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I have to credit Nana for her "tale of the tinsel" and my father for the chess game.
Jane returned to find the apartment occupied to her great surprise. Elizabeth had only just left a few days ago. She'd never returned so quickly before. Maybe something was wrong.
"Lizzy?" Jane walked into Elizabeth's room.
Elizabeth had woken at the sound of Jane's voice. She sleepily smiled at Jane. "Where have you been?"
"I have been working a lot recently. What happened to you?" she asked, upon seeing Elizabeth's face. She came in and sat down gently on the edge of Elizabeth's bed.
Elizabeth sat up and began to recount what had happened. "My dear sister!" exclaimed Jane, clutching Elizabeth's hand tenderly. "How I wish I had been there for you!"
Elizabeth gave a short, embarrassed laugh. "Jane, I was well taken care of, I assure you."
"Who? Colin?"
"Well, that was who I called, but he's out of town."
"Oh my goodness! That's right! He had to fly down to Atlanta to sort out something or other. Then who helped you? Charles?"
"Hold on, Jane, let me tell my story. I called Colin's place and Will picked up. He had been checking in on the apartment and happened to answer the phone. I didn't realize it was he at first and when he learned of my distress..." Elizabeth paused in fond remembrance. "He... he was very kind and said he was coming to get me immediately."
"Really?!" Jane exclaimed. "See? I told you he was a very sweet guy."
Elizabeth was pained at her sister reminding her of her horrible treatment of Will earlier. "I know, Jane. Will drove all the way to the hospital and was so compassionate and gentle and thoughtful. He took me to a bed and breakfast. While I slept, he emptied all of my belongings from Cleo."
"Everything?!"
Elizabeth nodded. "But what I noticed more were the little things, like the bag of things he knew I wanted in order to freshen up. He never mentioned how horrible I looked-"
"Probably didn't notice," Jane mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Elizabeth continued, "And he was just so amiable in conversation, too."
"Why has it taken you so long to notice? You amaze me so much, Lizzy. So, did you talk and reconcile your differences while you were alone together?"
"Yes, we did."
"Wonderful! You're going to be friends again."
"We're on the right path, yes."
"I'm so pleased. ...Oh! But Cleo! I'm so sorry, Lizzy dearest."
Elizabeth's face fell and she fought back tears. "I know it seems absolutely ludicrous to love a stupid RV, but it was just the two of us traveling alone for so long, that she truly did become a companion to me. To anyone else it would be an imaginary friend, but to me, I felt like someone was listening to me and sympathizing with me, and, yes, sometimes even teasing and laughing at me. I already miss her."
Jane hugged her comfortingly. "You had to retire her soon anyway. I think it is rather heroic that she sacrificed herself to protect you."
"Yes, I suppose that is the best way to look at it."
There was a pause. "I truly am very sorry I was not here for you."
"I guess it all turned out for the best. Will can probably get away from his own company easier than you can from your job."
"You're right. Are you sure you're okay? You have a few cuts and a nasty bruise."
"I think the cuts are just from the glass and the bruise... I don't know what I hit. Other than that, they said I was fine and very lucky blah blah blah."
"Well, I'm sure you are. Oh, Lizzy, I'm so glad you're okay. I don't know what I would do if you weren't." Jane gave Elizabeth a long, heartfelt embrace.
When they parted, Jane asked, "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"No, I'm fine for now. If I did want something, I'm quite capable of getting it myself, Jane."
"Oh, well... I was just checking."
"Thank you."
"What will you do now you can't travel?"
"I suppose I'll have to go and get a job at McDonalds."
"No, indeed. You have several options in front of you, but none of them are so degrading. There is a right place for you, you just need to find it."
"Maybe I should go back to school."
"Can you afford it?"
"With a large student loan I might be able to. I'm not worried about the cost. I'm worried about getting in! I doubt many good universities accept women who only completed high school quite a few years ago."
"But you had excellent grades in high school, and you would score well on the SAT, and you have an excellent career to your credit. It's not like you're leaving this career."
Elizabeth shrugged. "We'll see."
Christmas was a week later. Elizabeth didn't see or talk to Will until then. Jane and Elizabeth were both asked to come home for Christmas, but Jane claimed she had to work and Elizabeth said she had no way of getting home. Charles' sisters were abroad and Colin and Will only had each other and Georgiana for family. The result was a plan to have Christmas together.
Will invited everyone over to his apartment for Christmas Day as well as to spend the night, since he didn't see why they should all travel home in the cold that evening.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth developed her films. Elizabeth did this for inspiration. She had so many gifts to find for people and she had no clues. She couldn't even seem to pick up hints that people dropped. She so disliked using her own photographs to give to other people unless it was like the book she did for Will, or the time she gave Jane a really nice picture of Charles framed. Jane was often difficult since she got all of her clothes at a high discount from her modeling jobs and anything else she wanted she went out and bought.
In the end, she bought Colin a book, Jane a fondue set, Charles a CD, Will a Far Side daily calendar (hoping he found Far Side funny), and Georgiana a card saying IOU: a shopping trip with me.
Christmas Day finally arrived. Elizabeth and Jane took a taxi to Will's apartment and knocked on the door. Elizabeth liked the wreath on the door with its white lights and red bow; the brass knocker was at the centre of the wreath.
Will opened the door. "Jane, Elizabeth, Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas to you too, Will," said Jane and kissed him on the cheek.
Elizabeth followed her and smiled a little shyly at Will. "Happy Christmas," she managed to say.
Will smiled at her. "How have you been feeling? You haven't called so I presumed you were fine."
"Yes, I've been fit as a fiddle, thank you."
To Elizabeth's utter surprise, Will caressed her face. "The scratches have gone and you can only barely see the bruise."
They stood close together, looking each other in the eye in front of the still-open door for several minutes. Elizabeth was acutely aware of the warm, lightly callused hand on her face. Her breathing became shallow and her head was light. His eyes were so beautiful. She had never noticed before how beautiful they were. And his hair, curling in that impetuous way....
They both heard footsteps outside in the hall and Elizabeth instinctively pulled away. Colin came up to the door. "This is a welcome!" he cried, upon seeing Will standing by the open door. "Cousin, I had no idea you cared so much."
"Happy Christmas," Will said, in a less cheery voice than he had used with Jane and Elizabeth.
"Happy Christmas, Will. And you, Elizabeth. Come here and give me a hug. I heard about your accident.'
Elizabeth hugged Colin tightly. She caught a glimpse of... jealousy? on Will's face before he turned around to close the door. Colin's embrace felt good- comforting and supportive.
"I'm so sorry I was not there for you," Colin said as he held her.
Elizabeth laughed and pulled away. "Everyone says that, but I assure you, Colin, that it turned out for the best." Elizabeth extended a friendly hand to Will. "Will and I got some quality time together did we not?"
