Chapter Two
It was Wednesday, yet another busy day at work.
Will checked the time—work officially started by eight.
It was 7:30. He still had about half an hour to kill.
He entered 'Joes', the breakfast and lunch place he ate every morning.
Why?
Because he was too lazy to cook in the morning, that's why.
He got his order and sat down at the table closest to the door. Every minute counted.
He leaned down to take a bite of his food.
His hair shuffled forward with his movements and shielded his blue eyes for a moment—thankfully, it didn't get into his mouth though.
Soon, a waitress came over to his table. She smiled at him, he returned it.
"Do you need anything else, sir?" She was smiling ear to ear and seemed to have a light blush dusting her cheeks.
Oblivious to her obvious interest, he just answered,
"No, I'm good. Thanks." The door opened again and another woman came in.
Will's heart went haywire.
Hope looked as rattled as she always did every morning.
Her cheeks were flushed and her hair looked like it would bust out of the small band she'd held it with.
She greeted everyone she met and Will felt the string that held his heart grow tauter by the second.
"Hope." He breathed.
As if she'd heard him, she turned suddenly and her eyes met his, then she did something that made him almost pass out right where he was-
She smiled. . .at him.
He didn't think his heart had ever beat that fast in his life.
She even waved before going to get her order. Hope had always been a regular at Joe's but he almost always leaves before she came in.
He must have been distracted this morning.
Say something, you idiot!
She never ate there but bought whatever she wanted and took it to the office with her.
She was just about leaving the place; with her takeouts in hand when he came to his senses.
He stumbled out the door with her and nearly flattened her.
She gasped about to fall but he caught both her and the food.
Will's eyes were wide as he held her. His right hand was secured around her waist and his left held her takeout.
They were right outside the restaurant but they both seemed lost.
Up close, her eyes were like melted chocolate, fuzzy and warm.
She was blushing. Her eyes were wide as she stared up into his blue depths.
She exhaled.
The door closed behind them and it was as though he'd been brought back from a dream to reality.
He redrew his hands from her faster than you could blink and awkwardly cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry." He hated that his neck and cheeks were starting to tingle with heat.
What was he, fourteen?
He chanced a look at her and realized that he wasn't the only one. She was also blushing, fiercely.
"It's fine." Hope took her breakfast from him and quickly crossed the short distance to Monosoft.
Will sighed.
Why do you always have to lose your cool around her?
He crossed the road as well, this time managing not to get run over.
{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}
Will was busy as usual and he wanted to forget about that morning but Mr. Bennett kept sending her over...
He couldn't even get through a conversation without stuttering-
"Mr. Robert, I was asked to bring the Lorntorn files." Hope would ask politely and he'd reply with-
"O-Oh, i-is it the one for New York or S-Seattle?" She'd smile and say something sensible like, "Both."
Will sighed, massaging his temple. It'd been a long day and his headaches were starting to get worse.
He took out some pain killers and took them.
The elevator dinged opened to his right and the woman from earlier that week came to the floor.
She looked gorgeous like she always did. Her brown hair and hazel eyes stuckout as usual.
He'd been asked to welcome and send her in immediately upon arrival.
She was beautiful and confident and he often wondered what the relationship between her and the CEO was not that it was any of his business.
Her heels clanged loudly against the tiled floor as she got closer.
She didn't go straight through the CEO's office like he'd hoped but stopped right in front of his desk.
Surprised, he froze.
She looked into his eyes and he felt that odd sensation again. Then she did something he'd hadn't seen coming-
She leaned down to his eye level, so casually, so close that he saw the green-how it mixed with the brown in her eyes. She didn't blink, and what he saw in them was enough to make him jump out the window behind him.
"Why do you look at me like that?" She asked in a silky smooth voice that had him immediately strung up.
He felt the perspiration beginning to form on his brow.
Was this woman intimidating or what?
"Like what?" He whispered.
She stared at him, probing him to see if he was as clueless as he looked. She leaned down to whisper in his ears and he shivered when her cheek grazed his.
"Like you have a bone to pick with me."
She said as she trailed a perfectly manicured finger up his neck.
Goosebumps rose where her fingers touched.
What was this woman saying?
A foxy smile crossed her lips as she leaned back.
"Not that I mind." She said smirking.
Whoah.
It was safe to say that he hadn't seen that one coming.
He swallowed at the suggestive look in her eyes.
"Miss B-"
"Betty." The deep calm voice of the CEO interrupted them.
"You're scaring my employee." He came out of his office and stood in front of her.
You bet she's scary.
Miss Betty leaned back and gave Will a very innocent smile.
"Oh, hush Richard. I was only playing a little." She said walking towards Mr. Bennett who only stared on almost looking bored.
He let out an almost inaudible sigh as he led her to his office, but not before she turned and said,
"I'll see you later Will." She winked at him.
Hopefully not.
Will sighed.
Soon work was over for the day and he was even more tired than necessary.
Thankfully there was no sudden weather change and he made it home dry.
He got himself a little something on the way.
He'd always loved sweet wine.
He couldn't drink it now because of the medication he was on but he would save it for later.
He reached out for the handle to the door of his apartment and noticed the door was already unlocked.
Something flickered in his chest as his eyes widened. Fear, it was instant.
