Chapter 3

Hannibal whistled for a cab outside the bar. He seemed a lot more confident than Will, a man who truly knew what he wanted. They sat in the cab in silence, 'What am I doing? I barely know this man! How is this going to happen? Am I sleeping on the couch? Am I sleeping at all? Are we just going to drink till the sun comes up and then I go home depressed? The same outcome if I didn't meet this odd man. I do need more friends… I need a social life. I'm from a small town; I wasn't exactly prepared for the city…' "You know Will; there is no need to be nervous." Hannibal interrupted his thoughts. "I know you just met me but it's not like I am murderer." Hannibal smiled and Will gave a nervous laugh that somewhat passed off as legible.

The cab stopped in front of this tall apartment building. Hannibal paid the cabbie and walked inside and to the elevator with Will. They entered the elevator and to Will's surprise, Hannibal inserted a key and hit the penthouse button. 'Geez! This guy must be extremely well-off' "The penthouse?" Will exclaimed. "Very nice; I guess I should have gone into psychiatry." Hannibal laughed at this, "Stock is a gamble, Will. You make your money based off how well the market is doing. I make my money off of the well-being of others, which let's face it, is always going to be messed up." Will nodded and they rode the rest of the way up in silence. The doors opened right into the penthouse, and Will's mouth dropped open. It was like something seen in a James Bond movie. There were hardwood floors, white fur rugs, windows that wind all the way around, an already burning fire place; everything was white and red themed. In the most basic of terms, was the most gorgeous place Will had ever stepped into. "Would you like some wine Will?" Hannibal took Will's coat off his back. Will, who was still in awe over the apartment, seemed surprised by this question. 'Haven't we had too much to drink?' "Um, yes please. That sounds lovely."

Will walked towards the mahogany leather couch and eased into the cushions. It smelled of firewood and fresh leather. "Red or white?", Hannibal asked from the kitchen. "Red, if you don't mind?" Will asked, nervous if that was okay. "Of course! I prefer a bold red myself!" Hannibal remarked. 'Whew!' A couple of minutes later Hannibal approached Will with two wine glasses, practically filled to the rim with wine. "The more you make me drink, the less convinced I am that you're not a murderer." Will jokingly said; feeling a little more confident now, thanks to the alcohol. Hannibal laughed aloud. "It's just one glass of wine and then we should probably get some sleep." Hannibal and Will talked for at least an hour. Will was almost done with his glass of wine, when he noticed that Hannibal's glass was barely sipped out of. 'Oh my God! I am getting murdered tonight!' But Will quickly removed that thought from his head thinking how much hell it would be to try to get home in his state of mind.

They chatted a few more minutes, about Hannibal's career and Will's patience testing job. Will then made a rather puny joke about the stock market and Hannibal laughed so hard that he spilt his red wine all over Will's white button up! "Oh Will I am terribly sorry!" Hannibal apologized profusely. "I have definitely had too much to drink tonight!" Will looked at his shirt slowly comprehending the mistake. "It's quite alright!" Will was not able to say much else before Hannibal interrupted him by saying "Here let me show you to the restroom and you can borrow one of my shirts. We are about the same size, no?" Hannibal got up and slung Will's drunken arm around his shoulder and helped him to the restroom. The room was definitely spinning now and Will was still having difficulties comprehending what was happening. After Hannibal got Will to the bathroom, Hannibal asked, "Do you think you can manage removing your shirt?" "Yea-a-a-h" Will stuttered and then stumbled against the sink. "Ooookay" Hannibal laughed. "Let's help you out a bit. Lean against the sink." Will smiled drunkenly, "Done!" Hannibal unbuttoned his shirt and slowly slid it off his back. Will couldn't move and it seemed like Hannibal couldn't either. Hannibal leaned closer to Will and smirked. Then without a warning, without a sign Hannibal pressed is lips to Will's. Will had no idea what was happening, but something deep down (Maybe it was the alcohol?) was saying that Will liked it; so he pushed his lips back against Hannibal's. 'It's just a kiss..'