Afraid of Losing You {AcornTree}

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Not that it had been too unexpected, but when Hope made it to the little restaurant that she decided to head to- just a small little place that served sandwiches and other foods of the sorts-, she hadn't eaten too much of any of her meal. Only a few bites here and there of her sandwich before she just continued to sit at the table outside to take in the fresh air for the time being, listening in on other people's conversations every once in a while when someone would walk by or sit at a nearby table. They all seemed so... Happy, and it bothered her because she wanted to be like that. As best as she could, she tried to push the thought aside, and she tried to forget about the fact that William had cancer. Again, it was easier said than done, but, at least, her mind had been temporarily taken away from the matter when she had gotten a phone call from her mother. The woman raddled on about her day and the past week since they hadn't talked with one another in a long while. And Hope told her how she was doing, excluding the events that happened with William because she figured that that was something that they didn't need to know, yet. But regardless of all of that, her mother caught the hint that something was wrong, the only thing indicating that to Hope being the fact that her mother's tone changed into one that she remembered having always been pointed at her when her mother knew she was upset about something yet refused to talk about it.

"I'm fine, mom," she insisted, even bringing out an exasperated sigh to put the point further, though when she thought about it she knew that the sigh hadn't been forced in the least bit. "I'm just tired, and work's been a little rough." The conversation hadn't lasted much longer, her mother only then muttering something about how her work wasn't really work and that she probably really had nothing to complain about, something that Hope rolled her eyes to bit said nothing about it because she knew how pointless that would be. But then, suddenly her mother had brought up something that Hope had nearly forgotten about, something that, honestly bothered her.

"So, have you two decided whether or not you want to come to the cottage during the summer?"

There was a pause that came to Hope, her eyes widening a bit as her mouth hung open. "Um... I don't know, mom. We still have to wait and see what's going to happen." Oh yes, they were certainly going to have to wait and see what would happen. The thought made her throat go dry, it made a lump form in her throat then but she shook her head. "I'll let you know when we have things figured out though."

After a quick goodbye, and after throwing her trash away, Hope headed back to the studio and went back to work as best as she could. She was still distracted, but she tried her best to delve into the work, the hours going by quicker than she had thought. But once it was time for her to go she quickly rose from her chair, stretched, and then headed out, mentioning that she would be back in the morning and that she would actually be on time tomorrow. Besides, she had a meeting with a client anyway, so there was no way that she could be late. A sort of anxiousness started to form in her, though, on the drive home. William, she realized, hadn't sent her a text to let her know that he had made it back to the apartment yet. Had he made it back? She bit her lip at the thought, her heart beginning to pound in her chest when that realization dawned on her. Just calm down, she told herself. He was fine, he just had to be. Maybe he was still on the trails. Her eyes peeked up to look at the sky, catching note that, while the sun was still in the sky, it would soon start its descent in a few hours and there was no way he would be on the trails so late. Right?

Her foot got a little heavier on the gas pedal as she sped through the streets, trying to get back to the complex as quickly as she could without getting a ticket, and when she finally made it there she shifted in her seat a bit as she went over to the spot that was normally hers. And, right next to it, was William's motorcycle. Oh, thank God. Hope let out a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding, and when she parked the car she leaned forward and rested her head on the steering wheel again, trying to shake the little tremors that were in her hands. Just calm down; he was there, nothing was wrong. Still, that didn't settle the anger in her over the fact that he hadn't texted her.

After she regained her composure, she headed up the stairs to their apartment, grabbing her keys and the unlocking the door shortly after. As soon as she opened the door she could hear the sounds of the keyboard, the sound honestly making her stop before she stepped into the apartment to lock the door behind her, her eyes instantly going over to William who sat in front of the keyboard with his fingers playing over the keys, Jazzy sitting right behind him though she picked her head up when she saw Hope come in the door, her tail wagging behind her before she turned her attention back to the bone she was working on. "Hey," she said, trying her best to keep the tension out of her voice as she gave William a smile. Really, she was happy to see him, and she was happy to see that he looked completely fine, like normal William, but... He didn't tell her that he had made it back safely, and while she knew that she would have been upset about him not doing that regardless of the situation, she knew that her paranoia and anger was only risen a little higher because of his condition.

Shaking her head, though, she pulled her purse from her shoulder and walked over to the kitchen, smelling the food that was being cooked in the oven. "What are you making? It smells good."
 
