Chapter 19
Moonlight Serenade
Elizabeth took a sip of punch as she walked around the gallery. The select student pieces would be introduced in less than an hour and her father was yet to be seen. He had phoned her earlier in the day, explaining that he had a last minute meeting and would meet her at the exhibit hall. She had borrowed her dress for the evening from Anna. It was a runway dark purple fitted BCBG silk dress with a deep v-neck and long sleeves. Nervously she tugged on the sleeve in hope that it would further concern her unsightly cast. Not only was the cast a eye sore, but it served as an unfriendly reminder of previous week. The doctor had promised that her fractured wrist would be as good as new in a month. Jeremy had been questioned and released by campus police. Being a football player his reprimand was two weeks community service for harassment. Liz had not seen nor heard from him since the restraining order had passed. Walking past a few nude sculptures, triggered her thoughts back to the other man in her life absent tonight. She understood why Will couldn't come back, but he could have at least called. The last time she spoke to him was the previous night, and he had given his word to her that he would call to wish her luck today. As she stared at the statue, she couldn't help but compare it's anatomical features to Will's…very similar in certain areas yet Will was much more endowed. A small hand to her back took her off guard,
"It's a very interesting piece…" Weatherby smiled as he watch Elizabeth jump with surprise.
"Father!" she quickly tried to hide her blush hoping her father didn't catch what she was staring at. "Your late!"
"Yes, I apologize my dear. The meeting took me by surprise today and lasted a bit longer than I expected."
"I'm just glad you are here." She softly replied with a smile.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Weatherby replied, noting a hint of sadness in his daughter's eyes.
"Liz!" A loud voice carried across the room. Half a dozen people turned their head and watched as a beautiful ebony haired woman dragged a man dressed in tights across the gallery. Weatherby stifled a laugh as Jack and Anna approached them.
"Father," Elizabeth explained noting his take on the situation, "Jack was wonderful enough to come straight from his dress rehearsal to see my exhibit presentation tonight."
"Bloody woman wouldn't let me change!" Jack exclaimed at Anna.
"We were already late!" Anna retorted loudly.
"What theatre act are you involved in?" Weatherby questioned, trying to change the subject.
"Taming of the shrew." Jack deadpanned, looking directly at Anna.
"Well I think you have your work cut out for you!" Weatherby humorously added, getting a stern look in reply from Anna. Suddenly Elizabeth's professor came over the microphone and announced that the student art pieces would now be presented and invited everyone to gather around. Elizabeth nervously looked at her father, who gave her a warm smile in return,
"I am so proud of you." He quietly stated and took her arm in his, guiding her to the podium. There were five students chosen out of the entire Art department to have their pieces presented at the Student Art Exhibit. After the ceremony their piece would then hold a permanent place in the College art gallery, with their name etched in a bronze plaque under the art work. The professor introduced the first student and explained her piece to the audience, she then handed her the bronze plaque and moved onto the second student. Elizabeth looked nervously around the room, watching the audience's faces as each student piece was unveiled. People would smile, some even gasp in wonder at the brilliant art work being displayed in front of them. As the noises of the room seemed to blend together, Elizabeth thought she saw a familiar face, which quickly then stepped out of view. She quickly took a few steps to try and get a better view when her father's arm quickly grabbed her.
"Elizabeth?" The professor announced again in confusion. It was at that moment Elizabeth realized it was her piece that was being presented next. She quickly walked up to the podium and stood quietly next to the professor, giving a small apologetic smile for missing her initial intro.
"Elizabeth's piece is titled, "The Colors of Life." The teacher unveiled her piece, which received multiple appreciative exclamations from the audience. She couldn't help but smile. The professor continued,
"You can see how she starts off with very earth tone colors and advances to bright hues and shades of yellow and red mixed with orange. Elizabeth would you care to explain more?" Elizabeth nodded and took the professor's place at the podium.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My piece can be seen from two different perspectives. The bright hues at the top that then transform into the earth tones at the bottom could be seen as life starting off as a child full of life and ending with our bodies returning back to the ground. I personally see it in the opposite light, when we are born our minds are empty dark and colorless. As we grow, we gain new experiences- laughter, love, marriage, children….all these adding color to our life. Then after death we experience eternal life and happiness as depicted by my bright hues. However you may depict it, my painting is to remind us that our lives are for us to individually paint and only we can choose what color of shades we use." The crowd loudly applauded her, and the professor picked up the plaque.
