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The knock was almost lost within the sound of the storm raging outside. It took Adelaide a while to even register that someone was knocking on the door, she thought at first it had just been something getting knocked around by the wind.
Carefully, she cracked the door so as not to get the floors wet. The strength of the wind surprised her more than the person on her porch. Will was standing there, soaking wet and seemingly only mildly inconvenienced by the weather.
“The weather’s shit and Thomas isn’t home. Can I come in?”
Of fucking course Will would be out in this nasty weather.
He flashed a grin to say please. It wasn’t as nearly as effective as it would have been if he had been dry. Although, he looked good. She admitted to herself that maybe the wet clothes were helping his case more than hurting it.
“I wasn’t not going to let you in, you know.” She said as she went down the hall to get him a towel.
With a flick of her wrist she sent the towel flying towards him. He caught it sloppily, fumbled for a moment, and then dropped it.
“Jeez, my coordination is still a little fucked.”
“You’re still hurt from the wreck?”
Thinking about the wreck had been something she’d done a lot, and she wasn’t even in it. She just hated the thought of someone like Will getting hurt. Sure, he was athletic and adventurous, but he was like a cat who always landed on his feet.
“Yeah, I’m working on getting back into things with my PT still.”
“I had no idea things were that bad.”
She moved closer to try and minimize the space between them. Gently, she placed a perfectly-manicured hand on his back. He was wet and cold to the touch. To help comfort him and warm him up she started moving her hand on his back a bit. It felt awkward, but he leaned towards her slightly. They stayed like that until her arm got tired.
“Let me know if you need any help, seriously.”
“Thanks, that’s cool of you. I might take you up on that one day.”
Her shock with his response was thinly veiled. It was no secret that Will had grown colder, riskier and more distant after the accident. She wouldn’t have expected him to admit to needing help before he was hurt, forget after. There was just something in the air that night that brought out a different side of Will. She found herself staring a little at him for a little too long.
Her eyes flickered from the birthmark on his neck, to his face, still damp with rainwater. Light from the old chandelier above played a symphony on his face. It illuminated the most beautiful parts of him, his long lashes and strong nose. His lips looked softer. The thick eyebrows that made Will look tough and angry instead looked strong yet caring. His eyes were a deep brown, even in the light. She was too busy admiring them to realize he was staring back with equal enthrallment.
He reached out and held the her cheek in his hand. His hands were still a little calloused, but shaky.
“Seriously, just thank you.” He whispered.
Everything about him in this moment was soft, vulnerable, loving even. His lips, his eyes, his gestures. She reciprocated this tenderness.
She knew she probably shouldn’t have been opening herself up to him like this. At the time it felt right. It was one of those moments where a lot was forgotten. Soon, she realized, the storm would let up and he would walk over to his house. A week later, school would start up again. By tomorrow, she was sure they would both pretend none of this had ever happened. Trying not to think about this too much, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, doing her best to try and savor the moment. She wouldn’t forget this, the way he looked, the way she felt, the things they said and didn’t say. Although, she didn’t particularly want to remember it well either.