Take A Chance On Me ☆ [Mamma Mia - Bill Anderson X Reader]

☆13☆

Your POV

You wake up in the spare bed to squint at Bill already up and making food.
"Do you ever sleep?" you ask semi-sarcastically, and he chuckles and replies with, "You want pancakes?"
"Duh," you say as you swing your legs out of bed, bring the blanket over your shoulders, and get up and walk over to him in a swaddle of cloth.

As he flips a pancake onto the plate you're holding out, you ask in a softer voice, because you never really asked and can scarce believe it anyway, "Are you really not going to that race?"
He pauses, deliberating, before saying equally quietly, "Yes. I want to spend time with you more than I want to race a bunch of strangers in boats."

He then snaps into action and pours the rest of the batter into the pan, leaving you at the stove alone whilst he dives into his room and brings out an armful of hats and tracking equipment.
He sets it all down on your bed and you watch him, shifting the pan to cook the pancakes. "What are those for?"
He grins in that incredibly goofy way again and says, "We're going on a hike."

☆☆☆

After about an hour of eating, joking, dressing, joking, packing up, and joking once again, the two of you arrive at the start of a forest trail. The trail consists of a narrow beaten path, dusty with pebbles, and enclosed in as many trees as the eye could see.

Looking around, you say, "This island's landscape is so confusing - it's like the gods just got bored by the time they got to this island so had a free-for-all with the lads."
Beside you Bill makes a weird sudden sort of snorting, inhaling, laughing noise, and then freezes.
You look over to him, a cheeky smile on your face. "What was that?" you ask, and revel in the look on his face.
"Nothing," he says quickly, and you swear you see a hint of red creeping along his angled cheekbones before he looks away and begins to walk along the path.

Content with seeing Bill look embarrassed, you start walking behind him.

As you catch up and go beside him, you wait a moment then ask, "So what's the backstory behind this hiking trail?"
He smiles his adorable little smile again and says, "I used to hike up here with my Aunt Sophia when I was visiting as a kid. She always says this part of the forest in enchanted."
You tilt your head, looking up at the canopy of Evergreens. "What, like fairies and elves that mend your shoes and stuff?"

He sputters again, and only looks down embarrassed for a moment before continuing, "No, not fairies and elves, although I want to hear more about these elves that mend your shoes, because we need an extra slipon for you. It is more of a feeling you get in here, like you have been seized by uncontrollable desires - they make you feel like you want to be here forever, playing amongst the trees and dancing in the shrubbery. It's such a good feeling; it makes you feel like anything is possible. Also," he turns to you, "sometimes the tree spirits offer gifts. Aunt Sophia always told me to take their gifts, otherwise they would rise up and seek vengeance for you not accepting their hospitality."

You laugh. "So, if you don't be nice to the trees, they'll kill you?"
Bill laughs in return, a nice short laugh that makes you wish it were longer. "No, they won't kill you - but apparently they will bring you bad luck in your relationships."

"Well, that's fine with me, cuz it seems I have no relationships to speak of," you tell him, then intentionally look off to the other side of the forest to hear how he reacts.

You haven't said anything since your kiss - okay, your long multiple kisses - about if you two have any sort of relationship, and you want to see if he'll say anything in response to this. It's kind of hard for you to admit, especially since you're always the responsible one, but you're actually kind of starting to properly like this guy. This womanizer you met only a few days ago who flirted with your sister right in front of you, you're... enjoying his company? You're... willingly sleeping in his boat? You... kissed him?