William had simply forgotten to text Hope when he had made it back safely. He had been intent on getting dinner ready, and then had allowed himself the distraction of his keyboard. He had no inkling that she might be mad at him when she came home. He turned to look at her when Hope said hello, and he smiled at her. "Hey!" he said back, stopping the song half way and then standing. He came over to her as she went to the kitchen, moving to give her cheek a kiss as he pulled her closer to him with one arm around her waist.

"Lasagna tonight. I suddenly had a hankering." He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not, but he was actually looking forward to food for once, instead of forcing himself to eat. He only hoped that it would last until it was finished. Making it only to lose his appetite would not only be annoying, but might also hurt him a little bit. "How was the rest of work?" He inquired. Since he was already over at the kitchen, he let Hope go to check on the lasagna. It still had some time left in the oven though, and he straightened again afterwards.
 
Before she was able to completely get into the kitchen to check and see what he had put in the oven, William had already made it to her, stopping her by wrapping an arm around her waist as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. Hope turned her head to look in his direction when he pulled back, smiling at him when she noticed the actual smile that was apparent upon his lips, especially when he mentioned what he was making and the fact that he actually wanted to eat something. That was a good thing. Of course, in reality it only meant that the cancer was allowing him to eat for the time being, but she wanted to believe that this was a really good sign; if he wanted to eat now, maybe he could beat all of this. But she knew better than to pin her hopes on the simple fact that he wanted to eat something right now, because she knew that quickly something could change and she knew that he may just as easily lose the appetite. But, she refused to bring that matter up, and instead nodded her head and gave him a little smile.

"Work was fine." She shrugged her shoulders to him before she turned and went into the kitchen, herself heading over to the oven so that she could take a peek inside to see how well it all was cooking. She pulled back a bit as the heat of the oven rushed to her face, causing her to scrunch her expression up before she closed the oven back up and looked back over to William. "All I did was sit in front of the computer all day working on photos and looking over a few more things. I"ll probably be doing the same thing tomorrow as well to try and finish things up, but I've also got a client to meet up with as well tomorrow so that could be interesting." She didn't want to tell him about the fact that while she sat in front of the computer she continued to think about him, and the fact that his picture made her cry, because she didn't want to bring any sadness to this. Happiness. That was all this was supposed to be about. No telling him that she hadn't been able to concentrate at work because of him, and no yelling at him because of the fact that he hadn't texted her when he got back from the hike. That could be swept under the bridge for now.

Scratching at the back of her neck, she spoke back up to him, hesitating almost but she knew that it had to come out, "I... I don't have to go in on Friday. So long as I finish up things at the studio before then anyway, but I know I'll be able to finish everything up." So, even if his parents were there, she would still be there with him all Friday to be there for him. She didn't have to tell her boss why she wanted off, but because of the vacation days she had saved up she had some time that she could take off, so long as nothing client based happened anyway. "But anyway, how was your day? How was the hike? Jazzy seems pretty wiped out from everything so it must have been a good one."
 
William glanced sideways at Hope when she said she didn't have to go in on Friday. Honestly, he was relieved, and he nodded. "Okay, great." He answered. He brushed his hair out of his face and then leaned back against the counter as Hope asked him how his day was. William nodded again.

"It was great." He enthused. "The hike was beautiful. Its too bad you couldn't have been there. I'm not sure the picture I sent could do it justice. I haven't hiked that particular trail in a while, so it was really nice." Tomorrow he'd go down to the river and then into town, since he couldn't kayak. Or shouldn't, rather. "It was pretty easy, but it was also fairly long. Jazzy's little legs could hardly keep up towards the end." He smiled as he glanced at the dog, who'd lifted her head at the mention of her name twice now. Especially since they were in the kitchen. Once she decided they didn't have anything for her she went back to gnawing at her bone.

"I can't wait to go down to the river tomorrow." he added. It was a little sad, to think that today was nearly over. He wished he'd had more time, but the hike really was great. He couldn't have asked for anything further on that account.
 
