"Are you hungry or thirsty or anything?" His face was so earnest Beth almost laughed. "Dr. Pepper?"
"You keep my favorite drink stocked?"
"I may have picked some up earlier, just in case….." William admitted sheepishly. "Go make yourself at home. I'm right behind you."
Beth watched him walk into the kitchen, then started when he glanced back over his shoulder and caught her looking. So this was twitterpation.
Obediently making her way into the family room and plopping down on the center cushion of the middle couch, she looked at the TV and felt small. Jenna and Les had scooted their bean bag away from the couches, closer to the TV, leaving Beth behind.
Very sleuth, guys, Beth thought dryly. At the same time she was immensely grateful. She asked Les where the bathroom was, setting her purse down on one of the end tables as she stood.
When Beth returned, William held up her phone. "You missed a call," he informed her.
Beth took the phone, flipped it open, and then snapped it shut again in record time. William didn't seem annoyed, so he probably hadn't seen who called.
"Everything okay?" William asked, concerned.
"Better than okay," she said, then reached for the glass in his hand. "Is that for me?"
"One Dr. Pepper with tons of ice."
Beth was still for a moment, looking at the drink suspended in front of her face. "How did you know I like lots of ice?"
"I pay attention," he said simply, shrugging.
Beth continued to scrutinize him. "Are you stalking me?"
"I guess you'll never know," he breathed in Beth's ear, pulling her down onto the couch with him.
"Uh…..you guys have the remote." Jenna sounded awkward and delighted at the same time, undeveloped laughter riding the edge of her voice.
William pivoted around to retrieve the remote, and Beth suddenly felt like nothing short of a good white washing in the snow would cool her off at this point. Les turned the lights off and the movie started. Beth avoided William's eyes in favor of the TV screen - after all, you couldn't exactly miss it.
She felt his hand on her elbow, pulling her against him as he stretched out with his back against the arm of the couch. Leaning into him willingly, she rested her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder. She took a deep breath as William began stroking her hair. If the blood had not been zipping through her veins like lightning, striking up fire in other parts of her body, she may have fallen asleep.
"Are you comfortable?" William murmured in her ear.
She smiled up at him. "Very. You're surprisingly cozy. Who would have thought all this muscle could be so nice to lay on?"
"Are you saying I'm squishy?"
"No, just comfy. It's a good thing, trust me."
He laughed quietly.
"What about you?"
He took a moment to answer. "Am I comfortable? No….comfortable is not quite the right word."
Beth wasn't sure how to take that. He stroked his fingers down the length of Beth's arm, and laced his fingers with hers. Then let he pulled his hand back, until only their fingertips were touching. He repeated this pattern several times, making it difficult for Beth to breathe normally. Why hadn't she thought to bring an oxygen tank along?
He looked down at her with dark, unfathomable eyes, their faces a breath apart. There was no way she was going to make out with him here, with Les and Jenna in the room, no doubt holding as still as possible to detect the slightest slurping noise from behind. Nevertheless, she was unable to tear her gaze away from him. She hoped he wouldn't try to kiss her right now, but she wanted nothing more, and she knew she wouldn't stop him if he tried. Instead, he pressed her hand to his chest and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her in tighter but leaning his head back against the couch, resigned.
He's thinking the same thing, Beth thought. She finally turned her attention to the TV with a blank expression, unable to retain anything she saw. William traced his hand up and down her back, occasionally letting his fingers brush the skin just under the hem of her shirt. She focused on the sensations this generated, absolutely oblivious to what was on the gigantor flat screen. William's breathing evened out and deepened, and Beth's pulse slowed in response. A sense of calm settled over her, meshing with the feelings of warmth and familiarity she had experienced the other night.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the tranquility, and dozed off.
~:~
The end credits were scrolling up the screen to the movie's theme song, and William pulled his fingers through Beth's soft curls. She had fallen asleep on him, relaxing as she did so until now she lay on her side, wedged between William and the couch, her arm slung loosely across his middle with her face on his chest. Les and Jenna, for once, were not engrossed with each other. They were watching William and Beth with quite satisfied expressions.
Beth's cell phone trilled, and she stirred. Jenna picked her phone up off the table and looked fleetingly at the display, then flipped it open and snapped it shut again.
"Who's calling her so late?" William asked, annoyed.
Beth stretched and opened her eyes. "Is that my phone?" she managed groggily.
"Yeah, sorry. We missed it again," Jenna lied.
William noticed but said nothing.
Beth sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Just after midnight," William answered softly.
She looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. Your arm probably feels like it's falling off."
William just looked at her, admiring the flush on her cheeks from being woken so suddenly. Her dark eyes had a brightness to them, and her hair was somewhat rumpled. She was stunning. "Just don't let it happen again."
"We should get back to the dorm, Jenna."
"Beth, we don't have a key to the front, remember? If we go back now we'll be sleeping on the porch."
"Right, forgot."
"There's plenty of room here. You guys can stay upstairs in our rooms, and we'll take the couches." Les was ever-chivalrous, and trying without succeeding to conceal his glee.
