Chapter 16- So Close, Yet So Far
Author's Note- Hey everybody! Thanks for all the lovely reviews last chapter; all of you are so nice. Sadly, the next chapter will be the last of this story. I'm already writing a new wemma story though, it's called Christmas with the Pillsburys, you guys should check it out. After I finish this story I already have another one planned. Okay, this chapter takes place on the 27th, their decided 'hang out' day. Here's the chapter, enjoy! ;)
Will Schuester's doorbell rang twice and the curly-haired teacher ran to go get it. He already knew who it was going to be; Emma. She's right on time, Will thought, glancing at his clock. It was three in the afternoon, their pre-arranged meeting time. "Hey Emma," Will greeted, swinging open the door. "Come in."
Emma walked in, glancing around the apartment. She was wearing a white North Face jacket and light blue skinny jeans. "Hi Will," she said, smiling. Will had spent all day trying to clean up his apartment for her; it had been a long project. "Your place looks nice."
"Thanks, I cleaned it before you came over," Will replied, happily. Emma smiled, she could tell from where she was standing that he used window cleaner on the kitchen counters but decided not to mention it. "So, I was wondering…what would you like to do?" he asked.
"Whatever you want, um, I have your present if you want it," Emma offered, holding up a small green and red wrapped box.
Will ran his left hand through his caramel curls, looking a little frustrated. "Em…I don't know how to say this but my present for you is running late. I ordered it online and they called a few days ago and said it won't be here until New Year's Eve," Will mumbled, frustrated.
Emma laughed. "That's fine, Will. I don't mind at all but here's yours," she said, handing over the present.
"Thanks," Will mentioned, ripping open the wrapping paper like a little kid on Christmas morning. Will pulled out a blue and gray striped American Eagle zip-up hoodie and a $25 iTunes gift card. "This is awesome Em, I love it!" Will exclaimed, holding up the hoodie. He gave her a quick hug and smiled.
"You're welcome, Will," Emma said. For her, the hug from him was like a Christmas present on its own. It was a symbol of their slowly mending friendship.
"I was thinking maybe you would like to go on a walk or something? We can stop at Starbucks, if you want," Will suggested, smiling.
"That sounds great," Emma replied, standing up. Will pulled the new hoodie on, it fit perfectly.
"It fits perfectly," Will remarked, grabbing his wallet and closing the door behind them.
"I thought it would," Emma laughed, as the two bounded down the steps.
"It's nice out," Emma mentioned, as light snow flurries danced across the sky. It wasn't too cold but a little chilly, the perfect winter temperature. Walking side by side their hands kept brushing against each other's, sending warmth through each of their bodies. After a few more seconds of the constant sparks, Emma held Will's hand. Will looked up, innocently. "Sorry, I just, you know, as friends, I should, um, you know, go," Emma stammered.
"No, it's fine. I like it," Will said, sweetly. He wrapped his hand around Emma's, their fingers intertwined again. Even though both of them wouldn't say it, they both enjoyed it a lot more than they would admit. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes, their hands swaying in rhythm. "I love the trees," Will commented, using his free hand to point at the pine trees coated in white snow. The town looked like something out of a Christmas card.
"Me too, they look so pretty," Emma agreed, cheerfully. Everything felt so right, except for the fact that they were no longer a couple.
"Starbucks?" Will suggested, rounding the corner.
"Sounds great," Emma replied. The two walked into the café, their hands still linked.
"I can order, if you want to go get a nice table in the back," Will offered, walking towards the counter.
"Sure, but you don't have to pay," Emma said.
"But I'm going to," Will replied, smiling that special smile reserved for Emma. Emma smiled and began walking to get a booth, as Will walked up to the barista.
"What can I get for you?" the barista asked, he looked to be a twenty-something college student most likely.
Will glanced at the menu behind him. "Um, how about two hot chocolates," Will said, pulling out his wallet.
"Okay, that'll be $8.45." Will forked over the money and the young man came back a few minutes later with two hot chocolates. "Here you go and have a great day."
"Thanks," Will mumbled, spotting Emma in a booth in the back. "Hey, I got you a hot chocolate, is that okay?"
"That's perfect," Emma replied, taking a sip of her drink. Will took a long gulp of his and then looked at Emma.
"I'm really glad we're doing this Emma," Will confessed, looking at her with hope in his hazel eyes.
"Me too," Emma agreed, boldly taking Will's hand from across the table. Will flinched under her contact before melting under her embrace. "How has glee club been?"
"They've been doing good, the dance was a big success," Will explained, glancing at their hands every so often. Emma thought back to the dance when Will sang 'Apologize' to her, which seemed like ages ago.
They engaged in pleasant conversation after that, their topics ranging from glee club to Sue to the most random things. It was like Emma was seeing Will for the very first time, she was studying him. She watched how he closed his eyes every so often when he spoke, his long eyelashes resting on his cheekbones. She noticed how Will bit his lip when he was a little nervous or tense. How after he took a sip of hot chocolate, a little trail of the liquid dribbled down his chin, seemingly unnoticed by him. Emma gazed into his hazel eyes, close enough to see the specks of gold scattered around the pupil. Mostly, she noticed how seemed to let his guard down when he thought she wasn't looking. His eyes would flit over to their hands and he would smile dreamily, not knowing she was watching him. It was now, that Emma knew. She knew Will was the one for her.
"Oh, this song's hard," Will whined, playfully. They had been at his apartment for the past two hours, playing game's on his Wii. They were on their second round of Just Dance 2 and Emma had just picked the song 'Airplanes.'
"Come on, Will. You're a great dancer," Emma praised, smiling as the song began. Emma got ahead right away as Will quickly fell behind. Emma had won most of the songs so far and Will had lost badly for some of them. The two continued dancing, until Emma began falling. Emma had tripped over her own feet and collided with Will. A quick tumble later, Emma was lying on top of Will, reminding them both of their first dance together. They both breathed heavily and Emma looked at Will intensely, her brown eyes darting down to his lips. Their foreheads rested together, their lips just centimeters away. Emma glanced down at his mouth one more time, inching her face a little bit closer, attempting to close the gap between them. All of a sudden, Will rolled over, out from under Emma. Will jumped to his feet and pulled Emma up. Emma looked into his eyes, searching for an answer in pools of hazel. She could tell he backed off because he was scared, nervous, and most of all, still a little hurt. Emma felt so stupid, how could she be so forward? Why had she tried to kiss him and ruin a perfectly good time?
"Sorry about that," Emma murmured, looking down at the ground. Emma looked at the den's clock; it was 6:30 already. "I should go, it's getting late."
"Um, yeah," Will replied, his hand rubbing the back of his neck timidly. Emma noticed that he was biting his bottom lip, nervously.
"I had a great time," Emma mentioned, walking towards the door.
"Me too," Will whispered, feeling stupid. What's wrong with me? Why didn't I just kiss her like she wanted me too? Now, she probably feels stupid…and so do I. God, I'm being such a baby, Will thought, sadly.
"Bye, Will," Emma replied, running out the door before he could even say bye. Will sighed, they had held hands today but when it came time to kiss, he backed down. They were so close, yet so far to their happy ending.
So what did you think? Did you like it? Was it good or bad? The next chapter will be the last one; I hope you liked this chapter! It was very hard to write, so I appreciate any and all reviews! I'll update within a week, R&R please! ;)