Bubble

Chapter 18

The smell of delicious food drew me from my bedroom later that night and into the kitchen. Yawning, I hopped up onto a barstool and watched mum cook. She was making what looked like fish in a fruit juice, and I recognized it as the fruit Will had told me was sour. I laughed quietly to myself, figuring it was like a lemon. It was a good thing that I wasn't really hungry, but it would be funny to see the looks on the rest of my family's faces when they tasted it. The doorbell rang, and mum asked me to get it, so I jumped off the stool and strode over to answer it.

I opened the door to reveal Will, standing with his arms behind his back and in full military attire. He looked so handsome my breath caught in my throat. He relaxed at the sight of me, but I began to panic, fidgeting with my messy bed-head hair. I felt completely exposed, standing there in nothing but a tight tank top and uncomfortable short pajama shorts.

"Will! Hey!" I said nervously.

He gave me a goofy grin and his eyes lit up. "Hey! I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay. Your mum said you would be fine, and I would have stayed at the infirmary or come by earlier, but I just got off my shift," he rambled.

I smiled at his thoughtfulness, and nodded. "I feel fine now. Thanks for bringing me all the way to the infirmary earlier," I said, blushing.

"No problem," he replied.

We stood there for an awkward moment before I had an idea. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" I asked, with no idea what had gotten into me; I had hated the idea when mum had suggested it earlier. My mouth was speaking without my brain's permission. I was taking any excuse to spend more time with him. "My mum wanted to thank you for what you did earlier, and we have enough fish for everyone," I continued, trying to explain my random invitation.

Will looked slightly hesitant for a moment before he nodded. "Sure, that would be nice, as long as I'm not intruding." His brow creased in worry, but I shook my head to reassure him, stepping back to invite him in. I closed the door behind Will and led him into the kitchen.

"Mum, Will is here, he's going to stay for dinner," I chirped, and mum turned from the stove to greet him. She smiled, but discreetly raised an eyebrow in my direction. I clenched her jaw in frustration, knowing that I was going to be mocked later.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Dr. Scott," Will said, always polite.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to change," I said quickly, then hurried back to my room. I flung open a dresser drawer, trying to find something decent to wear as soon as possible. I grabbed an olive green shift dress, and slipped out of my pajamas before tossing it on. The gauzy fabric flowed down to my mid-thigh, and was perfect for the hot and humid weather. I quickly took my hair out of the disastrously messy bun it was tied up in and ran a brush through it. I was out the door and back into the kitchen in under a minute, a record time.

Will was politely making conversation about his soldier duties with my mother when I got back.

"Hey," I said as I re-entered the room.

Will turned around, and his gaze lingered on me for a moment, his eyes darting up and down my body. My cheeks res hot, and I looked down at my bare feet.

Then, Austin walked out of his room and stopped abruptly in his tracks when he saw Will standing in the kitchen. "Uh, hi," he said hesitantly, and I turned to introduce him.

"Austin this is Will. Will this is Austin, my older brother." A knowing smile crept over Austin's face as he shook Will's hand, and I shot him a glare. There was no way I was going to let him embarrass me tonight.

The back door opened and a very dirty Chloe skipped into the room, holding equally dirty stuffed animals. "Hey Chlo! Come meet my friend Will, he's a soldier. Will, this is Chloe, my baby sister," I said, lifting the little girl onto my hip so that she was eye level with him. She waved shyly, and asked him if he had ever killed any lizards. Ever since Daniel had made up some superhero story about Carnotiles so Chloe wouldn't be scared about what had happened, she was practically obsessed with them.