Here We Go Again

Will and I spent the rest of the day hanging out at my house. I called Erin and let her know I was back and she stopped by to hang out with us and have dinner. After dinner, she watched a movie with Will and I while my mom worked on her videos and Eric went to bed. After the movie, Erin left, saying that she would drop by again later this week. Will was now walking me up to my room after I walked Erin out to her car.

"So," I started as we walked up the stairs.

"So," he repeated.

"Everyone seems to really like you," I stated. He chuckled as we reached the top of the stairs.

"Do they?" he asked and I nodded. It was true. Erin didn't hate him for what happened back in England and she even grew to like him. Obviously, my mom liked him, because he took care of me and Eric adored him because he played video games with him. "That's good then, right?" I nodded again.

"Yeah, that's good," I said with a smile as we reached my room. "Here's my stop," I said. It was weird to part ways for bed since we had shared the same room for months. Will didn't reply and instead leaned down and kissed me. I smiled into the kiss as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I gasped slightly when I felt him grip my hips and pull me closer to him. I pulled away from him before it got too heated. "Down boy..." I muttered as a sly grin made its way onto his face. Both Will and I's breathing were uneven, but we eventually calmed down before I removed myself from his arms. I pressed my lips on his for a quick second before I pulled away again and backed into my door. "Goodnight, Will," I said as I reached behind me for the door handle.

"Goodnight, Nicole," he said as he backed up and started towards the stairs. I loved the way he said my name. I waited until he was out of sight before I entered my room. I couldn't wipe the big grin off my face as I got ready for bed.



I awoke in the middle of the night when I heard something bump in my room. I was freaked out to say the least. I quickly turned on the lamp on my bedside table and sighed in relief at what I saw. I found Will standing near my bedside table, clutching his right foot while he hissed in pain.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" I whisper/yelled. After Will finally composed himself, he answered me.

"I wanted to see you," he whispered to me. I almost smiled at that if it weren't for the fact that he was in my room in the middle of the night with my mom's and little brother's rooms just down the hall.

"You can't be in here. My mom will hear us," I told him.

"Relax. I'm not here because I want to do anything," he paused before he continued. "okay, maybe a little bit. But I know it probably won't happen so I'm not here for that," he finished.

"You think?" I asked him with an eye roll. "Why are you here then?" I asked him as I sat up in my bed and got comfortable. Will stood up straight and looked me in the eyes.

"I just... I just really wanted to see you," he said again. The corners of my lips tugged up into a smile.

"And you couldn't wait until morning?" I asked him as my smile got wider. He shook his head.

"I know you'll probably say no to this, but I'm still gonna ask anyways." He hesitated before he spoke up again. "I'm so used to being in the same room as you, sometimes the same bed when we sleep, so can I sleep in here tonight?" he asked me. I thought about it. Apparently, I thought about it for too long, because he was trying to take back what he just said. "Uh, forget I even asked. I'm, uh, gonna go back to my room," he quickly blabbered out.

"You can stay," I said before he made his way out my bedroom door. "That is, if you really want to..." I trailed off.

"I want to!" Will said a bit too quickly as he walked towards me. I laughed at him.

"But you have to sleep on the floor," I said.

"Fine by me," he said as went to sit on the floor near my bed. Even though that back at the dorms, I sometimes slept in his bed with him, I didn't want something to happen where my mom walked into my room to see Will in my bed.

I handed him my top blanket and a spare pillow. I watched as he placed the pillow down on the carpeted floor and started to lay down. He grabbed the blanket and draped it against his body. I waited as he got comfortable. I looked at him for a second or two before I leaned down and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. I gently pressed my lips against his for a short kiss.

"Goodnight, baby..." I said before I pulled away and leaned back into my bed to sleep. I waited for Will to reply before I closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, love..." I heard him say. I smiled to myself as I shut my eyes.

After a while, I heard Will's breath steady and the faint sound of his light snoring. I opened my eyes and looked over my bed at Will. He was fast asleep. So why the hell was I still awake? I closed my eyes again and tried to force myself to sleep. It wasn't helping me much. I looked back down at Will.

