Live and Breathe Words ~ Wessa

Part 5- Catastrophically in Love

“I am catastrophically in love with you.”

Okay, so just to clarify before I start this chapter: The whole scene in the libaray took place Friday night, and Will and Tessa don't work over the weekend, which is when these scenes are set. Enjoy!

A pair of fingers snapped directly in front of Will’s face, causing him to upset the glass of orange juice in his hand and spill it all over the floor. Ignoring the mess he had made, Will turned and glared at Jem over the table. 

“What the hell was that for?”

Jem blew out an exasperated breath. “Will, were you even listening to anything I said?”

When Will remained silent, Jem rolled his eyes, standing up from the table they were eating breakfast at to retrieve a roll of paper towels. Will had already retreated into his own thoughts again when Jem continued. 

“Like I was saying, you remember the girl from the library, Tessa? Well, I’m going to ask her out.”

Will snapped back to attention, flying out of his seat and knocking over his chair in the process.

“Wait, what, Jem—why?” he spluttered, his cheeks heating as he ran his hands through his messy hair in an attempt to calm his racing heart. 

Jem took one look at Will’s flushed face and wild eyes, and started laughing. 

“By the Angel Will,” he said in between laughs, “I was only messing around to get your attention.”

His expression sobered when he saw the look in Will’s eyes. “This,” he gestured to Will’s pathetic, moping state, “is about Tessa though, right?”

Will couldn’t keep a smile from stretching across his lips when Jem mentioned her name. 

“You’re hopeless, Herondale. Just ask her out.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Since when are you the expert in these sorts of affairs?”

Jem rolled his eyes. “I’m not. But I’ve seen you date your way through about half the female population and—”

“James! What a thing to say about your best friend!”

Jem gave Will an angelic smile, his face the mock portrait of innocence. 

Will sighed, his mood turning somber again as he stared out the window, lost in his thoughts once more. 

“I don’t know Jem. I’m making myself cringe saying it outloud, but I’ve never felt this way about someone before, and quite honestly, I’m not even sure what the hell I feel. All I know is that Tessa, gods, she’s something else. She makes me feel so acutely alive and wild and free, and I don’t even think she knows what she's doing to me.”

Jem scratched his head, pretending to think, although Will wasn’t paying much attention anymore. Jem’s eyes brightened, feigning a dawning realization. 

“Sounds to me like you’re in loveeeeee,” Jem drawled, a smile playing across his lips.  

Will laughed, playfully shoving Jem, and as they cleaned up the mess of orange juice on the floor, Will’s mind returning to thoughts of Tessa, he realized—with a sinking feeling in his stomach—that he was completely and utterly screwed. 

                                                                                                                                                          ----

When Tessa woke up the next morning, she realized she was completely and utterly screwed. She had spent the previous day—much to her dismay now—flouncing around her apartment, singing crappy Disney songs and spinning in circles. She had even tried to kiss the mailman when he delivered a package, her euphoria from Friday night unrestrained and completely uncontrollable. 

Fast-forward through a night of fitful sleep, and you end up here, with Tessa staring blankly at the ceiling, the butterflies in her stomach beginning to turn into a growing sense of dread. The events of Friday night in the library were stuck on repeat in her mind, and she began to analyze and dissect the situation, trying to sort out her complex feelings. 

Will Herondale was the sort of boy who was born to break hearts. He was the sort of boy that flirted and charmed his way through life, making girls fall in love with him only to grow bored and move on, leaving a string of broken hearts in his wake. Tessa refused to be one of the countless girls hopelessly in love with him—she refused to let him use her in order to satisfy his sexual desires. 

Tessa stood on top of her bed, looking at her disheveled appearance in the mirror. 

“I am Tessa Gray,” she dramatically pointed at herself in the mirror, “And I am an independent young woman who doesn’t need a man to make me happy.” 

Her voice rose in confidence and volume as she continued, “In fact, I’m living my best life right now without anyone... Especially Will Herondale!” Her voice was almost a scream as she concluded her dramatic pep-talk, the sound reverberating through the empty apartment. She flopped back onto her bed—now satisfied—and returned to her thoughts.

Even though there was a small voice in the back of Tessa’s mind whispering to her that no boy had ever been this kind to her, or made her laugh until her stomach cramped—not to mention being obsessed with books—she pushed it out of her mind, refusing to be hurt again. 

In her past she had been naive, confusing the boys in her fantasy novels for reality. She, admittedly, had fallen for their charm, multiple times, only to realize that they didn’t make her feel special because they loved her, but because they had an agenda and wanted something from her. Something that Tessa sure as hell didn’t want to give. She would not make the same mistake again with Will. 

Tessa’s idealistic mentality began to crumble as she realized she still had to work with him, still see him for nearly five hours everyday, her only reprieve being the weekends when they didn't have work.

She groaned, trying to figure out how she would get herself out of this mess. 

It was easy to ignore other boys who vied for her attention because she knew that they were players and quite frankly, terrible people. But Will was different. He was unlike any boy that Tessa had ever known before, and she genuinely liked him as a person. 

Okay, Tessa told herself, breathing in and out to steady her racing heart, You can do this girl.  

Friends. We can just be best friends. 

As the rest of the day flew by, Tessa repeatedly chanted her new mantra over and over again in her head. F-r-i-e-n-d-s. 

But as the day drew to a close, and night fell over the city of London like a blanket, Tessa couldn’t help the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

I know it’s just kind of a filler chapter, but it's going to set the stage for future Wessa interactions ;)
Also, some women empowerment for ya guys there... Hope you enjoyed! Also, Don't forget to vote and comment <3