"I would like to present Elizabeth Turner with this plaque to commemorate her hard work and dedication to the art program." The crowd cheered again, yet Elizabeth just stared blankly at the professor. She quickly looked down at the plaque, which only confirmed what was just said. "Elizabeth Turner" was neatly etched into the bronze along with the title to her piece. As the applause start to fade Elizabeth quickly whispered to the professor,
"You have my last name wrong." She tried to hide her concern with a tight smile. The professor only smiled and shook her head,
"No dear, it's spelled correctly now please let us move on with the presentation." The professor gently pushed a stunned Elizabeth away from the podium and began to announce the next student.
She slowly approached her father who was practically gleaming with pride. He quickly pulled her into an embrace.
"They have my name wrong." Elizabeth plainly stated pulling out of the embrace. Anna just looked at Jack who seemed to shake his head in response.
"I think there is a gentleman on the balcony that can resolve this mess for you." Weatherby added, as he took Elizabeth's arm and guided her away from her friends and towards the back of the gallery.
"A gentleman on the balcony?" Elizabeth responded with disbelief. As her father opened the door, she noticed a man standing near the edge, peering out at the city lights. Elizabeth looked skeptically at her father who just smiled and gently nudged her through the door, closing the door soon behind her. She took a few steps towards the stranger, then stopped. He obviously hadn't heard her yet, and looking down at her cast only reminded her of the last time she was alone with a man. That had not ended well at all. Knowing her father obviously knew this man, helped quell her fears as she smiled and shook off her needless worries. She continued to walk towards the man, who heard her approaching and quickly turned around to face her. It was then her slow walk turned into a brisk run.
"Will!" She practically shouted as she tripped on her dress and literally fell into his arms. His arms wrapped tightly around her,
"Liz are you…" but before he could say another word her lips were around his, kissing him frantically. A month of forced celibacy soon came to a head as Will could barely keep himself upright while kissing her in return. After several minutes, both were quite out of breath and Will took Elizabeth's hand and guided her to a nearby bench. The moment he sat down, she was quickly upon his lap, kissing his forehead, chin, and cheeks. He could barely keep up with her advances, and was fairly certain he felt her hands at his belt buckle. Things were moving in the wrong direction than planned, not a bad direction… just not the priority at the moment.
"Liz," he managed to stutter out while she nipped his lower lip.
"Will you made it! I missed you so much!" She exclaimed as she peppered his jaw line.
"Darling I wouldn't miss this night for the world." He then kissed her hard, then pulled back suddenly.
"I heard your speech, quite impressive." He added, hoping to get things back on track.
"It was inspired by you really, and father." She smiled, moving in for another kiss. Will quickly dodged the advance,
"My favorite part of your speech is when you explain to the audience that they are in charge of their own lives, how they choose their own colors."
Elizabeth, not so easily distracted finally captured his lips again, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Will had to pry him self from her grip and quickly stood leaving her disorientated and quite puzzled.
"Will, what is wrong!" She stammered out, looking rather upset. Will nervously ran his fingers through his hair,
"Liz, my life was dull and colorless before I met you." He started to pace in front of the bench. Elizabeth reached out a grabbed his hand, holding his gaze and looking genuinely concerned. Will continued,
"Now that I have seen how amazing life is with you, I can never imagine it without you. I guess what I am asking you is if you will help me paint the rest of our lives?" Elizabeth looked completely lost,
"What?" She blatantly asked, completely clueless. Will let out a long sigh and slowly dropped to his knee in front of her, reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out a small velvet box. Elizabeth gasped, and for once was completely speechless.
"Liz, I love you. Please marry me?" He humbly asked. Elizabeth fell to her knees before him, so they were both kneeling on the ground. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she answered him plainly,
"Yes." Will crushed his lips against hers. He pulled her tightly against him and kissed her long and hard. Finally pulling away, they both looked at each- looking rather disheveled and out of breath, and started laughing. Will took her hand placed it on his lap. He then opened the box and pulled out the round solitaire diamond ring. Kissing her hand first, he then slid the ring over her finger. Elizabeth didn't give a care about the ring, and pulled Will into another enthusiastic kiss. After a few moments, Will pulled away and picked up her discarded bronze plaque. Handing it back to her he cheekily added,
"Shall we go back inside Mrs. Turner?" It then dawned upon Elizabeth that this all had been carefully set up.