Will smiled at her. Elizabeth looked back at Colin who was looking at them with interest. "So...you two have reconciled your differences, have you?" he asked.
"Quite," said Elizabeth. "Shall we find the others?"
Will stretched out his arm to indicate the way through the hall. "Everyone else is in the living room."
"Last one again, am I?" said Colin.
They walked into the living room where a beautiful tree, about nine feet tall, dominated the room. It was decorated in an exquisite collection of silver and crystal ornaments. Tinsel draped elegantly from the evergreen boughs and a lovely angel topped off the whole effect. Underneath, lay the presents, wrapped in colourful wrapping paper and bows.
A pretty young woman stood and said, "Colin, Happy Christmas."
"Same to you, Georgie." Colin hugged her and kissed her cheek.
"Have you been keeping yourself out of trouble," she asked.
"I should be asking you the same thing!" cried Colin, laughing.
"No, you shouldn't. I have not the prior history of getting into trouble like you do."
"Well said," added Will, smiling. "Georgiana, I don't believe you have ever met Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is my sister Georgiana."
"Elizabeth Bennet. I do not believe I have had the honor and privilege of making your acquaintance."
"Honor?" laughed Elizabeth. "That's a first! I am the one to be honored. I have heard so much about you."
"And I about you. At the risk of sounding too gushy, I must take this opportunity to tell you how much I admire and love your work. I first discovered it when I bought a calendar of yours. Only after several months did Will tell me that the Elizabeth he told me about and the Elizabeth Bennet I admired were one and the same."
Elizabeth flicked a glance at Will, who avoided her eye contact. He talked about her to his sister? Was this a good or a bad thing? "I am glad you like my work. I certainly do love doing it." She stopped abruptly. "Well, I did love doing it."
No one missed her meaning and the room was quiet for a minute. Then Elizabeth broke the silence by saying, "Shall I put my gifts under the tree?"
"Yes," said Will. "By all means, everyone. Add your stash to my meager pile."
"It is a beautiful tree," Jane added.
"Thank you. It has quite a bit of family history to it."
"What, the tree?"
"No, the tree is real. But the ornaments and the tinsel are very old."
"The tinsel is old?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yes. It's not just ordinary tinsel. It's about 25 years old and made of lead. It drapes better than the modern stuff."
Jane laughed at Will and asked, "How do you have 25-year-old lead tinsel?"
"My parents traveled a lot when I was little. In Germany, they had not yet banned tinsel containing lead, which, as you know, is very poisonous, especially around children who eat small things. My mother bought $20 worth of the stuff and returned to the states with fine, lead tinsel. But the following year when she tried to buy some more, she found out that Germany, too, had banned it and she couldn't find it anywhere. So every year we use this ancient tinsel and carefully take off and store each strand. It's probably illegal, so don't tell the authorities. But Georgie and I have found that it is better than the modern tinsel."
"That's so interesting," exclaimed Jane, inspecting the tree for a closer look.
Elizabeth placed her presents under the tree.
"I should probably go and start the roast potatoes," said Will.
"Do you need help with the dinner, Will?" asked Jane.
"A pair of extra hands would be a boon," he answered, as he began to unbutton and roll up his sleeves.
"I'll help," Elizabeth said. "I'm good at being told what to do, but don't expect any culinary expertise."
The two of them walked into the kitchen. As she walked, Elizabeth wondered what she had gotten herself into. The meeting at the door had been bad enough.
When in the kitchen, Will said, "If you could peel the potatoes, that would be lovely."
"Lovely?"
Will smiled, embarrassed. "A phrase I picked up from my mother."
Elizabeth returned his handsome smile (hers, sadly lacking the dimples) and picked up the peeler. "Where am I putting the peels and where do I put the potatoes?"
Will showed her and she started while he began to stir the cranberry sauce. "What have you been doing with yourself since you got home?"
"I've been working in my dark room."
"Did you develop that film I found under the couch?"
"Good grief! I forgot all about it! Now I'll have to search my apartment and find it again. And I was so curious to see what was on it, too."
"Just watch it turn out to be blank or ruined or something equally anticlimactic."
"Yes, that would be my luck."
"Come now, you're luck isn't so low, is it?"
"I call being virtually unemployed low on luck, don't you?"
"You're not even close to being unemployed."
"How do you suppose I make my bread, then? Royalties aren't enough to sustain me forever. I have to keep a steady stream of new stuff going to them until at least my contract ends this July."
"You don't have to travel around in an RV to find good photos, do you?"
"Not everyone works the same way. Each artist finds their inspiration in different ways. For me, it's being outside in nature. It's so beautiful."
"Then I suggest you work for one of the environmental magazines. National Geographic would be best for you. I think I recall you saying that was a dream of yours."
"It still is. But I doubt they would employ a popular photographer without a single college degree."
"Then go to college."
"I want to go, but I don't know if I could get in."
"Nonsense," Will said, as he began to cut her potatoes and put them into a pan of fat. "I'm not saying you could necessarily get into any school you wanted, but I'm sure you have a pretty good chance of getting into a good school. Why don't you at least try?"
"I'll see."
"Why didn't you and Jane go home for Christmas?"
"Because... we don't like our family that much."
"Oh. That is too bad."
"I suppose. I like my three younger sisters individually, but not together. And I love my father, but not when he is around my mother or younger sisters. So, Christmas gatherings are rather a chore than a pleasure."
"I only have Georgiana and Colin."
"I want to say lucky you, but I know you won't agree with me."
"From the sound of it, my situation does seem more pleasant, but usually I would favour a larger family."
"Have you opened any of your presents yet?"
"No, Georgiana and I agreed we would wait until everyone was here."
"So Father Christmas hasn't sent you anything, yet? Were you a bad boy?"
"Oh yes, a very bad boy," he replied with a wicked smile. "And since Christmas is already here and I have nothing to lose now, I can go on being even more bad." Will lobbed a handful of potato peels at her. She shrieked and tossed her own handful at him. Unfortunately she hit him on the apron while he had hit her in the face and hair. Quite a few peels still remained in her tangles, the rest on the floor. Elizabeth had a black look of barely contained fury on her face. Will laughed and pulled her over to the sink. He began to pull the peels out of her hair while she stood there, her arms crossed over her chest and an angry pout on her face.
"Come on," said Will. "You're not going to get me to believe that you have been a good girl all year."
"You had better believe it! I am always a good girl."
"What? You've never had coal in your stocking? Not once?"
"Not once, thank you very much."
"You haven't truly lived if you've never gotten coal in your stocking."
"What did you do to get coal in your stocking, then?"
Will hesitated, and looked her in the face with a smirk. "I fell asleep in classes at Harvard."
Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. Will picked up a wet cloth and proceeded to hold her chin while he not so gently wiped her face off. Elizabeth screwed her face up and said between wipes, "You know, my mother used to do this to me when I was a little girl."
"Why did she stop?"
"I grew up."
"I would never have guessed."
"Ow!" Will had rubbed her bruise too hard.
"I'm sorry." He continued more gently, avoiding the bruise. He finished and put the cloth down. Elizabeth opened her eyes to find him gazing softly down at her.
The colour rose to her cheeks. She pulled away slowly and turned back to the potatoes. "Thank you. I had better look presentable now, or else it will be your fault and I shall receive the shame."
Will turned to check the turkey in the oven. "No, you look more than presentable."
Elizabeth chose to ignore the comment, not sure what it meant.
Ten minutes later, the two of them left the kitchen. One sad and the other relieved to be back in company again.
"Shall we open our presents now?" asked Will.
They all sat around the living room and Georgiana eagerly handed out all of the presents. Together, they unwrapped their gifts and a somewhat chaotic period ensued with people chatting across the room, thanking givers and replying to receivers. Will opened his gift from Elizabeth and laughed at her choice of gift.
"Elizabeth?"
"What? Don't you like it?" she asked, worried.
"Of course I like it. But I thought that Larson would be a rival of yours in a sense if he sold daily calendars as well as you."
"I wasn't about to give you my own stuff. How conceited is that?"
"Then I'll just have to buy it myself, shall I?"
"If you want it, yes, you will."
"Would you autograph it?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm not being ridiculous. I could probably make a 150% profit off it on Ebay."
Elizabeth gave him a wicked look. "I doubt that."
"Do you want to make a bet? I bet you that I can sell an original photograph of yours signed by you for 150%."
"How can you judge something like that since it won't cost you anything to get the photo and signature from me?"
"I'd still like to try and see how much I could get from it. I'll give you all the money."
"I don't need your handouts, thank you."
"Don't be silly, Elizabeth. It's not a handout if it's your own work."
Jane interrupted them. "Are you two going to keep this up, or are we going to finish our Christmas?"
"Sorry," replied her sister.
Georgiana squealed with delight. "What is it?" asked Colin.
"A DVD player. I've been asking for one for a while now."
Georgiana ran over to Will and gave him a hug. He patted her back. "You'll have to read the instruction book and hook it up yourself."
"Of course, Will."
Elizabeth asked, "Do you have any DVDs to play on it?"
"No, not yet."
"Pity. Otherwise we would be able to watch one tonight. I must confess, I have never seen one before."
"Really? They have better sound and pictures, as well as extra features sometimes, like scenes that were cut out and the trailers and commentaries by the directors."
"It does sound nice, but I think I'll wait to buy one until the price has come down from the skies and I've made my first million."
Elizabeth received a set of warm pajamas from Jane, a pair of boots she needed from Colin, a CD of Brahms from Charles, and a beautiful paperweight with a colourful shape in the middle of a glass ball from Georgiana. The last present she opened was from Will. She had subconsciously left it 'til last. She opened it to find a book on the history of photography. She looked up to thank him and found he had been watching her open it. His face was amused.
He said, "I actually was browsing the bookstore and happened upon it. I started to read it in the store and found it very fascinating. You probably already have it or already know everything it talks about, but still, I couldn't come up with a better idea."
"No, a lot of this stuff is new to me. My skill at photography has been very much hands-on learning. Thank you so much, Will. It will be highly useful. And I have so much more free time to read, too."
Not long after that, they all sat down to a big feast in the dining room. Georgiana said, "Elizabeth has promised to take me shopping, Will."
"Really?" he said, an eyebrow raised at Elizabeth.
"I couldn't think of anything to give her, not having met her and not having the advantage of hearing her talked of by you. So I decided we could just go have a night out on the town together, get to know each other and I can actually get her something she will like and wear rather than stick in the back of the closet interminably."
"Rather good idea, I think," said Charles. "Christmas shopping is becoming harder and harder every year."
"The worst to shop for are grandparents and other elderly people who have everything they could possibly want and not want," said Colin.
"Do you even have any grandparents?" asked Jane.
"Well, I have one on my mother's side."
"When was the first time you didn't go home for Christmas," asked Charles.
Jane replied, "I didn't go back the first year I left home. Mother told me not to come home but to stay at some rich man's house."
Elizabeth laughed. "Mother's way of catching a husband."
"Didn't work, did it?" said Colin.
"No, it didn't."
"Good thing, too," muttered Charles.
"When are you two getting married?" asked Georgiana.
"As soon as the weather turns warm."
"What kind of wedding will it be?" she asked.
"A small one."
"Mother doesn't even know about Charles, yet, does she?" asked Elizabeth.
Jane replied, "I think she has a suspicion, but I have not ever said the words 'I am engaged'."
"Why aren't you telling her?"
"For fear of her coming up to meet Charles and in the act dissuading him from marrying me."
Charles looked insulted. "That is impossible, my love!" He gently kissed Jane's hand, stretched across the table. They held each other's eyes for a long silence.
Colin cleared his throat. "What are our plans for the rest of the day? Did you ever get a DVD to play, Georgie?"
"Yes, I did. But it's a bit of a chick flick, I'm afraid."
"We can stand a chick flick, can't we?" challenged Charles.
"Speak for yourself," replied Colin with snort. "Are the rental stores open?"
"I doubt it," said Will. "And I don't think anyone will be volunteering to go out and check."
"You have some decent movies, though, do you not?"
"You all can look through the collection and pick one if you want. Or we can play a game of some sort."
"Like what?"
"Pictionary, monopoly...."
"Why don't we play pictionary?"
"How does that go?"
"There are teams that draw a card and depending on the space they are on the board they draw what the card says and the teammates have to guess what it is."
"We can give it a shot. If we don't like it, we can try something else, right?"
The group moved to the living room once more. Elizabeth stayed back to help Will clear the table while the others cleared the living room of the unwrapping debris. She leaned over and blew out the candles. "It was a splendid meal, Will."
"I'm so glad. I had an excellent helper."
It didn't take long before everyone was assembled.
"We need to split into two groups."
"Elizabeth, Colin and Will against Georgiana, Jane and I."
"Sounds okay to me."
The board was set out and pads of paper and pencils distributed. Elizabeth's team drew first and started on the category of people and places. She looked at the card. Martin Luther. Good grief! How was she going to pull this off? Charles turned the minute glass over and Elizabeth grabbed the pencil.
Will and Colin immediately started guessing. "Cross? Church?" "Steeple?" "A long time ago?" Elizabeth nodded her head. "Bible?" "Latin?" "Oh wait, who translated the Bible?" "King James!" "Germany?" "What's that? A door?" "Something on the door. A notice. A piece of paper. Hammering on the door." "What is it?"
