Beth wasn't in her right mind, or even conscious for that matter. But if the truth was rain, then William was waterproof. She had reached for his hand like she needed it. Like she needed him. Like touching him was the most important thing in the world. All at once, he knew that all his efforts to become immune to Beth had been a complete waste of time. And now he was in deeper than ever. William waited for the fear, the dread, to crash around him as it had so many times before - but it never did. Beth, with her soft hair smelling of what he assumed to be shampoo, and her warm skin under his, filled him up. She took up every cell, every molecule, every atom in his body. And there would be no getting her out - he could sooner peel the flesh from his bones. Beth was there to stay.
Half an hour later William gently, if regretfully, freed his hand from Beth's, wiggling his fingers to dispel the pins-and-needles sensation when the blood returned to them. Absently tracing curls on the back of her hand, he took in her room. It was only about six feet from wall to wall, and probably fifteen from door to window. She didn't have much of a view outside - just the back of another dorm building and a parking lot bordered by barren winter trees. At the foot of her narrow bed a desk stuck out of the wall, littered with text books, pens, pencils, and loose-leaf paper. William chuckled to himself. Beth definitely wasn't the organized type. He mused over the fact that there were no pictures on the walls or even on the narrow shelf that ran parallel to her bed. Apparently she wasn't your stereotypical homesick college student.
William was roused from his thoughts when Beth, waking from her cat nap, turned her face into his chest and moaned in a contented sort of way. Breathing deeply she said, "You smell good."
William tried to suppress his laughter, only partially succeeding. Relocating to the foot of her bed so he could face her, he asked, "Feeling a little better, are we?"
She giggled, pitching forward and rolling herself into a ball with her head on William's knee. He rubbed her back awkwardly for a moment, trying to ignore the wide band of skin that was visible between her t-shirt and shorts. She nuzzled her cheek against William's leg like a purring kitten, then straightened and faced him with a lazy grin. Raising his eyebrows at her, he tried to disregard the good amount of bare leg that seemed to be reaching for him. Folding her hands in her lap, she sighed happily and then cocked her head to the side.
"You have a good face," she said amiably, placing her hands on his cheeks. "Good arms too," she added, running her hands up and down the admired limbs while pressing her cheek to his chest. "Fast heartbeat."
Can't imagine why, William thought wryly, patting her on the back. Something was definitely off. A horrible suspicion began digging roots in his mind, and he reached for the pill bottle on her shelf. Why hadn't he thought to check the quantity before giving her any? The intensity of her pain had simply been too much for him to bear, wiping rational thought out of his brain. His heart plummeted to the floor when he shook the pills into his palm, counting twenty-six out of thirty. When William had lain her in her bed the night before, she'd been dead to the world, and he doubted that she'd had a dose before this morning. Which meant that the dose he'd given her had been an overdose. Crap. Panic seized him for an instant before a cool voice of reason told him that, aside from being stripped of her inhibitions, Beth didn't seem to be in danger. And since Beth was acting like a cat in heat at the moment, William was more likely the one at risk in the scenario.
"Why don't I make you something to eat?" he suggested, grasping her by the shoulders and pushing her off his leg.
Beth looked at him with cloudy eyes for a minute, then shook her head happily. "Shower."
William nodded. "Good idea. Maybe it'll clear your head."
Beth giggled. "You're funny."
"I get that a lot," he said dryly. "You have everything you need? A towel, clothing?" Please having clothing, he added mentally.
She absently grabbed a handful of clothes from her top drawer, hugged him around the waist, and danced off toward the bathroom.
William ransacked the cupboards and fridge - twice - with no luck. If Beth got something in her system besides drugs, maybe it would dilute the crazy a bit. Jenna had been right, though - there was nothing to eat. William finally found a battered-looking Cup-O-Noodles in a tiny cupboard he'd overlooked. He rummaged until he came up with a saucepan, filled it with water, and set it to boil on the stove. Peeling back the seal on the cup, he sat back against the counter with his arms folded to wait. A few minutes later, he caught movement at the periphery of his vision, and looked up.