"It was you who met with father today, wasn't it?" She asked. Will merely shrugged his shoulders and helped her to her feet. As they walked in hand and hand, they didn't make it far before Anna jumped out of nowhere and practically tackled Elizabeth. Grabbing her hand, she squealed loudly.
"Liz it's beautiful!" She pulled her into a hug. Jack shook Will's hand and Weatherby soon joined the group. Elizabeth pulled away from Anna and quickly embraced her father.
"You knew the entire time!" She accused. Her father released her and took her hand into his.
"I knew from the day you first brought him home." He smiled, looking at the sparkling jewel on her finger, "and then stumbled upon you two in the pool house." Will cleared his throat, and Elizabeth just started laughing.
"He had slipped on a towel." Weatherby rolled his eyes, now hearing the same excuse for the hundredth time.
"Shall we go back to Elizabeth's apartment to celebrate; I believe Ronald has brought a few bottles of my choice vintage." Will took Elizabeth's hand and the four of them left the gallery.
Hours later at Elizabeth's apartment, Jack finally stood to leave after Will made yet another comment about how nice his legs looked in tights. Weatherby then looked expectantly at Will,
"Well son, you best be on your way. We would love to meet you for brunch tomorrow morning." Will looked to Elizabeth like a puppy who had just been scolded.
"Father, Will has been away for so long, would it be ok it he slept on the air mattress tonight." Weatherby looked at Elizabeth skeptically.
"You mean to tell me he will be joining me in the living room?" Will then looked at Elizabeth again, this time with a bit of fear in his eyes. Elizabeth smiled at the both of them.
"As the two main men in my life now you are going to have to get used to sharing me."
Elizabeth then pranced out of the room to get ready for bed and Will begrudgingly made his way over to the closet to get the air mattress. Weatherby started to change into his night wear while Will inflated the mattress. Weatherby now fully dressed in his night shirt and slacks stood to go get the bed sheets from Elizabeth's room. As he raised his hand to knock on the door, Elizabeth suddenly opened the door with a pile of sheets and pillows in her arms. She was wearing a light blue camisole that barely covered the curves of her rump. Weatherby just rolled his eyes as she handed a sheet set to Will then started to place the sheets and covers on the couch. Unfortunately she had to bend over right in front of Will to tuck the sheets into the cushions. Will looked as if he had just seen a ghost, his eyes were glued to Elizabeth as she made her way around the room getting everything ready. Before she excused herself to bed she gave Will a chaste kiss on the cheek, and then did the same to her father before saying goodnight.
Will tossed and turned on the air mattress, trying to drown out the harsh noises coming from Weatherby's throat. Yet every time he attempted to inch from the mattress, the snoring would subside and Weatherby would momentarily waken and look over to Will before rolling over and going back to sleep. Will softly cleared his throat and glanced over at the water glass on the coffee table, soon deciding it wasn't worth the effort. Rolling onto his stomach he looked up stared at the menacing wall in front of him. If it wasn't for that large piece of dry wall he could now be watching his fiancé in peaceful slumber. Wearing that lovely blue cami, which by now was sure creeping up around her waist exposing her soft thighs and round… Will looked over to Weatherby who seemed deep in sleep. He gently moved over to the edge of the air mattress. It seemed the more he tried to be quiet the more the stupid mattress would squeak. Finally reaching the edge he slipped over the side onto the carpet. Staying perfectly still, he listened for any sound that would indicate that the guard had awakened. For the first time that night he was grateful for the loud snoring and slowly started to army crawl across the floor. As he approached the edge of the couch his confidence grew as he could now visualize Elizabeth's bedroom door. Interesting enough, the door was slightly ajar, letting the soft glow of her night light peer through the crack in the door. It was like a guiding beam, beckoning him to come towards the light. Just as he approached the door he heard an abrupt noise from Weatherby and his heart froze. If he was caught now, crawling in front of Elizabeth's door, all would be lost. What seemed like hours later Weatherby's breath soon fell back into it's regular rhythm, and Will could finally breathe again. Now at the stoop of the door he reached out a hand and ever so slowly pushed it open. The door softly creaked in response, and Will once again held fast in his position listening for any signs of distress. Once the alarm was cleared Will finished crawling in her bedroom, stood, and gently shut the door. Locking the door behind him, he then turned to his target. The steady rise and fall of her chest told him she too was fast asleep. He merely stood and watched her for a few moments, until his eyes caught view of the hem of her nightdress which only verified his previous thoughts of it's position. Elizabeth's lacy undergarment seemed to taunt him as it hugged her soft curves. Lying on her side also gave him ample view of her chest, which only reminded him how long it had been since he had touched her so. Losing all will power he slowly crawled into bed next to her. Feeling the shift in weight on the bed, Elizabeth slightly startled and looked over her shoulder. Before she could even scream Will's lips were upon hers, drowning out most of the noise. Will quickly felt her relax and took it as a sign she now recognized his presence. Slightly pulling away from her he noticed the look of surprise and slight agitation on her face which was softly bathed in the glow of the night light.