How could he sleep so soundly and easily?

I grunted to myself before I rolled over to my other side. After a minute or two, I rolled back onto my back. I sighed. I couldn't get back to sleep and I think I knew why. I glanced over at Will.

How could he just sleep there without a care in the world when I was clearly suffering here?

I removed my blanket from my body and peered over at Will for what seemed like the millionth time that night. I quietly crept out of my bed and slid onto the floor. I slowly and carefully moved the blanket from Will's body and scooted underneath it near him. He didn't stir once. I sighed in relief. I softly picked up his arm and wrapped it around myself. I laid down on my side next to him and leaned into him. I laid my head on his chest and felt his chest rise and fall with air. I felt myself start to fall asleep from the rhythmic pattern of his heartbeat. His arm tightened around me slightly and I snuggled further into him.

My eyelids began to droop with each passing second. Why was it that he could sleep so easily with me just being in the same room, but for me, I had to be really close to him or even be held by him to get some sleep? I don't even know how I fell asleep without him the first time around tonight.



I woke up the next day and I was in my bed again. I glanced down at the floor and it was empty. I scratched my head in confusion. Will was in here last night, right? A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, I was here last night," Will said from the doorway as if he read my mind. I turned to him, a small smile on my face. He had two mugs in his hand as he walked into my room and sat on the foot of my bed. "Coffee," he stated as he held out one of the mugs for me.

"Thank you," I said as I grabbed the mug. "Why am I in my bed again?" I asked as I took a sip. Will took a sip of his own coffee before he replied.

"I woke up earlier than you and I didn't want to just leave you on the floor. So I picked you up and put you back in your bed." I nodded in understanding. "Why were you on the floor with me anyway?" Will asked, a grin on his face as he took another sip of coffee. I couldn't stop the rush of blood from flowing up to my face.

"I fell and I was too lazy to get back into my bed," I lied. The grin on his face only widened.

"Uh-huh," he said. I rolled my eyes at him before I shoved him lightly on the shoulder.

"Shut up," I said. Before he could reply, I heard loud footsteps in the hall before Eric came running into my room. Both Will and I moved our mugs out of the way just in time as Eric jumped onto my bed.

"Breakfast, Nicole, breakfast!" he exclaimed. "Let's go, let's go!" he chanted as he continued to jump on my bed.

"Whoa, calm down, buddy," I said as I set down my mug on my bedside table.

"Let's eat, let's eat!" he chanted again as he grabbed Will's hand. Eric jumped down from my bed and tried to drag Will down the stairs with him. I threw Will an apologetic smile as I stood up from my bed and followed them downstairs.





Eric had dragged me into the kitchen, Nicole trailing not too far behind us. As I set my mug of coffee on the counter, Nicole face palmed her forehead.

"I forgot my coffee upstairs. Let me go get it real quick," she said as she left the kitchen. I rolled my eyes at her as I sat on a stool at the counter. Ms. Greene had set a short stack of pancakes in front of Eric who sat at the kitchen table. She was working on a flipping a pancake when she glanced at me.

"How is she?" she asked quietly so Eric wouldn't hear. I knew what she was really asking. I smiled at her.

"She's doing good. Great, actually," I replied.

"She hasn't done anything?"

"Nope. She hasn't done anything at all."

"That's good to hear," she said. She had a slightly relieved smile on her face. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"It's no problem at all," I said with a smile right as Nicole walked back into the kitchen, her mug of coffee in her hand.

"Ooh, pancakes," she said as she sat on the stool next to me. Ms. Greene set two plates of pancakes in front of Nicole and I.

"Eat up," she said as she turned back to the stove.

"Thank you," both Nicole and I said. She nodded in response before she spoke up.

"So what's the plan for today?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked, her mouth full of food. I tried my hardest to not look at her in disgust. My girlfriend really knew how to be unattractive when she ate.

"What are you going to do today?" her mum asked. "You can't be cooped up in the house all day. I'm sure that's not very fun for Will. Why don't you show him around?" Nicole shrugged before she replied.