At least she was wearing something. Beth wobbled toward him in an oversized t-shirt. Her dripping hair was pasted to her neck and shoulders, and her skin glistened with water droplets. Before he could be assaulted by any other sultry details, William turned hurriedly to the stove, barely noticing the water bubbling in the pot. He clicked off the burner, took the pot and soup to the sink, and dumped the water into the Styrofoam cup, burning his skin when it overflowed. Aggravated, he set the pot and the soup down in the sink, stiffening when Beth's damp form pressed up against his back. She wrapped her arms around him contentedly in a bear hug. Am I being punished for something? he thought desperately. Deftly, he unhooked her arms from around his middle and led her to the kitchen table, motioning her into a chair. She hopped up on the table instead, sitting on the edge with her legs dangling off, pulling a sigh from William. Clearly she hadn't dried off after her shower; her clothing was plastered suggestively to her skin, leaving little to the imagination. Locking his eyes on the far wall to keep them off Beth, William steered her into one of the kitchen chairs. Then he scooted her up to the table and placed the soup in front of her.
"Sit. Eat." he commanded. "Stay," he added in a menacing tone when Beth's eyes twinkled. He definitely couldn't handle her flitting over and attaching herself to him again.
"I'm thirsty," she sighed after a few bites.
William retrieved the glass from her room and set it forcefully down in front of her. Halfway through her soup, the giggling started in earnest. After several minutes of this, William decided it was time to put her back to bed. He would lock her in her room if he had to.
"Leprechaun!" she told him between fits of laughter. "A leprechaun swimming in my soup!"
Towing her up from the table by an arm, William led her to her room. Once inside he rummaged through drawers, banging the first one shut as it was clearly full of unmentionables. Finally he came up with a pair of sweat pants.
"Put these on," he instructed.
She obeyed, then stood up on her bed and began bouncing.
"There's the leprechaun again! See? He's after me Lucky Charms!"
William blew out a frustrated breath, then braced his hands on either side of her waist to stop her bouncing. Beth's eyes sparkled as she looked at him. Then, taking him completely by surprise, she ran her hands through his hair and planted a sound kiss on his lips. Her mouth was warm and salty, and William's hands tightened of their own volition. He couldn't help kissing her back; after all, how much self control could a poor chap really be expected to display in a situation like this? With great effort, he pulled away and looked into Beth's face. How he wished she wasn't hopped up on pain meds at the moment.
Her head lolled onto his shoulder. "I'm tired," she said, nuzzling William's neck. Blinking hard, he swept Beth's legs out from under her and laid her in bed. He mummified her in her blankets, tucking them tightly around her so she couldn't get out. When he straightened, her eyes were closed and a sweet smile had settled on her lips. Her warm, blushing, delicious lips…..
Pushing down the sensation that rose in his chest, he left her room and closed the door behind him. Then he plopped on the couch and let his head fall into his hands.
~:~
Two hours later, Jenna and Les glided through the front door, laughing and holding hands. Les froze when he took in the look on William's face.
"Uh-oh, what?"
William forced a polite expression. "Did B
eth, by chance, have any pain medication this morning, Jenna?"
Jenna bit her lip, fear taking over her face at once. "Crap. I gave her two when she got up."
"Mystery solved, then. I gave her two more right after you left."
Jenna's eyes widened. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. I, on the other hand……"
Jenna deflated. "She's loopy, isn't she?"
"Oh, just a bit. Seeing little green guys in her soup, prancing around with her clothes pasted to her freshly-showered skin, acting like a cat in heat…….you know, regular old Beth."
Jenna covered her mouth with a hand, no doubt to stifle laughter. "I'm so sorry, William!"
Les, on the other hand, didn't bother concealing his laughter in the slightest.
"You guys are fired," William muttered, grabbing his jacket and ripping the door open. "Have fun with the lunatic," he called scathingly before jerking the door shut after him.