The time ran out. Elizabeth exploded. "Martin Luther!! Look! The 95 theses on the church door, the translated Bible, lived in Germany... Come on guys!"
Will and Colin laughed at themselves with everyone else. "Sorry, Elizabeth. We'll do better next time, we promise!"
"And you graduated from Harvard?" she mumbled.
The time passed in this manner. The game was fun, exciting and challenging. The best parts were the All Plays, where it was a race against time and the other team to see who guessed it first. It was also fun to see what people chose to draw as clues... and how well they could draw. Colin was pitiful at drawing and would often put Will and Elizabeth totally off track.
When Elizabeth, Will and Colin had won, they put the game away and brought out some chocolates and tea. Elizabeth took her cup of hot tea out onto the balcony to look at the falling snow.
Inside, Georgiana put on her new CD of The Snowman soundtrack. Her favourite song played, "Walking in the Air".
We're walking in the air,
we're floating in the moonlight sky;
the people far below
are sleeping as we fly.
The snow fell gently, lightly down with no wind to disturb the curtain. The streets were unusually empty for New York. The light was eerie and beautiful. The silence, deafening.
I'm holding very tight,
I'm riding in the midnight blue,
I'm finding I can fly
so high above with you.
The door opened. A warm coat was placed about her shoulders. She looked up at Will who winked back at her. He joined her leaning against the railing.
On across the world
the villages go by like dreams,
the rivers and the hills,
the forests and the streams.
"It's so beautiful."
Will nodded. "I doubt you brought your camera, did you?"
"Of course I did. But some moments are beyond my ability to capture on film."
Children gaze open mouthed,
taken by surprise;
nobody down below
believes their eyes.We're surfing in the air;
we're swimming in the frozen sky,
we're drifting over icy mountains
floating by.
"I love this song so much," said Elizabeth, softly.
"It is very beautiful."
"I love the sound of a boy soprano."
"Too bad their voices change eventually."
Suddenly swooping low
on an ocean deep,
rousing up a mighty monster
from his sleep.We're walking in the air,
we're dancing in the midnight sky
and everyone who sees us
greets us as we fly.
When the song ended, Elizabeth stayed at the railing beside Will, his coat draped over her shoulders. She wanted to savor the magic of the moment. When it had died away, she stood up, handed Will his coat and walked inside.
Will remained outside gazing at the snow and thinking reflectively.
It was decided that Jane and Charles would share the sofa and Elizabeth announced she would sleep on the floor of the living room. Colin said he would join her, allowing Will and Georgiana to have their own rooms. Will became jealous at the thought of Jane and Charles and then Elizabeth with Colin, so he jovially suggested that they all sleep in the living room.
Sleeping bags were produced and other warm blankets and covers while people changed into their pajamas. Will asked Elizabeth if she wanted to play a game of chess before they went to sleep. She agreed and so they crawled under the covers with the chessboard between the heads of their sleeping bags.
The match took quite some time with each of them making their move after careful thought. In the end, Elizabeth found herself to be stuck. If she moved her queen to take the pawn, the other queen would get her. If she didn't move the queen, the rook could take her and if she took the rook, the other rook could get her. If she moved any other way, the rook would come down to where her queen used to be and put the king in check. If she intercepted the check with her knight, the rook would take the knight and put her king into checkmate. There was nothing she could do. Sighing, she tipped her king in resignation.
"You know, your mistake was when you moved the queen over. As long as it stood behind your pawn, the queen was not in any danger. It was an excellent game, though."
They looked around and found that everyone else had fallen asleep. Will put away the board and said, "Would you like one last cup of tea?"
"Yes, please."
Elizabeth and Will walked to the kitchen. In silence he poured the tea into mugs and handed one to her. They walked back out to the living room. They moved to stand by the window, farther away from the others, sleeping.
Elizabeth took a sip and looked out onto the snow-covered Central Park. It had stopped snowing and the snow lay over the city like a white blanket. It was untouched and unspoiled, pure and innocent.
Elizabeth felt a warm hand under her chin. She looked up and held her breath. Will was looking at her in such a way as to make the heat rush to her head. The silvery light of the winter moon shone on his face, producing a singular effect. Neither of them said anything. His thumb gently stroked her chin, brushing her lip once. Will's eyes seemed to flick between her eyes and her lips. Finally, they rested on her lips and she realized he was leaning down. Her heart pounded mercilessly and her breath was shallow. She closed her eyes and felt his lips gently, lightly pressing against hers. He pulled away briefly and then returned to place a firmer, longer kiss. Elizabeth bravely returned the kiss, desperately trying to convey the same passion he seemed to transmit to her. Her one free hand came up of its own volition to caress his slightly rough face. Her other hand carefully held her mug of tea. She felt his own free hand come round to her back to pull her closer to him.
Finally, they parted. Elizabeth stared wide-eyed up at him. He started to smile but it died away. He was so unsure and hesitant. Elizabeth realized it was her move next. Will may have been forward, but he was not so forward as to continue unless he knew she welcomed it. Shyly, Elizabeth raised on her tiptoes to kiss him. He met her with relief.
Somehow he had managed to get rid of his mug and he took her own mug from her hand, freeing it to wrap around his neck. They clinched more tightly for several minutes. Eventually they separated. Will added a couple more light kisses on her face before desisting to ask her, "Would you go out on a date with me sometime?"
Elizabeth nodded, unable to form words quite yet.
Will became aware that they both stood by the window wearing nothing but their pajamas. He was especially aware of Elizabeth's lack of attire. With a deep, ragged sigh, he said, "We should get to sleep. You go on. I need to check and make sure the door is locked and everything is secure."
He was lying. He just didn't want to see Elizabeth getting into her bed.
Seeing her reluctance, he added, "We'll have plenty of time to talk. Right now, it's cold, you're shivering in case you hadn't noticed, and it's late. Get some rest."
He dropped one more kiss on her mouth before releasing her and turning away from her. Elizabeth realized she really was cold. She touched her lips with a trembling hand. They were still tingling. A little shakily, she walked to her sleeping bag and crawled into it. She curled into a ball and tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Will was a very handsome guy and she had recently learned how sweet and kind he was. This evening, she had so much fun just being with him. She didn't think it was because the others were all there as well. She still couldn't believe it had happened. She had never felt so incredible before in her life. She felt like that song, flying through the air.
Elizabeth heard Will enter the room. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She listened as he walked over and crawled into his own sleeping bag across from hers. He paused. Then she felt his gentle hand stroking her curls away from her face. She felt a soft kiss on her cheek before his hand left.
Will crawled into his sleeping bag and settled down to try and get a few hours of sleep before everyone else woke up on Boxing Day. He, too, was so excited he couldn't seem to fall asleep. He finally was getting somewhere with Elizabeth. He couldn't remember when he first felt attracted to her, but it was certainly before they argued, or else he never would have taken her out in the first place. Now, he had a date with her and she seemed to like him. It had only taken him three tries. He had had so many opportunities throughout the day and finally, he took the most perfect one to finally pull the guts together enough to do what he had wanted to do for many months.