"Sure, why not?" she asked as she stuffed more food into her mouth. Both her mum and I rolled our eyes at her eating behavior. "We'll go after we're done eating and after we've gotten dressed, yeah?" Nicole said as she turned to me. I nodded as I stuffed a forkful of pancakes into my own mouth.





After both Will and I finished our breakfast and got ready, we left the house and I took him to the same park that we had passed by yesterday. I parked the car and we started walking through the park.

"You see that bench right there?" I asked as I pointed to a bench a few feet away from us. Will nodded for me to continue. "That's where I first got stood up," I said bluntly. Will looked at me in surprise. "What?" I asked.

"Why would you tell me that?" he asked incredulously. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I thought that maybe you wanted to know more about my past," I said.

"But that's depressing." I shrugged again.

"Not all of my past is depressing," I defended. "I also happened to have my first kiss on that very same bench, thank you very much," I said matter-of-factly as I raised my chin higher in the air.

"You had your first snog where you also got stood up?" Will asked in shock.

"Yeah, and?"

"That's a little weird," he stated. "I assume this was at two different times though."

"Yes, you dork!" I said as I grabbed his hand and led him to the bench.

"So who was it?" Will asked once we sat down.

"Who was who?" I asked in confusion.

"Who was your first snog?" he clarified.

"Oh!" I said in understanding. "It's not important," I said as I tried to brush it off.

"Oh, come on. Who was it? If you can tell me you got stood on this bench, you can also tell me who your first snog was on this bench."

"Yeah, but I didn't use names," I said.

"So? Just tell me."

"You haven't told me who your first kiss was!" I retorted, but I already had a feeling I knew who it was. Of course it would have been Annabella.

"You want to know who my first snog was?" he asked and I shrugged. "If I tell you, will you tell me yours?" I shrugged again. Will rolled his eyes at me before he spoke up again. "Well, whatever. I was seven and Sara was my first snog," he said. I whipped my head to look at him in shock.

"What?!" I practically screeched. I wasn't angry at him, but I was surprised. "Sara?! As in Sara Kessler? As in our Sara? As in James' Sara?" I questioned and he nodded.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked nonchalantly. He leaned back on the bench as he rested his arm on top of the bench behind me.

"I..." I started as I tried to find the right words. "I was not expecting that. I was expecting your first kiss to be with Annabella," I said and he shook his head.

"Nah, it was Sara," he said.

"What happened there? Did you guys have a little elementary thing going on there?" I asked with a laugh. Will chuckled and shook his head.

"Barely," he replied.

"Why not?"

"Because she met Chris ten minutes later. He walked right by us on the playground and just like that, he stole my first girlfriend and my first snog. Then I met Ann and the rest is history," he said with a nod.

"So is dating me payback for what happened that day on the playground when he stole your first girlfriend?" I said playfully. Will laughed and wrapped the arm that was resting on the bench over my shoulders.

"Oh, come on. You're more than just payback," he played along. I playfully shoved at his chest and he just continued to laugh. I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"So Sara and Chris dated then?" I asked and Will shook his head.

"Chris didn't like her like that. He fancied Ann," he said. I laughed again.

"Wow, you guys had love problems even back when you were kids," I said with another laugh. Will laughed with me and when we both calmed down, he spoke up.

"So who was your first snog?" I sighed.

"I guess I'll tell you since you told me yours. Um," I started as a faint smile started to stretch across my lips at the memory. "I was fourteen. His name was Tristan and he was eighteen at the time."

"Eighteen?" Will asked in shock.

"Yeah," I said with a laugh. "You know that coffee shop I was talking about yesterday? Charlie's Cafe?" He nodded in response. "Well, him and his cousin co-own that cafe and like I said, I hung out there a lot. And of course, I was bound to meet him some time or another. And I did. We hung out a few times and we were even official for a little bit."

"What happened?" Will asked. I pursed my lips before I replied.