POKER FACE
"If he fears me, why come hither? If he no longer cares for me, why silent?"
~Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice
The next day, Beth was sitting on the couch doing her math homework when someone knocked on the door. Her stomach dropped, but she opened the door anyway. William stood in the hall, looking hesitant.
"Hey," Beth greeted in an overly cheery tone, her eyes locked on William's face, "come in."
"Looks like you're feeling better," he observed warily as he stepped inside.
"Yeah," she agreed, nodding. "I think I just needed some sleep. Have a seat," she offered, plopping on the couch and indicating the space next to her.
He didn't. "How's the hand?" he asked, stooping down and reaching an arm out to Beth.
She splayed her fingers, hesitantly placing her hand in his. He gingerly turned it over and studied the stitches for a moment. They locked eyes, and then William placed Beth's hand back in her lap and leaned against the kitchen table.
"Looks like it hurts."
"Not too bad." An awkward lull passed, and Beth cleared her throat. "So, I had this…..really weird dream……about you. Well," she hurried on, "it wasn't about you exactly - you were in it - with me."
William just raised an eyebrow. "What happened? In the dream," he clarified when her eyes popped.
Beth tucked her hair behind her ear, unable to meet his eyes. "I kissed you?"
William suppressed his smile, blinking at Beth when she looked up.
Her face fell. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"
She made a tortured noise when his expression remained impassive. Her head fell into her hands and it took several minutes for her to rally.
"I'm…..so sorry," she said, finally meeting his eyes. "It was nice of you to take care of me, and that must've made you really uncomfortable."
William's face was expressionless. "You don't have to apologize, Beth. You weren't yourself."
The words should have eased her suffering, but they didn't. She had yet to confess the worst part. Closing her eyes, she forced the words out before she lost the nerve. "And then there was the part where I paraded around with no pants on…."
"Now that must've been a dream. I would remember."
Beth opened her eyes, letting out a captive breath and even laughing with relief. "Whew."
William smiled back, then dropped his eyes. In that instant Beth knew he was just being a gentleman.
William cleared his throat and then straightened. "So, I left some work stuff here the other day….."
Beth scrambled up off the couch. "Oh," she said, taken aback. And here she was thinking he had come to check on her again. How could she be so stupid? He'd probably stayed away as long as he possibly could. "Is this it?" she asked, holding up a nondescript manila folder.
"That's the one," he confirmed, taking it out of her hands and tapping it against his open palm. "Well, I'd better take care of this," he said, holding up the folder.
"Yeah, of course," Beth said, beating him to the door and pulling it open. Clearly, he didn't want to be in an enclosed space with her for any amount of time, understandably so. Still, she couldn't help feeling let down.
William manufactured a polite smile, dipping his head in farewell and brushing past Beth on his way to the door. "Take care of that hand," he said over his shoulder, his dark eyes locking on hers.
Beth nodded, trying to smile back, then leaned against the open door and watched him retreat down the hall. He was probably trying not to run.
"William?" she called out.
He turned back hesitantly.
"Thanks for taking care of me." She paused. "And for lying."
"I didn't -"
Beth held up a hand. "I think I know you well enough to recognize your poker face." She laughed sadly. "I'll think of a way to make it up to you, okay?"
He watched her quietly.
"One that doesn't involve spending time with me, obviously," she added.
Plunging his free hand into his pocket, he trained his eyes on the floor and made his way slowly back. He leaned against the outside of the door frame, close enough to make Beth's pulse pick up. Looking at Beth from under his lashes with smoldering eyes, he said, "You think that's what I want?"
Beth couldn't answer. Her heart hammered too hard to allow for words.
William tipped her chin up with a finger, until she had no choice but to look him in the eye. "You don't know me as well as you think."
She tried to steady her breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The last thing she needed was a heaving bosom while she tried to appear chaste and in her right mind.
