finger
off. He had certainly distracted her - but was that good or bad for
him? Over the past two months he had put careful distance between Beth
and himself. Though he still thought about her several times a day, the
compulsion to show up at Longbourn had finally weakened, just a bit. When
Jenna and Les had invited him along tonight, he thought, why not? It's
been months - maybe she will have gotten ugly in that time. Then he'd
walked into her kitchen and seen her looking all domestic and charming, and all
his hard-earned Beth sobriety went to pot.
Les
pulled the truck into Longbourn's parking lot, and William pulled Beth out of
the truck and into his arms before anyone could stop him. Beth herself
was unconscious, and didn't have a say in the matter. The three of them
climbed the stairs and Jenna held the door open.
William
paused before stepping in, eyebrows raised. "Curfew?"
Jenna
glanced slyly at the RA door. "We still have a few minutes.
Just be quick."
William
swept past her into the entry, up the stairs, and into the girls' dorm.
Jenna motioned to the right, and William stepped into Beth's dark room.
Jenna cleared Beth's bed of text books and papers with a one-armed sweep, and
then retreated out the door. William laid his charge gingerly on the bed
like a doll - she hadn't moved since morphine had won the battle in the
truck. He shimmied the covers out from under her and folded them over her
still form. Dark hair tangled across her face, and he pulled it carefully
away with his fingers. After watching her for a moment, he bent down and
gingerly took her bandaged hand in his.
"I'm
sorry," he breathed, murmuring the confession into her mummified finger,
appealing directly to the injured party for forgiveness. Then he tenderly
situated Beth's bare arm under her covers and hovered there, unwilling to break
the physical contact.
Jenna's
soft voice sounded from the doorway. "It's curfew," she said
apologetically, and William knew she'd been standing there all along. Not
that it mattered. Les and Jenna both knew how he felt about Beth.
Before leaving the room, William paused in front of Jenna. "I'll be
over tomorrow," he promised.
UNINHIBITED
"His
avoidance, and her pursuit, with the probable intoxication of both, was an
amusing scene."
~Jane
Austen
William
knocked softly at room 204, obeying when he was beckoned inside.
Les
and Jenna sat on the couch, a tangle of jeaned legs and twined fingers.
"How's
the invalid?" William asked, wondering idly if they'd been making out two
seconds earlier. Well, not really wondering - it was a certainty.
"Sleeping,"
Jenna informed him, not taking her eyes from Les. "She got up to use
the bathroom a few minutes ago and fell right back into bed."
William
nodded. "Well, I know you two had plans today, so I thought I'd
offer to spell you off."
"That's
okay -" Les had begun, abruptly silenced by a look from Jenna.
"We'd
love for you to take over," she accepted sweetly. "I'm
starving, and we need to go grocery shopping."
Les
obviously had no clue that his angelic girlfriend was capable of deviance and
scheming. But as the intrigue benefited William, he didn't object.
"Should
we bring you something back?" Jenna asked, donning her coat and slinging
her purse over a shoulder.
"Nah,
I already ate."
"Okay,
we'll see you later then!" Jenna sang, giving William a significant
look before pulling Les out the door.
Once
alone, William sat down on the couch, propping a leg up on the coffee
table. He opened the portfolio he'd brought with him, deciding to get
some work done while Beth slept.
About
five minutes later, muffled breathing and whimpering sounded from Beth's room.
Carefully, William cracked open her door and looked in. She was tossing
around on her mattress, her brows knit together in a scowl. Stepping
inside the room, he knelt by her bedside and brushed the hair off her
forehead. As he did so, he
off. He had certainly distracted her - but was that good or bad for
him? Over the past two months he had put careful distance between Beth
and himself. Though he still thought about her several times a day, the
compulsion to show up at Longbourn had finally weakened, just a bit. When
Jenna and Les had invited him along tonight, he thought, why not? It's
been months - maybe she will have gotten ugly in that time. Then he'd
walked into her kitchen and seen her looking all domestic and charming, and all
his hard-earned Beth sobriety went to pot.
Les
pulled the truck into Longbourn's parking lot, and William pulled Beth out of
the truck and into his arms before anyone could stop him. Beth herself
was unconscious, and didn't have a say in the matter. The three of them
climbed the stairs and Jenna held the door open.
William
paused before stepping in, eyebrows raised. "Curfew?"
Jenna
glanced slyly at the RA door. "We still have a few minutes.
Just be quick."
William
swept past her into the entry, up the stairs, and into the girls' dorm.
Jenna motioned to the right, and William stepped into Beth's dark room.
Jenna cleared Beth's bed of text books and papers with a one-armed sweep, and
then retreated out the door. William laid his charge gingerly on the bed
like a doll - she hadn't moved since morphine had won the battle in the
truck. He shimmied the covers out from under her and folded them over her
still form. Dark hair tangled across her face, and he pulled it carefully
away with his fingers. After watching her for a moment, he bent down and
gingerly took her bandaged hand in his.
"I'm
sorry," he breathed, murmuring the confession into her mummified finger,
appealing directly to the injured party for forgiveness. Then he tenderly
situated Beth's bare arm under her covers and hovered there, unwilling to break
the physical contact.
Jenna's
soft voice sounded from the doorway. "It's curfew," she said
apologetically, and William knew she'd been standing there all along. Not
that it mattered. Les and Jenna both knew how he felt about Beth.
Before leaving the room, William paused in front of Jenna. "I'll be
over tomorrow," he promised.
UNINHIBITED
"His
avoidance, and her pursuit, with the probable intoxication of both, was an
amusing scene."
~Jane
Austen
William
knocked softly at room 204, obeying when he was beckoned inside.
Les
and Jenna sat on the couch, a tangle of jeaned legs and twined fingers.
"How's
the invalid?" William asked, wondering idly if they'd been making out two
seconds earlier. Well, not really wondering - it was a certainty.
"Sleeping,"
Jenna informed him, not taking her eyes from Les. "She got up to use
the bathroom a few minutes ago and fell right back into bed."
William
nodded. "Well, I know you two had plans today, so I thought I'd
offer to spell you off."
"That's
okay -" Les had begun, abruptly silenced by a look from Jenna.
"We'd
love for you to take over," she accepted sweetly. "I'm
starving, and we need to go grocery shopping."
Les
obviously had no clue that his angelic girlfriend was capable of deviance and
scheming. But as the intrigue benefited William, he didn't object.
"Should
we bring you something back?" Jenna asked, donning her coat and slinging
her purse over a shoulder.
"Nah,
I already ate."
"Okay,
we'll see you later then!" Jenna sang, giving William a significant
look before pulling Les out the door.
Once
alone, William sat down on the couch, propping a leg up on the coffee
table. He opened the portfolio he'd brought with him, deciding to get
some work done while Beth slept.
About
five minutes later, muffled breathing and whimpering sounded from Beth's room.
Carefully, William cracked open her door and looked in. She was tossing
around on her mattress, her brows knit together in a scowl. Stepping
inside the room, he knelt by her bedside and brushed the hair off her
forehead. As he did so, he
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