Searching for Paradise

Chapter Three

Elizabeth lay in bed staring through the darkness at the roof above her. For the past hour she had been debating three topics with herself. The first was the over-consumption of coffee before bed. The second was the image of Will Turner that she could see every time she closed her eyes. And the third was the fact that she was letting the image of him turn into a daydream that was doing nothing but make her heart race which, in turn, led to her being more awake than she was in the first place. The worst part about it was that she could not let herself agree to one side when it came to all three topics because she liked coffee too much, Will Turner was far too handsome, and he was an excellent kisser in her fantasy which made falling asleep practically impossible. As a result she had resigned to staring at the ceiling which she could hardly see through the darkness and listened to the sound of cars passing below.

Her eyes had just fluttered closed when there was a heavy knock on the door that made her start. Her bed squeaked as she sat up and made a move to reach for the watch on her bedside table. Straining her eyes Elizabeth managed make out the time. "Ten past eleven" She whispered to herself, "Who would be calling on me at ten past eleven?" Another heavy knock interrupted the silence challenging Elizabeth's conclusion that she had imagined the initial knock. "Okay" She muttered slowly before quietly tiptoeing out into the living area. Upon reaching the front door she bent down and peaked through the keyhole only to fall back with a yelp when the person knocked for the third time.

"Elizabeth?" Will's voice questioned from outside the door.

"Will?" Elizabeth inquired before opening the door to find the handsome man she had just been fantasizing about standing in front of her. She blushed, suddenly aware that she was wearing a pair of old grey track pants and a black top that she had been given in her final year of high school that stated boldly that 'Blondes are Better'.

"Hi" Will said awkwardly his eyes wandering up and down her slender body stopping only for a moment to read her shirt. "Blondes are better?" He read, a smirk on his face.

Elizabeth blushed harder and chose to avoid his eyes by looking down at her top, "Yeah I was given it…" She stopped when she realised he probably hadn't come here to hear the story behind her t-shirt. "Look, I wear it to bed" She explained looking up at his handsome face which was now graced with a gentle frown.

"Sorry," He said "I didn't mean to wake you, I was just sort of passing by and, well I didn't even think that you'd be in bed… actually I'm not obviously not thinking much at all, I'm sorry, I'll just, go…" He muttered, blushing slightly.

As he turned away Elizabeth found herself reaching out to grab his arm. He froze at her touch turning slightly to look down at her, astonishment written in his features. "Seeing as you're here, and I'm awake, you might as well come in for a bit, for a coffee?" She suggested, thinking silently that it was becoming crucial that she had to find a way to stop herself from blushing every time he looked at her.

He nodded, "That'd be great" He said looking both surprised and pleased by the offer. "I mean, as long as you don't mind, I really shouldn't have come around so late, it's just that I sort of just wound up here and…" He trailed off, "I'm having a strange day"

Elizabeth smiled, "I can relate to that" She said "I'm having a strange week".

She quietly ushered him into her small apartment as she inwardly struggled to keep herself from jumping up and down like an over-excited school girl. 'Seriously Elizabeth!' She scolded silently as she caught herself breathing in his scent as he walked past her. She smiled awkwardly as she realised she was watching her, now seated at the table.

"Um, how do you take your coffee?" Elizabeth asked walking past him into the kitchenette. She plugged in the kettle and turned it on before looking up to find that Will had stood to remove his heavy jacket. Completely forgetting that he hadn't answered, she found that she couldn't stop her mind from wandering as she stared at the welcome view of him in a white shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, exposing his collarbone. She blushed hard as he caught her eye, "Believe me, you are far more beautiful than I am" He said with a wink which only made her blush harder.

"Thank you" She mumbled, unable to hide her embarrassment.

Will sat back down in the seat then looked up at her. "Surprise me" He said.

Elizabeth blinked "What?" she asked sending the handsome man a confused look.

"The coffee" He stated nodding towards the kettle that was boiling next to her, "I am hopeless at making it so you can't really go wrong, as long as I can drink it without wincing, I'll enjoy it"

Elizabeth looked at the screeching kettle, then at the tin of instant coffee and then back at Will. "How can you possibly be bad at making coffee?" She asked

"It amazes me too" He admitted in reply. She felt his eyes follow her as she moved to get a teaspoon out of the drawer and then back to pour the hot water into the two mugs on the bench. 'Elizabeth, I swear if you blush again I will drag your sorry behind back to…' Her thoughts came to an abrupt stop when she realised that Will was no longer sitting in the chair in front of her, but instead, was standing to her left with his arm reached over her so that he could gently touch her right cheek in order to gain her attention. Elizabeth swallowed and glanced down at the two cups of steaming coffee that she was holding.