The business was settled, and the girls were ushered upstairs. William led Beth to his room while Les steered Jenna further down the hall toward his.
~:~
"Déjà-vu," Beth breathed on seeing the red-and-blue plaid flannel spread over the bed. "Is that blanket……"
"The very same," William grinned over his shoulder as he rummaged in his dresser. "Recognize this?" he asked, tossing her an oversized navy t-shirt with white lettering.
Beth froze. "Really?" she asked sardonically. It was the same shirt William had dressed her in after she'd fallen in the river. Recollections of that night played in her mind, and Beth felt the heat rush into her face.
William lifted her hair and let it fall through his fingers. When he spoke, his voice was low and brimming with emotion. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"
Beth grasped his elbow with one hand, the hem of his shirt with the other, and pulled him to her. A look flitted in his dark eyes that Beth didn't understand; it was an incomprehensible mingle of joy and agony. Then his lips were on hers, and Beth felt herself being pushed backward. She was crushed between William and the wall, and yet he still seemed too far away for her. Setting her hands on his back, she pressed him closer. Their bodies were perfectly aligned, as if they were the last two pieces of a puzzle snapping into place. He was so close that Beth could feel him trembling, and she savored the apparent effect she had on him. How could she have been so blind all this time? He obviously wanted her, and right now, there was nothing she wanted more than William. Beth's fingers tangled in William's hair like vines, like implacable webs, binding him to her. She wanted to consume him the way he was consuming her.
William's face moved to Beth's neck and then, quite in opposition to what she was hoping for, he rested his head in the crook there, pulling her hands from his hair and pinning them at her sides. He stayed that way for what seemed a very
long time, drawing in deep breaths. When he looked at her, his eyes were inky and muddled.
"I think it's past our bedtime," he informed her with a half-smile.
Beth frowned. Maybe she'd been reading him wrong - maybe she didn't affect him the way she thought.
"Don't do that," William warned. "That thing with your lip," he clarified when she opened her mouth to ask.
Beth bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from doing whatever it was doing, but the action didn't seem to relieve William in the slightest. He let go of her arms, bracing his hands against the wall on either side of her head and hanging his head. After another steadying breath he lifted his eyes to hers. "I think I'll say goodnight," he announced. "Do you need anything?"
Beth was just thinking she didn't care for his being so far away, and that she could do with another kiss when William straightened and stepped back. He gave her a warning look, the sort you might give a slobbering puppy who followed you around all day, and backed out of the room. "Sweet dreams," he offered softly, his dark eyes on fire, before closing the door behind him.
Beth flopped onto the bed, blowing out her frustration. She laid there for several minutes, feeling the fire recoil from her limbs until it was a tiny spark somewhere in the lower region of her body. After changing into his shirt she climbed between the sheets, pulling the blanket up and breathing it in.
LEAVE-TAKING
"Angry people are not always wise."
~Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice
The next morning, William knocked softly at his own bedroom door, opening it a crack to ascertain that Beth was tucked modestly into his sheets, before going inside. A chink of golden light spilled into the room from the hallway, throwing a resplendent glow over Beth. She didn't stir.
William propelled himself forward and stared down at her, breathless. His heart felt too big for his chest as great swells of emotion rolled through him. She lay on her stomach, her arms crossed on top of the pillow and under her face. Dark hair spilled over her shoulder and onto his pillow. Taking care to stay on top of the covers, William eased onto the bed next to Beth. He propped himself up on an elbow, watching her sleep. He wanted to touch her so bad that he ached - so he kept his hands to himself.
A few minutes later she opened her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before turning her face the other way.
"Hey, now. Don't be like that." William reached out and turned her toward him.
"No Medusa jokes."
"Medusa?"
"Clash of the Titans…..snakes for hair….turned people to stone."
William laughed at her sleepy articulation. "I'd go with Venus or Aphrodite, actually." His smile faded as he looked at her, sadness coming into his heart.
Beth must've seen it, because she cupped his face with a hand. "What's wrong?"
He took her hand, using the short lull to shove down the emotion rising in him. "Just sorry morning came so soon." He forced a smile and then asked, "Are you hungry?"
Beth stretched like a cat. "I'm not much of a breakfast person, actually……unless you made something?"
"Don't get your hopes up there. If I could cook, I wouldn't have cracked all my teeth the last couple months on Kara's cookies. We do have a fine selection of cold cereal for your dining pleasure, though, if you're so inclined."
Beth laughed. "No, I'm good. Really. I need to get back to Longbourn, anyway."
The gloom washed over William again. "Jenna's waiting for you downstairs. I wanted to let you sleep longer, but she says you might be staying the night again if I do that."
Beth bristled. "I'm not sure I want you talking to my best friend anymore."
"Hm….." he considered, rubbing his chin for effect.
Beth shoved him.
"I'll let you get dressed," William said, getting to his feet. As he looked back at her, something occurred to him. "Keep the shirt, though - it looks good on you. There's never a camera around when you need one." He grinned half-heartedly before closing the door behind him, and then allowed his face to relax into a reflection of the misery he felt inside.
