Chapter 27 #2
Elowyn was flushed and breathless, her hair falling into her eyes as she tried to keep him pinned, but he was like a giant slippery lizard- shifting, sliding, and rolling beneath her weight with infuriating ease.
"Stop laughing!" she hissed, trying to gain some leverage, but he just wiggled his shoulders, sending her sliding to the side.
"I can't help it!" he shrieked, cackling as he let her land a soft, clumsy hit on his shoulder. "Is this the grand finale? The big takedown? I'm shaking, I'm absolutely trembling!"
Elowyn held him there, thinking she successfully contained the man, while William laid there with a smirk playing on his lips, looking up at her furious, red-faced expression.
"Okay, okay," he said, his voice dropping into a mock-serious tone as he caught his breath, his eyes still dancing with mischief.
"Truce. The beast has conquered. Now are you going to tell me what she actually said after you told her that, or are you going to keep trying to maul me until the neighbors call the police?"
"Will you stop making fun of me?" Elowyn panted.
"I wasn't making fun of you Ellie," William sighed, gesturing for the girl to get off him. "I'm just concerned for my wellbeing, because if Seraphina finds out I'm the one behind all this- I'm a dead man walking."
"About that..."
"No," the color drained from William's face. "Elowyn please, please tell me she doesn't know."
"Okay, she doesn't know."
"You're lying!"
"You told me to tell you that!" Elowyn gasped.
William threw himself back on the floor, letting out a small, dry laugh that sounded more like a gasp for air.
"This is it for me. I might as well cherish every moment I'm breathing, because I won't be soon," he whimpered dramatically. "I was so close to being able to afford my own apartment. But none of that matters now."
He turned to his side, admiring the sight of the trees blowing in the wind outside.
"I guess the saying really is true, you never know what you have until you lose it," Will curled into a ball.
"But despite all of this, I love you Ellie. I really do. And it's not your fault, I should have been more clear," he turned to look at Elowyn who was giving him the most judgmental look.
"I leave my assets to you. Buy all the Legos you want. Get a new video game, purchase new books. Treat yourself, okay?" He took the girl's hand in his, staring deeply into her hazel eyes.
"You're insane," Elowyn scrunched her nose, snatching her hand away. "She's not going to kill you, you weirdo."
"Oh but she is Elowyn. I can actively feel my life slipping through my fingertips. She probably already hired the assassin, unless she wants to watch the light leave my eyes herself. I wouldn't doubt it if she did."
William let out another dramatic, dying gasp, but it cut short the moment his curiosity won out.
"Okay, my funeral plans can wait," he said, grabbing his polish and tapping his fingers against the floor in a rapid, impatient rhythm. "I need the rest of the story. Right now. If she really is going to hunt me down, I'd better at least know the full, excruciating details of the conversation."
"Okay," Elowyn picked up from where she had left off in the story. "After that I told her I need to check my heart rate when I touch her-"
"Um..." she looked down, feeling her face begin to heat up. Which made William let out a small squeal once he noticed it.
"You're blushing again!"
"No, I'm not," Elowyn scoffed. "It's just hot in here. Global warming is affecting everything."
"Global warming my ass. You're in a damn house, Elowyn."
"Sorry," Elowyn sighed, now feeling bad for telling the lie.
"It's fine babe," William chuckled, then got more serious. "So what did she do to get you all flustered like this?"
"She asked if my heart doesn't beat fast when we're just together. Then she flipping cornered me."
"She cornered you?" William asked, trying to conceal his excitement.
"Yes! I was like a trapped prey waiting to be eaten!"
"I'm sure she's waiting for that too," William smirked.
"What?"
"Nothing," the man waved it off. "So did you feel scared? Or did you like it?"
"I wasn't scared because I knew she wouldn't hurt me. It felt like she was doing sorcery of some sort."
"Oh, sure," William stated sarcastically. "Sorcery is to blame for all this."
"I'm glad you agree," Elowyn nodded seriously.
"Okay, continue," Will laughed.
"While I was cornered, she asked if I still needed to touch her. But in a weird voice."
"What do you mean by a weird voice?"
"It wasn't her normal voice. She was speaking slower and more... husky? I don't know," Elowyn shrugged, ready to brush it off, but tilted her head when Will suddenly stopped his work on her nails.
?"Jesus take the wheel," he whispered.
"Maybe she had a sore throat?" Elowyn thought out loud.
