Red Hot Omelets
William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alwick Plymouth Junior Regison III is a wealthy man visiting Waffle Island in the hopes of finding reliable business partners. Gill just can't be bothered.
Even though he said 'going away party' it would only be the three of them. It's not like he had any ties to Waffle Town to begin with. Will had no obligation to stay. Gill had no reason to feel anxious. Father even had him take the day off to 'prepare', which was more than a little unnecessary. What a waste of time, Gill snorted; they hadn't thrown a house party since his fifth birthday. Why start now?
"Add this in last," instructed Chase, a strawberry blond with an imposing figure when he donned an apron. Gill never talked to him much but somehow or other Angela managed to convince him to help them out. Gill had to admit, he felt a little uncomfortable having someone else order him around his own damn kitchen.
They were making a cherry tart, regrettably using imported cherries. It's not like they had a lot of fruitful trees on the island-not like the old days.
"I still don't see the point to all this," Gill muttered as he carefully poured the jar of cherries into the pastry dish Chase prepared.
Chase had a pair of pretty, clear eyes that seemed to pierce everything they gazed upon. It was really unnerving. The blond didn't seem to really focusing on the conversation, every now and then nodding to Gill's frequent complaints. "Sometimes it's nice to do these things every once in a while."
"Yes, but it's not like he'll be gone forever," Gill countered, checking the oven's temperature.
A short pause followed by one simple question. "How do you know that?"
Gill paused, face blank as though contemplating the possibility for the first time. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's not like he said he'd be coming back, right? He only came on vacation, didn't he?"
He was right. Chase was one hundred percent correct! Will never said a damn thing-not to him anyway. But why did the local waiter of all people know so much about Will? Sure he didn't know what the blond got up to while he was at work everyday but he'd always assumed... "Oh, it's just me assuming things again," he spoke more to himself than anyone else, not that Chase was actually paying any attention to their conversation.
Time rolled by and when they more or less finished their preparations, Chase wasted no time in heading home. It almost felt lonely without another warm body in the house, but he really didn't have the energy to go outside and socialize.
He never say he'd be coming back. He can come and go whenever he wants. Gill wasn't sure why, but the thought bothered him; those thoughts wouldn't leave him alone. He wanted to just curl up in bed and go to sleep, and when he woke up in the morning he'd cook something flashy and check his work schedule with father and yell at Will. He didn't want to think anything would change after this afternoon.
Gill sat on the edge of his chair at the table, gazing lazily over the three sets of silverware and plates.
He's never coming back.
"It smells wonderful in here!"
Gill startled, craning his neck to see father's rotund body bouncing about in the kitchen taking sneak peeks at all the delectables. "Please don't touch anything until our guest arrives," called Gill in a lazy drawl.
Hamilton seemed more than happy to join his son at the table, cheeks reddening in anticipation. But Gill knew better; he knew that his father must be feeling downcast right about now-having hoped for the past two weeks that Will would take some interest in helping to rebuilt Waffle Island to its former glory-probably believing things were going just fine. And it pained Gill that he was the main obstacle.
If only I treated him better. If only I didn't get mad so easily every single time... While his father went on rambling about insignificant things, Gill just stared into space with his chin resting in the palm of his hand.
The door opened, causing his heart to sink into his stomach. He got that feeling a lot these past few weeks.
"Ah, if it isn't our guest of honor! Come, sit down! Gill worked hard for this afternoon," Hamilton's voice showed no signs of sadness or disappointment. Only pure enthusiasm. Only his father could pull off something like that.
Will too seemed pretty happy. Gill could tell immediately the blond had been riding Arthur for quite a few hours just by looking at him. Will could run his hands through his hair as many times as he wanted, fix his nice jacket and shirt, he still bore the rustled wind on his shoulders; he still smelled of the trees and leaves.
"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting," his voice was soft, confident, and most of all polite, much like the day he first arrived. It felt like they were meeting for the first time.
Gill watched him take his seat at the small round table with pursed lips. There was really nothing he could say. He really didn't have anything to say. Hamilton and Will just talked amongst themselves-about the island, the people that lived there, those who visited, the hot weather, everything.
In the thirteen days they spent together, it wasn't all bad, was it? They ate some great food, met some nice people, talked about...all kinds of things. So it wasn't all bad, right?
If that were the case, he wouldn't be leaving. He'd stay the year, like he'd planned.
"Is something wrong?" Will's voice was soft and gentle. Was it always like that?
Maybe he's going to meet that woman 'Emily'. She's probably his fiancee. He's probably going to honey moon on some island paradise, not on their dinky little island. Gill's face paled as the aroma of creamy stew suddenly made him sick. "...Oh, it's...nothing you need concern yourself with." Ugh! You idiot! Always, always, always, he always messed things up! He wanted to ask why: Why are you leaving so soon? Is it because of me? But somehow, it seemed inappropriate in the presence of father.
"Why don't you two take one last walk down the pier?" suggested Hamilton with complete sincerity.
"I would like that very much," Will's smooth voice chimed in agreement.
