Dreams Can Come True

13. Nighttime noise

POV Bill

The next morning, Elise and I woke up to a hint of sunlight seeping through the curtains. We exchanged sleepy smiles and crawled out of bed to start the day. In the kitchen, we found Tom already sitting at the table with a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
"Good morning, Tom!" Elise greeted him cheerfully, walking over to the coffee maker to fill her own cup.
Tom audibly sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. "Morning," he muttered with a clear lack of morning energy.
I walked over to Tom and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Did you sleep well, little brother?"
"With you guys as neighbors? Barely," grumbled Tom, avoiding my touch.
Tom glared at me irritably and said, "It's just that I don't get enough sleep with you two around." I smirked and said, "Oh, come on, you're just jealous you didn't have as great a night as we did." Elise laughed and nodded in agreement.
Tom rolled his eyes and mumbled, "I don't even want to know what you two got up to." I wrapped my arm around Elise and hugged her, saying, "Oh, Tom, don't worry, we just spent some quality time together." Tom shook his head, "I don't even understand how you're awake already, you two went on all night," he complained, his frown deepening. Elise laughed heartily and shot me a playful glance. "Well, you shouldn't have such a handsome brother." She leaned over and kissed me, while Tom reacted with annoyance. "Yuck, Elise. I don't need to know that."
"And besides," Elise added, "you should appreciate it. It means your brother and I have a healthy relationship." Tom rolled his eyes. "Healthy or not, I don't need to hear it all," he muttered.
Elise and I looked at each other and burst into laughter. "But seriously, Tom," I began between laughs, "we'll try to take it easy next time, okay?"
Tom raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. As long as I don't have to lose sleep over it, I'm okay with it."
I leaned back in my chair, still chuckling at Elise's remark. She definitely had a way of teasing Tom, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Elise sat next to me, looking at Tom with an innocent smile. "But we can't promise it won't happen again," she said playfully.
Tom shook his head and stood up. "You two are incorrigible. I'm going to shower, maybe then I'll get some rest."
Elise and I looked at each other with amused smiles as Tom left the room. "He'll get over it," Elise remarked, her fingers playing with the edge of her coffee cup.
I nodded. "He just needs some time to get used to the idea of his little brother growing up." I chuckled. "And that I have an amazing girlfriend, of course."
Elise nudged me teasingly. "You're right, he just needs to get used to the fact that you made the best choice of his life." She winked at me and took a sip of her coffee.

Elise grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite while looking at me. "Do you guys have to work late tonight?" she asked. I shrugged. "I don't know, I don't think so. If rehearsal goes well, we can finish early," I replied. I placed my hand on her leg and stroked it gently. "Why?" I asked, looking at her. "Do you want to have another night like last night?" I added innocently.
She leaned in and kissed me on the lips, then whispered playfully in my ear, "Definitely."
Her words sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn't help but smile. "That's not why I ask," she said, now in a more serious tone. "Could you take me to Elise's apartment ... uh, my apartment tonight?"
My furrowed brow showed my surprise. "What?" I asked, astonished. "But you're always welcome here, Elise. Tom was just teasing; he doesn't mind you being here."
Elise looked at me and said, "I actually would like to see my own place. I've never had my own apartment before, and I'm really looking forward to it."
I let out a disappointed sigh and confessed, "But I'm going to miss you." I looked at her with puppy eyes, and she laughed. "Why?" she asked.
I pretended to think deeply and replied dramatically, "Because you're my favorite person to cuddle with, of course."
"Ah, what a sweet answer," she teased, but then her expression turned serious. "Bill, I want to make this apartment my home," she said sincerely. "I've always enjoyed your company, but I think it's important that we also have our own space."
I felt a pang in my heart. "But Elise, I really enjoy the time we spend together. Why can't we just be together often?"
She placed her hand on my cheek. "It's not that I don't enjoy being with you, Bill. On the contrary, I love our moments together. But I think it's healthy to lead our own lives too. I want that to be my home, not just a place where I sometimes am." I sighed and nodded understandingly, although it was hard to accept the thought that she didn't always want to be with me. "So you don't want to stay over often here?" Elise smiled gently and kissed me on the forehead. "Would you like to stay at my place tonight?" She asked in her soft voice. I looked at her with a pout. "Really? That would be great." Elise smiled and nodded. "Of course, Bill. I'm looking forward to it."
"Okay, then I'll stay at yours tonight," I said excitedly.
Elise looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen and gasped. "Oh, it's already late? I have to head to the studio. Bas is waiting for me there; we're going to practice some new songs." She quickly grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and gave me a kiss. "I'll pick you up later?" I asked.
"Sure," she replied. "And apologize to Tom again for all the noise, okay." She hurried to the door, waved briefly