As the day dawned, Belinda felt a slight warmth on her skin, but she felt so comfortable she didn't want to move. The sunlight filtering through the cracks in the window announced that it was late morning. The room was rising in temperature, and even the blanket itself was starting to bother her. She kicked it in annoyance, and the coolness she felt made her open her eyes. She was uncomfortable and immediately realized she was naked. She woke up abruptly, grabbed the blanket again, and sat up, perplexed.
She didn't recognize the room, the furniture, the accessories, but she realized she was in Bill's room.
She noticed some shirts balanced on the dresser, the black sweatshirt thrown over a chair, and personal items on the nightstand.
Bill! She smiled to herself as a sweet memory began to surface, making her blush. Thank goodness she was alone!
She looked around for her clothes: her shorts were lying on the edge of the bed, but there wasn't a trace of her shirt. Her last memory was of seeing it fly, but she couldn't see it anywhere.
She leaned forward, gathering and putting on her underwear, when she heard a noise outside the door: damn, she needed to cover herself.
She grabbed one of Bill's shirts and slipped it on, just in time to see the man himself walk in, perfectly dressed and made up.
She sighed. Thank goodness it was him: she didn't feel like explaining, or even seeing the others right now.
Bill grabbed an item of clothing from under the opposite side of the bed. "Were you looking for this?"
"I couldn't find it... sorry, I stole one of yours," she whispered, watching him advance.
She stood up on the bed, the shirt sliding down her legs. She laughed.
"I could wear it as a dress," she noted. "Damn you, you're so tall!"
"I didn't think you complained about my height last night!"
Rather than get annoyed or argue, Belinda smiled, moving closer to the edge of the bed.
"No, actually. No problem," she admitted, shrugging.
Bill took a step forward in the dim light, coming close to her. He was looking at her with a crooked smile, his eyes shining.
"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head to get a better look.
Even standing on the bed, she didn't even stand an inch taller.
Bill laughed and shook his head. "Nothing."
"Bill!" she exclaimed, scandalized, pretending to punch him. "You thought I'd forgotten about that, too!"
He shrugged. "No, but…"
"I can't believe it! I hate you!" She pushed him away and, getting out of bed, headed for the door.
"Bel!" he scolded, running after her. "Bel, wait, don't get angry!"
She turned slowly, but her eyes were amused. She put her hands on her hips. "Do I look angry?"
"No, you look... calm," he stated, scrutinizing her.
"Wrong," the girl chirped. "I'm happy!"
She twirled around and approached him, stretching out her arms and pushing him until he fell onto the bed.
She lay down beside him and leaned on her elbow to observe him.
"But I'm still waiting for you to tell me something."
"What?" he asked, tenderly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Whether you like me or not!"
Bill smiled at her. "If I hadn't liked you in the first place, would I have done all this?"
"Why, what did you do?" he winked with feigned naivety.
"I'm not telling you!" he replied seriously. "But I swear I would have stopped the world so you wouldn't leave."
Moved by those words, Belinda kissed him sweetly.
"I'm happy to have found you when I woke up, even if it's as B.K."
"It's still me, under all this mask," she replied, pointing to her makeup and sprayed hair.
"I know! Well, I can always close my eyes and think of you differently."
While they giggled, there was a knock on the door, which immediately opened, and Tom entered without waiting for the invitation.
"Is Bel feeling better?" he asked, advancing. "Why is Naomi asking if she wants to..."
He stopped abruptly, focusing on the scene. In a few seconds, he framed the girl's shirt thrown on the floor, Bill's on her, and the two of them...
He raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is going on?"
Her brother stood up, and Belinda lowered her feet to the floor, sliding her shirt further down her legs.
"I don't need to ask how you're doing," Tom muttered to Belinda, who was smiling at him.
"No, of course not! But thanks for the thought, Tom."
He took a step back, shaking his head and looking at them seriously.
"Tom..." Bill began, but his brother stopped him by raising a hand.
"No, don't say anything. I feel so stupid!" he scoffed. "I should have known this morning; you've never tried so hard. You did everything right the first time and you couldn't wait to get back here," he commented, grimacing.
"Yes, I was worried about Bel," his brother defended himself.
"Sure, right!" Tom laughed ironically. "But certainly not about last night!"
Belinda took a step forward, placing herself between the two of them, and looked up at Tom. "What's upsetting you so?"
"I'm not upset! I just... I feel stupid!" He snorted and looked at her. "I'm not jealous, you know. I already knew about you two, but... Damn, seeing them like this... It was like suddenly realizing it's all true, and I... I felt left out, that's all!"
Belinda laughed and hugged him tightly.
"You'll always have a special place in my heart, you know that, Tom?"
"I'd love to see!" He returned the hug. "Even though I can't understand what you see in this guy!" He patted his brother affectionately on the shoulder.
The three of them laughed, the awkwardness fading.
"Okay, pull yourselves together and come in!" Tom urged them, then turned to Belinda. "Madaleine made lunch, and your sister is looking for you because your mom called."
He walked away toward the door, where he paused for a few seconds before turning back. "But I still think you could have chosen better!" He teased her, then blew her a kiss with his hand and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Belinda studied Bill's reaction, noticed that he was smiling, and relaxed: she would never let the two brothers fight over her.
She smiled contentedly and, putting on her pants and slippers, gave Bill another quick kiss and headed to her room to change and then talk to her sister.