shouted Will as Angela returned from the bathroom. "Who won?" She asked sitting down beside him. "It's unclear," Will replied as the scenes in front of them showed confusion as Jerome Bettis screamed at an official that the referee got the result of the coin toss wrong. "I think the Lions got it, but I'm not sure," he shook his head unable to process what was happening.
….
Angela's cell phone began to ring and she got up to retrieve it from her purse. "My Dad," she said to Will. He nodded and mouthed "OK" to her, as he picked up their glasses and moved to the kitchen. As he watched her talk to her Dad, he opened a new bottle of wine and poured some of the ruby liquid into each glass. Setting her drink on the coffee table, he sat down on the couch, taking a mouthful of his wine. Angela seemed to be winding down the conversation, "Me too, give my love to Diane, bye." She ended the call, placed the phone on the table and took a seat next to Will, "He says hello," she smiled at him.
"Who's Diane? Does he have a girlfriend?" he enquired.
Angela laughed, "God, no! She's his best friend; they've known each other forever. She's like my substitute aunt and, after my Mom died, the greatest female influence in my life."
"What does she do?"
"She's a lawyer, a top litigator," she said proudly.
"So," he said, stroking her thigh with his hand, "with all these top attorneys around you, how come you went into medicine?"
"Rebellion," she joked, laughing with him. "I wanted to do something positive, guess that's why most medics go into the profession, to do some good. My paternal grandmother was a nurse and I suppose that had some influence."
Will put his wine on the table and turned to look at her, placing his right hand on the side of her face and tilting it upwards, "Well, I think being a doctor suits you, can't imagine you arguing in court, not least defending a guilty client." When their lips met she could taste the wine on him. "And," Will continued, moving away so he could read her face, "it's damn sexy! I hope if I'm ever sick you'll come to my bedside, maybe naked under a white coat," he chuckled raising his eyebrows suggestively before leaning in to kiss her again. As he moved to kiss her neck, she replied, "I was commando under my scrubs earlier!"
"God!" He groaned, picking her up bridal style and carrying her into the bedroom as she laughed loudly.