Will silently took the two coffees from her and placed them gently on the bench beside them before sliding his hands onto her waist. On instinct Elizabeth took a step back only to collide with the wall behind her. She froze as he continued to press against her until she was trapped in between him and the wall, his mouth only centimetres away from hers. Her whole body tingled as she felt his warm skin against hers and light-headedness took over as she was ensnared by his scent. "You are so damn beautiful" He whispered against her lips. Elizabeth had just moved to kiss him when his pocket began to ring, causing them to jump apart in surprise. He looked at her apologetically before pulling his mobile out of his pocket and taking the call.

Taking deep breaths Elizabeth tried to calm her wildly beating heart as she grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. 'This is insane' she thought to herself as she reflected on everything that had happened this evening. 'I don't even know this man, how does he affect me so?' She wondered as she let her eyes wander over his splendid physique. "Damn phone" she muttered under her breath as she watched the man debate with the person on the other end of the mobile. He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Fine, just email it to me, I'll look at it" He said into the phone looking troubled. "No it doesn't matter, it was going to be a late one anyway" He muttered before hanging up.

Will turned to look at Elizabeth, "I'm so sorry, but I have to go" he told her, glancing at the cup of coffee that was quickly cooling on the bench. "I'm working on a big project at the moment and well, it has to be finished tonight"

Elizabeth nodded "It's late anyway, I really should go back to bed" She said her eyes darting across the room to look at the clock on the wall.

"Can I see you again?" he asked, looking anxious

"Saturday?" Elizabeth suggested, her heart pounding.

A genuine smile lit up his features, "Seven o'clock?"

"Perfect" She agreed with a smile

"I'll pick you up then," He told her as he stepped out of her apartment.

She nodded giving him a gentle smile, "Well good night Mister Turner"

He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, "Sweet Dreams Miss Swann" He said with a grin before turning away and walking towards the stairs. Elizabeth stared after him far longer than necessary before she closed the door and let herself lean against it, her heart racing. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming then sighed…

"You are never going to get to sleep now Elizabeth" She told herself before deciding that she needed a something a lot stronger than a cup of coffee. Not entirely sure what had got into her she threw a jumper over her pyjamas and for the first time since moving in, she decided to take up her neighbour's offer of a drink.

o o o o o o

A time later...

Will Turner put his face in his hands and sighed before once again picking up the pen and writing down a new set of calculations. Glancing at the digital clock that sat on his desk he groaned as the fluorescent numbers screamed out the time. "Two a.m." He muttered before looking back down at the page in front of him. He still had a long way to go before he would be ready for his meeting with the CDA tomorrow. He took in a deep breath and left the room to turn on the kettle as he accepted the fact that it would be another all nighter.

Will unconsciously stirred his cup of coffee as he walked out of the apartment to stand on the balcony that looked out over central London. The cold air bit at his exposed skin as he leaned on the metal railing, taking a sip of his coffee. He cringed as he swallowed the warm liquid and wondered why he was able to correctly calculate the formula to find the area of a ships arc, but could not successfully estimate the amount of coffee he should put into a cup. He sighed and took another sip before letting his eyes roam the city below.

The buzz of life and energy that radiated beneath him did nothing to improve his mood, and left him feeling even more drained. He often wished at times like this that he was alive as the city he lived in, perhaps that way he could live life more fully instead of constantly feeling as though he was surrendering his life to his job. Frowning, he turned back to look into his apartment. Working hard certainly had its perks. The money he had earned throughout his career had not only given him the ability to afford a lavish apartment in one of London's most sort-after areas but also decorate it to his liking.

The professionally decorated rooms seemed perfect in every way and there was more than enough space for his matching furnishings. From marble bench tops in the kitchen, to the King-size bed in the bedroom his home was more than comfortable, in fact, it screamed of wealth. He shuddered at the vile taste of the coffee as he swallowed the last gulp before walking back in. Closing the glass door behind him and pulling the curtains shut he found himself wondering why he had bothered with all the added extras that his wealth could buy him, after all he rarely had time to enjoy them. Walking past the wide-screen TV he entered his office and sat back down at the large desk he had been working at earlier.

As he stared at the numbers, trying to make sense of the last equation he had written, he found himself glancing at the picture of the grand old ship that hung above his desk. The painting was of the 'Flying Dutchman' which was, in his opinion, the most incredible ship that was ever built. The beautiful boat had an incredible structure that was revolutionary considering the era it was built in; it also had an amazing history. It was this boat that kept Will going during times like this, because he felt that it was him in every way. He smiled as looked at the ancient wooden ship, "Perhaps we will both be freed sooner than we expect" He said to it quietly before returning to the lines of equations in front of him.