Written In Ink ↬ Wilbur Soot

7; birds

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

It was mid-morning when Taylor saw Will enter the shop. Taylor sat the book she was tagging down as he approached her part of the counter. His hair was a curly mess (more than it usually was), he had visible bags, and he looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"You look..." Taylor started with a look of comedic curiosity.

"Disheveled? Yes, I know. I've never had a perfect sleep schedule, but I stayed up all night and morning to finish the book you suggested. Quite the task, yes, but it was worth it."

"Oh, Will. Y-you didn't have to read it in one day- you didn't have to read it at all."

"Nonsense. You enjoy it. So I read it, and I must say, it was quite the tale," Will said with a knowing chuckle.

"Well... I-I'm glad you liked it," she replied, at a loss for words. "I have lunch in five; would you want to talk about it while I eat?"

"If it's ok for me to tag along..." he said hesitantly.

"Sure! There's a part of the shop I'd love to eat at, and I have a feeling you'll enjoy it too," she grinned. "Plus, my co-workers have been trying to get involved with how I replied to my ex's text," she laughed and rolled her eyes.

Will's eyes widened for a second, feeling his stomach drop. Her ex? They were communicating? What did she say that made her co-workers get involved?

He awkwardly fake laughed, trying not to harbor jealousy over something that wasn't his business. It shouldn't have bothered him because he and Taylor weren't a couple, nor did they plan to be. At least, that's what Wil told himself.

"So, your ex? He texted you?" Will asked, more desperate sounding than he wanted.

Taylor looked at him with slight confusion but answered. "Yeah. Nick texted me yesterday after you left. He just wanted to check on me, hearing how I moved. Molly thinks I should've answered with simple responses, but Mac, Joe, and Tommy said it was good that we talked for a long time."

"A-a long time?" Will repeated, his voice cracking.

"Yeah, I dunno, we just caught up a bit. We ended things on pretty neutral terms, so it was nice that he wanted to check in."

Will just nodded, swallowing hard.

"So, anyways," she changed the subject, placing a tag on the last book in her cart. "I'm gonna let Mac know I'm going on break."

He nodded and decided to wait there for her to come back.

A boy behind the counter slid over to where Will was standing and stuck out his hand.

"Tommy. Glad to meet you, mate. You must be Will," Will's brows furrowed, but he slowly shook his hand.

"You're Taylor's co-worker?"

"Sure am! So, anyways, I know you and Taylor have been hanging out and getting closer. I've known her longer, so we're super best friends- but it's fine. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, however, I saw the way you looked when she told you about her ex. Let's just say you seemed rather... shaken."

"I-" Will began to speak but was cut off by the blonde boy.

"No, let me finish," Tommy held up his hand, causing Will to clamp his jaw shut. "It seems rather obvious that you have some sort of fondness for Tay."

"I-"

"No. Let me finish. I've spoken with Taylor about her ex before. She doesn't ever go into much detail, but it's clear that she feels more comfortable talking about you rather than him."

Before Will could formulate a response, Tommy hoisted himself over the counter and walked to the back room, leaving Will standing, mouth open, like a buffoon, as his mum would say.

Taylor approached him from the side.

"You ok?"

He closed his mouth and turned to her. "Mm yes, your friend Tommy just came over to introduce himself," Will gave an awkward laugh, obviously not wanting to say anything more.

Taylor laughed along. "Oh, don't mind him. He's just a crazy kid."

"He seems to like it, but somehow in a likable way?"

"Yeah, for sure. Anyways, I let Mac know I'm taking a break, wanna follow me to the spot I was telling you about?"

"Absolutely."

The two worked their way to the back, exiting a back door.

The pair walked out to see the tree-covered area in the back. There were bird feeders and baths, stones all around, flowers blooming in every corner. In the middle, there was a picnic table, birds of every color sitting atop it.

Will's smile grew along with Taylor's.

"Neat, huh?"

"This is so nice. It belongs to the shop?"

"Yes, Mrs. Piper usually eats here, but she's out this week, so I decided to hop on the opportunity to sit out here. You were actually the person I wanted to eat here with, so your timing was great," she explained to him.

Will felt his heart rate grow faster, his stomach fluttering. Maybe Tommy was... right?

"I'm glad I made it."

The pair sat on the benches of the wooden table, Taylor offering some of the food from her bag to Will.

They began eating and talking, Will instantly forgetting about his worries earlier. Although, he still couldn't pinpoint why he was upset in the first place.

Will peeled a few small pieces from the toast he had, handing a few to Taylor.

"What's this?"

"Just watch," he smirked.

He held his hand out, palm covered in crumbs. A bird sitting on a branch noticed first and warily flew in Will's direction. He landed on a low-hanging branch next to Will's hand and eventually began pecking the crumbs away.

Taylor was having a field day watching that all take place. The bird flew away, leaving Will to turn back towards Taylor, who was giddy with joy.

"That's so cool! I can't believe it actually ate from your hand."

Will grinned at her excitement. "I used to feed birds with my mum when I was younger. She taught me all the mannerisms to do so."

"You're full of surprises, William." 

A/N: Just wanted to clarify that Nick is not Sapnap in this story. He was originally going to be however I did not want his role in this story to collide with his in my upcoming Sapnap story. 

Apolgies for another short chapter, but my move is basically complete for now so I should have more time on my hands, hopefully.

Have a great day/night!