Rumored Nights

Sunlight broke through the decorative curtains in Alice's bedroom, a brief reminder that it was no longer the night before, that all they had left of it was the memories.

She felt the warmth of it hit her back, but it wasn’t the only warmth in her bed.

It merely took a few more moments of consciousness for Alice to realize there was a body she was snuggled against.

William.

His light snores soothed her frantic heartbeat, lulling back to her peaceful state.

The panic she once felt became secondary in the face of this rare moment where the restrictions of their friendship were gone, where Alice could lay her head against William's chest guiltlessly.

She knew the phrase never look a gift horse in the mouth, but she began to wonder just how she was snuggled with William in her bed.

Brief flickers of last night, Bill carrying her home, him tucking her in next to him... her face flushed with those thoughts the same way they would've if he had let her drink.

The morning fog in her mind had faded well enough away for her to realize the silence she first heard was tainted with footsteps and voices.

Her parents were up.

She ignored their mental intrusion and savored however long she had in this moment, burying her head deeper into his chest.

The unexpected came with the two arms that wrapped themselves around her torso.

"Don't worry about them, I'll let you sleep a little longer." William whispered under his breath.

Alice still wasn’t used to this sudden butterfly effect he had on her, how with so little effort he could reduce her to one of those helpless teenage girl she watched go through highs and lows from their flavor or the month boyfriends.

There was a new light cast upon them now that Alice knew a small part of how they felt as she had a moment of clarity from outside of the bubble of her world.

With these feelings going through her Alice embraced the lingering sleep from the few hours she had caught earlier and drifted back into the unknown.

When she awoke there was more light in the familiar room and her bed was empty.

It was a secret relief to find William gone as deep down Alice knew she would've never been able to function normally around him so soon.

Desperate to shake this unnerving hold he held on her, Alice slipped out of the bed and into the shower of her adjoining bathroom.

As the warm water washed over Alice she relished the chance to think in the uninterrupted silence where it was as if her feelings for her best friend and sometimes big brother didn’t exist.

They weren’t supposed to exist.

The best intentions of her shower weren’t enough to ease her thoughts and not long after she stepped in Alice stepped out, swaddled in a thick towel.

Water still dripped sporadically down her back from her wet hair as Alice entered her room.

More fell in her sudden stop of shock seeing Bill sprawled across her bed.

"William!"

He glanced up at the sound of her surprised voice, his cheeks turning crimson not a moment later.

"I, uh, uh, I-I'm sorry, I sh-should, uh... I'll wait outside." He stuttered, stumbling over his words and his feet

He shut the door quicker than Alice would have, but for the breath trapped in her chest locked it and gave a sigh of relief.

For a few surprised moments she stood there frozen and clutching the towel to her chest.

Then, though she couldn't help it, a few unwarranted giggles escaped while Alice got dressed.

Fully clothed, she found William minutes later sitting on her couch and pulling at the threads of his worn jeans.

"Awkward?" She asked with a smirk.

Bill grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that... I thought you were brushing your teeth or something. I didn't really expect you to walk in wearing a towel."

Alice shrugged. "Well I didn't expect you to be on my bed, so I guess we're even."

With a chuckle her friend scooted over and patted at the vacant spot next to him.

Without hesitation she took the spot next to William, relishing the inches between them, knowing a few less and she could very well melt into a puddle at his feet.

Alice scooted a few more inches away for good measure.

"Awkwardness aside... do you have plans today?" He asked, ignoring her sudden move.

Alice glanced up, staring curiously at William from under a few stray strands of damp hair.

"Are you going to suggest we 'hang out'?" She grinned.

William nudged her playfully. "Look at you sounding like a teenager... hang out..."

A well timed eye roll was all Alice needed to express herself after all these years. "I hope you're going somewhere with this Mr. Beckett."

He smirked. "Of course I am Miss Hale, you should know my actions are always premeditated."

Alice rose an eyebrow.

He relented with a sigh. "Alright I have no idea."

One small giggle slipped and Alice forced herself back into her best friend role so she could take hold of his hand, unhindered by emotions.

"Come on." She tugged when he wouldn't budge. "Didn't you want to hang out?"

There was a curious gleam in his eye as he slowly got up, Alice ignoring the fact he squeezed her hand while doing so.

"What did you have in mind?"

With a small grin Alice explained her plan and they spent the rest of the afternoon in her well stocked kitchen making batches of cupcakes for no intended purpose.