Both of them finally managed to get to sleep and dream of the other. Georgiana woke first and started preparing a light breakfast. Will was next to wake up. He immediately looked over at Elizabeth. She looked adorable when she slept. He wanted to wake her up by kissing her, but didn't feel he could. Someday, he hoped to be familiar enough to do so.
Will got up and showered, shaved and dressed. When he came back to the living room, he found Colin and Elizabeth up. Elizabeth looked at him for a second before avoiding his eyes and blushing deeply. She grabbed her things and headed for the bathroom. She felt decidedly ugly in the mornings. But what did that matter when he had lived a whole month in Cleo, where she dressed any way that worked and they went hiking for several days without a bath or shower?
Will chuckled and went into the kitchen to help his sister with breakfast. Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth was refreshed and dressed. She felt better but not quite up to having a tête-à-tête with Will just yet. Colin was in a grumpy mood in the mornings. He ended up waking Jane and Charles. With everyone up, they ate breakfast.
Jane and Elizabeth and Charles did not stay long after that. Both claimed they needed to do some work on improving their apartment before it got so bad they couldn't walk into it. Elizabeth's clearance of Cleo did not help things one bit.
Elizabeth paused a few minutes behind Jane and Charles when they said goodbye. Will and Elizabeth faced each other in front of the door once again. He took her hand and stroked and squeezed it gently. "I'll call you about when is a good time to go out for a movie and dinner or something. It's all up to you, really."
"I'll do whatever you want to do, Will," she answered, shyly.
"Well, one of us has to decide. We'll come to an actual decision later on, shall we?"
Elizabeth nodded, still acting rather shy for her character. Will smiled a little and leaned down to kiss her firmly on the mouth one last time. Elizabeth relished the feeling before he let her go. She smiled up at him and then said, "Thank you for everything, Will."
Then she left and walked after Jane and Charles. I'm walking in the air. I'm floating in the moonlit sky...
Neither Elizabeth nor Will alerted their friends to the developments happening between them. Will emailed Elizabeth suggesting a time and date. She agreed and two days after Christmas, Elizabeth dressed up in a long skirt of grey wool with a lavender blouse and a woolen cardigan with a hood. Over the top, she wore her long winter coat. She hoped they wouldn't go anywhere too nice for dinner, because she didn't have many things she could wear to such a place.
He came to pick her up at six. Elizabeth had made sure Jane would not be there when Will picked her up. She answered the door and smiled at him. He looked her over appreciatively. "You look very nice, this evening," he commented.
"Thank you, Will, for saying the compulsory greeting to a date."
"No, I truly mean it. You look very nice."
"If it was genuine, I thank you. If it was not genuine, I think you disguise it very well."
"Thank you, I think."
"Shall we be off?"
"Do you have everything? Gloves, scarf?"
"I'm fine, thank you Will."
They left. "Where are we going?" asked Elizabeth.
"We're going to eat at a favorite restaurant of mine that I thought you might enjoy. It has Thai food and is excellent. It's always a clue when the natives from around about go to that restaurant."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "Where is this restaurant?"
"You'll see."
"Are we walking or driving? And if driving, who is doing the driving?"
"We are driving and I brought my handy dandy limo driver to do it so I can be more pleasantly engaged in the back seat."
"You are cocky, aren't you?" she laughed. "Who says anything is going to be happening in the back seat?"
Will winked at her and they continued out of the stairs over to the vehicle which usually transported Will around but made Elizabeth impressed despite her past rides in the limo and despite Will's air about it. He seemed to think that owning a limo and man to drive it was nothing.
When they sat in the back seat, Elizabeth asked Will, "Now, where are we going?"
"I can't pronounce the name very well. It's Thai, so you'll just have to wait and see."
Elizabeth sat back in a small pout.
"Have you cleaned your apartment yet?"
Elizabeth winced. "A little."
"What does a little mean? 'A little' meaning you haven't made it worse or 'a little' meaning you've actually made some improvement?"
Elizabeth grinned wryly, "'A little' meaning we haven't made it worse."
"Ah, I see. You know, you're never going to get the mess truly cleaned up unless you either move into a bigger apartment to accommodate all of your junk or buy another RV."
"I don't think I want to buy another RV. It's not a lifestyle I want to continue."
"So basically your apartment is going to be a mess until you decide how you are going to continue your life."
"Yes, exactly. And right now, I really don't know what I am going to do."
"You can always start making plans. You can apply to a college and start in the second semester, but I don't think you will have as much success getting in at this time. Or you could apply to National Geographic and see if they will take you as you are... which I basically don't see as anything less than perfect."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at his 'charm'. "Well done, Will," she teased. "I have been thinking about taking on a job at National Geographic and I have decided that it would mean settling down into that job for quite some time."
The limo pulled up to a small Thai restaurant, with neon lights advertising take out and delivery. Will opened the door and offered his hand to Elizabeth to help her out. They walked in and the hostess sat them at a table for two beside the large tropical fish tank.
They ordered three dishes to share and a plate of rice each. After they had ordered, Will said to Elizabeth, "Continue on with what you were saying. A National Geographic job means settling down. And you don't want that?"
"Well, it would be a long-term job, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, yet. I have always wanted to go to college, and I'm thinking that if I do take a job at National Geographic, I would be tied down there for some time before I could get back out to college for at least four years. And probably by then I won't want to spend four years of my life in college. I've also been doubting whether I want to spend my life doing photography. I might find I have other talents or other things I could enjoy doing in life. Maybe I want to go teach photography in a high school, or maybe I could go into advertising with my skill, you know?"
Will nodded. He was actually very impressed. He had learned after their argument that Elizabeth was far from unintelligent. She wasn't well educated in fields other than her own, but she still continued to impress him with her thirst for knowledge and her love of learning. She had such an open mind about things. True, once she closed her eyes to something, it took quite a bit of effort to open them again. Will felt he was the prime example. She had had reason to hate him, though. And here she was expressing an interest in finding new things to explore and do. She didn't limit herself to what she knew.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. Was Will reverting back to his previous reticent self?
Will caught the look and quickly sat up straight, clearing his throat. "I completely agree with what you're saying. I think you should go into college now. Well, not right now, since you do have that contract to complete. But I think you should start applying for next fall. I'm sure a lot of deadlines are in January so you'll have to move fast. You'll need to take the required exams to get in, like ACT and SAT. You need to contact your high school and get your transcript sent to the colleges."
Elizabeth nodded and sighed. "It's such a big undertaking. I'm hesitant about doing it for just that reason."
