Bubble

Chapter 20

Later that week, I was relaxing in my room, enjoying my day off and reading an old science journal that was made of actual paper. It was one of the only ones I had been able to bring through the tesseract with us, and I was re-reading it for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Beep! Beep!

I walked over to grab her plex tablet off the desk and opened the notification.

New Message from Will Reynolds.

I smiled and tapped to read it, flopping back down into my pile of pillows on my bed.

Will: You busy right now?

I typed my response as fast as my fingers would move, letting him know that I was free. My stomach did a flip when he replied a few seconds later, just like it always did when I talked to him.

Will: Meet me in the park?

Emma: Absolutely!

I  jumped off the bed, pulling on my sandals and yanking my wavy hair out of it's ponytail. I fussed around with my appearance for a moment, glancing in the mirror. I looked decent, and actually a bit pretty, my flowy army green tank top and brown cargo short-shorts complimenting my frame. Satisfied, I grabbed my plexipad and raced out the door in the direction of the park.

When I came into the grass clearing I looked around, but no one was there and I thought I had beaten him there. My tablet beeped and I opened the new message from Will.

Will: Turn around.

I did as the message instructed, beaming as I found him leaning against a tree, wearing his signature megawatt grin. Laughing, I approached him, and he walked towards me.

"You wanted to see me, Mister Reynolds?" I asked playfully, biting my lip. His eyes sparkled as he met my own sea blue ones.

"In fact, I did, Miss Scott." Will took my hand in his and led me back into the shade of the tree he had been leaning against, his expression suddenly taking on a more serious air, although the glint in his eyes remained. "I know we've only known eachother for a few weeks, but I'm falling for you Emma. Would you do me the honour of accompanying me on a date sometime?" he asked, bringing his hand out from behind his back to present me with a flower that looked like some type of lily.

My mouth hung open, and I searched his face for any sign that he was joking. "You...you want to date me?" I stuttered.

Will chuckled a little at the stunned look on my face as he nodded his head. A smile crept over my face as I threw my arms around his neck. "Yes!" I practically shouted. Will picked me up and spun me in a circle as I giggled, before setting me down and gazing back into my eyes.

"So how's tomorrow night? I can pick you up at eight..." he offered.

"That sounds wonderful," I accepted. Will beamed, and tucked the flower he was still holding behind my ear.

"I have to leave for my shift, but I can walk you home first if you'd like..."

My face fell slightly at the mention that he had to go, but I eagerly agreed to let him walk me back. This time, Will offered me his hand instead of the crook of his arm, and he intertwined his fingers with mine as we began walking.

"I am so glad you said yes, because asking your father's permission was one of the most terrifying things I have ever had to do," he told me as we crunched down the gravel path. I froze at his words, my eyes nearly bugging out.

"You asked my dad's permission to ask me out?! You are aware that he is the head of security and owns multiple guns, right?" I sputtered.

Will laughed. "Yes I'm very aware of that, but you're totally worth it..."

I couldn't believe that he had gone through that much trouble to ask a girl like me out. I was still baffled why he even liked me in the first place. And what the hell was dad going to say to me?! Will squeezed my hand and I glanced up to see that he was looking at me with concern in his eyes. I realized that I must have looked like I was going to have a heart attack, and blushed, but my heart dropped as we approached my house, and he turned to face me once we were on my porch.

Will slid his hand out of mine, but only did so to draw me into an embrace. I rested my head against his chest and savoured the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. My heart was pounding, but I wasn't nervous. I felt safe in his arms. I felt at home.

After a long while, but not nearly long enough, Will pulled back. He cupped my chin in his hand and brought my gaze to his. He stared into my eyes, a smile on his face. My eyes flickered down to his lips for a split second and my heart skipped a beat as I wondered if he was going to kiss me.

He must have noticed, and he opened his mouth to speak. "I'll see you tomorrow night. It was a pleasure as always, Miss Scott," he told me with a wink. He slipped away and headed back in the direction of the market. As I watched him go, he looked back over his shoulder and gave me a smile that melted my heart.