It was good to hear that he had had a nice time out on the trails, and she was happy to see that nothing bad had happened to him either. But when he mentioned the picture, Hope couldn't help but let her brows twitch for a second before she quickly wiped the expression away and gave him another smile. "Trust me; the picture you sent me was worth more than a thousand words." She walked back over to William when he leaned against the counter then, herself wanting, for what ever reason, in that moment to just be close to him. She wanted to hold him, she wanted to lay with him, and she just wanted to be near him because she hadn't been able to do anything with him earlier that day. So with that thought in mind, she outstretched her arms before she wrapped them around William when she made it over to him, sighing as she leaned in closer to rest her head under his chin as she gently pressed her torso against his. "It's good to hear that you had a good time though. I'm glad that you were able to, and I'm sure that Jazzy more than appreciated the hike."

She lifted her head to look up at him with her head tilted, her eyes blinking. It was easy to forget the slight anger she once held for him not telling her that he had made it back to the apartment, but it was hard for her to forget everything that he was going through, because, even if she didn't want to, she couldn't deny how she was already trying to see if there were any physical changes going on with him, despite the fact that he really hadn't gone through anything yet. But she tried her best to push those thoughts and feelings aside, and in doing so she kept her hands on his back steady and she tried not to stare at his skin too hard. "What are you planning on doing at the river tomorrow? Bringing Jazzy along too, I assume?"
 
William smiled when Hope came closer to him, and he p ut his arms around her as she put her head under his chin on his chest. He liked being close to her too, but now more so than ever. He ran his hands along her back gently as she just leaned against him a little, and he didn't say anything until after she asked him her questions. He moved one hand up a little so that he could run it through her hair instead of just her back.

"I'm just going to walk along the shore, I think." He answered. "And yes, I'm taking Jazzy too. I think afterwards I'll just mill about town. If you want, I could take you to work and then pick you up when you're done?" he offered. He'd kind of like to anyway. William knew that Hope was not a fan of his bike, but occasionally he tried getting her to ride it with him anyway.
 
Hope's body warmed up a bit when William put his arms around her after she did the action to him, his hands soothing her as they stroked her back gently. If only this was a different time; if only they hadn't had to go to the hospital to find out that he had cancer... But then, when she thought about it, was it not that bad of a thing that they ended up having to go the hospital? Of course, the fact that they had to go anyway was an indication that the cancer was bad enough to actually start to effect him, but what if they had waited longer, and what if he never did go to the hospital? Would it all have stayed quiet inside of him? Would it have waited until it was too late to help William?

The thought alone was enough to send a shutter through Hope, goosebumps rolling on her arms before she tried to shake the thought away as she listened to what he said about what he was going to do at the river; just walk along the shore. There was a part of her that knew that he didn't want to just walk down the shore and look at the water, and she wasn't stupid to think that he would even be that happy to just walk along it, but she wasn't going to argue against it. It actually made her feel a little better to think that that was all he would be doing, rather than something dangerous. At least he would be safe, and really the only accident she could see happen would be if he ended up, somehow, slipping off the bank of the river into the water. But he was coordinated enough to not let that happen, and she would like to hope that he wasn't foolish enough to stand too close to the water. But when he mentioned taking her to work and then picking her up, she rose her brows, narrowing her eyes a bit before she blinked them and smiled a little bit.

"Take me to work? As in, you take my car and use that for the day, or as in I get on the back of your bike with you and you take me to and from work?" There had only been a few times when she had actually ridden with him on his bike, all of those times having made her even more nervous about the matter because it was all just scary to her. She always thought about falling, she always thought about something or someone hitting them... But, really, when would be the last time she would be able to do something like that with him again? Even if she didn't like it, there was a part of her that just wanted to agree to it because she wanted to do something else with him. Her smile softened as she blew out a little sigh. "You know what... You can take me to work, even if we take your bike. I'll be happy with that." Try, she just had to try, and she wanted to be happy with him, even if she would be a little nervous. "I'd like that. You haven't taken me to work in a while. Actually, you haven't offered to take me to work in a while." Then again, it's not like the opportunity had really presented itself in a while for him to do so anyway. "You'll just have to make sure to be extra careful if we take your bike; you know how I get nervous on it."
 
William waggled his eyebrows a little when she asked whether that taking to work would be in her car or on his bike. He was pretty sure Hope knew which one he meant. When she agreed to go even on his motorcycle, she grinned at him. He knew she didn't like it much, but he was always hoping that just one more safe ride on it would change her mind. He leaned down to place his lips against her's. "I'll be extra careful." He promised, letting her know in that way that he really wanted to take his bike. "I looooove you." He drew out the word purposefully and then gave her another quick kiss before the timer went off for the lasagna.