"Remember that Ethan guy I told you about that embarrassed me in front of practically the whole school?" He nodded. "Fun fact, he's also the same guy who stood me up on this same bench," I added in quickly. He gave me a look as if to say that that wasn't exactly a fun fact. "And well, Tristan was right after that. And you know, I wasn't exactly emotionally stable and Tristan was a great guy and I didn't want to drag him down with me."

"So you let him go," Will stated. I nodded.

"Yeah, I let him go." I cleared my throat before I spoke up again. "Out of all the shitty relationships I had in the past, he was definitely the best one. And not only that, we ended on fairly good terms."

"So he was your first love?" I laughed at that.

"I guess you could say that."

"Now that you're older and more emotionally stable, if you had the chance, would you try it again with him?" he asked. I looked up at him and he had a curious look on his face.

"I don't know," I replied. "I honestly don't know. I mean, maybe. But not only have I gotten older, I've changed over the years. And so has he, probably, so I don't know. I'm a different person now than when I was fourteen. Plus, there's you. How could I possibly think of being with another guy when I have you?" I finished with a toothy grin as I leaned up and kissed him.

"Good answer," he replied as he kissed me back. I pulled away from him and stood up from the bench. I held out my hand for him and he took it and stood up with me.

"I want to show you Charlie's Cafe before I show you anything else," I said with another grin. Will smiled and we walked back towards my car and drove the few blocks to the cafe.



Will and I entered the cafe and the smell of coffee met our nostrils while the sound of the small bell above the door met our ears. As we stood in line, I turned to Will.

"What do you want?" I asked with a smile on my face. "I'm paying."

"No, you're not," he replied as he grabbed his wallet from his pocket.

"Yes, I am," I retorted.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am, because I'm the only one that has American money. So hah!" I said happily.

"No, you're not," he repeated for the third time as he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. "So hah!" he said back as he lightly pinched my nose when we got to the register. I stuck my tongue out at him and ordered what I wanted. Will ordered shortly after and then paid. As he put the change back into his wallet and into his pocket, he spoke up. "Where's the loo?" he asked me.

"It's over there," I said as I nodded my head towards the back of the cafe.

"Alright, I'll be right back," he said and I nodded in response as he left for the bathroom. As I waited for our drinks, I looked around the cafe. A few things changed here and there. There were more drinks on the menu as well as a few new workers. Our drinks were done and when I was right about to grab them, I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

"Nicole, is that you?" the voice asked. I whirled around with a straw in my hand and looked at who had spoken.

"Tristan!" I said in surprise as I looked at him. I knew he co-owned this cafe, but I didn't actually think I would see him here today, especially after I was just talking about him with Will. "Hi!" I said as I hugged him. He hugged me back before we pulled away.

"I knew it was you! How are you?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm doing great," I replied with a smile back. "How are you?"

"Good, good. As you can see, this little cafe is still around."

"Yeah, it is. It looks really good. I noticed the new drinks and new employees," I said with a laugh. "Where's your cousin?"

"Charlie?" he questioned and I nodded. "She's out of town visiting some of our family. She'll be back next week though," he explained.

"Maybe I'll swing by again sometime," I said with another smile. He replied with a nod.

"Well, you look different," he said.

"Good different or bad different?" I asked with a laugh.

"Good different. You look good, Nicole," he said and it sounded genuine.

"You look good too," I replied. It was good seeing Tristan again. I noted that he looked different as well. Three years could really change a person. He no longer had brown spiky hair, but instead had short shaggy hair that hit just the top of his ears. What little acne he had when he was eighteen was now completely gone, leaving a nice, clean complexion. He looked more mature than he did the last time I saw him with a bit of stubble on his face and chin. He was also a bit taller than when I last saw him, probably hitting close to Will's height, but not quite.

"You still haven't grown much," he commented as he patted my head. My smile dropped a little as I playfully sneered at him.

"Gee, thanks for pointing that out," I replied with a roll of my eyes. Tristan laughed and I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Really though, you look good. You sure you're doing okay?" he questioned and I could hear a hint of concern in his voice. I watched as his eyes quickly darted to my wrist and then back up to my face. I smiled at him and replied.