"Don't let that stop you. You need to just wade through these difficult proceedings with the help of maybe a couple of admissions workers. I'm sure that with a name as big as yours, they will be eager to help you apply to their institution. You would be a symbolic figurehead. 'Look at us! Elizabeth Bennet attends our school.'"
"I'm not so sure I like being used like that. Well, maybe I just don't like using my own fame to further my future plans."
"That's ridiculous."
"Why?"
"Because you've made that fame."
"So, I don't want to be standing on that. I want to be equal with everyone else around me and to get ahead on my own merits. In other fields."
Will shrugged. "I can kind of see your point. So what areas are you interested in?"
"I don't even know. I have not a clue as to what is out there for me to do. There are so many things that I could do and I don't know what they are. That's why I tend to want to go to a liberal arts school, so I can explore many different venues."
Will nodded. Their food arrived and they began to eat. Their conversation shifted but Will suddenly became aware that if she was going to leave to go to some college in the country, that college could be all the way in California. So what should he do? Hurry up and establish a steady relationship with her? Give her up as a lost cause? No, they had too many common links like Colin and Charles to never see each other again. And with Jane in his town, she would come to Jane's place for breaks and he could see her then. But still... she would be going away....
After dinner, they went to see a movie. Elizabeth liked the movie well enough, but didn't think too highly of it for art's sake. During the movie, Will had had the guts to actually put his arm around her shoulders. To his immense relief and delight, she accepted it and leaned her head on his shoulder to watch the movie.
On the way home, they sat beside each other. Elizabeth decided she had to ask the question that had been niggling at her for some time. "Why were you so silent and sullen when you stayed with me and Cleo?"
Will seemed surprised at the question, but gave it some thought before he answered. "I was shy, embarrassed... uncomfortable."
"But I tried my very best to make you at ease."
"I know. And it wasn't lost on me; I was just not a very nice guy and I was angry at having to be there in the first place. Don't take it to heart. I thought you were a really neat person. Of course there were times I didn't like you. For example when you made me walk eight miles a day up a mountain, or made me eat stew off of a campfire. Now I can look back on those days with fondness. At the time, I was a spoilt city boy who didn't like being upstaged by a girl."
Elizabeth laughed at him. "That does set my mind at ease. As long as it wasn't anything that I could have changed."
Will grinned wryly. He did like Elizabeth an awful lot. What he wouldn't give to be back in Cleo for a month with her....
"What are you doing for New Year's Eve?" he asked her.
"Nothing that I know of."
"Would you like to go stand in Time's Square and watch the ball drop with me?"
"Only if there aren't any other plans I have to be involved in. I don't want to suddenly spend a lot of time with you while snubbing Jane, Charles and Colin."
"Of course. I understand. Well, you find out if there is anything going on and call or email me with an answer."
Elizabeth nodded.
They got back to her apartment and Will helped her out of the limo again. They stood a little nervously on the sidewalk.
"Thank you so much for a lovely evening, Will. I had a great time."
Will smiled. "Thank you for saying the compulsory goodbye for a date."
Elizabeth sighed exasperatedly. "I mean it, Will. I did enjoy myself."
"I'm glad. I had great time as well."
"That's a bonus."
"Remember to contact me about going out with me on New Year's Eve."
"Won't it be freezing?"
"Of course. The point is to get so bundled up you stay warm, or so drunk you don't notice the cold."
Elizabeth replied dryly, "I think I prefer the former."
"Ah promish I'll be shober," Will said, in a mock drunkard's accent.
Elizabeth laughed and said, "You had better, otherwise I'll leave you on your own." There was a pause. Elizabeth began to get very cold. "Good night, Will, and thanks again."
"What? I don't get the compulsory end of the date kiss?"
"You didn't ask for one," Elizabeth teased.
"Do I need to?"
"In my experience, yes. I have only dated gentlemen."
Will winced playfully. "That was a low blow." A pause. Will took Elizabeth's hand and said gallantly, "May I kiss you Miss Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth held her nose up in the air in a haughty caricature of a snob (just picture Caroline Bingley). "You may, Mr. Darcy."
Will grew serious and cupped her face with his hands. Elizabeth winced, ruining the moment. "Sorry," she whispered. "Your hands are cold."
Will smiled down at her. "So you can tell how much practice I've had with this, can't you?"
Elizabeth grinned back at him. A second later, Will's lips pressed against hers, making her forget about the cold altogether. When he pulled away he raised an eyebrow at her.
Elizabeth sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Will. I feel inhibited by the sneaking feeling that we're being watched." She glanced at the limo waiting beside the curb.
Will replied, "Don't worry about him. I have him well trained."
Elizabeth smiled teasingly at him. "So you do have a lot of practice!"
Will shrugged nonchalantly. "Only as much as is expected of a man of my stature. But don't let that phase you. I think I can safely promise that you are the first photographer I have ever dated."
"Oh, I am flattered," she replied drolly.
"That is always my aim, my lady." Will's face grew serious as he gazed down at her. "Though I doubt I could flatter you enough." He leaned down and kissed her again. This time, Elizabeth returned the kiss.
When they parted, Elizabeth said, "Now that you have had your compulsory good night kiss, may I go up to my apartment?"
"One more kiss for good luck."
"Good luck for what?"
"I don't know. Good luck for getting home, I guess."
"All right, one more kiss for good luck."
This time Elizabeth stood on her toes and initiated the kiss. They parted. "That'll keep me going," Will said. He kissed her a couple of times on the face and then released her.
"Good night."
Elizabeth turned and went into her apartment building. She didn't think she could pull off an excuse in front of Jane. She was so giddy and flushed with happiness and excitement. Well, she could always try. Elizabeth paused to lean against the wall beside her door. Will's touch still sent tingles through her. She felt like she was in high school again. She stood straight and pulled out her keys.
Inside, Elizabeth found Jane watching some television. "Where have you been?" asked Jane, putting the TV on mute.
"I was out in the city."
"I gathered that, but what were you doing? You know how dangerous it is to be out in New York at night."
"I know, but I was with Will."
"Will?" Jane's eyes widened and she sat up straight. "You went out with Will?!"
Elizabeth nodded.
"I had no idea you two were that friendly to each other! Where did you go?"
"We just went out to dinner and a movie."
"A date."
"Sure, if you want, you can call it a date." Elizabeth was a little annoyed at having to explain herself like this.
"That's incredible."
"What's so incredible about it? We've reconciled our differences and have corrected our misunderstandings about each other. He's a really nice guy and he asked me if I wanted to go to dinner and movie with him. I said yes and so here we are! Big deal." Okay, so she wasn't telling the entire truth. So what?
Jane raised an eyebrow. "You are a bit defensive, aren't you?"
Elizabeth threw up her hands in exasperation. "It's so difficult having a sister who is in my circle of friends."