William gave Hope a squeeze and then moved away from her to take the lasagna out of the oven. "Can you get the drinks?" He asked, putting the hot pan on the stove. It looked so good, and it smelled even stronger now too. He was pretty sure it was going to be ridiculously good. His mouth watered a little as he got down plates, cutting the lasagna into squares. He placed a square on each plate and got forks. He then took both to the table, salt, pepper, and napkins already waiting for them.
 
As soon as she saw that grin come upon his lips after she mentioned that she would get on the bike with him, Hope knew that she had made the right decision with what she said. True, she would be scared and nervous, but in that moment she realized that she could push all of that aside just to see him as happy as he was in that moment, and at the prospect of getting her to get on the bike, especially considering how it usually took a lot more begging and pleading on his part to even get her to start considering the idea. But, she told herself, this was about him and about making him happy. She had upset him yesterday by trying to talk about something that he didn't want to, and this was the least that she could do while he was here now; to make him happy and to make sure that she could do everything to make him happy. That, she knew would make her happy, and when he bent down to give her a kiss and then another quick kiss, her own smile stretched a bit. "I love you too. But since I didn't make you beg me to get on the motorcycle with you tomorrow, you better be able to bring me a lot of fun tonight." With raised brows, she poked at his chest gently before she backed up once he let her go after the timer of the oven went off. Her statement had only been an empty one, really, because in all honest she just wanted to make him happy and if getting on that bike made him happy then fine. She likely wouldn't see that big of a smile on his face after all of this, and she didn't want to miss any more opportunities of seeing him like that.

Nodding her head, she turned and went to the fridge and opened it up, stopping as she paused to look at the contents that were in there. Did she just want to have lemonade with him that night, something that they had relatively often? Furrowing her brows, she looked down at the bottom of the fridge and reached down, grabbing out a bottle of red wine that they had, though had hardly drunken any of it. She wasn't too much of a drinker in regards to alcohol, but occasionally she liked to have a glass of wine, and, to be honest, with the day she had she figured that having a glass for dinner would be perfectly fine. Maybe it'd make her forget a little bit about the sadness that she continued to try and hide in order to make William happy. She figured that William may appreciate it as well.

And instead of getting regular glasses for the two of them, she reached into another cabinet to grab two wine glasses, biting her lip before she grabbed them in her hand, as well as the wine bottle, and headed over to the able where their places were set. "I hope you don't mind drinking this tonight," she said, giving William a bit of an expectant look as she raised the wine bottle a bit. "But I think it's a nice change from what we normally drink. We haven't had this in a while anyway, so I figured now is as good a time as any to reopen it, right?" She set one of the glasses down and set it by William's plate as she set the other in front of hers before she opened the wine bottle and poured the liquid into the glasses.
 
William was surprised when she threatened him, even if it was an empty one. He laughed and then nodded. "Okay, I'll deliver." He promised, shaking his head and smiling again. Jazzy had abandoned her bone in favor of sitting under the table on the off chance someone dropped food. It rarely happened, but she got lucky enough every once in a while to keep up the habit. William tried not to let that happen though, even if food did drop. Usually if he said 'no' fast enough Jazzy wouldn't go for it, but not always.

William was expecting lemonade, and was surprised once again when Hope brought out the wine. He smiled and nodded. "Sure." He agreed. Some alcohol might be nice to relax and rewind for the rest of the day. William really preferred craft beers, but not with dinner. Wine was just fine with him, and it would be a good accompaniment to the pasta. Once she poured the glasses he took his to take a sip, nodded his head again. It was good. He started eating then, happy to still have his appetite with him tonight. He was definitly going to finish his piece of lasagna, at least. Maybe it had something to do with only eating an apple and peanut butter for lunch, but that wasn't SO uncommon when he went out hiking. He hated hiking on an even remotely full stomach, so he tended to eat light anyway.
 
When Hope sat down in the chair after having closed the wine bottle and set it in the middle of the table, she stretched one of her feet out to gently rub against Jazzy's back before she set the foot back down on the ground, her eyes peering down at the food that was sitting in front of her. Really, it all looked so good, as well as smelled good, but there was still a part of her that wasn't all that hungry despite the fact that she hadn't eaten much of her lunch when she was on her break. She told herself to suck it up though and to just eat it, because if William could eat like he was now, why shouldn't she be able to? Oh, if only she could convince her stomach to feel the same way. But frowning to herself gently, she reached for her fork and grabbed a forkful of food before she brought it to her mouth and at it, chewing on it as she let the flavors over take her mouth. "This is good," she muttered, using her free hand to cover her mouth so that no stray pieces could fly from her mouth.