He opened the door quietly and found that someone was already in.
Someone was cooking in his kitchen and he smelled the aroma of eggs in the air.
A myriad of images flooded his line of vision all at once; a woman laughing as she cooked, eggs frying in the pantry.
The feeling of affection he felt for the woman felt overwhelming.
The images ended with her screams.
He closed his eyes as the headaches intensified a hundredfold.
He gritted his teeth. The room was dark but there was light flooding the kitchen and he heard the sound of eggs sizzling as they fried.
The nerve of this thief.
Where was Berry? He thought frantic.
He took a bat from the storage room to his left.
"I don't want any trouble," Will started, the sizzling stopped and there was silence, "just take whatever you want and leave."
Will moved closer to the kitchen about to rain hell on whoever was there when a voice stopped him.
"Hey Will, it's me!" The lights came on and the brown hair and green eyes of his cousin came into view.
Will let out a tired breath and nearly cursed.
"What is your problem, Matt? I nearly bashed your face in with a bat." Matt only chuckled closing the fridge he'd been rummaging.
Matt was his best friend and cousin. They'd been stuck together for as long as he could remember, went to the same high school and college; they were practically brothers.
Berry appeared next to Matt as he licked his nose haven finished eating his treat.
Will took a seat by the island.
"You always do this, want me to have a heart attack?" He asked exasperatedly.
"What do you have there?"Matt nodded at the wrapped bottle of wine in his hands.
Will couldn't believe he'd been carrying it all this while.
"Wine." He groaned setting the bottle on the table. He held his face in his hands massaging his temple.
His cousin looked at him suspiciously, noticing his paleness and the general exhausted look on his face.
"What happened to you?"
"Just another hectic day at work. Oh and I think one of my boss's associates has a crush on me." Will chuckled.
Matt sat on the stool next to him and stared worriedly at him.
"How bad is it?"
Will stopped what he was doing.
Sometimes he thought Matt was too observant for his own good.
He shrugged taking a piece of sandwich his cousin had made.
"It's nothing." There was no hiding anything from Matt, but at least he would try.
Matt frowned.
"The last time you said it was nothing, you ended up in a hospital."
Will sighed. He knew Matt was never going to let him live it up.
Will ignored him, about taking a second bite of his sandwich when Matt stopped him mid-bite.
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?" Matt asked, his moss-green eyes dead serious.
Will exhaled, knowing there was no way around it. He had to come clean.
"Five." He sighed.
Matt's face contorted into one of utter disbelief.
"What is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?"
"Your mum is worried enough as it is." He continued.
Will scoffed.
"I know she sent you."
"Yeah stupid. And for good reason too."
Will sighed,
"You know your yelling isn't helping."
But Matt didn't budge a muscle.
"Fine, I'll go to the hospital. Happy?" He said yielding.
"Good. You better or I'm dragging your butt there myself." Matt promised.
Will rolled his eyes but smiled.
Matt took the wine and opened it.
"I was saving it for later." Will groaned.
"Whatever Willy," Matt smirked pouring himself a glass.
"Well, I'm gonna head in. I need a bath, I reek."
Will stood up from the counter and began walking towards his room.
Matt watched his friend in concern as the door to his room closed shut.
He knew how bad the migraines got and what had happened the last time.
He never wanted to see him go through something like that ever again. It'd been terrible.
Matt went to the living room with his sandwich and took a seat on the couch. He turned on the cable.
Matt's mind wasn't on the moving pictures on the screen, he wondered if Will remembered anything yet.
It was best if he didn't.
He looked at the closed door that led to his friend's room.
It was best for everybody.
{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}
Will's eyes moved rapidly behind his closed lids. He was sweating and he felt a mounting pressure on top of him, like the feeling of being crushed.
No...
Don't you dare touch her!
It was dark and eery and all he could see was fire.
William!
Will gasped awake sucking in a deep breath. He still couldn't move as though someone was pressing him down against the bed.
Will laid there on his bed, powerless to do anything—paralyzed.
The room was dark. His cousin was sound asleep in the next room and had no idea about his nightmares. He hadn't said a word about it to anyone.
Slowly he regained the use of his limbs and he felt weak.
Will's hand shook as he reached for his glasses on the table but it came up empty.
He muttered something unintelligible under his breath.
Must have fallen off. He thought.
He heard a sound to his left. He turned his head but could see nothing because of how dark it was.
The fact that he was as blind as a bat without his glasses didn't help matters.
It could have been fear or the trick of the dark but he thought he saw something move in front of him. He felt good bumps rise his skin immediately.
He felt a presence in the room. He didn't know how but he did.
Will felt hot air blow across his face and he had to pray silently under his breath to keep the fear at bay. Fear was irrational and he had to get his under control.
Something moved across his blurred line of vision again and this time he panicked.
"H-Hello?" He must be crazy, seeing things that weren't there.
The image of the petite brown-haired and honey eyes woman that he'd come to like flooded his mind again and with a calm, he couldn't explain.
He felt himself relax again and chided himself for thinking he saw things that weren't there in the first place.
He laid on his back looking at the ceiling, the image of her gentle features calming him.
"Hope." He whispered.
Soon he was asleep again, forgetting the silhouette that he'd seen just a minute ago—oblivious to the eyes that were still in the shadows, watching him.
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