Jane called out after her retreating younger sister, "I beg to differ. I believe it is you who is in my circle of friends."
Elizabeth came back into the living room. "Tell me again who first brought you to New York? Who first introduced you to Colin and then Charles? Who first introduced you to Will? Hmm... I think that was ME!"
"Introductions don't count as your circle of friends," Jane called out as Elizabeth walked back to her room. "You were gone when the four of us started to do stuff together."
Elizabeth shut her door. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into her warm bed. She closed her eyes and re-lived her date with Will. Imagination is an incredible gift we humans have.
Will did some finagling the next day. He set Colin up on a date with one of his many admirers in his office. The date was set for New Year's Eve. Next he called Charles and casually put the idea into his head that it would terribly romantic to spend New Year's Eve alone with Jane.
Word soon got round to Elizabeth that everyone else had plans for New Year's Eve. Elizabeth wasn't sorry at all. In fact, she was rather pleased as she sent an email to Will agreeing to going with him and asking him where and when.
Will couldn't believe his luck when he had read the email. He felt sure Elizabeth would find a way to duck out of it. Maybe she wasn't just being nice to him. He replied to her email telling her he would pick her up at her apartment and they would drive as far as they could towards Time's Square. PS Remember to dress really warmly.
On the 31st of December, Will drove up to Elizabeth's apartment in his black limo and went up to her door. He knocked and Elizabeth opened it.
"Come in," she said and left him to walk in and close the door himself. "I'm just trying to find my other glove."
"Do you want any help?" he asked.
"No, just have the patience to wait there and I won't be a minute."
Will looked around. The apartment was still a bit of a mess. Organized mess. Mess they couldn't really help. Not unwashed dishes and clothes lying about, but stacks of boxes in the living room and a stack of books in the hallway. Stuff that didn't have its proper place.
"Where's Jane?" he asked.
"She went out with Charles. They wanted to spend New Year's Eve alone together this year."
"How romantic. I wonder where they got that idea from?"
"Here it is!" She came walking out of the hall closet pulling it on. Her curls were tied up into a mass on the top of her head. She wore a large ski jacket and ski pants with boots. She was pulling on her gloves and around her neck was a scarf. Finally, in her hands was a woolly hat. It was an eclectic style but Will didn't mind a bit. She looked particularly cute with her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. Will's outfit matched and looked classy, a stark contrast to Elizabeth's attire.
"Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
They left the apartment and walked down to the limo. "Have you ever done this before?" asked Elizabeth.
"What?"
"Spent New Year's Eve at Time's Square."
"Not for a long time. I think I did it once when I was in university, but not since then."
"What's it like?"
"A mass frat party in the streets is my best guess at an explanation."
They drove towards Time's Square until they met roadblocks. There, they got out and walked toward the crowd. It was cold, but not too cold. Elizabeth felt fine except for her nose. Will grabbed her hand as they started to walk through the crowd. He pulled her close to him and then guided her in front of him, one arm circling her protectively.
They walked into the crowd as far as they could, avoiding pockets of particularly wild people. The noise was incredible. Elizabeth was fascinated as she looked around. She stopped and pulled out her camera. Will saw what she was doing and waited. Elizabeth held it up and took a few shots, then put the camera safely back inside her jacket. They continued until they found a good spot to watch and not be run over by maniacs.
"You brought your camera?" Will asked with a raise of his eyebrows.
Defensively, Elizabeth said, "Why don't you wait until I have developed them before you pass judgment? You would be amazed at how much you will miss."
"I will gladly wait until you have developed the pictures, but I have a sinking feeling I'll lose my case then."
"You will. I always carry my camera around with me."
They watched the excitement and entertainment around them as the clock grew nearer to midnight. Elizabeth began to get colder. She rubbed her nose to get some feeling back into it.
Will noticed her discomfort and said, "Come here."
"What?"
"Just come here."
She came beside him and he reached out to encircle her in his arms, hugging her tightly to his body. "I didn't realize you were so desperate for companionship," she quipped.
"Are you warmer?" he asked.
"Yes."
"I rest my case."
"You are benevolent, aren't you? Sacrificing yourself for my comfort. How heroic!"
Will kissed her forehead and added in a lower voice, "Well, I can't deny that I enjoy this sacrifice."
Elizabeth grinned up at him. Will rubbed her back a bit and then rested his chin on her head. Together they stood in the crowd and watched the excitement and the bright spectacles. Dick Clarke was doing his thing and MTV had their studio somewhere nearby. Millions of people were surrounding them, with thousands of policemen milling around the masses. Every now and then they saw a street performer. One had a tiny monkey with him.
Will asked her, "Do you have anything valuable on you?"
"Just my keys and my camera."
"I can feel the camera," he replied, dryly. "Where did you put your keys?"
"They're in the pocket of my pants."
"Good."
"Why?"
"There can be pickpockets in the crowd."
"Do you want me to move my camera?"
"It would be more comfortable, yes."
They broke apart and Elizabeth shifted the camera so it hung down her back. While they were apart, Will asked, "Are you hungry? I stuffed my pockets full of snacks if you're interested."
"What did you bring?" she queried, beginning to explore the pockets on his jacket. She found a bag of nuts and took them out.
"Do you like nuts? I couldn't remember," asked Will.
"Yes, I do. I like all nuts except hazel nuts."
"Well I like those so you can give them to me."
Elizabeth turned around with the bag in hand to see a huge puppet of Father Time coming around the buildings. She handed Will the nuts and took out her camera. She took a few shots of Father Time and then looked around for something else.
Will leaned down and asked her, "What are you looking for?"
"I don't know. Something interesting."
"Like that?"
Elizabeth turned to look. A man was balancing a beer bottle on his nose while his buddies stood in a circle and watched. Elizabeth quickly took a couple of shots before the bottle fell with a smash and a splatter of beer over nearby trousers.
"Yes, like that," Elizabeth said when she was done.
Will looked a bit proud of himself. Elizabeth laughed at him and took a couple of nuts from the bag.
Two hours later, midnight began to draw near. Excitement grew in the crowds. Elizabeth and Will, who had both become closer as the evening wore on, turned to watch as the Father Time puppet made its way back towards the ball.
Ten minutes later, the countdown began as the last seconds of the year began to tick away.
Elizabeth turned to Will and shouted at him over the noise, "Do you think the world's going to end like a lot of people think?"
Will leaned down to say in her ear, "If it does end, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend the last night of the world with."
Elizabeth couldn't reply because of the noise. This was a good thing, as she couldn't think of a witty, teasing reply. She was flattered and happy. She turned to watch the countdown. She took out her camera. She took a couple of shots of the numbers as they crept down.
10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0!!!! The ball dropped, fireworks exploded in the sky, the crowd roared thunderously and cannons shot out tons of confetti and scented streamers from the tops of the buildings. Quite a few people had champagne bottles that they popped and showered over people. Elizabeth used up her film and then put her camera down.