But even while it was good, she still had to reach for her wine in order to wash it all down. Hopefully William wasn't able to catch any notice of how she had to force the food down, but, really, at that point she figured getting the food down in any sort of way was a bit of an accomplishment on both of their parts. At least William seemed to really want to eat, and apparently his stomach was staying true to what it had thought before of how hungry he was for the food. Good; let him build his strength up, she thought to herself. He was certainly going to need it for Friday and the days after that.

The conversation at the table had been relatively calm and it was about everything except what he was going through. Hope asked him about the song that he had been playing when she walked in the door, and then she told him about how she talked with her mother that afternoon, never bringing up the fact that she asked about the cottage for the summer or anything of the like. But then she went to just ask him a few other things just to keep the conversation going when it was needed, though there were times when the silence had been more than comfortable for her. Once dinner was done they started to clear the table and they started to put things away, Hope stretching a bit before she bent down to put more things in the dishwasher after she emptied it of the clean dishes that had already been in there. "Are we still doing dinner tomorrow with a few of your friends?" She asked, raising her brows as she turned to look at him after setting one of the plates in the dishwasher. Right, she remembered him saying something about that yesterday with what he wanted to do on the days that he was off.
 
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William was happy with dinner, and if he noticed that Hope had to force herself to swallow he didn't say so. He was in a good mood, and was happy to keep it. He ate all of his lasagna, but didn't go back for seconds. There was hardly enough for seconds anyway. He'd made a tiny pan of it for the two of them so there wouldn't be so many leftovers. He sipped at his wine too, telling Hope that his song was something he'd been working on for a few days and it was still really rough. He asked about her parent's health when she brought them up, and when dinner was done, William got up to help Hope put away the dishes.

"Yes." He answered on dinner tomorrow. "I was thinking maybe that Irish pub. You might have to drive though.... I'll pick you up from work and we can go home until its time for dinner." He wanted to go a little later anyway. "I'll text everyone, if thats okay with you." He added. He brushed a hand through his hair and then stretched, popping his back. He felt very full, but not quite uncomfortable. He wasn't sure when, but his headache had finally gone away too. All in all, he was feeling pretty good. A little tired, but good.
 
When he answered her about what he wanted to do for dinner, Hope nodded her head to what he said, smiling a little as she made a mental checklist of anything that she may have to do before then. She couldn't think of anything, and, really, the only thing she worried about was whether or not any of his friends would actually be able to come to the dinner. She hoped so, if only so that he would be able to spend some time with them before he had to leave for the hospital and stay there for a month. There was a part of her that wondered whether or not he would say anything to them about the cancer, or if any of them would think that there was something off about William, but she pushed the thought aside and just let it be. She doubted if he would say anything about it, if only because he seemed so adamant about not wanting to talk or tell anyone about it until Wednesday.

"Okay. That sounds good. At least neither if us will have to cook dinner tomorrow." She nodded her head gently as she closed the dishwasher after everything was set in there and after she poured the detergent into it's spot in the washer, herself setting the options then after closing it so that the washing process could start. "I think it'll be fun, and I"m sure everyone will enjoy going there, even on a Tuesday night." Gently she laughed at the notion before she shook her head and wiped her hand off to dry them, herself looking around the kitchen to see if there was anything else left to be cleaned. Only a few things here and there, and after straightening everything out she turned and looked back at William, taking a few steps to get closer to him. "Maybe we can even just got for a little ride after you pick me up tomorrow." She shrugged her shoulders, again not really liking the idea of being on the bike longer than she had to be, but again telling herself that it was all for William. She figured he would like doing something like that. Besides, it could be nice, she reasoned with herself, if only because it would give them a little more time to spend together. "But that's only if you're going to want to do something like that tomorrow. I guess we'll just have to wait and see though."
 
