Beginning, Section II, Section III
Posted on Sunday, 11 February 2001
Author's Note: I made a reference last chapter to George Webbs--a wonderful restaurant. So far as I know, we only have it here near Milwaukee. Basically, it's an all-night diner, but it's a great place to hang out. My friends and I go there at 2 in the morning and have bagels (breakfast is around-the-clock). If you ever come to Milwaukee, you'll see them everywhere. Now, over with that, on with the story:
As Elizabeth slid her key into the lock, she murmured to herself, "Please don't let him be there, please don't let him be there, please don't let him be there..."
He was.
Kim was sitting in the chair across from him, laughing, when the door opened and they both looked up. Richard was the first to react, standing up and smoothing down his black pants and adjusting his coat. He had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his light gray shirt; his hair looked a bit mussed, as if he had run his hand through it a few times, and the gel in it made it stand up in odd ways. But the most striking feature of his appearance was the smile that was spread across his face.
"You finally made it! We were getting worried."
Elizabeth sighed heavily. "The storm knocked out power lines, and we were stuck in an elevator. Those were a few hellish hours if I've ever known them."
"Oh, no!" cried Kim in her usual manner. "So what happened?"
"Well," Elizabeth began, throwing her shopping bags on the couch, "there were four of us in there--we talked a lot, thought a lot, prayed that the elevator cord wouldn't suddenly snap and send us plummeting to the bottom a lot--or maybe that was just me who worried about that."
Richard sat down on the armrest of the chair. "At least you're ok, and you can look on this with humor."
She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm joking?"
He was unsure how to respond to that, but was saved by Kim. "You said four--who were the other two people, besides you and, I'm assuming, Aria?"
"Actually, that is somewhat humorous," Elizabeth reflected. "At least, you may find it amusing, Richard. We both know at least one of them. It seems we get into more accidents together..."
Richard looked surprised. "William?"
"Ding, ding, ding! Congratulations! Johnny, tell him what he wins."
He laughed. "Oh, that's too funny. You and Will stuck in the same elevator. At least it wasn't some creep you had to be leery of the whole time. I'm sure you actually somewhat enjoyed yourselves, then, if it was Will."
Elizabeth didn't answer, but instead began searching through her bags.
"What, you two don't get along?" Richard asked in confusion. "I thought he had said--" he stopped, slightly flustered. "Oh. So, uh...was Georgiana with him?"
She nodded. "Genie is a very sweet girl. Will ought to be commended for raising her right."
He practically beamed. "Georgie is wonderful. Although, she's getting to that stage where we're going to have to guard her with rifles and bazookas, or there'll be guys lined up along the property, vying to ask her out."
Kim giggled at the image that presented. "At least she has a savior in you."
Richard puffed out his chest and lowered his voice as he said, in his best Austrian accent, "Nobodee mezzes vith ze Terminator." He and Kim shared a glance as she laughed at his impression.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned to go to her room. Halfway down the hallway, she stopped and, looking back, asked him, "I'm assuming we missed the reservations?"
He nodded, spearing a hand through his tousled hair, making even more of it stand up straight. "Unfortunately. Raoul is going to be pretty upset with me; who knows if he's even going to take reservations for me again. He pulled a few strings, and what do I do? Go and not show up. I'm sure, though, if I explain it to him, he'll understand. I mean, it's not as if we just decided not to come."
Elizabeth sighed. "I'm really sorry about that. But there was no way for me to get hold of you from the elevator. You know, you should've just gone--taken Kim or Jane...speaking of Jane, where is she?"
"Her date with Charles, remember?" Kim said. "And we couldn't have gone to the restaurant, Liz. I mean, what if you showed up only a few minutes after we left? And anyway, this was your date."
She raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, if this was my date, I have to break it to you, Rich--it wasn't that great."
He laughed, and she turned and went the rest of the way to her room. In a few minutes, she came back out, having changed from her wrinkled pants suit that she had worn to work into a pair of blue jeans and a white tank top. She was just slipping her arms into a gray zippered sweater when there was a knock at the door. "Kim, could you get that?" she asked.
Her friend went to the door and opened it to admit a tall, slender man wearing khakis and a brown sweater over a white dress shirt. His hair was a dark brown, his skin bronzed perfectly, and his eyes a rich chocolate brown. He smiled brightly when he saw Kim, and kissed her on the cheek before turning to Elizabeth. "I knew she'd be here, of course. Can I ever find her anywhere else?" He then glanced at the other man in the room, who had stood up slowly, withdrawing his hands from his pockets as he looked curiously at the new visitor.
Elizabeth glanced between the two men and wondered at the sudden tenseness in the room. She decided to break the ice by doing introductions, but apparently Kim had thought the same thing, and so the two stopped and glanced at each other before Elizabeth decided to concede to her friend, trying to puzzle out the undertones that were currently passing between the other three.
"Drew, this is Richard Fitzwilliam," Kim began a little nervously. "Richard, this is Andrew Coughlin...my boyfriend."
There was a hesitation, but Elizabeth could tell when Richard decided to turn on the charm. A small muscle jumped in his jaw, then it relaxed and he smiled brightly before extending his hand to the other man. "Nice to meet you, Andrew. You're a lucky man--Kim's a gem."
Andrew took Richard's hand, but released it almost immediately, all the while looking at him suspiciously. Then he smiled, wrapping his arm possessively around Kim's waist.. "Yeah, I know." For a moment, the two men just looked at each other, then Andrew turned to his girlfriend and asked, "Are you ready to go? I had been expecting you a while ago."
Kim felt the need to apologize. "I'm so sorry, Drew. But you see, Elizabeth and Richard were supposed to go out tonight, and Jane and I were supposed to meet her back here, before Richard came to pick her up, but she never showed. We only now found out that she had been stuck in an elevator for a few hours. But Jane and Charlie had reservations tonight, and so I volunteered to stay here and keep Richard company while we waited for Elizabeth. I didn't realize it would take this long."
Elizabeth smiled at her friend. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, Kim." She turned to Andrew. "This is really my fault. I hope you don't mind?"
He hesitated, then shook his head, releasing a frustrated sigh. "No, I guess not. We can just take the later showing of the movie instead of the one we had chosen. It's not really a problem." He turned to his girlfriend. "Are you ready to go, then?"
Kim nodded after a quick glance under her lashes towards Richard, who was standing and smiling affably beside the couch. Elizabeth caught the quick, discreet glance and puzzled over it as she closed the door behind her friend.
"He seems to be nice. How long have they been together?"
Elizabeth turned around to where Richard was still standing. "For nearly three years."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a while."
She shrugged and walked towards the counter where her purse sat. "Not really. I've known couples who dated for nearly five or six years before finally getting engaged--and then it took them a few years after that to be married."
"That's nuts."
"Perhaps, but it really depends on the kind of people in the relationship." She stopped beside him on her way back towards the door, her purse slung over one shoulder. "So, why don't we just go down to George Webbs, and have some coffee. Granted, it's nothing fancy, but I think we had to forgo that when I didn't come back in time."
"Webbs sounds fine," he replied. "Are you ready? We'll take my car."
She nodded, and followed him out, shutting off the lights and locking the door behind her.
"Hi, Maribeth," Elizabeth said as she walked in the door of the small Webbs she usually frequented.
The waitress smiled at her favorite customer and walked over to the table Elizabeth had chosen, two menus in her hand. "Hey, EB. How are you? You haven't been around here for quite a while. I was getting worried that you'd forgotten us."
Elizabeth laughed. "No, I've just been really busy. It's been a hell of a month so far."
Maribeth grinned. "I know exactly what you mean. You probably didn't hear--my place got robbed last week."
"Your apartment? Oh, no! What got stolen?"
The waitress shrugged. "Some jewelry, a couple hundred dollars, and my portable stereo. Seems he got in through the fire escape by breaking down the window. I had to get new glass for it, but everything near it was ruined because of the rain."
"Oh, Mari! That's awful!"