"Are you finished?" asked Will.
"For now."
"Good," he replied and turned her around to face him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly. Elizabeth gladly returned it, careful to keep the camera out of the way. When they broke apart, she couldn't help but smile.
"You know you don't always have to come second to photography."
Will shrugged and smiled down at her. "I know where your first love will always be."
Elizabeth flushed at the implication that she had a second love. Well... maybe she did. Robert Burns' "Auld Lang Syne" song began to play and Elizabeth and Will joined in.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!For auld land syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
At the end of the song, Will kissed Elizabeth once more. "Happy New Year," he said.
"A very Happy New Year to you, too," she replied, grinning up at him.
It took at least an hour before the couple was able to get to place where the limo could pick them up. Elizabeth was rather tired by the time she was able to sit down in the limo.
"Goodness! That was an adventure."
"Are you sorry you went?"
"No. I think it's nice to say I did welcome one New Year in Time's Square. I don't think I would do it again. I enjoyed myself but it was a bit too wild for me. I think a friend's party would do for me. ...Or just sitting at home with my favourite people."
"I'll keep it in mind," Will replied. "I told you I haven't done it in years. I think this one will last me at least another decade. And when I'm a decade older, I probably won't want to spend that long standing up."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're not that old."
They went to Elizabeth's apartment and Will walked her up to the door. They paused in front of it.
"Jane will probably be asleep."
Will took this as an excuse for why she wouldn't invite him. He was okay with it. He had only walked her up to be sure she got in all right. His best luck would be for Elizabeth to have forgotten her keys in her apartment and Jane was at Charles' place. Then Elizabeth would have to go to his apartment to stay the night. But Elizabeth did not forget her keys. She held them in her hand.
"Thank you for a wonderful time."
"I'm glad you liked it. And I'm glad we both came home relatively clean. No one threw up on us and we missed the champagne showers."
"It does seem rather a waste of champagne, you know."
"I quite agree."
"Well, I'll say good night to you now before we both become embarrassed at our lack of conversation."
Will smiled at her. "You never lack conversation."
She scowled at him. "Good night."
"Good night, Elizabeth."
He only kissed her lightly on the lips before turning away. Elizabeth was a little disappointed, but didn't let it show. She opened her door and went into her apartment.
Elizabeth still owed Georgiana a shopping trip. Three days into the New Year, Elizabeth called Georgiana. But it was Will who actually picked up.
"Hello?"
"Will? This is Elizabeth."
"Hi! What can I do for you?"
Sheepishly, Elizabeth said, "Actually it was Georgiana I was hoping to speak to."
"Georgiana?"
"Yes."
"All right. I'll go find her."
"Thanks."
There were a few minutes of silence and then Georgiana picked up. "Hello?"
"Hi, it's Elizabeth Bennet."
"You don't need to give me a last name, you know. I know it's you when you say Elizabeth."
"Oh, okay."
"Do you know what's up with Will?"
"No, what do you mean?"
"Nothing." She mumbled. "He was fine a minute ago."
"I was calling to see when you were free to go on that shopping trip."
"I'm free tonight, if that was what you had in mind. I won't be in town much longer."
"Tonight's great. Where shall we meet? It's a little too difficult for me to get to your apartment."
"I'll meet you at -----."
"That's fine."
"Is six o' clock okay?"
"Yep. I'll see you then." Elizabeth paused a second. "Could you put Will back on?"
"What, are you going to promise to take good care of me or something?"
"Nothing of the sort," Elizabeth laughed. "I just wanted to chat for a minute."
Georgiana gave the phone back to Will.
"Will? I... um... I had a really great time on New Year's."
There was a pause. "I'm glad," he finally said. "It was the best New Year's I've ever had," he admitted.
Elizabeth smiled shyly to herself. "Anyway...um... I'm taking Georgiana out tonight."
"That's nice."
A few seconds later, she finally said, "Maybe we can go for coffee some time?"
"Yeah, sure."
"I'll talk to you later then."
"Have fun tonight."
Elizabeth met Georgiana for dinner and then they walked around several of the shops talking and looking at various things. Georgiana tried on a few outfits for a giggle and Elizabeth would occasionally take a couple of pictures of Georgiana modeling. Through that evening, the two girls got to know each other much better and both came out of the adventure closer friends. Will was never a main topic of conversation, which was actually what Georgiana had expected. She suspected enough of Will and Elizabeth's attachment to anticipate questions about him. But Elizabeth talked only about Georgiana, herself, and other common topics of conversation. This improved Georgiana's opinion of Elizabeth. She felt like Elizabeth really cared about her.
Elizabeth bought a skirt for Georgiana and then at nine o' clock, they went home. Georgiana was able to bring a favourable report to Will who waited up for her return. Will was pleased to say the least, but he was losing confidence.
Three days later, Will called Elizabeth. "Would you like to go for that cup of coffee?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Shall I meet you at the Starbucks on the corner of your street?"
"Are you sure? I can travel to another one more convenient for you."
"No, it's silly for two of us to travel. I'll meet you there in say... forty minutes?"
"'Til then."
Will was waiting inside when she walked up to the shop. She ordered a mocha cappuccino and a brownie. She joined Will at his table.
"What have you been up to?" asked Elizabeth.
"Not much. Just the usual work in my company."
"As if I know what usual work in any company is like," Elizabeth replied drolly.
Will smiled a little. He wasn't like his usual self. It seemed like something was on his mind. So Elizabeth didn't waste time asking him what the matter was.
Will hesitated, keeping his eyes on his coffee. "I... I have really enjoyed every moment I've spent with you."
"As have I," said Elizabeth.
Will held up a hand asking her to allow him to finish.
"However, I think we should stop seeing each other."
Elizabeth's face was a mixture of hurt and bewilderment.
Will continued, "I have too much of a feeling that I'm pushing you. It's an uncomfortable feeling."
"How so?" asked Elizabeth, not willing to let him go without some more explanation.
"Well, you've never suggested doing anything but coffee, which, to me, is the very first stage of a relationship. And even that was only a suggestion. I acted on it. I don't want this to be a one-sided relationship." Elizabeth started to speak. But Will continued, "And I know that right now, you'll protest and say that it isn't so... but that doesn't mean much right now, right here. It just means you're trying to spare my feelings." He shrugged. "And maybe it wasn't meant to work out. If that's so, I hope it doesn't mean we can't still be friends."
Elizabeth was stunned and speechless. Will didn't give her much opportunity to speak anyway, for he soon got up from the table, put on his coat. Elizabeth still sat there staring at her coffee cradled in her hands. Will paused before leaving. He stooped, kissed her cheek tenderly, and left the store, leaving a forlorn Elizabeth.