Swell (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Three (Part Two)

"I'm dying to know what it is that you're thinking,
And I'm desperate to know why it is that I'm sinking,
So deep beneath my sheets,
And I'm struggling to find sleep."

....

Through the lunchtime practise, and class Adora could barely look at Will. When he'd put his hand on her shoulder at the news of the card it had been like electricity.
She knew how she felt, but what would happen if she did anything about it?
Will had only recently been abandoned by his first serious girlfriend, Marti's best friend.
A person that Adora realised she was essentially replacing, not by plan, but stepping into the shoes of the runaway love.
Her body felt hot the entire practise and she hadn't been able to keep her jumper on in the classroom. Kurt and Rae seemed almost oblivious to her dis-ease.
They were used to tired days, they would probably be guessing it was about work to do at the Escape.
The closer it got to the end of music, the faster her heart seemed to pound. She began stealing glances at the other guitarist and found herself desperately wishing she had asked someone else for advice.
Even Iain or Dodge would be a good confidant in this crush.
The thought of Iain still made her mad.
Before she knew it was over, Kurt and Rae were packing their bags. Kurt's drumsticks and brushes tucked into a black bag before being put into his satchel, Rae loosening the hairs on the bow of her violin before tucking it safely into its case.
"Shall we all stay back and order lunch in tomorrow after class?" Rae asked.
Adora's heart jerked at the thought of lunch in the room. "Um..."
"Sounds great. I'll go pick up the food, we can sort it out at the start of class." Kurt smiled. "My shout!" His smiled became a goofy grin and Adora smiled back affectionately.
"Sure." She nodded and for the first time since lunch her eyes met Will's.
"Sounds like a plan." Will agreed politely.
She felt her breath disappear, or was it stuck in her lungs causing the tightness she was beginning to feel.
He was dawdling as he lazily put his guitar into its case.
"Right, we'll see you guys tomorrow!" Kurt headed for the door, and Rae moments later skipped up and jumped onto his back with laughter.
Kurt cried out in surprise, loosing his balance a little before gripping Rae's knees and helping her adjust to be piggy-backed.
"Bye!" Rae waved with her free hand as Kurt carried her out of the larger music room.
Adora still held her guitar in her arms, she felt a thickness enter the air.
"They really are an item aren't they?" Will asked as he closed the space between them and looked at Adora with a small smile.
"Yea, unofficially. Have been for ages." Adora finally forced herself to move and put her guitar into its case. Once that was closed and locked, she began to unpack the microphone.
"There's something else."
Will's voice made her freeze over the microphone case. "What?" She looked at him over her shoulder.
The kindness on his face was so different to Tom's intense stare. His hazel eyes showed his worry, something she was sure Tom's would never betray.
"There's something else bothering you." Will stated.
She swallowed a lump and nodded slowly. "Well, yea." She started fighting trembles as she closed the microphone case and stood in front of Will.
He looked down at her in concern. He had no idea what she was feeling, and why would he? She hadn't known until a few days ago.
Every time she saw him play, it grew stronger.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Yes. No. Maybe. "I don't know if I can." She whispered.
"Adora, you're really worrying me." His voice was so soft and gentle.
She put her hand on his forearm and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to, I just..." She bit her bottom lip and looked up into his eyes.
So clear and tender.
Before she knew what she was doing her lips were pushing against his. Her fingers tightened around his arm and she felt the heat burning against his lips.
It took a few moments for him to pull back and step away.
He stared at her with his lips parted, and a hand half covering them.
She mimicked the pose, her hand covering her lips and she tore her eyes away from his shocked expression.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice higher than she would have liked. She turned around and shakily put the leads into their black bag. "I shouldn't have done that."
"Maybe not." Will said quietly. "But you did."
"Don't hate me. I just... what you said before, I knew I could trust you, and you were there for me at the hospital, and I just..." She was an idiot. "I don't know." She shook her head and made herself turn around to face him.
He was looking at her with his head tilted and he gave her a small smile.
"I like you." She let go of a deep breath after she spoke the words.
His smile turned into a slight frown and Adora felt her heart drop to her stomach. He didn't return her feelings. Why would he?
"I like you too, Adora, but..."
"Can we go on a date?" She interrupted him hastily, not wanting to hear the but he had.
"A date?" He was almost as surprised as he had been when she had kissed him.
"I feel like you see me a bit more than the others." She remembered their cemetery conversation, him watching her Dad's old cartoon DVDs, sharing dinner at the table with her and her Mum.
"I don't know if I'm ready." His voice sounded a bit thicker than it had minutes earlier.
"I know." Adora nodded. "Just a date, if you feel uncomfortable, we can end it. Before it even begins." She looked to her shoes by the end of her words, unable to handle the possible reactions on his face.
She had not long broken up with his twin brother before anything had begun. Now she had the galls to ask him out. What the hell was she doing?
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
The silence pounded in her head and her face grew hotter.
"Alright." Will finally agreed.
She looked up with her eyes wide. She wasn't sure she had expected that. Her surprise turned into a smile and her shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you." She let go of her fingers, now crushed with red and white coloured patches from her knotting.
He gave her a small smile and looked down at her hands with a small laugh. "When?"
"I hadn't thought that far." She confessed with a shy smile. "I hadn't actually thought much about anything."
"Well, did you have anything in mind?"
"Not really. I mean have you been to the cove?" She felt her shoulder almost rising right into her cheek. She knew he'd seen some of the falls on his own.
"I've looked down into it..." Will shrugged.
"We could hang out and have lunch there, or at the falls."
"So, the weekend?"
"Well, technically we're not allowed to leave school grounds, so yea, lunch would have to be Saturday or Sunday I guess." She was cursing herself for not even pretending that he would say yes. She hadn't imagined a date for them, she hadn't imagined anything except kissing him.
"What about after school?" He suggested.
"Like, now?"
He laughed a little. "No. Not today. Friday?"
She forced herself to look at his face again as she nodded. "Yea. Ok."