A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. A young man in a long burgundy coat stood in the doorway of my room, tipped his brown top hat at me, and smiled.

“Good afternoon m’lady,” he said, entering the room and eyeing the papers on my desk. “It seems like today is turning out to be a productive day.”

I smiled and took in the image of the handsome man before me as he leaned in and placed a kiss on my head.

“It has. In fact, I’ve come up with so many potential story ideas that I’m having trouble deciding which one I’ll submit to Mr. Doux-Amer,” I admitted.

“I know what you mean. It’s been a busy day at the factory. Even with Lofty’s help, it’s been hard keeping up with all the new chocolate orders that are coming in,” he said, honestly.

I nodded. Lofty was an Oompa Loompa, whom Willy befriended and assigned as his business partner at the factory, after the little orange man took a secret liking to his chocolate.

“Speaking of chocolate,” Willy said, pulling out a small wrapped item from his pocket. “I want you to be the first to try my latest creation.”

He unwrapped the items and revealed a long yellow treat that was decorated with chocolate icing on the top.

“I call it the hair repair eclair. They're perfect for anyone who wants to regrow their missing hair or simply wants to experiment and make it a bit longer,” Willy explained.

Then, he broke off a piece of the candy and placed it in my palm. 

“These are meant to be eaten in small quantities, eat any more than three, and you’ll end up like a gorilla!” he warned.

I laughed, “Well, we certainly don’t want that, do we?”

I placed the treat in my mouth and allowed the flavors to melt on my tongue. It was spongy and had a taste of vanilla. 

“Mmm! Willy, this is delicious!” I proclaimed.

Willy beamed at me. “And it worked too! Look!” he said, carefully taking a strand of my hair in his hands. I gasped as I realized that it was now a few inches longer.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” I said, admiring the change.

“I was afraid that it wouldn’t work. I ate a piece of one earlier, but I don’t think it had any effect.” he admitted.

I stood up from my chair, and I took his hands in mine.

“I think it did work,” I said, studying Willy with a chuckle.

“Really?” he said, taking off his hat and running his hand through his curls, whose color reminded me of a never ending river of chocolate. “How can you tell?”

I leaned in and kissed him lovingly on the lips, which made him smile against me.

“Because your mustache tickles me when I kiss you,” I replied with a grin.

“Mustache? I don’t have a-” he replied in confusion, bringing his hand to his upper lip.

Willy’s eyes widened at the realization. “I have a mustache! I’ve never had one before!”

I giggled and responded, “No, you haven’t but you do look mighty handsome with one.”

His cheeks turned a sweet strawberry red over my compliment.

“Oh, stop it!” he said as he traded his signature Wonka grin with a shy smile that melted my heart.

“You always ask for my honest opinion during taste testing. Why should today be any different?” I said, matter of factly.

Willy wrapped his arms around my waist and then placed his forehead on mine.

“I love you,” he whispered, and now, it was my face that was aglow as he leaned in to kiss me.

The exchange was delightful because as per usual, his lips tasted like chocolate, a concept that I couldn’t get enough of. Now, his new mustache contributed to the ticklish feeling in my heart when we joined together.

As we pulled apart, he chuckled and said, “I better let you get back to your writing. Hopefully, I didn’t make you lose your train of thought.” 

“No, that’s ok. I can jump back on it at the next station,” I replied, playfully.

Willy laughed. “Good, I better get back too. Lofty’s waiting for me. We have lots of new orders to fulfil! Oh! By the way, how do you feel about elevator rides?” he asked me, eagerly.

“Uh…fine. I guess,” I replied, a bit confused at his sudden inquiry.

“Great! Meet me in the basement of the factory at about 7:30 tonight. There’s something I want to show you.” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Ok, then. It’s a date,” I replied.

Willy clapped his hands, showcasing his childlike excitement. “Yay! Dates with you are my favorite ones.” 

“I would hope so. Although, you’ve got a lot of admirers who could give me a run for my money and would jump at the chance to go on a date with the famous Willy Wonka,” I teased him with a wink.

“Never!” he said, clearly so shocked that I would utter such a statement, that he missed the fact that I was only kidding.

“I’m so grateful for all of the guests that visit my factory, but none of them fill my stomach with as many butterflies as you do,” he said sincerely.

I blushed and turned him around towards the door to hide my rosy cheeks and get him on his way back to work. 