"I was lucky, though," the waitress said. "It seems this guy has been hitting a number of places nearby, and there was a lot more stuff taken from those places. Of course, I don't have much to steal--he probably had the wrong apartment," she said with a laugh. "Although, you only live a few blocks from where I live, I think. On 76th street, right?"
Elizabeth nodded worriedly. "Yeah. I wonder why I haven't heard about it, then."
Maribeth shook her head. "Who knows? But I'd rather be safe than sorry, if I were you--ask the manager at your place to check on the safety precautions."
"Thanks, Mari."
"Now," the waitress said, turning professional, "what would you and the gentleman here like to eat?"
"My usual."
Richard hesitated. "Well, I think maybe I'll have a burger and fries, with a vanilla milk shake."
Elizabeth grinned. "That sounds delicious. Add a milk shake to mine, instead of the tea, Mari."
The waitress laughed. "You got it, toots. Be back in a sec with your stuff."
After she had left, Elizabeth turned to Richard. "So what did the two of you do while you waited for me? I never did ask."
He shrugged. "Not much. I mean, we just talked for a while. We were worried about you-- especially with the string of bad luck Kim's told me you've been having recently--and so we just tried to distract ourselves. Trust me, we must have run through everything from world affairs to Spam."
Elizabeth laughed. "So at least you two had fun. Whereas I..."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze interested and penetrating, in an odd way. "What did you actually do on the elevator? If I understood you right, you and William are...at odds."
"Well, I suppose you could say that," Elizabeth hedged. "It's not that we're at odds..." She sighed. "Ok, I guess we are. But really, you would think he would get the hint. I don't do double- dating."
Richard looked puzzled. "Double-dating?"
She shook her head. "Not that--I meant, going out with someone already going out with someone."
"Who--ohhhhhh!..."
"But it wasn't just that. It was...well, while I'm never intentionally cruel to anyone who hasn't hurt me personally, I do sometimes, involuntarily, of course, give the wrong impression. And it was just...he sounded so...junior high, asking me to go have coffee with him."
When she stopped and bit her lip, Richard smiled in commiseration. "You laughed at him, didn't you? He doesn't take ridicule very well, even when it's deserved; let me tell you that. But I don't think it's irreconcilable. And besides, are you absolutely sure about this Caroline thing? From what I can tell--"
"No, I'm sure. There is no way that what I saw was simply a friendly kiss."
He looked distressed. "I can't believe Will would ever do something like that. I know that he finds her annoying, grasping. He's told me so before. I just can't believe it."
She shrugged. "Believe it or not, it's true. But why are we talking about him? I'd rather not--if you don't mind?"
He shrugged noncommittally as she struggled for a neutral topic. She didn't succeed. "You know, this has kind of been bugging me. I don't mean to sound...offensive, but you seem really different than when I met you at the party."
His grin came out full force as she said that and he waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, that. Simply a ploy. I knew that Bings and your sister would have been disappointed with any less of a showing from me. Not that you are any less desirable than I intimated then. You're just not my type for a girlfriend...I hope you don't mind."
Elizabeth found herself smiling, despite the complete set-down she'd just had. "No, I don't...and actually, could I venture a guess that Kim is more of your type?"
He smiled secretively. "Your mind works very quickly, I see. I can see that we'll be close friends, just as I had hoped. I must say, from the moment I met you, I knew you would turn out to be a great friend."
She laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was meant as such."
"Then thank you," she replied. "I have to say, this does come as a bit of a relief. I've been having...difficult times lately, and I need all the friends I can get. And considering I just broke up with Derrick, a bounce-back relationship would probably have done more harm than good right now."
Richard grinned. "I wouldn't mind taking you out to eat wherever this Derrick usually goes. Sometimes it's good to have a little bit of revenge."
She thanked him. "But I don't think that's very necessary. I've already showed that I recover quickly. Or at least, that's what he assumed was going on." She explained what had happened the night Derrick had come to her apartment to collect his stuff. "So I thank you for the offer, but I assure you, it's not needed."
"Well, just remember, if it's ever necessary..."
"Of course."
They sat there for a while, in companionable silence, and Elizabeth realized with a start that this was exactly what she needed right now, and she thanked Providence that she was blessed enough to have been granted it. She hadn't even realized that she was staring at him, smiling, until she caught his laughing eyes. "Yes? Seen enough?" he asked.
She found herself blushing. "Well, no. I mean, yes--I mean, I don't know." She stopped and took a few breaths before continuing. "No, what I was thinking is how great you would be for Kim."
His smile faltered slightly. "She's already going out with someone. And from what you said, it sounded like they were pretty much a set thing."
She began to reply, but the food came at that moment, and she paused to let Mari work her magic. When the plates had been set on the table, and the waitress had left, Elizabeth finally replied to what his statement. "I'm sorry," she said, staring at the milkshake she was swirling around with her straw, "that I gave you that impression. Yes, they have been going out for about three years, but...Drew isn't the commitment type. And much as I love Kim, I know that he'll never pop the question, and I really think she's wasting her time with him. She'll never listen to me, though."
He nodded slowly, seriously. "People rarely like to take advice, especially when it means they have to change."
"You can say that again. I know that I, myself, do that quite often--I don't like to take anyone's advice on anything, especially when it makes me realize that what I'm doing is wrong. I always have to learn the hard way."
"I think the hard way is the best way sometimes. Some people never really learn unless it happens to them, drastically."
Elizabeth smiled and related a childhood memory where she learned the hard way, and how every time she was faced with the same temptation, she thought of her father, and his pained expression as he reluctantly punished her. Richard laughed and told a similar anecdote, and soon the two were laughing and talking about their relationships with their parents, siblings, and other friends and family, and before either realized it, the big hand of the clock had passed eleven. Richard caught sight of the clock and shook his head in shock. "Wow. I didn't realize how late it was getting. Time really does fly when you're having fun."
"So you were having fun?" Elizabeth asked as she polished off the tea she had ordered after the shake had been drunk.
He smiled. "Yes, I definitely did. And I'm so glad that we met. I don't think I've been able to talk with someone like this for ages. Bings, well, he's a great friend and all, but you can't talk about serious things with him. And Darce would simply sit there stoically, then offer advice you don't really need--" he broke off at her frown. "Ok, I may be exaggerating a bit, but it is true that he doesn't easily lighten up. Not that you should dislike him for it--I mean, when he warms up a bit, he can be fun."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to defend him to me," she replied. "I have my opinion of him. He'd have to change it himself. Not that he must be too keen on that idea. He'll probably avoid me like the plague."
Richard patted her hand comfortingly. "Don't be too disappointed."
"Oh, I'm not," she replied flippantly. "I'm just saying..."
"You'll probably be seeing him more, especially with Bings and your sister starting the wedding preparations--when's it set for? August? I believe Darce is the best man. And you're Jane's maid of honor?"
She nodded. "I can be civil to him. He's not injured me in any way, so how could I be rude?"
Richard nodded with approval. "I knew I hadn't misjudged your character. You're a wonderful person, Elizabeth."
She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Rich--and the same to you." She stood and picked up her purse, then reached for the check, but he had grabbed it first. So while he was paying the bill, she left a large tip for Maribeth, then walked over to where he was paying. They went out to his car together. "I really hope we can do this another time, Richard. Now that I found something as good as this, I don't think I can let it go so easily."
He grinned. "No prob. This'll be our Webbs, ok?"
She laughed. "Our Webbs. Got it."
The drive back to Elizabeth's apartment was uneventful, aside from their companionable conversation. When Richard pulled the car up to the curb, he got out and ran around to the passenger side, but she had already gotten out. She laughed at his attempt at chivalry, but accepted his arm, and they walked up the steps together. At the door to the building, Elizabeth turned to him. "I can probably make it from here. I doubt anybody'll mug me as I'm going up one set of stairs."
He smiled. "Then I'll leave you here. Thank you so much for the great time." He opened his arms and took her into a big hug, which she returned gladly.
When she finally pulled away, she dropped a light kiss on his cheek, then turned away and opened the door with her key. She looked back at him with a smile. "Bye, Richard--I'll see you later. Call me when you have a free Friday night, and we'll do this again."
