Chapter 35

Game night at mine and Gabi's apartment had become a regular thing and tonight was no different. Macklin, Will, Gabi, and I were sprawled out on the floor, controllers in hand, playing It Takes Two.

"Alright, next level," I said, stretching my arms as Macklin and I handed our controllers over to Will and Gabi. "Let's see if you two can actually work together without one of you accidentally killing the other this time."

Gabi smirked as she took the controller. "Excuse you, Will was the one who let me fall into the abyss last round."

"Maybe if you jumped on time," Will shot back, rolling his eyes.

Macklin chuckled beside me, his arm lazily draped over my shoulders. "Hey, teamwork makes the dream work and speaking of which..." He whispered the last part as he shot me a quick glance, and I knew it was time to set our plan into motion.

A few minutes into their level, there was a knock at the door. Right on cue.

"I got it!" I said, hopping up quickly before anyone else could. I made a show of looking surprised as I picked up the bouquet of flowers from the doorstep. A gorgeous arrangement, white lilies and soft pink roses tied together with a neat ribbon. Gabi's favorite— I smirked.

I turned back to the group, eyes wide with curiosity.. pretending to be shocked. "Uh, Gabi? These are for you."

Gabi blinked in confusion, setting her controller down. "For me?"

Macklin, playing his role to perfection, leaned forward. "Ooooh, secret admirer?"

I held up the small card attached to the bouquet and cleared my throat dramatically.

'Gabi, I hope this brightens your day the way you brighten mine. Looking forward to seeing you in class again soon. – Liam.'

Gabi's mouth dropped open. "Liam? My TA Liam?"(A/N: yes the same Liam from chapter 17 who Will admitted to being jealous about 🤭)

Will, who had been taking a sip of his drink, choked. He coughed violently before setting the can down, wiping his mouth. "Liam sent you flowers?"

Gabi still looked confused, staring at the bouquet like it had appeared out of thin air. "I mean... I guess we talk sometimes, but I didn't think—"

"Wait, wait," Will cut in, his tone too casual. "You and Liam talk a lot?"

Macklin and I exchanged a quick, knowing glance. Oh, this is working.

Gabi shrugged, picking up the flowers and sniffing them slightly. "Not really a lot but we do talk after class sometimes. He's nice."

Will was trying to play it cool but I knew him too well. His jaw was tight, his grip on the controller just a little too firm. "Right. Nice."

"You okay, Will?" I asked, biting back a smile.

"Yeah, totally fine," he said a little too quickly.

Macklin, ever the instigator, leaned back on his hands, feigning curiosity. "Liam, huh? Honestly, that's a pretty sweet move. Flowers and a cute note? Gabi, you might have to give him a chance."

Will's expression darkened for half a second before he schooled his face back into neutrality while staring at the TV screen. "Yeah," he said stiffly. "You, uh... planning on going out with him?"

Gabi snorted, completely oblivious. "I mean, I don't even know if I like him like that but I guess it is kind of flattering..."

I almost lost it when I saw Will's fingers tighten into a fist against his knee. His eyes flickered toward the flowers like they personally offended him.

"Wow, this is so unexpected," Gabi continued, setting the bouquet down on the coffee table. She turned to Will, completely missing the way he was barely keeping it together. "What do you think?"

Will hesitated for a second too long. "Uh. I mean. Do whatever you want." He reached for his drink, clearly using it as an excuse to not look at her.

I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning. Oh, he was losing it.

Gabi, still unaware, just nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it" I swore I heard Will exhale sharply.. like he's pissed.

Macklin, proving once again that he was an absolute menace, casually stretched and said, "Hey, if you do end up going out with Liam, let us know. We should all double date sometime."

Will visibly flinched. His head snapped toward Macklin, and for a second, I thought he might actually throw his controller at him.

"Double date?" he repeated, his voice strained.

"Yeah, why not?" I added, barely able to contain my glee. "I mean, it'd be cool. Gabi and Liam, me and Macklin. You know double dates as couples. Will, you can come too though, don't worry we won't leave you out."

Will's eye twitched. "Couples?"

Gabi laughed. "Okay, now you guys are just messing with me."

Macklin puts his hands up playfully, claiming innocence. "What? No way. We just want you to be happy, Gabs."

Will muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like I hope Liam can fight.

At that moment, I knew.. we had him.

He was absolutely seething. Trying his best to hide it but the tension in his shoulders, the slight frown of his mouth, the way he was not looking at Gabi, all screamed jealousy.

Gabi, still blissfully unaware, grabbed a piece of pizza and resumed playing. "Alright, enough about my love life. Let's get back to the game."