William's eyebrows raised when Hope suggested they could go on a drive. He was pretty sure she was only suggesting it because he was sick, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He decided it was fine, however. He wasn't going to be upset about it, and besides. He kind of appreciated it. He smiled at her and then nodded. "If you're sure, I'd love that." He agreed, kissing her cheek. William didn't want to be treated differently because of the cancer but... this might be an exception. He couldn't help it. He really wanted Hope to like riding his bike, and the longer she spent on it the more she was likely to like it. Hopefully.

He took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "Welp. Now what?" he asked. The dishes were done and leftovers put away. There wasn't much else to do, but he wasn't ready to sleep yet even if he was rather tired. He was going to stay up as long as possible. Until then, however, he wasn't sure what to do. He put his hands in his pockets, bouncing up onto his toes a little. He should probably take Jazzy out, but he wasn't feeling like it.
 
He loved the idea of being able to take her out on the bike for a little ride after he picked her up from work; that Hope was happy to hear, though even a bit nervous, but when he kissed her cheek Hope couldn't help but smile at it. Apparently she had made the right decision in wanting to do something like that with him, because it would make him happy and if he was happy then she was happy, relatively so anyway. There was still a part of her that wasn't happy, a big part of her rather, but it wasn't that she was upset with William; she was just upset over the fact that he had cancer. But she knew that she was going to have to get over that for the next couple of day so that she could do anything to make him happy even if she tried to make him happy on a daily basis. But, she knew, that making him happy now was a little different. Was it how she would normally treat him? In a sense no, but she figured that she had a right to want to treat him the way she was now. After all, things happened like this even when they had little colds. They would go out of their way to try and make the other person feel better, and this, she knew, would make him feel better emotionally. Physically, probably not, but emotionally would have to be good enough.

Just continue with the smiles that had to be forced if there were any, and make sure that things happened that wouldn't lead to what happened yesterday with the both of them crying over her saying the wrong thing.

When he started bouncing on his toes, she rose her brows at the sight before shrugging her shoulders gently at his question, her head tilting a bit as she gave William an upwards glance. "Well, we could go back into the room and spend the rest of the night in there with the door closed. I still need a shower since I wasn't able to take a proper one this morning because I was late, so we could do that too." She was being suggestive with the look that she was giving, mostly because she was trying to imply other things, but it was also because she knew that if one thing led to another that it would get her mind off of things. Hopefully anyway, and she knew that something like that would help her a little bit. She just... Needed a moment to have her mind clouded with other things other than the cancer and other than just trying to make him happy because she didn't want to see him depressed over everything. "We should probably take Jazzy out first if we're going to do that though, just so that she'll have gone one last time before the end of the night. I can take her out if you want me to though; I don't mind."
 
William grinned when he realized what Hope was suggesting. "Oh?" He asked about the shower, drawing nearer to her. He took her hand. It was too bad that Jazzy needed to go out. She was right about that, of course, and he'd thought the same thing. But now he really didn't want to do that. He brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing the back of it. "Well in that case, I think I need a shower too." He probably actually did. He hadn't taken one after he got back form his hike, and he did normally. Now he was glad that he hadn't. He looked down at the little dog and then smiled a bit. His eyes went back up to Hope's face.

"If you'll take her out, I'll get the shower started." Or maybe a bath. He'd be okay with a bath, although whether that prolonged the time after that or not... he could deal with it if nothing more than to just be closer to Hope than a shower would allow. He kissed the corner of her mouth and then smiled at her. "Meet you in there soon."
 
Hope loved to see the grin that came upon William's lips after she watched him begin to realize what she was implying to him, even a little short laugh coming past her lips in that moment. She watched as he took her hand and brought it to his lips, gently placing a kiss on it that made her entire body warm from the softness of it, as well as just how comforting the little action was to her. She couldn't help but let her smile soften at it before she turned her eyes to look back up at William, giving a small nod of her head when he mentioned that he needed a shower as well. Well, how she always figured, they saved water by taking one together, but, then again, maybe they didn't. Usually they stayed in the shower a little longer, which likely led to them using more water, but at least she was able to get her back washed better and she was able to wash his too. Besides it's not like she was complaining against the matter, and she doubted if he was going to complain about it either. It just... Made her wonder how lonely she was going to be without him being in the shower with her when he was gone.