"My pleasure," he said with a gallant bow, and with a smirk, he turned and walked down the steps. She smiled after him for a few seconds more before going into the apartment building and up the steps.
Posted on Tuesday, 27 February 2001
"Men--the scourge of every society. What's the use of them?" Aria asked philosophically as she twirled a long-stemmed wine glass in her hands.
The four girls were all sitting in various positions around the Bennet girls' apartment, having a sleepover, for lack of anything better to do on a Saturday night. Kim was on the floor, leaning against the chair on which Aria was sitting Indian-style. Jane was sitting properly in the other chair next to the couch, where Elizabeth lay, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. All of them were in their pajamas, and all of them were at least a halfway on their way to being drunk.
Elizabeth grinned wickedly. "I can think of more than a few."
Kim giggled at that, pouring herself another glass of the red wine Elizabeth had found in her cupboard. "Me, too--have you ever tried them with chocolate and whipped--"
"Ok, that's enough, Kim," Aria said repressively. "I meant more generally. Yes, I suppose they might be good for that--I don't see what the big deal is, personally, but that's just me. I had been more referring to their purpose, outside of procreation."
There was an unsure silence until Jane spoke up: "To make money?"
"Good Lord, Jane," Aria burst out. "What decade are you living in? Geez, how many years have you survived without a guy attached to you?"
"Well..."
Elizabeth spoke up for her sister. "They're great for companionship, you know."
Kim began giggling again. "Yeah--they're great for that. Mmmmm...especially the ones who know just how to--"
"Kim, please. You are being absolutely no help," Aria interrupted, rolling her eyes.
"I think I know what you mean, though," Elizabeth said thoughtfully, sitting up again. "They do tend to make our lives decidedly more complex."
Jane was ambivalent. "Sometimes it's a good complex, though. I mean, you can't simply sail through life without any challenges."
Elizabeth looked at her sister wryly. "I think I could deal with a few less problems."
"I have a theory," Aria began.
Kim groaned. "Another theory..."
Aria shot her sister a quelling glance. "I think that all men have crayons lodged somewhere in their brains. Hinders thinking, you know. Some circumvent that and think with another part, others simply don't think at all."
"Charles..." Jane began.
"Well, Charles probably doesn't have as much of a crayon," Aria conceded. "He may just have a nub of one stuck up there. Some, on the other hand, like Andrew here, have one of those huge jumbo crayons--you know, the ones they give little kids in school?"
Elizabeth laughed, starting to get into the spirit. "They probably all got them stuck in their brains when they were kids--you know how it's always little boys who manage to get things stuck up their noses? You never hear about some little girl putting a Lego, or an eraser, or a little matchbox car up there. I mean, did you ever try jamming a Barbie stiletto up your nose?"
"Exactly!" cried Aria triumphantly. "And I think maybe the color has some effect, too, don't you think?"
"I don't know," Jane started, worriedly.
Aria clapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, it's ok, Jane--we're not picking on your Charles. But you do have to admit, there might be a little bit of a crayon stuck in the part of his brain that affects his color-coordination, am I right?"
Jane bit her lip, trying not to laugh as she remembered the mismatched outfit he had worn to the art gallery earlier that afternoon, with the dark blue sweater, khaki pants held up by a brown belt, black shoes, and two different colored socks. Elizabeth, who remembered very well him standing in the doorway and blushing at her pointed query as to who had dressed him, had no qualms over laughing about it. When she had finally managed to stop laughing, and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes, she asked Aria, "So what do you propose we do about them?"
Aria shrugged. "I don't know. We can't do away with them completely, I suppose. And crayon removal may be a serious thing...who knows how the full capability to think would affect them? Might even kill them."
Elizabeth fell back on the cough, laughing so hard that her stomach hurt, and she curled into a ball, tears of merriment coming from her eyes. Just as Aria was going to elaborate more on her theory, the phone rang, and Jane, who was probably the most composed of them all, picked it up. "Hello?"
She listened for a while, then turned to where Kim was sitting, slouched next to the chair, giggling at something. "Um, Kim? It's Andrew."
There was a sudden quiet in the room, and even Kim sat up straighter, more serious now. "Drew? What could he want at this time of the night?"
Jane shrugged and held out the phone. Kim took it hesitantly and put it up to her ear. "Yes?"
She listened for a while, and the rest of the room was silent, watching her. They could hear the sound of the refrigerator, cars in the street, a man yelling, a cat hissing, and a dog barking, but the conversation on the other end of the line was an enigma. Aria worriedly caught Elizabeth's eyes when they both saw the tear come down Kim's cheek, and they both silently affirmed the other's fears.
When the call was over, and Kim had said a teary good-bye and hung up, the room remained silent. It took Jane to finally ask, in a quiet, gentle voice, "What happened, Kim?"
"He dumped me," came the answer.
There was silence, then suddenly:
"He dumped you?"
"On the phone?"
"That jacka--"
"I'm going to shove his nose in a grinder."
"Oh, poor Kim!"
"His nose? Be that gentle?"
"Who can we sic on him?"
"Where is that filthy son of a--"
Aria held up her hands for quiet. "Wait--Kim, what exactly did he say?"
Kim sniffled, then answered tearfully, "He said that he was on the plane to Vegas with Sandy, and that he was sorry that he hadn't called earlier. He said--he said he wouldn't be back for a week, and th-th-that we'll t-t-talk when he gets b-b-back. And we were s-s-supposed to go up to the c-c-cabin tomorrow." At that, she burst out sobbing.
"Who is Sandy?" Elizabeth asked.
"Sh-sh-she works with Drew."
"Maybe they're on a business trip," Jane offered hopefully.
Aria scowled. "Then the scumbag should've told Kim sooner than when they were on the plane. No, I think Kim is right. But it's a harsh way to find out, and if he were here right now, I'd kill him with my bare hands."
Elizabeth got off the couch and sat down beside Kim, wrapping an arm around her friend. "I'm so sorry, Kim--I know how much he meant to you."
Jane knelt down beside her friend and began to coo comfortingly. Aria began to pace, and after Kim's crying had begun to ceased, she stopped and went into the kitchen, coming out again with another bottle of wine. "I think this calls for a new toast, huh?" She filled up all the glasses, then held her own aloft. "To us, that we may always be together and support each other, no matter what guy decides he's going to trash our lives."
"Hear, hear!" the girls all shouted, raising their glasses and each taking a swig.
After a few more anti-male toasts, and an on-the-fence toast from Jane, Aria sat down on the couch and looked curiously at Elizabeth. "So, now that we have all of that out of the way, you haven't told us how things went with Richard yesterday--nub or jumbo crayon?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Actually, if anything, he has a nub. He was very sweet, and extremely intelligent, and we've become good friends."
There was a short silence. "Friends?" Aria asked incredulously. "Only friends? I thought this was going to be another bounce-back. Or at least, that's what I assumed, though you know my opinion on that."
Elizabeth flushed slightly. "He told me I wasn't his type."
"He actually said that?" Kim asked incredulously.
"Jumbo! Jumbo crayon!" Aria shouted triumphantly.
"No, no, you misunderstood me," Elizabeth hastened to say. "I had already realized that neither of us were suited for a relationship. But we were able to talk, and I couldn't imagine having a better time, unless it was with one of you. We've decided to make the Webbs date a regular habit."
Jane was smiling. "Charles will be happy. He was so worried you wouldn't hit it off well."
Elizabeth glanced in affectionate annoyance at her sister. "Bah. He was hoping we would fall in love, or some such rubbish. And I'm not going out with him--we're friends. That's all."
"That's what they all say," Aria said with a wave of her hand. "But fine, if you don't want to, we won't talk about it. Instead, you'll tell me about this William character."
"William?" Jane asked in surprise.
Her sister blushed slightly. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Aria. I don't really know him that well. We've met a few times, is all."
Aria raised an eyebrow at that. "And after only a few times, you've taken such a dislike to him? You can't make me believe that I hadn't noticed that."
Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. "I don't dislike him, exactly..."