"Will, you scared the hell out of me!" She whispered harshly. Will merely responded with a sly smile and started blaze a path of wet kisses down her throat. Elizabeth tried with no success to ignore him, and merely found she arched into his advances.
"Will," she pleaded her voice escaping her, "father is on the couch, if he finds you in here there will be hell to pay." Will's hands started to move up thighs and waist, taking the camisole with him until he finally slipped it over her head. His lips moved down her chest, nibbling and nipping at the peaks and valleys.
"Will!" She softly pleaded one last time as he started to remove her underwear. He momentarily stopped his advances and looked up, his chocolate eyes staring up at her with fervent desire.
"I don't want to hurt you." She finally squeaked out, a hint of tears gleamed from her eyes. Softly laughing, Will continued his downward descent and kissed her bellybutton while caressing her thigh.
"Liz, Doctor Anderson gave the all clear a few days ago." He laid another wet kiss on her waistline, "and if my dreams are accurate there is nothing you could do that would hurt me." A wide smile spread across her face, quickly followed by a gasp as his kisses continued south and intensified. Winding her fingers into his hair encouraging him, she breathily replied
"My dreams are coming…true…as well."
Several hours later Elizabeth laid fast asleep in Will's arms. It was at this moment he realized the predicament he had gotten himself into. Glancing at the clock he saw it glowing back at him 5:00 am. If Weatherby was anything like his father his internal alarm clock was a mere thirty minutes away. Looking down at Elizabeth he couldn't ignore the twinge of desire that spread through his body like fire as he admired all of her curves lying so perfectly against him. It was the fear that he might never be able to touch her again if discovered in such a position that quickly placed his mind back on formulating a plan. Sadly he slipped from her grasp and quickly pulled on his boxers and sleep trousers. He then slowly pulled the sheet up over her, admiring one last time her supple skin and welcoming body. Thankful that the blankets at least covered the areas that were keeping him most distracted he made his way back to the door. He quietly opened it, and listened for the familiar sound of Weatherby's sleep apnea. He was met with utter silence. Peering around the corner Will could see an arm draped over his forehead and faintly make out the steady rise and fall of his chest. Crouching down, Will entered the main hallway and slowly closed the door behind him, leaving it slightly ajar as was found. He then started to slowly crab walk back to the air mattress. Stepping near the coffee table a loud groan from the floor board stirred Weatherby as he quickly sat up on the couch and looked at the empty air mattress next to him. Will reflexively stood up and grabbed the glass of water off the coffee table, taking a large drink. Weatherby turned and looked back across his shoulder at Will guzzling down the water. Finishing the glass Will, set it back down and looked upon a confused and dazed Weatherby Swan.
"Thirsty." He simply explained as he walked back over to the air mattress and laid down. Weatherby stared intensely at him for a few moments before laying back down himself and settling back into sleep. Will was focused on keeping his breath steady and demeanor calm. He pulled the blanket up over his chest in fear that Weatherby could see his heart racing, for it felt as if it was trying to erupt from his chest. Soon he could hear the soft snores start to begin and let out a long sigh of relief. Rolling onto his stomach he too closed his eyes, although the feel of Elizabeth's skin was all too fresh in his mind to allow for any sleep.
I greatly apologize for the delay, but hope it was worth the wait : ) One chapter left... this story has been a blast to write! Hope you enjoyed the update, smiles!