Will didn't respond right away. He just sat there, silent, watching her. Then, after a few seconds, he grabbed his controller and muttered, "Yeah. Let's do that."

Macklin leaned in close to me and whispered, "He's gonna crack soon."

I smirked and whispered back, "Oh, definitely."

We went back to playing, knowing full well that this little stunt had planted a seed in Will's mind—a really annoying seed that would only grow and grow until he couldn't ignore it anymore.——

Another hour passed, and we were deep into It Takes Two, making fun of each other's terrible gaming skills. Macklin and I kept exchanging glances, smug in the knowledge that our plan was working. Will was definitely stewing in his jealousy. He was playing terribly.. definitely distracted.

Everything was going perfectly.. then Gabi's phone buzzed.

She picked it up mid-laugh because of the game until she started swiping at the screen. "Oh—" she blinked. "Liam just asked me out this weekend for dinner."

Macklin and I froze.

My mouth fell open. I glanced at Macklin, who looked just as horrified as I felt. This was not part of the plan.

"He what?" I blurted out, my voice a little too high-pitched.

Gabi looked up from her phone. "Liam. He asked me out." She tilted her head. "You okay?"

Macklin and I exchanged another glance.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

Lex, recover.

I forced a casual laugh. "Wait, you texted him? Uhm—I mean... what did you guys talk about?"

Gabi shrugged, completely unaware of the existential crisis unfolding between Macklin and me. "I just thanked him for the flowers, and he said, 'You're welcome! Hope you liked them. I was wondering if you were free this weekend for dinner?'"

My brain short-circuited.

Macklin and I panicked, making frantic, silent eye contact. Why the hell would Liam go along with this? We sent those flowers. This wasn't supposed to actually turn into a real date.

"Oh wow," I said, my voice coming out weirdly strained. "That's... uh... that's sudden."

Gabi wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, I guess? I mean, we've never really hung out outside of class, but maybe he's been interested for a while."

Will had been oddly silent this whole time but I didn't miss the way his grip tightened around the couch, mad. Until Gabi turned to him. "What do you think, Will?"

I swear, I saw Will glitch for a second. Like his brain had completely stopped processing information.

"What do I think?" he repeated, like he was unsure of how to answer the question.

Gabi nodded, watching him curiously. "Yeah. I mean, I didn't really expect it, but... do you think I should go?"

Will blinked. His fingers flexed against the controller. His lips parted, but no words came out.

Suddenly, Will said, "Can we, uh, talk privately?"

The air in the room shifted. Macklin let out a quiet, low whistle.

Gabi looked surprised but nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Will was already on his feet, walking toward her room. Gabi followed, glancing at us briefly before disappearing behind the door.

The second it shut, Macklin turned to me, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"You think they're gonna fight or fu—"

I smacked his arm before he could finish that sentence. "Macklin!"

He laughed, rubbing his arm. "I mean, come on! There's so much tension there."

I rolled my eyes. "Too soon. And I don't even think they've hooked up yet." I hesitated. "...Or at least, I think they haven't."

Macklin smirked. "Well, guess we're about to find out."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. This plan was not supposed to take this turn.

— NEW POV —Gabi's POV

I hear the soft click of the door behind me as Will closed it, cutting off the sound of the muffled voices in the living room. I knew exactly what was happening on the other side of that door. Macklin and Lex were probably sitting right up against it, trying to catch every word. I didn't need to hear them to know. I was about to have a conversation with Will that could either make or break something.

Will was standing a few feet away from me, his posture stiff, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. He was looking anywhere but at me. It was one of those moments where the silence between us stretched on for far too long, and every second felt heavier and heavier.

"So," I finally said, breaking the silence. "What's up, Will?"

He didn't look at me immediately. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his. I waited for him to speak, but when he did, his voice was quieter than usual.

"You can't be with him," Will said, bluntly.

I blinked up at him, "What?"

Will shifted his weight, his eyes finally meeting mine, but there was something in them, like confusion, frustration, and a whole lot of emotions all mixed together.

"I don't think you should be with Liam," he said, his voice more steady now, but still carrying tension. "I just... I don't think he's right for you."

I felt my jaw tighten, my heartbeat picking up its pace. I wasn't expecting this. Sure, I noticed the way Will was distracted during the game earlier and was possibly jealous but I didn't think he would say anything about it.

"Why not?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm single, Will. I can date whoever I want."

"You just... can't," he said, his voice low but urgent. "I don't trust him. I don't think he's good for you."

I crossed my arms, my own anger and frustration bubbling up. "You don't get to decide that, Will. You don't get to tell me who I can or can't date." I took a step toward him, feeling the heat of the argument starting to spark. "You told me that the kiss at the party was a mistake. You said you needed to focus on your career. So, why do you suddenly care about my relationships now?"