"Then what is it? First of all, the moment you two recognized each other in the elevator, it was suddenly triple point--you all icy, him smoldering, and Genie and I cool and calm, though confused. And then you go and laugh at him when he asks you out to coffee? I've never known you to be so rude, Liz! I may not have said so at the time, but I think that was one of the cruelest things I've ever seen you do, and I think that no matter what he did, it doesn't deserve that!"
There was a shocked silence as Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face. After a few seconds, she replied dejectedly, "I'm sorry, Aria--I know."
"I'm not the one that needs apologizing to," Aria replied, in a somewhat softened tone.
"It's just..." Elizabeth began, but then stopped and tried again: "I'm uncomfortable with him, I guess. I just can't pin down who he really is. I mean, the first time I saw him, I thought him the rudest of all people. The next time, he was so kind, and it took me completely by surprise to find out it was the same person I had run into before. The third time...I don't know what happened there. It had started off fine, but by the end we were both upset. The fourth time I met him was at Charlie's birthday. He had been charming...until he and Caroline met in the hallway. And now, despite the fact that he and she were practically down each other's throats, he tells me there's nothing between them."
Jane was shocked. "Down each other's throats?" she repeated.
Elizabeth blushed slightly, caught. "Well, perhaps not that bad..."
"How bad?" Aria pursued.
Her friend fidgeted under her penetrating gaze. "I don't know...maybe a bit worse than a Jane and Charlie kiss."
"A bit? And who was doing the kissing?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't know...she initiated it, at least, but he didn't object, from what I could tell."
"Ok, wait a second," Aria said, holding up her hands. "Now, you're blaming him for being kissed by Caroline?"
"Well..."
Aria threw her hands up in exasperation. "And you're telling me that if some extremely hot guy came up to you and kissed you, you would immediately push him away, slap him, knee him, or whatever? Even if you knew that this guy was a bit of a creep...but remember, extremely hot...like Jeremy Northam--or whoever that guy is you're always ogling over--kind of hot."
"But that's different," Elizabeth began.
"How? How is it different? Because it was a woman who approached the man? Or because you don't think Caroline is hot? Because trust me, she is. She may not have the best personality in the world, but she is definitely gorgeous."
Elizabeth was silent before she finally nodded, conceding the argument. "I see your point, Aria. I guess I just didn't think about it..." She put her head in her hands. "Oh, what a muddle I've made of everything."
Jane patted her sister's hand. "I'm sure everything will work out. If you want, Charles and I could--"
"No, Jane," Elizabeth interceded. "Thank you so much for the offer, but you two have enough to worry about, with the wedding and all. I'll deal with this on my own."
Aria nodded. "That's the spirit. Now, on to more important things, did I ever tell you about my theory that guys are like purses?"
As Elizabeth picked up the newspaper outside her door Tuesday morning, she was surprised by the sound of someone cursing. She looked up slightly offended, thinking he had been talking about her, when she realized that the man in the doorway opposite was simply looking at his paper. "Problems?" she asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.
The man looked up at her, and she was taken aback slightly by the intense anger in his chocolate brown eyes. The anger disappeared almost immediately, and he grinned abashedly, folding up the paper and tucking it under his arm. "I'm sorry; I hadn't realized anyone was here. I'm just upset by something in the newspaper." He held out his hand. "I'm Jorges Impio. I just moved in yesterday."
"Well then," Elizabeth said with a genuinely welcoming smile as she shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you, Jorges. I'm Liz Bennet. Welcome to Meryton Park Apartments."
"Thank you, Liz." He smiled lopsidedly, and Liz found her heart beating a little faster as she smiled back at him. A lock of raven black hair fell over his forehead, and he reached up and pushed it back. She noted the diamond ring that winked on his finger, and she wondered idly why someone with dough to throw around would live at Meryton Park. "I have to be going, though," he said finally. "But it was great to meet you. Maybe we'll have to go have coffee sometime, get to know each other. Least we can do, as neighbors."
"I'd like that," she found herself saying, despite her mother's voice echoing in her head, beware of strangers. Bah. As if there'd be any problem with going out to coffee with a neighbor. At least the police would know where he lived if he turned out to be a mass murderer.
He smiled at her one more time before going back into his apartment and closing the door behind him. Elizabeth stood there, looking across the hall for a few more minutes before turning around slowly and returning to her own. She closed the door, then stood for a moment, leaning against it. Well, this was certainly a new development. A new neighbor. A hot new neighbor. An extremely hot new neighbor. An extremely hot new neighbor not wearing a wedding ring, seemingly interested in her...
Although, she thought, bringing herself back to earth, just because he didn't wear a wedding band didn't mean he wasn't married. And just because he seemed interested didn't mean he was...she'd been in that situation before. And anyway, just because he was hot and had an incredibly sexy voice did not mean that he only had a nub of a crayon...now, where did that come from?
Elizabeth shook her head and towards the kitchen, where she set the newspaper on the counter and grabbed the bagels out of the toaster. She had just slavered cream cheese over them when Jane came into the room. "Good morning," she said cheerily.
"Good morning," Elizabeth responded just as brightly. "I met our new neighbor this morning."
"Oh, really?" Jane asked, picking up the newspaper.
"Yes, I did, and don't you dare do the crossword puzzle--it's mine. His name is Jorges. And he's very good looking, and has a Spanish accent and everything."
Jane nodded. "Well, I look forward to meeting him. Oh, look at this," she said with a smile. "William is on the front page--they have a story about his contribution to the AIDS walk."
Elizabeth lifted a brow. "How much?"
"Quarter million," Jane said without blinking an eye.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth nearly choked on her bagel. "A quarter million?" she finally gasped when the coughing stopped.
Jane shrugged. "Charles said he had been going to contribute more, if it hadn't been for the Lambton, Inc. scandal."
"What scandal?" Elizabeth asked in curiosity.
Jane opened her mouth to respond, but then snapped it shut, her eyes opening wide. "Oh," she breathed.
"What? Am I not supposed to know?"
Her sister looked slightly uncomfortable. "I really don't like gossiping, Lizzy, not even to you. And I'm really not sure whether it's supposed to be known or not."
Elizabeth sighed and patted Jane's arm. "It's alright. I won't ask. So, what are you planning on doing today? After work I was thinking of going to the club, then seeing if I can find a new pants suit. I stained my charcoal gray one so badly it can't be cleaned."
"Charles and I had been planning on going to the new art exhibit at the museum."
"Oh," Elizabeth said in disappointment. After a few moments, she looked up at the clock, then stood up and grabbed the rest of her bagel. "Well, much as I'd love to chat, I have a longer commute than you, hun, and I have to go. I'll talk to you when you get home from the art museum. 'Till then." She hugged her sister, holding the bagel out to the side, then grabbed her purse, briefcase, and keys, and headed out the door.
Elizabeth ran a hand through her still slightly damp hair and sighed. She was never going to find anything to replace that pants suit. Maybe she was the world's worst shopper.
It had been a stroke of genius to go to the club after work. She felt as though a thousand of her worries had been washed away. She had run for a half hour on the treadmill, and then swam for an hour. Afterwards, she spent some time relaxing in the hot tub. There hadn't been many people around, and so she was able to just think and relax. It had given her time to sort through all of the troubles she'd been having recently, and honestly, they didn't seem so bad once she logically went through them.
But now, as she went through rack after rack of clothes, she found that running away from her problems for a while didn't mean that they all disappeared. She still had a number of things to do, and she wasn't sure how she'd get them all finished. At least work hadn't been too bad...
Elizabeth had just discovered a gorgeous suit coat and skirt when someone approached her on the right. "Elizabeth?"
She turned in surprise. "Genie?"
The girl in front of her smiled. "I wasn't sure if you'd recognize me."
"Of course!" Elizabeth said with a grin. "How could I forget? After all, it wasn't as if we were in a life-threatening situation together or anything."
Georgiana giggled. "How is Aria?"
"You know, she just mentioned you yesterday. We should probably get together sometime. I'm sure she'd love to talk with you again. You two were having a lot of fun."
"You and my brother seemed to, as well, didn't you?"
Elizabeth was silent, embarrassed, for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Of course we did. Your brother is a wonderful person."