"I'm doing good. I really am," I said with a genuine smile. He slowly, but surely, smiled back at me.

"That's good to hear," he said right as Will came out of the bathroom and made his way towards us. He stood beside me before he spoke up.

"Who's this?" Will asked as he took a quick glance between Tristan and I. I started to fiddle with the straw in my hand as I glanced up at Will.

"Oh," I started. "Will, this is, um, this is my friend, Tristan. Tristan, this is my boyfriend, Will," I said. I saw Will glance down at me in confusion.

"Tristan?" Will questioned and I nodded at him. He nodded in understanding as he turned to him. "Nice to meet you, mate," Will said politely as he shook Tristan's hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Tristan replied as they shook hands. When Will let go of his hand, I felt his other hand on the small of my back. "So where'd you guys meet?" Tristan asked to make small talk.

"School," Will replied. "She's my roommate."

"Roommate?" Tristan questioned, his eyebrows raised. I felt my cheeks flush a little.

"Yeah, we go to a boarding school in England," I explained awkwardly.

"Oh!" Tristan said in surprise. "I see. That sounds great," he said. I didn't hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice, so I smiled at him.

"It is," I replied.

"Are you guys just here visiting?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, we're visiting Nicole's family for a bit before we head back to England for the school year," Will explained.

"How long are you visiting here then?" Tristan asked.

"About a month," I replied. "What about you? What are you up to?" I asked as I tried to shift the topic towards him.

"I'm actually going to be out of town starting next week. Then Charlie will take over completely while I'm gone."

"How long will you be gone?" I asked.

"Oh, um, about five and a half to six months."

"Oh wow. What for?" I questioned.

"It's for," he started as he tried to pick the right words. "I can't really give much info about it right now. Let's just say it's for personal reasons," he said with a chuckle. I nodded as I continued to fiddle with the straw in my hand.

"Oh, okay. That's understandable," I said. Will let out a small cough and I realized that I was kind of ignoring him. I glanced up at Will as he pursed his lips at me. "Right," I said as I looked away from him. "Well, we should be going now. I'm showing Will around the area and all," I said with a smile as I stepped forward and hugged Tristan. "It was really great seeing you again," I said as I pulled away from him and sent a smile his way as he smiled back at me.

"It was great seeing you too," Tristan replied. "It was nice meeting you, Will," he said as they shook hands once more. Will replied with a nod as he grabbed at his hot coffee off the counter. I grabbed my own iced drink and stuck my straw into it before I took a small sip. "See you around sometime?" Tristan questioned with a smile.

"Yeah, maybe," I said with a smile back. I waved at him as Will led me to the door, his hand securely on my back. I smiled to myself at the small grip he had on me. As soon as we were out of the coffee shop and in my car, I turned to Will. "And that was Tristan," I said. Will grunted as he sipped his coffee. "What? Did you not like Tristan?" I asked.

"It's not that," he replied.

"What then?"

"He was your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Nothing. It's just... He was your first snog. And we just so happened to meet him here after we just talked about him," he said quickly as he turned away from me. I looked at him in confusion as I stared at his face.

"Are you... Are you jealous of him?" I asked as a smile slowly made its way onto my face. I noticed that a slight pink tinge started to crawl upon his face. "You are!" I exclaimed.

"I am not!" Will retorted.

"But you are!" I argued.

"No, I'm not!" he said back as he turned towards me, a slightly angry expression on his face. I couldn't help but laugh at his facial expression.

"Yeah, you ar-" I stopped short as Will leaned towards me and pressed his lips against mine.

"No, I'm not," he repeated quieter as he pulled away. Will leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared straight ahead of him. I licked my bottom lip as I took a deep breath.

"Right," I said as I turned towards the steering wheel. "You're not jealous at all," I said as I started the car. I couldn't help the small blush that came onto my face and from my peripheral vision, I could see the scowl that was on Will's face slowly disappear into a smile. "Of course you're not jealous. You get to kiss me whenever you want now," I said. I took a glance over at him again and I noticed another blush on his face. I smiled to myself as I backed out the car and got onto the main road.