“Absolutely. I have work the next five days, but let’s make dinner here on Saturday night and then we can jam a little. What do you think?”
“Yes, let’s do that.” He walked over and stood between my legs, running his hands up my thighs. I took a deep breath and placed my hands over his. “I have to get in the shower,” I whispered.
“How ‘bout a bath?” he said, arching his eyebrows.
I smiled shyly and shook my head.
“Have a good day then. I’ll see you later.” And then he made kissy lips, so I leaned in and gave him a peck.
“You too.”
He lifted me off the counter and then smacked my butt as I walked away. I huffed and pretended it annoyed me while I tried unsuccessfully to hide the permanent grin on my face.
Wednesday afternoon Jenny called me drunk from her honeymoon in Cozumel, wanting to know what had happened to Will after the wedding, so I filled her in on the details.
“What? You’re kidding me? For Dustin? What the hell was that girl thinking? Well at least the door is open for you to jump his bones.” Her voice was slurred.
“There will be no bone-jumping, Jenny. We’re friends and I’m really starting to feel close to him. I want it this way… for a long time.”
“Okay girl, whatever you say. Tyler and I are workin’ on babies over here, so you better put on your auntie pants,” she said, giggling. I could hear Tyler in the background telling her to hang up.
“I love you guys. Have fun!”
On Saturday when I got home from Kell’s, Will was already cooking. He was making my favorite pasta dish. I noticed there was wine on the counter and one of my father’s Nick Drake albums was playing softly in the background. We sat at the table and ate while we talked about our week; being with him that way felt like home. Will always had a handful of interesting bar stories to share. I told him about Jenny and Tyler trying for a baby and that led into an unexpected conversation.
“That’s awesome—they love each other,” he said and it seemed that simple to him, just like it was that simple to Jenny and Tyler.
“Well, they’ve only been together for a few months; they haven’t even lived together,” I argued.
“Listen, my sister was married for ten years before she and her husband decided to have a kid. They were divorced three months after the baby was born. You never know—it’s a crapshoot, a leap of faith.”
“No such thing,” I said with a wry smile.
“How can you say that? You can’t predict how others will behave in certain situations.”
“Cause and effect. The decisions we make for ourselves have the most impact on where we end up in the future. Your sister should have seen the signs, or maybe she did and that’s why she waited ten years to have a kid. It’s not a crapshoot, the writing’s on the wall long before we take that so-called leap of faith.”
“The problem with that theory is that you are assuming everyone is a perfect judge of character. The leap of faith is giving it a chance and not projecting your own crap on someone else because you’re afraid of failing.” It was the first time Will had ever really talked seriously to me about life and even though we were talking about other people, I knew he was referring to me.
“Well, what about you? Why haven’t you signed a deal yet?” I said, arching my eyebrows.
“I’m glad you brought that up. I’m scheduled to go into the studio to cut the demo next week. Can you make it in there on Thursday to lay down that piano track we worked on?”
“Yes, definitely,” I said. “Forward progress, Will… keep making it.”
He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. I thought for a second that I’d offended him and then he said, “I have a show tomorrow night at Dropzone; do you want to come and play?” He looked hopeful but poised for rejection. I waited twenty seconds before answering.
“Okay,” I said in a low voice.
“Really?” He stood up from the table, grabbed my face with both hands, and planted a hard, close-mouthed kiss on my lips.
“Will!” I protested.
“Lighten up, Mia. Come on, let’s practice.”
We played music into the wee hours of the morning, eventually narrowing down our set list for the show. Before heading to bed, I decided to take a shower. Through the frosted shower curtain I watched Will walk into the bathroom, brush his teeth, and then turn and lean against the counter. He crossed his feet and arms and put his head down into Will’s standard I’m being respectful posture.
“Hey… do you need me to wash your hair or your back or anything?” I could hear mischief in his voice.
“Nope,” I said, shutting off the water. I wrapped myself in a towel, flung the curtain open, and stepped out. I paused and turned as I walked out the door. Grabbing his face in my hand, I leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Thanks for asking, though. Night, buddy.”