Georgiana smiled brightly at that, and Elizabeth felt a twinge of misgiving. "I knew you two got along. But, speaking of Will, he's over there, looking at new ties. I'm sure he'd love it if you came and said hi."
Elizabeth grimaced slightly. "I really have to find a new suit..."
The young girl in front of her pouted slightly. "It'll only take a few minutes! I promise."
Elizabeth hesitated, then sighed. "Well, I suppose so. It can't hurt..."
Posted on Monday, 28 May 2001
William was standing at the tie rack, half turned from the direction the two girls were approaching from, two silk ties of the exact same shade of blue in his hand, looking between them as if trying to decide. A curious frown curved his handsome lips, and every so often, he lifted one up to the light and studied it closer. When Georgiana called out his name, he turned towards her and, staring in puzzlement at the tie still held up to the light, said, "You know, I really cannot decide which one I like better, Genie. This one costs less, but there's a certain texture to it, whereas--" He broke off, a surprised look on his face, and promptly dropped the tie. His mouth closed with a snap, then opened slightly, then closed once more before he gathered his wits together and bent down to retrieve the tie. When he stood up again, he face was a portrait of studied indifference. "Miss Bennet," he said politely.
"Hello, Will," she replied with what she hoped was a bright smile, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
He cleared his throat and set the ties on the top of the rack beside him, then clasped his hands behind his back, looking first at the ground as he rocked back on his heels, then up at her. "And how are you? Well?"
She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. And you?"
"Good, good. Uh...seen much of your sister and Charles recently?"
"Well, no, not really. They've been rather busy." She flushed slightly and put a hand to her forehead before fluttering it nervously in front of her, laughing self-consciously. "I mean, I've seen Jane, of course...we live together. I'd be hard pressed not to see her."
"Of course. Um...did you get my check in the mail?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah. I got it a few days ago. Thanks."
He nodded, but seemed at a loss for what to say next, and Elizabeth found herself in much the same quandary. They both looked at the same time towards where Georgiana had been standing, and found that she had slipped away in the few seconds they had been conversing. Or how long had it actually been? Elizabeth's eyes met his for a brief moment, and she realized that he was as embarrassed as she. "I'm sorry for my sister..." he began.
"No, no," she inserted quickly. "It's rather my fault. You see, she must be under the impression that...well...anyway, I should have told her before she even suggested that I come over here...that we...um, that we don't get along well..." She looked up at him, unsure if he had understood, and met eyes that had suddenly grown distant.
"Of course," he replied. "I understand completely." He paused and cleared his throat. "I had actually been going to say that I was sorry that she ran off without excusing herself. I guess I was under the impression perhaps that you had come over in the hopes of mending a few fences. I had definitely been...amenable to the idea that we could be friends."
It was definitely not the easiest thing in the world, to find out that the person you were was actually a cruel, unthinking person. Elizabeth had surely never considered herself someone like that. But suddenly she was faced with the possibility that her character was not as stellar as she had assumed. She could definitely feel her cheeks flaming at this, and she wished the floor of the department store would simply open up and swallow her whole.
But as that possibility was not about to come to fruition very soon, she had a more difficult problem to deal with. How could she recover her own equanimity, as well as perhaps salvage the shreds of her pride and scamper off before she realized just how low she must have fallen in his estimation?
Perhaps, she thought, just perhaps, a slice of humble pie would serve her well. Ok, fine. She'd better just suck up the whole darn pie. "I'm sorry," she heard herself mumbling. "I had thought that..." She looked up at him and found him waiting for her reply with, if not open arms, at least polite curiosity. She took a deep breath and blurted the whole thing: "I had thought you would hate me for laughing at you when you offered to take me to George Webbs after we got off the elevator, and I felt really bad, but I thought you thought that I was the worst person in the world for that, because that's what Aria said you would think, and she's never wrong in cases like these, because she's really something of an expert in this kind of...stuff. I really was sorry for being so cruel, but I never had the chance to apologize, and I'm really bad at apologizing."
"You're doing fine now," he replied wryly, and she flushed in embarrassment. "And I didn't hate you for laughing at me," he continued, his tone becoming self-mocking. "Actually, I most likely would have laughed at myself in your situation. I hadn't even considered the fact, of course, that you were going out with my cousin--"
"I wasn't going out with your cousin," she inserted softly, and he leaned forward and asked her to repeat it. "I said that I wasn't going out with your cousin--at least, I was, but I wasn't." He looked at her in confusion, and she sighed. "Richard is nothing but a friend. We don't suit."
He shook his head in bemusement. "I never thought Rich would ever give up a beautiful woman like you. I would've thought you'd be a prize catch for him."
Elizabeth felt a mixture of flattery from the compliment and anger at his assessment of Richard's goals. "You are quite hard on your cousin, Will. I didn't think you were that kind of person."
He shot her a glance. "What kind of person is that? A person who can recognize Richard for who he is? Just because you may have become 'friends' with him after--what, how many dates?--doesn't mean that you know everything about him, and can determine his character better than someone who has known him almost his whole life. Yes, Rich can be a wonderful, charming person. But he is also without much of a conscience--at least, when it comes to women."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why are you telling me this?"
William didn't respond for a moment as he looked away from her and picked up the two ties, placing one of them back on the rack. "I don't know," he said at last. "I just thought you should be aware."
"Why?" she persisted. "What difference could that information make to me?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
She was getting upset at his noncommittal responses. "Why did you tell me something that you had no reason to be telling me, and I had no reason to care about?"
"Look," he replied in a tight voice, "I'm sorry. My mouth ran off without the accompaniment of my brain again, it seems. And not to sound rude, but is this conversation finished? I have other things I must do today, and my sister is nowhere in sight."
Elizabeth's jaw fell open before she had the sense to close it and act seemingly unaffected by his disrespect. "Not to sound rude?" she repeated. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're doing a poor job of it." She met his eyes, her own seething with anger, before turning around and walking away.
"Hey, Liz, could you do me a big favor? I mean, I would owe you majorly for this one."
Elizabeth sighed into the phone. "What do you need, Aria?"
She could practically hear her friend's smile through the phone as Aria replied, "My guitar has just gotten fixed--you know how I took it up to that place on the East side? Jim is wonderful, and he charges really cheap. And I couldn't have played with that huge dent in it. He called about an hour ago, though, and said that it was finished. The only thing is, his shop closes at nine, and won't be open until next week Tuesday."
"Ok, so what's the problem?"
Aria grinned. "I have a date tonight, and there's no way that I'll be back before nine o'clock, considering the fact that Jen is going to be here in about ten minutes so we can go to the book club meeting. Do you think you'd be willing to go and pick up the guitar for me?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth said. "I have to go to the grocery store, and I have a bunch of laundry to get done."
"Liz, please--you're my last hope. And I need the guitar by Monday for the concert at the Groove. We finally scored a gig at a nightclub--can you imagine how disappointed the band would be if I couldn't play?"
She had decided to do it. She wouldn't leave her friend in a lurch like that unless, of course, she had the hottest date in the world tonight--and since that wasn't true, she might as well help her friend out. But first, she decided to have a little fun. "I don't know, Aria...after all, I don't want to be at Soap 'n' Suds until five in the morning again. And really, when will I do my shopping? I have to have something to eat, don't I?"
"I'll do your laundry for you tomorrow. I swear! And you need food? Come and raid my fridge. Just please please please could you get my guitar?"
"Well...."
"I'll buy your gas for a month, and I'll give you my favorite Sarah McLachlan CD."
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment.
"I'll give you a big hug."
"Aria..."
"I'll love you for ever and ever."
"Ok, ok, Aria!" Elizabeth said, laughing. "I'll do it!"
"Good," replied Aria. "I knew you'd come around. Remember, he closes the shop at nine. Don't be too late!"
"Of course not," Elizabeth replied. "Have a fun time. I'll have the guitar ready for you tomorrow."
