First & Forever

Chapter 20: Eloise

FEBRUARY

The first thing I see when I get to class are brilliant blue eyes popping against a black sweater and I smile knowing that Will, too, thought that choice through this morning.

When I get to my computer, I see a box of chocolate-covered cherries in my chair. Smiling, I pick them up, sit down, and pull a bag of Haribo gummi bears out of my bag, setting them on the desk in front of him.

We look at each other and laugh.

"I guess we both had the same thought," I point out, breaking the morning ice.

He turns to face me like he has everyday lately. "It was weird, wasn't it? Not seeing each other."

I nod. "Yeah, it really was. The other guys brought me those chocolate covered coconut things and you know how much I hate those," I say, matter of factly, the picture of innocence until I can't keep a straight face.

A deep laugh vibrates in his throat as he runs a hand up his perfect jaw. "You're going to do that to me after I bring you your favorite?" he jokes, looking at me with a smile that tells me he knows exactly what he's doing when he leans forward and pushes the sleeves of his sweater up his forearms.

Sweet baby Jane, those forearms.

I fold like a house of cards. "Sorry. Thank you." I give a sweet smile, turning in my chair to face him. I prop my chin on my hand and my heart flutters as we lock eyes.

"Did you do anything fun?" he asks, looking down at his hands like he's nervous to know the answer. Hands that are hovering so close to my knees that I can feel the heat of them through my jeans.

"Not really. Lunch with Mer, P, and Gemma." Then it's my turn to look down. I'm hesitant to ask him the same. I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

"I didn't do anything. Just had baseball practice," he says with a knowing smile.

"William, Eloise." We both jump a little hearing the teacher call our names. Shoot. Were we that deep in our own world? "They need you down at Yearbook for superlative photos."

*****

"Will..." I gasp as we walk down the hall together. "What do we do if this is for cutest couple or something like that?"

He throws his head back with a laugh. "That would happen to us." He looks over at me and I blush at his intense gaze. "I wouldn't mind it, but..." He slows down to fall a step behind, looking the length of me. "Yours is probably for best legs or something."

He winks. Gah, he winks.

"Stop." I laugh over my shoulder, waiting for him to catch up.

His expression shifts to something almost shy as he runs a hand behind his neck. "I dream of that laugh, you know," he admits, as we turn the corner.

"I actually had a dream about you last night." I wince at the heat now flooding my face. Why on God's green earth did I just tell him that?

"Oh, really? It was a good one wasn't it? Dirty? Yeah, dirty. I can tell," he teases.

I laugh, looking the other way. "I should have known not to tell you something like that."

"Well, now you have so you have to tell me. Rules, you know?" he insists as we walk down the stairs.

I shake my head with resistance.

"Come on, Elle. I'll tell you mine."

I push my hair to the side opposite him and stifle a smile, pretending to ignore him. But he's Will. He's impossible to ignore.

My breath catches when I feel his hands surround my waist as we reach the landing.

He leans down and I can feel his words on my neck. "You leave me no choice." He squeezes my sides, tickling me. As I squirm to break free, it hits me.

"Wait, yours?" I ask with a breathless laugh, turning to face him.

"Oh yeah, you don't think I've had some dreams over the last 46 days?" He looks down at me with his best smirk and my heart attempts to free itself from my chest when I realize my back is now, both literally and figuratively, up against the wall.

Alone.

In the back hallway.

Of the senior hall.

"What's 46 days?" I ask breathlessly, knowing, but wanting to hear him say it.

"Since our last kiss, Elle." He smiles that devilish half smile, anchoring his hands on the wall to either side of me and hearing him say the words, being this close, makes me want it even more. But while my entire body is desperate to kiss him, my mind is screaming as to whether or not I should actually go there again.

Knowing that I only have a split second to decide, I think back to my conversation with Meredith at the last football game. The one where I wondered if I would be fearless even if I knew there was a chance I could get completely crushed in the process.

"So, Elle James?" he asks with a look that helps push me over the edge and when his eyes move down to my lips I smile, knowing exactly what I want, and that, to me, it's every bit worth the risk.

I slowly move my hands up to the back of his head and pull him closer. He smiles and begins to lean in, our lips as close as they could possibly be without actually touching when his smile fades and he stops himself.

"Elle, we can't. You know if we do, we won't be able to stop. I won't be able to stop. It was hard enough the first time."

He groans remorsefully, but he doesn't pull away, so I let him think on it a second. His gaze fixated on my lips. "God, I want to. But I just - I can't mess up your life like that," he says, meeting my gaze.

I gently run my nails over the short hair at the nape of his neck as I search his eyes. "Is that what you think you're doing? Messing up my life?"

"Elle..." he whispers, closing his eyes at my touch.

"Will..." He looks down at me and I smile softly, my eyes begging him to kiss me. "If that's what you think you're doing, then know that I want you to. Mess up my life, Will. Every bit of it."

Actually...

I'm done waiting.

"Gah, I miss you." I pull his face the rest of the way to meet mine and kiss him slowly, definitively, so he knows I have zero hesitations.

I pull away, nervous to see his reaction. But, to my relief, he's looking at me with that adoring look I used to love and maybe even something more as his lips part into a hazy half smile. I smile back as he slides his hands into my hair, pulling me closer. And this time, he kisses me. Setting my lips, my world, my heart on fire as the final piece of my life falls effortlessly back into place.

I lose track of time as it does that thing where it slows down and speeds up all at once, my heart pounding out of my chest with every long, perfect second that his lips are on mine.

He smiles, pushing my hair back before he kisses my forehead. "I miss you too, sweet girl."

I lean into his chest, on cloud freaking nine, as I breathe in the scent of him that I had missed so much. "That basically was the dream. You were just shirtless," I laugh into his chest.

"Hey..." He lifts my face up to his, kissing me again. "I'm sorry that took so long."