Will woke up the next morning, looking at the clock to see that it was almost 11. He was surprised that he had slept that late, suddenly feeling pressure against his chest. He had forgotten that Bella had slept beside him, smiling at the sight of her hair splayed over his chest like a blonde wave. Will started kissing her neck, making her wake up. She awoke groggy, looking up at him, and then murmuring that she was going back to sleep. He needed to run, but didn't want to wake her. He slowly moved out from under her, placing a pillow underneath her head and a quilt over her body. Will took off his sweatshirt, put on basketball shorts, grabbed an apple from the fridge, and silently left the boathouse.

Bella slept for another 20 minutes, until finally sensing that her body had had enough rest. She yawned and stretched, looking for Will, but guessing that he was probably out running. She had fallen asleep last night on the couch, so she wanted to change her clothes. She grabbed her phone and house keys, and walked back to her apartment to change. She figured that Will would be gone for another hour, so she decided to surprise him by decorating the boathouse. She changed into one of Will's Gold Coast Diving Team sweatshirts that she had taken, leggings, and UGG boots. She hurried back to Will's, wanted to get started decorating as soon as possible. Will kept his Christmas decorations in the back room of the boathouse, which also had a window that showed a clear view of the sidewalk that rand around the front of the house, giving Bella a good view if Will was coming. She pushed the boxes to the living room, and removed all of the ornaments, wreaths, and the fake tree. She mounted the base of the tree by the stone fireplace, carefully adding branch by branch, continuing to look out the window to see if Will was coming. Once she finished the tree, she started to hang the wreaths. She placed one above the fire place, another on the back of the front door, and one on the front of Will's bedroom door. Bella went on her phone and began playing various Christmas carols, and started to sing. She finished one box of ornaments, when she saw Will coming up the sidewalk towards the house. She quickly put away the 2 boxes, and ran towards one of the armchairs, where she nonchalantly played with her phone, waiting for Will.

Will opened the door to find Bella on her phone, and dozens of sparkling tree lights on a Christmas tree full of ornaments. Bella looked up to see Will's wide grin that was spread across his face. She got up off the chair, and ran towards him, only to then be picked up and swung around by her waist. Will smiled widely, gently putting her down, and kissing her passionately.

"Where did you find all of this?" Will asked.

"It was all in the back room. Do you like it?" Bella worriedly asked.

"Like it, I love it!" he replied ecstatically.

"Well I'm not finished yet, do you want to help me?"

"I would love too."

Bella and Will finished putting the last box of ornaments on the tree, before stepping back to see what they had accomplished. The tree sparkled before their eyes, both taking in the scent of cinnamon and pine. Will put a few logs in the fireplace, and lit the wood, creating a crackling noise as the fire mixed with the wood. Will sat on the couch with Bella, her head resting on his shoulder with their hands intertwined.

It was almost 10:00 when Bella started heading home. She was tired after the long day of decorating at the boathouse with Will. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, dreaming of the sparkling tree. The next morning, she headed over the Will's to see if he wanted to go swimming with her. As she neared the door, she heard voices coming from the other side. She stood on a crate, peering into the window, to see Will talking to a girl that looked around their age, with dark brown hair.

"I just don't want her to find out or get suspicious." Will said.

"I understand. Just don't tell anyone, and it will be fine." the girl said.

"Is Will cheating on me?" Bella thought. Will and the girl hugged, and he kissed her on the cheek. Bella gasped quietly, and ran away from the boathouse, and down to the ocean. It was still early, so the beach was vacant as she dove beneath the frigid waves. She swam to the Moon Pool, and pulled herself up to the ledge, and began to cry. "I thought he loved me. Why would he cheat on me?" she asked herself.

Will walked Melanie to the front door, and thanked her again. As he walked onto the deck, he saw that a crate had been overturned, and he saw Bella's phone beside it. He looked around for Bella, thinking she was going to scare him. He didn't see her, and wondered why her phone was here. "Maybe she left it here yesterday" he thought. He shrugged, and walked back inside.