She hung up the phone after good-byes were said and sat back in the sofa. After a moment, she stood up and popped off the television, then went into her room to find her jean jacket. As she came out into the living room again, pulling her hair back with a scrunchee, she glanced at the clock. Eight o'clock. She should be able to find the place in less than an hour and get back by the time Jane returned at 10:30 from the dinner and movie with Charles--provided they both came straight home. She grinned and grabbed her purse from the counter, and then left, closing the door shut and locking it behind her.
It actually only took her forty minutes to get down to the east side and find the small shop. It was right across from a large, 24-hour grocery store, and so she parked her car in that parking lot and crossed the street to the shop. She picked up the guitar with no problems, and instead of going back to her car, went into the grocery store to do some shopping.
She put the guitar in her cart and wandered up and down the aisles, finding things that she needed to restock her refrigerator. By the time she was finished, the cart was completely full, and it was a quarter past ten o'clock. She checked out at the register, and lugged her bags out to the car, running as fast as she could to get out of the rain that had started to come down. After putting all of the groceries into the trunk, Elizabeth got into the car and put her keys in the ignition. She turned it once, and when nothing happened, turned it again. Her jaw falling open in shock, she sat back and stared at the dashboard as if doing so would somehow make it work. After two or three more tries, she laid her head against the steering wheel in despair.
Now what was she going to do? She couldn't call Jane or Charles--they were at the theater. Kim was out with Richard. Aria had gone to her book club. Who could she call? She rummaged through her purse for her cell phone, and finally found it. As she pulled it out though, a check that was sitting in the bottom of her purse fell out. She looked at it in confusion, then suddenly realized who it was from. William.
Could she call him? She disliked the idea. After the way they had parted last, they weren't exactly on the best of terms. To call, begging for his help would be humiliating, to say the least. She hated to be the one to bend, no matter if she was desperate or not. And in his case, it somehow seemed even more important.
After a quick psychological battle with herself, she finally decided to call him. What was the worst thing he could do? Say no? Well, yeah--and that would be pretty bad, considering the situation she was in. She found his number in her day planner and called it, crossing her fingers in her lap for good luck.
He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"
It was a comfort to hear someone's voice. "William? It's me, Elizabeth. I need your help."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. "What do you need?" he asked at last. She breathed out a sigh of relief.
"My car broke down on the East Side, and I don't want to be sitting here all by myself, at this time of night--"
"Liz, calm down. Now, where exactly on the East Side are you?"
She named the streets, and he answered, "I'll be there as soon as I can. Just keep your doors locked, and don't panic."
She did as he said, but it was so hard to follow his last instruction. The thunder and lightning made her nervous, and she started at every noise outside of the car, staring at the people who walked out of the grocery store as if they all had some evil intent, her heartbeat fast and painful in her chest. At last, she did the breathing exercises Aria had taught her a few days ago during her usual yoga rituals, and slowly began to feel more calm. So calm, in fact, that she finally curled up in the seat and fell asleep.
What seemed like only a few minutes later, she heard a knock on the window, and woke up screaming. It took her a few moments to realize that it was Darcy's face at the window, and not some crazy lunatic psycho waiting to murder her. She unlocked the door, and he was immediately helping her out of the car and into the pouring rain. He held his umbrella over her them both as he pulled her towards him with his other arm, wrapping it around her, rubbing her back gently as she tried to calm herself down. When she at last regained her control, she backed up out of his embrace, and his arm fell to his side.
"I'm so sorry about that," she said embarrassedly.
"Don't worry--I completely understand," he responded. "I brought you some hot cocoa."
He handed her the umbrella and she took it as he went over to his car and returned, bearing a thermos in his hand, which he offered to her. She took it, smiling at him. "Thank you. That was so thoughtful."
He stood there for a moment more, looking at her with an expression she couldn't read, before going over to her car and raising the hood and peering under it with the help of a flashlight. "So, what exactly is the problem?"
She threw up a hand. "I have no idea. I came back out, and it wouldn't start. It just kept making these clicking sounds."
"Clicking sounds?" he asked, and she nodded and, bending inside the car, turned the key. click, click, click.
"It's the battery." There was absolutely no doubt in his voice. "Did you leave your lights on?"
"No..." All of a sudden, the sound of the lady on the PA in the store came flooding back to her...there's a car in the parking lot, license... She hadn't heard the rest, because honestly, she hadn't cared. Elizabeth smacked her head with her hand.
"I guess that means yes."
She nodded. "I can't believe I did something so stupid! Although, I thought I was only going to be inside the music store for a while. I just ran into the grocery store for a few things..." She flushed as she looked at the four large paper bags of groceries in the back seat. "Not that it makes much difference; I should've looked at my lights in the first place."
"What's done is done," he replied and went to the back of his car, opening the trunk. He came back with a set of jumper cables and began to hook them up.
Elizabeth felt a certain measure of comfort every time she glanced in the rear view mirror and saw his headlights behind her. And when they stopped at the car garage and she dropped the car keys along with a note of explanation into the drop box, she was glad for his company. As they walked back to his car through the rain, his umbrella over their heads, she wondered if she would feel the same way were it anyone else but him.
"I feel like the veriest widgeon," she said as he got into the car on the drivers side and put his key in the ignition before buckling his seat belt.
"Widgeon?" he echoed with a laugh.
She shot him a glance. "I don't know! I must've picked that up somewhere. But I just can't believe I did something so stupid! Even a first-time driver knows you don't leave your lights on for any lengthy period of time."
He laughed. "That doesn't mean that no one can make a mistake. Oh, I've done it on occasion, as well. Trust me. That doesn't make you stupid."
She sniffed in response, and he smiled over at her. "Not catching a cold, I hope, are you?"
"Of course not," she replied sharply. "I almost never get sick."
He laughed and turned his head back to watch the street through the swishing of the wipers. The rain continued to fall, and Elizabeth smiled, closing her eyes.
"Go ahead," he said softly, smiling at her when her eyes opened and met his. "You deserve some rest. I'll tell you when we get to your apartment."
She murmured a gentle thank you and closed her eyes again, burrowing deeper into the seat. She almost did manage to fall asleep by the time the car stopped at the curb outside her apartment, and his hand gently shook her shoulder to wake her. "Elizabeth, we're here."
Elizabeth opened her eyes groggily and rubbed them, looking out the window at the building to her right. She turned to look at him again. "Thank you so much for all you've done, Will. I really owe you."
He smiled. "Hmmm...I do charge a lot for my time, you know."
She looked at him warily. "What's your price?"
"A date," he replied, after some hesitation. "You have to go on a date with me."
Their eyes locked, and she found herself smiling. "I don't think your price is steep enough," she said at last, "if that's all you're charging me. But I won't argue. Just name the time and place, and I'll be ready."
He grinned. "I'll let you know. Come on, I'll walk you up."
He met her on the passenger side of the car, the umbrella held over her head, and they walked up the path to the door, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm. She used the key to get in, and they walked up the steps. When they arrived at her apartment door, Elizabeth turned to look at William. "Would you like to come in for a second? I'm not sure if Jane is back yet, but I could offer you a soda or something."
At his assent, she took out her key and opened the door. The inside of the apartment was dark, as she had turned off all of the lights before she had left--except...there was a dim light coming from the direction of her bedroom, and the moonlight streamed through the open window of the kitchen. No, not open...broken.
Posted on Tuesday, 4 September 2001
Elizabeth felt all her muscles tense as a chill ran down the length of her spine. She knew the moment her companion knew something was wrong, because she felt him tense, as well. She suddenly remembered what Maribeth had told her at George Webbs, and wondered if this was the same thief that had broken into the apartments. She mentally slapped her own wrists for not talking with the landlord as she had told Maribeth she would. But now--what was she supposed to do?
She looked back at the hallway and wondered if maybe all her fears were for nothing. Maybe Jane came home early, and the electricity went out--maybe the window was broken by a branch from the large oak that stood near the apartment. But, no, the electricity in the rest of the building was on, because she had seen lights on in other apartments, and the branch would have had to have gone a pretty good distance with a lot of speed to have broken through the window, no matter what size branch it was. And Elizabeth could think of no other good explanations.