“I was only teasing you, Willy. Now, go before your sappy words melt me into a puddle of that sugary syrup you use in your candy,” I said with a giggle.

As he headed out the door frame, he tipped his hat at me in a farewell gesture. 

“Now, that would be a shame,” he said with a grin.

“WONKA!” a voice boomed echoing through the stairwell and up to my room. It was Lofty, who made up for his short stature, with his big temper.

“Now, I really need to go. Don’t forget! Tonight at severn!” he said, as he raced down the stairs towards the impatient Oompa Loompa.

unedited: (I was studying lighting for the first time and it took me ages... + college yummy.)

I drew this part in January:

After a quick bath and a change of clothes, things that I never took for granted after being deprived of these luxuries at the wash house that I lived in before, I headed to the main factory to meet Willy. As I walked past several chocolate making machines that he’d been tinkering with for the past few months, I spotted him at last.

He was looking at his reflection in the shine of one of the contraptions, attempting to tame an unruly curl that stood up on his head. I silently chuckled to myself as he tried to flatten it in place, but it kept springing back up. Then, he looked around and spotted an empty jar of honey that was about to be tossed out. He ran his finger around the rim of the jar, so that a few droplets of honey clung to the tip. Then, he used it to delicately pat the rebellious curl down, which to his delight, finally stayed in place. 

Amused, I approached him and said, “Oh, so that’s why you always smell so sweet!” Upon hearing my voice, he jumped in surprise, and then grinned sheepishly. 

“I feel caught,” he said, giving me a shy smile. “I thought I’d try it once, to experiment.”

I chuckled, “You seem to be doing that a lot recently.” I said, tapping lightly on his upper lip with my finger. “I noticed the mustache is gone.”

“Yeah…it was fun for a bit, but I didn’t plan on making it permanent,” he said with a small shrug.

“What a shame,” I teased. “I thought it was really attractive.” 

His cheeks flushed with pleasure over my compliment, and I bit back a grin.

“Well, look at that! I’ve made Mr. Willy Wonka blush,” I joked as he rolled his eyes good naturedly, pulled me in by the waist, and kissed me on the cheek.

“Only you have the power to do that to me,” he whispered in my ear, bringing chills down my spine. I guess the feeling was mutual.

As we pulled apart he said, “You’re special, which is why you will be the first one to see my latest creation. No one, not, even Lofty, has seen it yet. Come on!” 

Willy took me by the hand and raced past the machinery in the factory. I laughed as we zipped past vats of chocolate and tubs of sweet smelling caramel. Sometimes, it was surreal to think that my boyfriend was the best chocolate maker in London. People would line up at his shop for hours to taste his delicious delicacies, and here I was running through the room where the magic happened, with the magician himself. 

“Willy! Slow down!” I exclaimed as he eagerly zipped by and almost crashed into a shelf lined with truffles. He looked back at me with a cheeky smile. 

“No time to stop! How else will we get the surprise?” he said, gripping my hand tighter. The smells of cinnamon, mint, and berries filled my nose as we weaved out of one room into the next. After making our way to the back of the factory, Willy stopped in front of a glass window. I frowned because I didn’t remember seeing it before.

“What’s this?” I asked him, intrigued as I could see into the night through the glass. 

“We have to step inside to find out!” he replied, but I still didn’t understand. 

That was when he tapped on the window and much to my astonishment, it slid aside, revealing another compartment surrounded by glass walls.

“Is this…?” I began, and he nodded before I could finish.

“Mmm hmm! It’s a glass elevator! You, my dear, will be the first to ride in it!” Willy replied with a smile that was extremely contagious. Without him ever letting go of my hand, we stepped inside. Willy placed his free hand on one of the glass walls, and the door closed, surrounding us with nothing but transparency.

It was surreal because suddenly, I felt the floor move beneath us. I gripped harder onto Willy’s hand, and he grinned. 

“Hold on tight!” he said. “We’re going straight to the top!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from Willy Wonka!” I responded with a chuckle.

My heart raced as we travelled higher. I felt like I was flying even though I knew we were secure in the elevator compartment. The clear walls made me feel like a bird soaring higher above the town, that was slowly growing smaller below us. The lights of the homes and businesses twinkled underneath our feet, but they couldn’t match the sparkle in Willy’s eyes as the elevator finally came to a halt.