William dropped his hand, then began backing down the hall. "Feel better, sweetheart," he said, his tone shaded just a bit with Han Solo arrogance. Then he winked and jogged down the stairs and out of sight.
Beth went back inside, shutting the door and collapsing against it. What was she supposed to get out of that? He wanted payment, but maybe in the form of a check? He wanted to spend time with her? Surely not. Not after the way she'd behaved. Or rather, misbehaved. One thing was certain: William was a jigsaw puzzle. And each time she sat down to complete the picture, the pieces simply multiplied.
GREEN-EYED MONSTER
"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil….."
~Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice
For Beth, the following week was filled with pain killers, failed attempts at doing everything one-handed, and preparations for finals. She decided to take a break from guitar until after the holidays, which turned out to be necessary anyway due to her injury. Jenna had been around more often, for which Beth was grateful. William hadn't shown his face at all.
On the Friday before finals week, Beth's sister Lindy came to visit. Beth's parents had decided to tour England for Christmas this year, and so Lindy was coming to 'check out the campus,' which was Lindy-speak for 'check out the local male wildlife.'
As Beth ascended Longbourn's stairs she was attacked by a beast barreling down the steps toward her. The beast had a crisp mane of wild curls, bright green eyes, and a tan that one only obtained after a sizeable time investment at the tanning salon.
"Bethy! You're home - I've been waiting for, like, ev-er."
Beth extricated herself from her baby sister. "I told you I wouldn't be out of class until one-thirty," she chided, sounding effortlessly maternal and exasperated at the same time. She affectionately rapped her knuckles against Lindy's forehead.
"Patience was never your virtue, was it? Where's your stuff?"
"Already inside," Lindy bounced. "Your RAs let me in."
"Come on, you maniac," Beth said, feeling lighthearted as she led Lindy back up the stairs.
Once inside room 204, Beth put down her backpack and gave her sister a once-over. "Lindy, you do realize it's December?"
"And?" Lindy asked, looking down. She wore a spaghetti strap belly shirt and low-rise jeans. There was a good amount of skin showing between the two.
Beth gasped. "
Is that -"
"You noticed!" Lindy exclaimed, toying with her navel ring.
Beth tried to wipe the disgust off her face. "Do mom and dad know?"
"Mom knows - she took me to get one. And she got one too! It's our little secret, though, you can't tell dad."
Beth rolled her eyes, turning to help Lindy unpack her bag. "They're married, Lind. I'm fairly sure dad has already noticed."
Lindy snorted. "Whatever. Mom and dad haven't done it for ages!"
"Ew." Beth wrinkled her nose. "I don't even want to know how you know that. Anyway, you can't dress like that here, Lind. There are rules about bare midriffs."
"But it's Friday, Bethy," Lindy pouted.
"What can I say, kiddo? Morals never sleep."
Beth handed Lindy a sweatshirt from her suitcase and she grumpily pulled it on. "So, what are we doing tonight?"
Beth raked her bedraggled hair into a low ponytail. "We could get some takeout and watch a movie?"
"Beth, you act like you're forty or something. Come ooooooon," Lindy moaned. "I've been so excited about this trip for ages, and you want to stay home like a couple of spinsters?"
Beth gritted her teeth. How could her sister be pinching her last nerve after ten minutes? This was going to be a long two weeks. Wilting at the thought, Beth grabbed a soda out of the fridge. As she did so, her eye fell on a small white card that was trapped under a magnet, and she brightened on the spot.
"Hold that thought, Lindy. Let me just make a call."
~:~
When they arrived at the Malt Shop twenty minutes later, it was crowded - hardly surprising for a Friday night. Beth had called Denny as soon as her eye landed on the card he'd given her at camp all those months ago. She'd told him Lindy was visiting and he had taken it from there. Beth would've been content with his taking Lindy out alone, but he'd insisted on Beth coming and suggested bringing one of his rescue buddies along to even things out.
Pride's Prejudice Page 9
