till' we meet again, william schofield

thirteen

thirteen

ONE WEEK, SIX DAYS BEFORE WEDDING.

WILLIAM SAT WITH his head in his hands. The tapping of Elizabeth's heels was the only thing he could hear. In the background was the nonstop mixture of yelling and scolding coming from her.

"God! William, I'm trying to plan a wedding here and you're at the bar.. with Jack?! You know how I feel about Jack! You never care about what I say or ask of you!"

Will looked up and scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning back. "I don't think it's such a horrible thing. I only went out for a drink or two, Elizabeth! It's not the end of the world!"

"Well, it's something I've asked you not to do. Ever since you've met Jack, and bonded over your 'shared trauma', you've constantly been at the bar— drinking away your problems! I'm sick of it! It's time to move on from the war Will! The next stage of your life— our marriage— is around the corner!"

Will's eyes blazed with rage as he slammed his fist down on the table, "you're my problem Elizabeth! I wish you would just stop being so insufferable!"

The clicking of her heels came to an end as she slowed her pacing. She looked at Will, her chocolate brown eyes filled with tears. Will knew that they were fake, crocodile tears. Her perfect acting skills were how Elizabeth constantly got out of any argument or trouble, and this time wouldn't be any different.

Elizabeth stocked over to Will and sat next to him. She grabbed his arm, rubbing up and down as a sign of affection. Will still couldn't look at her, and felt himself flinching away from her touch.

Elizabeth sat up, realizing Will wasn't going to show her any affection back. "I'm going to my cousin's house, which is a couple towns over for the weekend. Then, once I return I'll be bringing her home to be my maid of honour. I thought I would let you know..." Elizabeth said softly, batting her eyelashes.

Will nodded to show he heard her. He sat up and went towards the door without saying a word. He grabbed his coat and slammed the door behind himself.

Move on.

•              •             •

Will found himself doing everything Elizabeth asked him not to that night. He was at a bar drinking with Jack.

"Don't get me wrong Will, I don't believe in hitting women. But, this one, she's asking for someone to give her an uppercut," Jack said jokingly, pretending to give someone an uppercut. He giggled as he nearly knocked his glass of beer over. Will peered at Jack, finally shifting his eyes from his drink to his friend, and shook his head. He fought the urge to smile.

"Look buddy, you didn't survive the war to come home and wish you didn't. This girl has got to go!" Jack cried, feeling fed up. Will's head shot up at the sudden out-cry.

"What do you suppose I do? If I end things with Elizabeth then I'll just be a drunk who can't move on," Will sighed.

Jack looked at his friend. He knew that Will was unhappy, and he knew that Will wouldn't be the one to leave Elizabeth. Will longed for the connection he once had, but finding someone to recreate it with was nearly impossible.

"When's the last time you and Elizabeth had sex. Let's be real here."

"That's beyond unnecessary. I'm not answering—"

"There's the answer to my question right there. You haven't, at least in a long time."

"Jack, enlighten me please, why the fuck is this important?" Will asked, annoyed and blushing. He glanced around the bar to see if anyone was listening. Luckily, nobody was.

"It's not. I mean, sex is recommended for a healthy relationship but I just wanted to make you embarrassed," Jack revealed, laughing out loud. Will admired his friend's ability to take a serious situation and make a joke out of it. He needed someone so bright like Jack in his life.

Jack, although the two were very different, reminded him of Rosine. He recalled how Rosine could joke about the lack of soles on her shoes. She laughed about it, even though her feet were bleeding.

Perhaps that's why he gravitated towards Jack when they first met at the bank. The man was laughing loudly with three different customers, telling jokes about politics and money. Jack was a people person. After introducing himself, and being teased by Jack for being so awkward about it, they went to a bar and drank.

Now, every second evening they would go to the bar and spend time together. They talked about the war and what battles they were in. Although Jack still joked, Will could see the ghost of pain behind his eyes when he talked about his deceased friends and life behind the trenches. Those were feelings Will could relate to— feelings plenty of men could relate to.

As Jack talked, mostly to himself, Will realized something. Although Jack was seemingly happy and laughing, he hadn't moved on.

It's okay to not have moved on.

not edited. sorry i haven't updated for a while. my face has been glued to my tv, watching the news. tbh, it's not good for my mental health.

i'm praying that you all stay safe and be smart. much love ❤️