As the dim light from the hallway began moving, bouncing up and down slightly on the wall, and getting closer, William put his hand on her shoulder. He slowly drew her back behind him, then moved slowly, stealthily towards the hallway. She put her hand out stop him, but she saw him turn in the pale moonlight and hold up a hand in warning.
The light continued to get brighter as it got closer, until a shape emerged in the darkness. At first, it moved steadily towards the kitchen, then suddenly turned, as if sensing the presence of others.
The next few things that happened seemed so quickly that at first, Elizabeth hadn't realized what had actually occurred. William raised the umbrella in his hand smoothly, and in one quick stroke brought it down on the neck of the intruder. The man went down with a muffled "thud" as he hit the back of the sofa and fell to the ground.
Elizabeth recovered her senses and reached behind her, quickly flipping on the lights to see William and the man wrestling on the ground. The cordless phone went flying as the two rolled into the table beside the couch. The lamp that had stood next to it went crashing to the ground, the cord ripped out of the socket.
Dodging the two men rolling on the ground, Elizabeth darted around them and ran into the kitchen. She grabbed the wall phone and quickly dialed 911. When the operator came on the line, she hurriedly explained what had happened. The woman on the other end of the line was calm as she told Elizabeth that there was a squad car on the way. Elizabeth breathed a slight sigh of relief, then shrieked as a body was slammed into the wall dividing the kitchen and living room. She looked around the corner to see William land a punch to the other man's jaw. The man's head slammed against the wall again, then he slowly slid downwards to slump on the floor at William's feet, unconscious.
William looked up at Elizabeth, standing in the doorway, and their eyes locked and held. After what seemed like an eternity, he tore his gaze away, and his shoulders slumped as he bent over and picked up the lamp that lay on the floor. He righted it, then tried to fix the bent lampshade, but the torn hat remained at its drunken angle. It was as he tried to pick up the broken table that the sound of sirens, which had been gradually increasing in volume, drew piercingly to the front of the building. William looked up at the window, then over to Elizabeth in surprise. "I hadn't even thought to..."
She smiled. "That's ok. I did. You took care of the more important things." She regarded the man slumped on her floor with contempt. "I just hope you don't get into any trouble with the police."
"For what?" he replied with disdain. "Defending myself?"
She shrugged as she went to open the door for the police coming up the stairs. "You never know."
As the officers came in and took the man into custody, a few going over the house and through the man's loot, taking notes, Elizabeth sidled up beside Will. "You know," she murmured, looking around at her now swarming apartment, "they're going to do hell to my carpet." She looked pointedly at his face. "Not that it wasn't bloodied enough already."
His brow wrinkled, and he touched a hand to his head, then looked at it in confusion when he found blood on the ends of his fingertips. "Now, when did that happen?"
"Here, let me see." She put a hand to his shoulder and turned him more towards her, her other hand reaching up to brush his hair away from the cut. "Oh, it's nothing," she said repressively. "Just a scratch. Nothing compared with your lip."
He grimaced. "Yeah, I felt that." He sucked in his lip slightly, tasting the blood. "I can't imagine what I'll look like tomorrow morning."
"Can't be any worse than usual," she replied with a saucy grin, then laughed when he threw her a repressive glare. "Come, I'll kiss it and make it better." And before he knew what she was about, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed the cut on his brow.
"Doesn't my lip need more immediate attention?" he asked with a slow smile after only the shortest of hesitations. She shot him an enigmatic glance, but before she could say anything in return, he turned to the policewoman behind him, who was waiting rather patiently for their statements.
"I heard you had a break-in last night."
Elizabeth looked up and saw Jorges standing in the doorway of the apartment opposite. She retrieved her newspaper from the mat outside her door and straightened. "Yes, actually, I did."
"I hope they caught the guy."
She nodded. "I happened to come home while the robbery was still in progress. Luckily, I had had someone with me. I can't imagine what would have happened if Will had not been there."
"Yes, you're very lucky," he murmured. "So this Will is...a boyfriend?"
Elizabeth felt the heat rising to her cheeks, but she shook her head. "No, nothing so exciting. William Darcy is just a friend."
"Darcy?" Jorges asked in surprise.
She nodded. "Yes, do you know him?"
He hesitated. "Well, no...uh, not really. Just, uh, by name. So...so if this Will is just a friend, he won't mind if I ask you out for coffee?"
She smiled. "No, I don't think so."
"Then, would you like to go out? Maybe this evening?"
She thought a moment, then nodded. "I'd love to. I don't have anything on my schedule for tonight."
"Good. I'll pick you up at your place at about 8. Sound nice?"
Elizabeth laughed. "Sure. It sounds great. I'll see you then." And with a smile, she turned and re-entered her apartment, closing the door behind her. She took the paper into the kitchen and found the crossword puzzle as she popped a bagel in the toaster. Jane came in as she was writing "amor" in 23-down and glanced over her shoulder. "45-across is 'err'--you know, 'to err is human'?"
"Thanks," Elizabeth said around the huge bite of bagel she had taken. "Oh, and Jane, you have to give me a ride to work this morning."
Jane looked over at her in surprise. "Why?"
"Because the rental is at the shop. I think I forgot to mention why Will was here in the first place last night."
"Yes, you did," Jane said, sitting down on the other side of the table, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. "All I know is that you and Will got home together, he came up with you, and managed to tackle a thief in the apartment."
Elizabeth smiled in remembrance. "You should've seen him, Jane. They were rolling across the floor together...it was like having WWF wrestling in your very own living room."
"I'm sure WWF doesn't have to worry about stains in the carpet, though."
"True," Elizabeth said with a grimace. "I'm not sure if that blood is going to come out. I tried scrubbing it a little last night."
"So, anyway, you were saying..." Jane prompted.
"Oh! Yes, well, I left my lights on in the car downtown as I was picking up Aria's guitar, and I had to call Will to help me, because he was the only one available. I dropped off the car, and he drove me home. We've...resolved our differences, I think."
Jane smiled. "That's good. I can't wait to tell Charles. He'll be so happy."
"Charles!" Elizabeth cried. "Isn't anything sacred?"
"If you don't want me to tell him..." Jane looked doubtful.
"No, go ahead," her sister muttered. "Keeping a secret from him would probably kill you."
"Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't if you really don't want me to tell him."
Elizabeth smiled at her sister. "No, that's fine. You can tell him that I think his friend is a wonderful person, and that we'll be going on a date."
"A date! Oh, you really were serious!"
"Well, yes. What did you think?"
Jane shrugged. "I thought maybe you were just resolved to be friends."
"We are. At least, I am. I mean, the date is only my forfeit for his having to come and get me out on the East Side so late at night."
"Oh."
"But tonight I'm going out for coffee with Jorges."
"Jorges?" Jane was confused at the sudden turn in the conversation. "Who is this?"
"Our neighbor, Jane. Jorges Impio. I've mentioned him to you before, I'm sure. He asked if I wanted to go out for coffee tonight, and I agreed."
"A neighbor? How do we know this guy is ok?"
"He's fine, Jane. And we're just going out for coffee--not down some dark alley in Manhattan."
"I guess," she replied with some misgivings. "But still, this Jorges--I thought that you and Will..."
"We're not an item, Jane," Elizabeth said somewhat impatiently as she stood and put the cream cheese back in the refrigerator. "One date doesn't constitute selectivity. I'm simply keeping my options open."
"Like a good stock broker," mumbled Jane.
Elizabeth looked in surprise at her sister's petulant tone. "Jane! Why are you so insistent that Will and I get together? I mean, isn't it my choice? Or was I mistaken?"
Jane sighed. "I'm sorry, Lizzy. But both Charles and I think that you and Will would do so well for each other. And you won't even give it a chance!"
"Give it a chance?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm going on a date with him, aren't I?"
"Yes, but you aren't really taking it seriously. You're 'keeping your options open'."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Jane, I can hardly expect that 'true love'--or some similar romantic emotion--will happen with one date. Yes, I like Will. I'm finding that I may have been mistaken as to my earlier opinion of him, whatever that was. But that doesn't mean that I'm in love with him. Far from it! I simply find that he's a..." she fluttered her hands, in search of the right words. "...useful, companionable sort of person."