~:~
Les led Jenna out to his truck, leaving Beth and William to follow in their wake. Beth picked her purse up off the table, grateful she hadn't forgotten it. She and William stood in the entry now, a few feet apart. Were it not for the vivid memory of William's breath on her neck and his hands in her hair, Beth might have thought she'd been dreaming last night. Could they possibly be the same two people who had been pressed up against each other in his room? Everything felt different now.
"Thanks again," Beth offered. "It was a great movie....what was it called again?"
William gave a partial smile. "You liked it, huh? Which part?" He looked at her expectantly with his hands in his pockets.
"Well……the song at the end was really good…."
His smile broadened. Then he sighed heavily and pulled her against his chest, hugging her tightly. He was quiet for a minute.
"I'll come by later, okay?"
Beth pulled away just enough to look up into his face. He looked harassed, crushed by an unseen pressure, and he avoided her eyes. Realization tore through her, lightning fast and thunder deep. Somehow, while she slept, things had already changed. She was losing something she'd never really had.
"Okay."
"I'll walk you out."
"I think I can find my way from here," she teased, trying to lighten the mood somehow.
He looked at her and his eyes seemed far away.
"William, what's wrong?"
William looked down, breathing deep and shoving his hands back into his pockets. "It's not about you. Not really." He struggled for a minute, trying to find the right words.
Beth waited patiently, trying to conceal her anxiety.
"It's not something I like to talk about. I need to think about what to say. But I will come over tonight - I promise."
Beth eyed him warily.
William cuffed a hand behind her neck and pulled her close, kissing her quickly on the forehead. "I'll see you soon," he said, leaning down to look into her eyes for emphasis.
She managed a weak smile and a half-hearted nod before pivoting and walking to the truck.
~:~
It was late afternoon, and the sun slanted through the blinds into William's bedroom. He couldn't look at his bed without seeing Beth lying there. Les appeared in the doorway of William's room, leaning casually against the door frame, folding his arms.
"So, you all packed?"
William sat on his bed, staring at nothing. It took a moment before he realized Les was talking to him. He sighed. "Yeah, just about."
"What time is your flight tonight?"
"Eleven forty-five."
Les nodded. "So we'll leave here around eight-thirty, then." He paused. "What're you going to tell her?"
William let his head drop into his hands and massaged his forehead, elbows on his knees. "I have no idea. I don't know how much I want her to know."
"Don't you think she'll wonder why you're picking up and leaving town? Dude, she'll think it's about last night. You have to tell her."
"But it's private. It has nothing to do with her. I don't know if Gianna would want the whole world knowing about her situation."
"William - you're so funny sometimes. Listen to yourself. This is Beth we're talking about, not the whole world. She won't tell anyone. Besides, if you really care about her like you say you do, you owe her an explanation of why you can't be with her right now."
William thrust himself back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"How much do you care about this girl, William?"
"You know the answer to that Les."
"Yeah, but it looks like you don't."
William cast his eyes to his friend, who looked back at him steadily, raising his eyebrows. "I'm in love with her."
Les broke into a wide grin. "I knew it! I knew you were. What's the problem, then?"
William stood in frustration, la
unching himself off the bed and into frenzied pacing. "The problem is that Gianna needs me right now. I'm the only one she's got, and I don't want her to go through this alone. And I don't know when she'll be okay on her own again."
Les screwed up his face in concentration, having finally grasped the gravity of the situation. Then his face brightened. "Well, you can keep in touch. This is the electronic age. You guys could text or webcam."
William measured a patient look at his friend. "Would it be fair to ask Beth to be with me, without me actually being here? She's younger than us, Les - she's still in school. I wouldn't want her to be miserable just waiting around."
Les shrugged. "So you'd rather have her be with someone else, then?" He waited in silence. "Because you know there is at least one someone else that would be glad to step in."
William stopped pacing, anger freezing him in place.
"Think about it, William. What's she going to think if you don't tell her? She has no clue what he's done. You need to warn her about him, at least."
William's fists were clenched, and he spread his fingers apart slowly, stretching them taut. He set his jaw, taking several deep breaths. "I already tried that."
"When? Last night? Because if it was before that, then I'd say things have changed just a bit between you."
Les was right. He owed Beth an explanation, a say in where they went from here. If she cared about him like he did about her, she would understand. Pulling himself out of his thoughts and focusing on Les, he said, "Can I borrow your truck?"
A grin split Les's face and that was all the answer William needed. Barreling down the stairs, he looked around for Les's keys. They weren't hanging on the hook in the kitchen like usual. William rifled through papers on the counter, then moved into the family room. They were sitting on one of the end tables next to Beth's phone. He hadn't realized she'd forgotten it. He palmed the phone and keys, raced out the door, and threw himself behind the steering wheel of Les's truck. As he hurried toward Longbourn, Beth's phone buzzed in his hand. The message 'NEW TEXT' flashed insistently on the display.
Pride's Prejudice Page 16