Bella stopped crying, wanting to go back to her apartment. She swam back to shore, and realized that she had dropped her phone when she had run away. She didn't care, jogging back to her apartment so she could take a warm bath. Once she put on some dry clothes, she buried herself underneath a few blankets and snuggled into the couch, letting a few tears stream down her face. She heard a knock at the door, and walked over to the peak hole only to see Will. She didn't want Will to see her like that, figuring that he was going to break up with her. She watched him until he gave up and left. She sighed deeply and ignored the painful ache in her heart. A few hours later, she got up the nerve to go get a juice from Rikki's, praying that she wouldn't see Will. Bella looked her reflection in the mirror, thankful that the redness from crying had gone away. She grabbed her wallet, and walked to Rikki's. Rikki and Zane were still the owners of the café, but had taken a month off to have a vacation in New Zealand. She ordered her juice to-go and turned only to see Will heading up the walkway. She cursed silently, knowing that she would have to approach him. Will saw her and grinned, walking faster towards her. She put on a fake smile, bearing the pain.

"Hey, you left your phone at the boathouse." Will said, handing her the phone.

Bella smiled and thanked him.

"We need to talk" he said.

She gulped, her heart starting to beat faster. She knew he was going to break up with her. "Please, not now." she silently prayed to herself. "Ok. Umm, I'm really busy right now. So, umm, I need to get going. Umm, I'll see you later." She replied nervously.

"Is everything all right" Will asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I have to go now." She replied hurriedly. She thanked him for her phone, and swiftly headed back to her apartment.

Will watched her leave down the sidewalk, confused about what just happened. "I wonder what's up with her." he thought.

Bella stopped halfway between her apartment and Rikki's. "You know what. I'm just going to go up to him and ask him who that girl was." She thought. Bella went inside, changed into a cranberry colored cardigan, skinny jeans, and her brown riding boots, and headed back over to Will's to confront him. She knocked on the front door, and was greeted by Will.

"Hey. I didn't think I would see you until later. You look beautiful." He said, opening the door wider.

"Will, we need to talk." She said, entering the boat house. She took a deep breath and said, "Will, I know you've been cheating on me. I saw you with that girl with the brown hair, and I saw you hug and kiss her on the cheek. I thought you loved me Will, but I guess not. I thought you were different than all the other guys, not just using me to show around to your friends, or anyone else. I loved you so much, but then you betrayed me with that girl... ."

"What are you talking about? You mean Melanie? Melanie is my best friend's wife. She is visiting from Melbourne because she has some business meeting downtown. You thought I was cheating on you? Bella, I love you so much, and with all my heart. I know the other guys you have dated have used you, treated you awful, and never loved you, but I want you to know that I'm not them, and never will be.

Bella looked into his eyes, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Will walked toward her, using his thumb to wipe the tears away.

"Will, I'm so sorry. I thought you were going to break up with me earlier at the café when you said we needed to talk, and then this morning you said that you didn't want me to find out or something. I just thought…"

Will stopped her, kissed her passionately on the lips, and picked her up by her waist. She wrapped her legs around his stomach and continued kissing him, running her fingers through his blonde hair. Will broke off the kiss, and placed her down on the ground gently. He hugged her with all his might, never wanting to let her go.

"The truth is, Melanie is a jeweler, and I asked her to make something special for me." He said.

Bella pushed off him, and looked at him with her mouth agape.

"Will, what are you doing?" she asked as he walked into his bedroom. He came back with a small black box, and said,

"Before you get all nervous, I'm not proposing." He said with a nervous laugh. He got down on one knee and opened the box.

"Bella Hartley, I am giving you this as a symbol of my love for you. This promise ring is enclosed with my promise to always love you with all my heart."

She held out her hand, and Will slid the ring onto her left ring finger. The ring had diamonds encrusted in it in the shape of an infinity sign and it was engraved, "Forever and Always, my little mermaid." Will stood up, and looked at her nervously, waiting for her reaction. Bella, unable to produce words, kissed him with all of the passion and love she could ever bestow upon a single person.

"I love you so much" she said.

"I love you too."

Bella spent the night at Will's house, wearing one of his old shirts. When Will saw her, he laughed and kissed the top of her head. Bella punched him playfully in the arm and wrapped her arms around his middle. They headed towards the bedroom, not even caring that they were going to be sleeping in the same bed. Will pulled Bella closer to him, and she snuggled into his chest, placing one hand on his stomach. Will kissed the top of her head, and closed his eyes, murmuring goodnight.