"Useful and companionable? Oh, but Lizzy..."
"That's all I can say, Jane. Now, on to other subjects, how is Charles?"
At first she was hesitant to end the discussion, but as usual, Jane was diverted, and Elizabeth spent the next fifteen minutes hearing about Charles' painful ingrown toenail and his opinions on stock car racing, until Jane finally was ready to leave the apartment. It was only a twenty-five minute ride to work, and Elizabeth thanked her sister before getting out of the car. "And I really am sorry about getting a little upset with you this morning. I'm just really rather unsure about things right now, and I can't really say what my own feelings about all this are. I just need some time, Jane. Who knows--you and Charles may be right. But I need to find this out on my own." She paused as she pulled her briefcase out of the back seat. "I'll see you later on tonight. I'm not sure when I'll be finished. I have a few projects to take care of, so I may need to stay later. I'll call you when I'm finished, or I may just end up taking the bus home."
Her sister smiled. "No problem. Just call my cell phone. I do have some errands to run later on tonight. And if it's too close to 7:30, remember: I have theater tickets for tonight."
"Oh, that's right. Well, hopefully I'll be finished before then." Elizabeth smiled and kissed Jane on the cheek. "Thanks, hun. I'll talk to you tonight."
Elizabeth tapped her foot as she waited out in the lobby of the office building where she worked. She smiled again at the janitor as he passed by with his mop. "Late night again?" he asked.
She smiled. "You know me, Ralph. Can't keep myself away from my work."
"You got a ride, though? I can let you in to one of the offices down here to make a call, if you want, so you don't have to go all the way upstairs."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No thanks. I called my sister before I came down. She should be here any minute."
Ralph nodded. "Ok, but I should be back through here in ten minutes, if she doesn't show."
"Thanks, Ralph." She glanced out through the glass doors. "But here comes a car. I'm sure it's her."
Ralph nodded and gave her a friendly wave before trudging off towards the rear of the building. Elizabeth picked up her briefcase and looked at her watch. It was twenty-five minutes to eight already. She might be able to make it home in time, but she'd still be left with very little time to get ready to go out with Jorges. Oh, well, she reflected. It was not as if she was going out to an opera.
The theater! Suddenly, she felt bad about calling her sister. She had forgotten Jane was going to see a play tonight. Now she might be late, because she had to pick up her sister. Elizabeth sighed and went through the doors out into the cool May evening, mentally preparing an apology.
It turned out she didn't need it. Elizabeth was shocked to see a Bentley pull up to the curb in front of her, not her sister's familiar Corsica. She stopped walking and was preparing to turn around and return to the building when the door opened and she saw a familiar head pop up from the other side of the car. "What are you doing here?" The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she gasped at her own rudeness. She flushed a dull red color, and she hoped that the gloom around her was enough to hide her embarrassment.
William smiled. "Well, that's not exactly the greeting I was expecting, but I suppose it's understandable. Your sister called me and asked me to pick you up, since you had called just as she was about to leave for the theater. She didn't want you to have to take the bus, and I wasn't doing anything in particular, so I said that would be fine. So here I am--and in only fifteen minutes, too. I make good time; what can I say?"
His grin was so disarming that she found herself smiling despite her pique at her sister's high-handedness, though of course it had been done in good faith, for her own good, she was sure. She thanked him as he popped around and opened the door for her, waiting until she had settled herself before closing the door and returning to the driver's side.
Neither spoke until Will had maneuvered their way onto the freeway through the late-evening traffic. At last, as he checked his blind spot while changing lanes, he broke the silence: "So, how have you been?"
"Good," she replied.
They lapsed again into silence, and after a few minutes, he broke it again: "So, Aria was happy to get her guitar back?"
She nodded. "She got it from the apartment while I was at work. She called me to let me know."
"That's good."
Silence.
"I think it's your turn to say something," he said with a grin that caused Elizabeth to blush. "Perhaps you might comment on my car, or my new haircut, or your late day at work, or that people should use their blinker lights when changing lanes."
"Is there a rule that we have to talk in turns when we're in the car?"
"No," he replied, "but it's nice to have someone else start the conversation once in a while."
"Ok...um...so, I like your haircut. Did you get it done today?"
He slicked back his dark hair with the hand not currently holding the wheel. "Yup. I thought it was getting kind of long, and Genie was starting to call me 'Shaggy'. I figured it was about time to get it trimmed."
"It looks nice."
"Does it make me look like Brad Pitt or something?"
She bit her lip. "Um...no."
"Oh." He shrugged. "Well, I tried."
Elizabeth laughed. "You look better than that."
He smiled over at her. "Well, thank you. What a compliment from such a discerning person."
"Brad Pitt isn't all that good-looking."
"Ouch!" he cried, placing a hand over his heart. "I don't think my ego will survive." He grinned. "So, changing the subject, what are you doing tonight?"
"Well, actually," she said hesitantly, "I'm going out for coffee with a neighbor of mine."
"Oh."
Neither spoke for a few minutes, until Will asked, "So, what time are you leaving for that?"
"Well, he should be at my apartment around eight."
"Oh."
"I might be a little late," she said with a slight laugh, "but I'm sure he'll wait for me."
"I'm sure he will."
It was only a few minutes later that William pulled the car up at the curb outside Elizabeth's apartment building. "Maybe I'll walk you up and see if I can meet my competitor for your time."
"Competitor?" she asked, somewhat startled.
"Of course," he replied with a grin. "You still owe me a date. I have to see who's taking you out when it should be me that's taking you out."
"You're not in competition," she said patiently.
He laughed. "Oh, is he that bad? Whew! A load off my mind, that is." He got out and went around to open her door. "Come on, I'll walk you up, anyway. You're safer with me, remember?"
"How could I forget?" she asked. "I've still got the bloodstains on the carpet to prove it."
"Did you try shaving cream?"
She looked at him in wry disbelief. "Does that really take blood out, Martha?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. I think I read that somewhere. And please, I prefer Mrs. Stewart."
"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Stewart. And which scent should I try--should I go with men's or women's shaving cream?"
"Mmmm...I think you should go with women's shaving cream. After all, a woman probably came up with the solution--wouldn't she have used her own supplies?"
Elizabeth smiled crookedly and rolled her eyes. "Ok. Any other suggestions if shaving cream doesn't work?"
"Hmmm...I would have to say, try to match the décor with the blood--rusty brown goes wonderfully with a deep gold color."
Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, thank you. I'll have to try that."
They had just gotten to the top of the stairs, and Elizabeth turned to set her briefcase down and put her key in the lock. She turned around once more to thank him for the ride home, and suddenly found him much closer to her than before. "I know what you were about to say," he said with a smile, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek, "and it's not needed. It was--definitely--my pleasure."
She nodded, finding it very hard to breathe, much less speak at the moment. She had almost recovered her inner balance when he slowly leaned towards her and captured her lips with his, and she lost it all over again. Her hands crept up to his shoulders as his other arm stole around her waist and he deepened the kiss.
Her mind was still reeling when he leaned back slightly, looking her straight in the eyes. The moment seemed to go on forever, before she cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away. He then released her and stepped back, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck.
She laughed shakily. "Safer with you, eh?"
He grimaced. "Look...Elizabeth...I'm s--"
He turned suddenly as a door on the other side of the hall was opened, and Jorges stepped out, smiling at Elizabeth. His smile faded, though, upon seeing who was with her. His face paled even as William, beside her, stiffened, his face flushing a deep, angry red. A curse escaped from the lips of the latter even as he turned back to Elizabeth, his eyes blazing. "If you would excuse me," he muttered. "I'll call you some other time."
She watched him walk down the stairs, his spine rigid with fury. Only after he had disappeared from view did she turn back to the other man in the hallway. "Can I ask what that was all about?" she asked with righteous indignation. "I thought you said that you only knew him by name. It sure looked as if you and he were a little beyond that."
Jorges ran a hand through his coal black hair. "Discúlpame. I guess I was a little less than truthful. Why don't I take you out to coffee, and I'll explain."
Elizabeth met his eyes. "I'll be expecting something good."