Hollywood Hills and Suburban Thrills

Will's room was surprisingly a lot like I would've expected for a musician. He had CDs, sheet music, and notebooks everywhere. In the corner of his room was a guitar, leaned up gently against the door of his closet.

I felt his eyes following me as I walked into his room carefully, looking around in awe. There was something about the way he openly admitted to untidiness—something that I would be much too embarrassed to do—that I admired. It showed that he was truly being himself around me, and there was nothing that I loved more than that.

Then, my eyes landed on his bed and I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes glued to it. I wondered vaguely if he could read the thoughts that were going through my mind at that moment.

His bed was a queen size with a light grey goose feather comforter and matching pillows and sheets. It was half-heartedly made, but I smiled nonetheless at the gesture, and before I could stop myself, I was walking toward it and then I was sitting on the edge.

"You've got an outrageous taste in bed attire," I say and it was the truth. I hadn't met many guys (or people for that matter) that had goose feather comforters. It seemed pretty odd, but perhaps I was just over analyzing things again.

He smiled and sat down beside me, placing one of his hands in mine and rubbing his blanket with the other. "Yeah, a friend of mine suggested I get one," he says, staring down at it before looking up at me fondly. "I'm glad you like it."

Perhaps it was just my crazed hormones or the fact that I have the sexual maturity of a middle schooler, but the moment he said that, something inside me switched on and the floodgate on my mind was opened. Thoughts and images of every kind flooded into my head, the majority having to do with one thing and one thing only, and that one thing was not his comforter, that's for sure.

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I sprawled out on the living room sofa hours later. The sun was just below the horizon, the last of its blood red rays shrinking in the distance until the sky was a black and the only stabs of light were the few twinkling stars that could be seen through the city lights.

I was wide awake as I surfed the channels on the television. It had hit me long ago that I could—should—be spending this time with Will; that in a matter of hours I would be on another flight on my way to New York City where I would stay for up to two weeks without him. How easily I could just fritter away precious moments like these!

But that nagging thought was not enough to get me off the couch. I was exhausted, there's no doubt about that, but even as the hours passed and the night grew deeper and the hullaballoo of the neighboring city hushed into near-silence, I was still incapable of falling asleep. And that thought was what kept me puzzled.

I had narrowed down the vast number of possible explanations to two. One: I could possibly be anxious about seeing my father the next day after a whole year of barely hearing from each other. Or two: Will. I was trying to convince myself that it wasn't the latter.

My eyelids were heavy and my eyes burned as I strained to stare at the television screen as I heard Will walk through the room. He had just gotten out of the shower and I could smell his body wash from where I was on the couch. The scent made my senses fuzzy and I had to control myself to keep from jumping off the couch to get a better whiff of him.

His bare feet against tile told me that he was in the kitchen, a mere fifteen feet away from me. His body wash was still gently scorching my nostrils and I caught and stopped myself from continuing my unusual deep breathing. Then, footsteps were sounding on carpet and I knew he was coming toward me.

"Hey love," he says from behind the couch where he stood.

I craned my neck (I was lying down) around to look at him and suddenly, every fiber of my body was being thrilled like an electric current had just surged through me. There was Will, smirking down at me and I had to keep myself from straying from his eyes to his bare chest—he was only wearing boxers, from what I could tell.

I forced nonchalance. "Cocky, aren't we?"

"Maybe just a little bit," he admits with a smile before pulling on a tight green shirt.
"Understatement." I coughed into my fist, smiling when I heard him gasp.

"Well excuse me, Miss Modesty," he says with a lisp, raising his hands and walking away from the couch. He stopped just short of the entrance to the hall that leads to his room. "Aren't you tired? It's almost midnight and we've been in Pacific Time for a week."

I shrugged weakly and I noted mentally in surprise just how much energy it took for such a simple gesture. "I'll probably go to bed pretty soon." I reply, flipping a channel up on the television.

Will sighed. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Oh, and don't be afraid to turn on every light in the house during the night if you have to and certainly don't hesitate to wake me up. I'm a light sleeper anyway." I blushed as different thoughts came rushing into my head. "Goodnight Dani," he says quietly.

"Goodnight Will--…" So quickly and quietly that I hadn't even heard him come, Will cut me off with a kiss, running one hand in my hair gently. And with a soft smile, he was gone and the door to his room closed with a soft click.

My head dropped back down on the couch cushion and I flicked the television off subconsciously.

I didn't linger in the dark living room that much longer. The ticking of the clock on the wall, the flashing lights on the stove and microwave, and the clinging of Jude and Lucy's dog tags was enough to drive me mad. So I went to my room, passing quickly by Will's room without noticing my change in walking speed.

I opened my suitcase a little too roughly, pulling on my favorite grey plaid pajamas and a black beater. The bed in my room was the same size as Will's but instead of a grey goose feather comforter, I had a navy blue fabric one. I slid into the sheets slowly, trying to get used to the new bed, but once I was in and the lights were out, I found myself staring up at the ceiling sleeplessly.

My mind screamed for several different things, but the need for sleep was growing more dominant, but I could not bring myself to fall asleep alone in this room. So, quickly and before I could think too much about it, I jumped out of the bed and walked out of the guest bedroom, heading down the hall.

I stopped in front of Will's door, my stomach twisting as I opened his door slowly and placed a foot on the threshold inside. I could hear his level breathing from the doorway and the bright moon cast a pale light across the bed, enunciating his silhouette. I gulped down my nervousness and took another step forward, around the door before I shut it soundlessly. Tip toeing and trying very carefully not to step on a CD or notebook, I made it to Will's bedside.

His hair was falling in his eyes and he looked just as adorable as ever. And then, his eyes were open and looking at me in surprise, but I didn't have to say anything because as if he had read my mind, he scooted over on the mattress, pulling back the comforter welcomingly.

I slid in beside him, smiling to myself involuntarily about how warm it was beside him, and I felt him skim closer to me again. His arms snaked around me, pulling me closer to him still until my backside was pressed against his front. His body heat was amazing.

I could feel delirium falling over me within minutes. Before I was out, however, I could've sworn I heard Will say something to me. I racked my brain for a response that would suit for as an answer for a question or statement that I hadn't understood, but came up with none, so I went with the first thing that came to mind.

"I love you," I turned my head and my eyes cracked open just enough for me to see Will's face. It was an emotionless mask and I wondered hazily what it was that I had just said that made him react like that, but before I could give it too much thought, I was asleep in his arms.