Of course, she was fine with taking lone showers, but there was still a difference; she loved to have is presence there, and with the weight of the situation likely to fall on her harder when she was stuck in the apartment alone when he was stuck in the hospital, she felt like it was going to hurt her a lot worse and make her seem more alone. The thought alone caused Hope to suck in a breath, but instead of letting her lips fall down into a deep frown like she almost wanted them to, she nodded her head leaned forward to give him another quick kiss after he kissed the corner of hers. "Okay, that sounds like a wonderful plan." She pulled her hand back out of his grasp and turned to look down at Jazzy who decided to stand then, her tail wagging back and forth, before Hope turned to look back at him. "So you get things ready, and I'll be back."

With another smile, she turned and walked away, going over to grab Jazzy's leash as she called the little dog over to her. The dog tilted her head as she walked over to Hope, giving her what Hope thought was a bit of a confused look, but she merely bent down and hooked the leash onto the dog's collar before she put her shoes back on and headed outside, closing the door behind her. She wouldn't be surprised if Jazzy was confused over the fact that Hope hadn't changed out of the clothes she had put on that morning, as well as the fact that William was staying behind, seeing as that was a rarity in most cases. "It's okay Jazzy," she spoke to the dog as they walked down the steps. When they finally made it to the sidewalk she started walking a little dog, sighing to herself as she looked down at the ground. "You're... Going to have to get used to me walking you for a while." She was going to try to do longer walks with Jazzy after William was sent back to the hospital, if only so that the dog would have a proper release for her energy, as well as the fact that it would also bring a bit of normalcy back to the dog. There was no doubt in Hope's mind that Jazzy was going to be effected by this as well, and something like that worried her because while she knew that she was going to worry about William, she knew that she was going to have to worry about the dog as well, and it was mostly for William because if something happened to Jazzy... Really, Hope didn't want to think of that.

But she decided that this was going to be one of the shorter walks to just let Jazzy take care of her business, considering how she had been out on the trails with William all throughout the day, and by the time they had gotten back to the apartment Jazzy seemed ready to get back inside anyway. Hope wanted to believe that she just wanted to get back to see if William was okay, but Hope couldn't lie and say that she wasn't hoping to get back either to see if he was okay too. She unhooked Jazzy from the leash and went to the kitchen to fill her water bowl up before she rubbed the dog's back gently and stood from her spot. Hope started making her way back towards the room then, reaching back to undo the ponytail that her hair had been stuck in, and once her hair had been released she scratched at her scalp, scrunching her face up at the feeling before she relaxed it and went into the room. "I'm back," she called out.
 
William watched Hope and Jazzy go, and then turned around to head to the bathroom once they were completely out of the apartment. He crossed through their room to the bath, skipping the shower to turn on the water for the tub. He had been lucky with this apartment, and while there was only one bathroom, which could be accessed through their room or through a separate door for guests, it did feature both a shower stall and a nicer, deeper bath tub than a standard two - in - one sort of deal. William hadn't thought much about it when he'd first bought the place, but now that Hope was with him it was quite a bit nicer than he'd first thought it might be. Sharing a shower was nice, but sharing a bath could be a lot better.

Running the tap, William checked to make sure it was a temperature they both liked, and then put the plug in. He wondered if he should be cheesy and get some candles, but he didn't. That was all fine and dandy in movies, but William was more of a practical person, and didn't have a lot of candles anyway. Instead, he poured some wonderful smelling bubbles into the bath, watching as it foamed up, and then started undressing.

William wasn't the kind of man to go around the house naked for very long. To get changed, or to get in the shower usually. But he wouldn't just sit - or in this case stand - around naked very often. But he figured he'd wait naked for Hope just for a change of pace. He gathered his clothes and put them in the laundry, making a mental note to do that on Wednesday so that Hope wouldn't have so much to do, and then went back into the bathroom. He leaned against the counter, propping himself up with his arms as he watched the bath run, and waited for Hope.

When she called out that she was back, he grinned and then got up off the counter, turning off the water to the bath since it was just about the right amount of full. "In here!" He called back, moving to lean against the counter again, eyes looking towards the door he knew she would appear at.
 