“This is our stop!” he announced, placing his hand on the glass. Immediately, it moved aside, and Willy stepped out onto a platform, which I quickly realized led to the roof of the chocolate factory. I raised my eyebrows in surprise as Willy hopped out of the elevator like he’d done it a million times, and I figured he had since he needed to test run this contraption. That’s probably where the strange noises I’d been hearing for the past few nights had been coming from. There was never a dull moment with Willy Wonka around, I thought to myself as I followed him out of the elevator.

The platform beneath us was like a runway. The light of the moon illuminated our path, and my heart raced with the exhilaration of being up so high and the curiosity of where my boyfriend was leading me.

Suddenly, Willy came to a stop, and I almost bumped into him.

“Do you trust me?” he asked all of a sudden. 

“Yes. Of course I do,” I replied without hesitation. Willy was quirky beyond belief, but his quirks were what made me feel secure, like nothing bad could ever happen when he was by my side. 

“Good!” he said, unable to hide the pleased look on his face. “Then, close your eyes, and follow me. I promise it’s secure. I take safety quite seriously at my factory!” he said with a grin.

“I’m assuming that only applies to the visitors because I recall you falling into the chocolate river a few days ago,” I teased.

Willy gave me a sheepish laugh in return. “You saw that?”

“No, but, Lofty told me he had to fish you out,” I teased.

“Traitor,” Willy replied with a laugh.

I closed my eyes and allowed him to guide me down the platform. The ground below was sturdy and smooth, until it shifted into a rockier surface. 

Upon reaching that point, Willy said, “Ok. Open your eyes!”

Obeying his instructions, I looked out before me. I was one step away from stepping onto the roof of the factory. I was expecting to see tile and bricks on the surface before me, but was surprised to encounter a trail of candy leading up to a small candlelit nook on the corner of the roof.

“Wow! This is beautiful! What is it?" I asked, looking him in the eye.

“It’s a writer’s corner! I know you’ve probably been going stir crazy locked up in your room as you try to finish your manuscript. That’s why I figured I'd put this together for you,” Willy proclaimed proudly.

With his hand in mine, he beckoned me closer. The nook was illuminated by a small white candle in the corner. It was adored with soft cushions and a wooden tablet that served as a desk. Perched upon it was a stack of new parchment and two jars: one filled with freshly sharpened pencils and the other with Silver Lining chocolates. I couldn’t resist the smile that was forming on my face, and neither did I wish to.

“Oh! Willy! This is beautiful!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Willy grinned almost shyly. “I take it, you like it?” he asked.

“Of course I do! How did you have time to build all of this? You’ve been so busy lately.” I remarked.

“Well, so have you. That’s why I wanted to create a world of your own. Somewhere you can get away from all of the chaos of the factory and focus on your stories,” he replied.

“And maybe… if you’re willing to share, I can sneak up here sometimes, and you can read to me. Like old times.” he said with a bashful smile.

The look on his face melted my heart as I recalled when I first arrived in London and would read fragments of my stories to Willy. I still remembered how I’d share my writing drafts with him until he’d fall asleep with his head resting on my shoulder. 

“I’d love nothing more,” I replied sincerely, as we both stepped towards the cushions and took a seat. From that spot, I could see down onto the city below. I imagined all of the kids unwinding after a day of school. I pictured the adults calling it a day after work. Somehow, they all ended up here at the factory at some point in the day, leaving with a treat to sweeten up their daily routines. 

Willy seemed to read my mind because he leaned closer to me and said, “I can’t believe that all of this is ours.”

“You're the one that put hard work into building this place. It was your dream, and now, it’s a reality,” I replied.

“Yes, but I couldn’t have done it without your help. I just wanted to create a special place for people who felt alone and needed to feel seen,” Willy responded. 

“It’s just like what you do with your stories.” he added in almost a whisper.

I thought about this for a moment. I’d been so focused on trying to write something, anything, that I’d almost forgotten that the whole reason I wanted to be a writer was to help readers feel understood and a little less lost in the world. Willy always knew what to say to get my creative juices flowing and my heart beating for that matter.

“So, what are you writing now?” he asked, looking me in the eyes.

“I think it’s time for Charlie to go on a new adventure,” I said, referencing the character in my last book. 

“I’ll have him go for a ride in a glass elevator, taste sweets to his heart’s content, and make sure that no one falls into a chocolate river,” I said with a smile. 

Willy groaned, but laughed as he said, “You’re not going to let me forget that, are you?”