He flinched at that, and I could see the tension in his face. I knew this conversation wasn't going the way he had planned but I wasn't backing down.

"I just don't want to fuck things up with you," Will said, "If anything changes, I don't want to fuck it up."

I narrowed my eyes, stepping back, putting distance between us. "You can't fuck something up if it's not even official," I said, my words biting. "You've made it clear you don't want to be with me officially. You've been sending me all these mixed signals and it's driving me crazy." I shook my head, frustrated. "You say one thing, and then you act like something else. You can't have it both ways, Will."

Will's face flushed with a mixture of guilt and confusion. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the words would not come out.

"I need someone who doesn't leave me guessing, Will," I said, my voice quieter now, but still firm, standing my ground. "I don't need your permission and I certainly don't need your opinion on who I'm dating."

The room fell silent again. Will opened his mouth, then closed it. His emotions were all over the place and he was obviously torn between wanting me and pushing me away.

"You just..." He ran a hand through his hair again, looking like he was trying to collect his thoughts. "You just can't be with him because... you're supposed to be with me."

My heart stuttered at his words, but I didn't let him see how much they affected me. I'd been waiting for him to say something like that, but hearing it out loud hit me harder than I thought it would.

I laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Really? That's your reason? I'm supposed to be with you?" I shook my head, disbelief in my eyes. "Will, I can't read your mind. You haven't given me any reason to think you actually want to be with me. You've been avoiding it for months, pushing me away when I get too close and now you expect me to just fall into your arms because you say I'm supposed to be with you?"

Will took a step toward me, his hand reaching out, but I held up a hand to stop him. "No. I'm done with the 'maybes' and the 'taking it slow' or the 'supposed to be with me.' If you want me, Will, then ask me."

He stared at me for a long moment but then, the words finally came out, quiet but with a sense of confidence.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

I stared at him for a long moment, my heart pounding in my chest. This was it. The moment I had been waiting for. The moment I wasn't sure would ever happen.

I took a deep breath, then smiled. "Yes, you idiot," I said, stepping forward. "I will be your girlfriend."

He didn't say anything else. He just closed the gap between us, pulling me into his arms, and I felt the world shift, everything falling into place. His lips crashed against mine, and I kissed him back, feeling all the tension from the past few months melt away. There were no more mixed signals, no more confusion. There was only us.

When we pulled away, I rested my forehead against his. "I guess I'll text Liam no," I said with a playful smirk.

Will's eyes widened for a split second, his voice a little too enthusiastic. "Fuck yeah, you will."

I couldn't help but laugh at his response. I sent a quick text to Liam, telling him I couldn't do dinner, then set my phone down.

"I think we should tell them," I said, my voice quiet but playful.

Will laughed softly, nodding. "Yeah. I think they already know, though."

We opened the door together and as I walked back into the living room, I saw the smiles on Macklin and Lex's faces. They'd been waiting for this moment, and now that it was finally here, I felt a sense of relief. Will and I had figured it out. We were officially together.

Macklin immediately pulled out confetti poppers, Lex right behind him, and they set them off with a cheer. The confetti bits filled the air as Macklin shouted, "About time!"

I looked at them, wide-eyed. "How'd you guys prepare that?"

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Oh, we just might've planned to get Will jealous with the flowers."

Will froze, his mouth agape, and I could see the realization hit him. His eyes flicked from Lex, to me, and then back to the couple who had orchestrated the entire thing.

"That was you guys?" Will asked, his voice a mix of surprise and disbelief.

I turned to Lex, feeling confused. "But wait—Liam said he got me those flowers."

Lex bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. "Yeah, we don't know why he went along with it, but we have the receipt!"

I blinked a few times, processing what she just said. "Wait, you two... set this whole thing up?"

Macklin shrugged innocently, his smile growing wider. "Congrats, though. You two are official now!"

I looked at Will, a little in shock still, but then I couldn't help but smile. This whole thing was crazy, but I was glad it had led to this moment.

"Thanks," I said, my voice a little shaky from all the emotions.

Macklin raised his hands dramatically. "About time," he said again, making both Lex and I burst out laughing.

"Yeah, about time," Will said, his face turning a little red. He glanced at me, his expression softening as he slipped his hand into mine. I smiled as my hand felt warm as it was held into his.

-=+=-

Idk how I feel about this one

Btw I hope u guys like long fanfics bc this definitely will maybe be 50 chaps

Should I do a will and Gabi fanfic 😮‍💨 that one would have more slow burn and playing w feelings type I think tho. More drama.