?"Elowyn," he said, his tone completely calm. "That is not a sore throat. That is not sorcery."
?
"Then what is it?"
?
William leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face inches from hers as his signature chaotic energy rushed right back into his eyes.
"That, my innocent little pip-squeak, is what we call the voice. The low register. The heavy artillery. She wasn't just asking you a question, Ellie-she was flirting with you."
?
"She was not," Elowyn objected, though she could feel that annoying heat creeping right back up her neck. "She was just talking."
?
"Slower? Husky? While you were cornered against a wall?"
William shrieked softly, throwing his hands up before immediately grabbing her wrist again to pull her hand back into his lap.
"You don't deploy the husky voice for casual conversation about the weather! Keep going. What did you say after she used the voice?"
"I ran away."
"I get it. That woman really does have a piercing stare. If I were standing there, practically being pinned by Seraphina Monroe and she dropped her voice into that register, I'd be halfway to the next state the next minute."
?He leaned back on his heels, a wicked smirk finally cutting through his serious expression.
"But let's be real about what you're dealing with. It's not just a vibe- it's biology. An older woman in her thirties? When the ovulation cycle is in full swing? That's when the 'crazy' comes out. They stop playing games. They don't wait for you to make a move- they just hunt.
It makes you feel like you're being sized up for a meal."
?He tapped his chin, looking at Elowyn with a glint of challenge in his eyes. "So, you ran. Fine. That's the survivor instinct talking. But now that you're safe here on the couch, are you actually going to keep running next time, or are you finally going to let her catch you?"
"What are you talking about?!" Elowyn asked. "Who said anything about ovulation?!"
"I used context clues. And based on what you told me, she either has really good self control 24/7 and had a little slip up, or she was ovulating."
"You got all that from her voice being weird?" Elowyn said, completely unimpressed.
"Ellie, at this point her voice change might as well have been a mating call."
"William!" Elowyn scolded, her face now completely flushed.
"I'm just saying," he fluffed his hair.
Elowyn shook her head then continued to tell the story, this time with minimal interruptions from Will. She told him about the phone number exchange, all the way to Seraphina leaving her house after their movie night, and when she was done, William looked like he was about to cry.
"What's wrong with your face," Elowyn pointed out. "This wasn't supposed to be a sad story."
"No, it truly wasn't," William dramatically wiped at his eyes. "These are tears of joy, little one."
"Stop calling me little," Elowyn scowled, ready to tackle the man again.
"Sorry. I'm just so happy you guys are basically dating now."
"I never said anything about dating."
"I used my context clues again."
"Your context clues are stupid."
Taking her hand out of Will's grasp, Elowyn stood up with a sigh. "I'm going to get my apple juice."
"Wait!" Willaim scrambled after her. "I have one last thing to teach you before Seraphina gets here!"
Elowyn checked the wall clock, her mind drifting back to the text she'd sent Seraphina about the coat left in her room, to which the woman responded saying she could pick it up during her lunch break- if it was okay with Elowyn.
"I want my apple juice," the girl frowned.
"You can get your apple juice after this life lesson."
"What life lesson?"
"I need to teach you how to be discreet since you're a bit... direct. And this is just a general life lesson, don't go testing this on anyone."
"Okay," Elowyn agreed. Mostly because she was curious.
"Let's begin. Quickly, " William moved to the sofa. "Being straightforward is good. Great, even. But in certain situations, discretion is necessary."
Elowyn sat on the floor across from him, on the opposite side of the coffee table listening intently.
"Situation number one. Let's say we are sitting in a restaurant and I say that I think the guy behind you is cute. Show me what you would do."
Elowyn immediately turned her whole body one hundred eighty degrees and stared directly behind her.
"That is exactly what you don't do," William reached into his bag, pulling out a pair of sunglasses that he immediately put on. "Let me show you how it's done. I want you to tell me that there is a cute guy behind me."
"There is a cute guy behind you."
"Really?" He gasped.
"No," Elowyn eyed the empty space behind the man.
"Ellie," William laughed. "You're supposed to say yes. We're role-playing right now. Let's start from the top."
"There is a cute guy behind you."
?William didn't turn his head. Instead, he reached for his imaginary drink, his fingers brushing against the rim of the glass as he let out a soft, appreciative hum.
As he brought the invisible glass to his lips, he tilted his head ever so slightly to the left, catching a glimpse of the 'room' behind him in the reflection of a nearby picture frame.