Gill didn't agree with the idea. "Of course." I don't want to go. He marveled as his eyes took in the surroundings for the first time. The other two had already gone through the stew and the pie while he barely touched even a cracker.
"Are you sure you won't eat something?" asked Will with a hint of concern.
"I'm not in the mood right now," he managed to curb the sharpness of his tone a bit, but as usual, he lacked finesse. The walk to the pier was no better. Gill just couldn't bring himself to say a word, just nod and huff at every other question or suggestion. Say something, say something.
The sparkling white yacht came into view just as the smell of raw fish hit them from the neighboring fish shop. It really wasn't a pleasant place to say good-bye. Will stopped just short from Pascal's vessel, turning slowly as the wind tousled his hair. Fine strands dancing in his face as a small smile curled on his lips.
"Why are you smiling," he asked before even thinking, immediately slapping a hand to his lips.
Will seemed taken aback at first. "I don't want to leave unhappy. Why don't you smile too?"
"...Don't be ridiculous." Say something.
"It's been fun, you know... even when you got mad at me. I still don't quite understand why..."
"If you don't know why, keep thinking about it!" Say something now!
"I suppose your right," there was a hint of sadness in his chuckle. Will leaned against the wooden rail, eyes trained on the rolling waves. "Actually, I think I know why. I'm not always aware of myself. But you know, I've always been aware of you."
Gill's soft blue eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?" You can't possibly mean what I think you mean.
"I don't know what I was thinking! I should have told you from the beginning. That everything about you is fascinating to me. I like everything about you."
Bathump. His heart went from a mellow trodding to thunderous pounding, almost deafening out the words.
"I wished I could have done something...to make you..." Will shook his head, running a shaky hand through his hair. "You know... this isn't really how I meant to say..."
"I don't want you to go."
The shaking stopped almost as abruptly as the words left Gill's mouth. Will mouthed a couple words before any real sound escaped. "Say that one more time?"
Gill bit his lower lip; for Goddess's sake, he could feel his pride slipping through his fingers! "I don't want you to go! You idiot! Why are you leaving so soon? I thought you were going to spend the year here! I thought you wanted to go on more horse rides and flirt with the town girls and drink and...be annoying!" he could feel the tears welling up, as humiliating and pathetic as they were.
Will nearly choked, raising a hand to his mouth but otherwise staying silent.
Damn, did I say something wrong? Gill felt like he'd swallowed needles.
Then a soft chuckle. And that chuckle became a hearty laugh.
Gill could feel the heat rising to his face. "W-what's so funny?"
"I...really do like everything about you!" Will said between gasps for air. Gill couldn't force away the crooked smile curling his lips. He felt embarrassed and elated and depressed all at once. "Besides, you can take horse rides whenever you'd like. Arthur won't mind."
"...You're leaving him behind?"
Will shook his head, wiping a tear from his eye. "Of course. I'll be back in a few weeks..."
"...What? But I thought...that...maybe-Emily-"
"That!" the laughter all but stopped at the mere mention of the name. Will cleared his throat. "I keep telling you, it's not what you think."
"Right. I suppose women send you their photos all the time." Gill could barely contain his natural sarcasm. He shrunk back at his own words. "I mean, I-"
Will pulled the photo from his pocket, smiling whimsically at it as though it were a fond memory or something. Not at all irritating. "Every now and again my mother sends me these...and then I have to meet them. She is quite persistent."
"Your mother?" Were there really such things as arranged marriages or 'marriage interviews' in this day and age? Really? "I suppose the rich really do live in a completely different world," he was only half-joking.
"Please don't say such things..."
Another rush of blood flushed his cheeks as he only just realized how...crazy he must have seemed. "I'm always assuming things. I should just ask from the beginning." Gill rubbed his temple in aggravation; it took just a touch to make it melt away. A hand pressed firmly his shoulder, light blue eyes pouring into him.
"May I kiss you?"
"E-excuse me?"
Will laughed, though his grip tightened just a touch, "I thought I'd ask this time. May I?"
He could feel the salty sea air on the tip of his tongue; all of a sudden his lips felt so dry. Gill turned away, a hand half-covering his face. Goddess, he must look like Luna on some trippy date. "What if I said no?"
"Then I would be sad," said Will, still baring a warm smile. Like he predicted everything.
Gill sighed as though it were some huge favor. "We wouldn't want you leaving here all sad now would we?" He wanted to sound nonchalant, but his voice shook and his eyes fluttered shut as that familiar scent lingered neaerer and nearer...and then a touch; a soft, sweet touch of the lips. It wasn't hot and passionate like the ones before. Just so soft, and so brief, like it never happened. His eyes were still shut tight when Will pulled away, as though he were expecting...more.
"When I return, let's continue where we left off."
"..." Gill sighed, collapsing against the rail. "I...I don't have the energy for this after all."
"I know you'll miss me."
"Just...get out of here already!"
FIN
This didn't quite end the way I'd hoped, but that's what you get with limited time and poor planning. Thank you all for sticking through with this story till the end, and I hope you enjoyed even just a fraction of it! Thank you for the kind reviews!