After hearing his call, Hope rose her brows before she turned and started making her way towards the bathroom, a little confused as to why she didn't hear any water running from the shower. But as soon as she saw the sight in front of her as she stepped to look into the bathroom, she couldn't help but let those thoughts fly from her mind. Hope couldn't help but stop in her spot and look at the man she loved, nearly transfixed, before her gaze was flipped over to the bath that was filled with bubbles that nearly overflowed the tub and water that was no doubt in there. The smell of the bubbles then drifted into her nose, causing her to smile a bit before she looked back at William, and then, only then, did a laugh come out from her in a bit of a short burst. To be honest, it was probably the first time she had laughed, a genuine laugh, since they had found out that he had cancer, and why she felt the need to blurt out something like that in that moment was unknown to her. She wasn't laughing at William per say, though she had to admit that it was a bit of a shock, enough to get her to laugh, to walk into the bathroom to see him with no clothes on. She had seen him without clothes before of course, but it wasn't normally that she would see him like that, leaning against the counter like that as he waited for her. But she knew that she was laughing more so at the surprise of the situation, but, again, she didn't know why. "

Hope rested one of her hands against her stomach as a blush appeared over her cheek as her wide smile turned into more of a soft one, her throat beginning to tighten even if she didn't want it to. Despite the fact that the sight was amusing, it was almost... Sad, because again her mind went back to his condition and what could happen to him. She didn't want to lose him; she didn't want to lose these unexpected moments with him because she loved him too much. She wouldn't know what to do without him, and while that sort of dependency with someone scared her, she was happy that she felt that way towards William. But she swallowed and held the tears at bay as she blinked her eyes rapidly before she walked over to William. She reached her hands up to gently rest them against his cheeks before she leaned forward and took his lips into hers, closing her eyes as she sighed softly from her nose until she pulled back and looked up at him with a loving gaze. "I love you."

It was funny to her to look back on the first time she told William that she loved him, and of how scared she had been after saying it yet just knowing that it was true, and it was funny to think to now, and of how she was so comfortable and unafraid to say it to him, and unafraid to let anyone else know that she loved him. It was just... Right.

Hope hadn't remembered having a night like that in a long time. Of course, she enjoyed every night she was able to spend with William, but something about this just seemed so... Different. She didn't know what it was. Maybe they were just more in tuned with one another because they knew that anything could happen and the both of them were afraid of it, or maybe she was just thinking too much about it and too deeply about it. But regardless of that, she sure as hell enjoyed herself, and she was sure, or hoped rather, that William felt the same way. Throughout the time that they had spent together, it almost seemed as if everything was normal.

The bath had been more than relaxing, and even teasing if she was being completely honest, with words and small jokes tossed back and forth between one another as they let the warm water envelope them. Touches and kisses were placed here and there, whispered, and certainly some not so whispered, words and confessions before they finally stepped out of the bath, dried themselves off, and headed into the bedroom to their bed to enjoy other activities with one another. She missed this; she was going to miss this when he was going to be gone for a month. But while she knew she would miss it, she was also afraid, because would they really be able to go back to normal even when he would come back home? Would he not be weak, would he not be himself because of everything if the cancer was gone? And what if it wasn't gone after the month? Then what would happen?

As best as she could, Hope tried to get her mind off of those things, which had been relatively easy considering certain things, but now as they laid in bed with one another with Hope pressed against him as she let one of her hands rest on his bare chest as she drew tiny circles and patterns on the skin, the thoughts continued to creep in the back of her mind. Gently, she placed a light kiss on his neck as she smiled softly to herself to try and ward off the bad thoughts. Just enjoy the time now, keep in the present... "We should certainly take baths together more often," she started with a soft snort and a little laugh. "I don't think we've ever done that together before. I feel like it leads to a lot more things than just a regular shower though. Or maybe it was you just being naked that started that; you should do that more often if that's the case, or even if it's not. I most definitely appreciate the sight." Again she laughed at the joke, her eyes drifting up to look at William's face.
 
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William had no idea why Hope was laughing when she came into the bathroom. He raised one eyebrow, the sound bringing a slight smile to his face also. What was that all about? It ended up not mattering, however. He liked hearing her laugh, and it almost didn't matter what about. He kissed her when she came towards him, and then they got into the bath together.

The bath was wonderful and relaxing, and their fun after the bath was everything but relaxing. William had almost needed this, after what had happened the last time they'd attempted something like this. It just felt so good, so normal, like everything was right again. He didn't have to think about anything but Hope and what they were doing. He was completely wrapped up in her and their actions.

Afterwards, William was winding down. The circles and patterns across his chest felt really good. He had an arm around Hope, his thumb lightly grazing up and down her upper arm. He grinned when she suggested he go around naked more often. He leaned down to kiss her lips gently as she looked up at him. "I will if you will." He offered."
 
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