Page 18 of Fallin' for You (The Echo of Love)

“I know, darling.” he whispered in

to her hair, and the words served as a breaking point. She hid her head into the crook of his neck and wept.

~

“Ari?’ Will said after a while, breaking the quiet that had settled upon them after Aria’s breakdown.

She had cried for what felt like forever, big, devastating tears sliding down her face and soaking up Will’s shirt, grief that made no sound and yet told a thousand words at the same time.

But even those eventually stopped, and the weight that had been lying on her chest for the past years, gave a little. It was still there, of course, would probably be there for the rest of her life, but it seemed to her that it was now a bit easier to bear, at least in his arms.

“Yes?” she said while forcing herself to rise her head from his shoulder and move away a bit so she could see him.

“Are you alright?’ he asked, and Aria unable to stop it, let out a small giggle at the question.

“Right. That was a very stupid question.” Will said and shook his head, his stubbed cheeks pinking up a bit in shame.

“No, it’s fine.” she snorted with a small smile, “I am okay now. Thank you for staying with me.”

“Of course. I couldn’t just leave you there, especially after being the one to cause your distress. I am sorry for that; I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

Aria nodded once and then got up to put her shirt back on, realizing that she was still half-naked, as cold air made goose bumps erupt over her skin once she was outside the warmth of William’s presence.

“So…” Will said once she was dressed, as he stood in the middle of the bathroom and looked at everything else except her, looking much younger than his years, so insecure at what to do now that his comfort wasn’t needed anymore.

Aria sighed, and stepped closer to him, catching his eyes that finally slid up to hers, and then extended her hand toward him.

“Friends?” she said, silently telling him that that was all she had to offer at that moment and hoping that he would understand.

Will stared at her hand for a long moment before he slowly nodded and took it, his much larger one almost swallowing hers in its grip.

“Friends.” he said, the unspoken ‘for now’ hovering in the air between them like a silent promise.

Just friends

“How much longer do you have till the end of your shift?” Will asked her, as they finally left the bathroom, the sounds of speakers blasting and people having a good time drowning out his voice so much that he had to practically yell the question into her ear.

She looked at him with one eyebrow raised, before asking why he wanted to know.

“Friends give each other rides home, don’t they?” he said as Aria looked down to her feet, while biting her bottom lip, a frown forming between her brows.

Will started regretting asking her that, thinking that he was already coming on too strong, even though he had promised her to take things easy, but after everything he had learned that night, the idea of her walking home alone through the deserted streets made his stomach roll in dread.

But then she stepped a bit closer, propped herself on her toes and whispered into his ear, “I finish at two.”

He managed to stop the smile that was threatening to spill across his face and just nodded, watching her walk off to take her place behind the bar.

He started his way back to the VIP booth but the thought of Jenna waiting to paw over him stopped him in his tracks. He wasn’t in the least bit interested in her even at the beginning of the night when he thought that there was no chance for Aria and he, but now, just the thought of anyone but her touching him made him slightly ill.

It didn’t matter to him that they weren’t in a relationship and that, if he chose to, he could be with someone else, because at the end of the day, he didn’t want to be with anyone but her.

And, maybe they will get there some day, and maybe they won’t, but whatever does happen he will not jeopardize it for something as stupid as meaningless sex.

So, he changed his direction and started toward the exit, deciding to go and get something to eat before he had to come back to pick up Aria.

~

Will woke up to the sound of someone banging on the front door.

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