He loved her.
She'd roped him into this day in by replacing all of his ties with hideous, yellow ones covered in ducks, but Darcy secretly didn't mind. It was a cold winter weekend, even for California, and the last thing he wanted to do was go outside.
Well, he was actually planning on working, but Lizzie believed that everyone deserved days off. Darcy would miss out on seeing the fiery gleam in her eyes as she protested his leaving, but nothing could make him happier than just being with her.
It's not like he didn't infuriate her - or was it the other way round? - enough on a daily basis.
Looking down, he saw her auburn hair spread out against his chest, and could feel her breathing, perfectly in sync with his. In grey sweats, an oversized hoodie (that matched her eyes) and no makeup on, Lizzie looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her - sure, this was corny, but she couldn't hear him anyway.
Good thing, too, because if she did, Darcy would have probably suffered a blow to the head, and Lizzie was pretty strong.
Curled up in bed with a cup of cocoa for her and some kombucha for him on the bedside table, they were watching 500 Days of Summer. Her favorite movie, apparently, but his eyes weren't really focused on the screen.
It wasn't bad, by any means. He actually liked the kind of played out boy-meet-girl-but-they-don't-end-up-together storyline - the movie was quirky, but not in a tawdry way. In a nice, warm witty way.
Like her.
The dialogue wasn't mind-blowingly funny, mind you, but her laughter was beautifully infectious. The only difference was, Lizzie was actually watching the movie, whereas he was watching her every move.
He loved her laugh.
Not in a creepy way, like she'd described before in her videos, although those instances were pretty much the same as this, only under different circumstances. Darcy just really liked looking at how beautiful she was, knowing that she her mind and heart were just as lovely.
He loved her knees, the way her eyebrows danced around when she was excited about something, the little caves near her eyebrows when she became concerned.
He loved it when she slept.
Darcy had lived so long without having had time to truly love anyone. He loved and adored his sister, of course, but he'd never thought that the other type of love would be necessary at all. That's why he was so awkward, such an 'agoraphobic lobster', as Fitz had put it. Come to think of it, the term was actually pretty accurate.
But then, Lizzie came along. Lizzie, the girl of his dreams that he didn't know could possibly exist.
Lizzie, who was real. Lizzie, who had flaws, like him, but who made him want to be a better man.
Lizzie, who made him feel whole.
He chuckled softly at the fact that if she had heard what was going through his mind, he'd probably have sustained more than a few injuries to the face.
"Shh, we're getting to the best part!" Lizzie groaned, reaching out for his free hand. His cupped her tiny hand, but that wasn't the end of it. She lifted the two clasped hands and gently put it over Darcy's mouth, eyes still glued to the screen.
Despite this, he still managed to nuzzle Lizzie's cheek, and whisper into her ear, "Elizabeth Bennet, I love you."
He loved the little birthmark on the nape of her neck.
Lizzie lowered their hands from his mouth and kissed his. "I love you too, but please shut your ugly dump truck face, Will."
He loved the way the weird ways they showed affection for one another.
"Only if you let me cook you a nice meal."
"Only if you let me dress you up like my mother."
"Only if you let me take a peek at your analytics."
"Only if you let me tickle you. Again."
He loved the little grin she made when she knew that he'd been beat, and the way that grin made him feel. Like he was flawed, and human.
And so was she.
"Isn't this movie almost over?"
"The ending is the best part. Besides, you of all people should love this movie. It's the most hipster - I mean, indie - thing I've ever seen. Besides your wardrobe, of course. And your tea."
"It's not bad, but there are a great many things we could be doing right now. For example, I could be cooking you a nice omelette, or we could be laughing at Fox News commentators, or we could be doing… something else."
He loved her intelligence and the way she wasn't afraid to say whatever she felt like saying.
"Very tempting, Mr. Darcy, but I am determined that we are to finish this movie. At the very least to honour the untold story of Jenny Beckman. Now shush."
He loved the assertiveness of her tone. He loved her endearing-ness.
He loved how she could make him forget proper grammar.
"Very well, Lizzie, but I get to choose our next activity. Brace yourself, because it's going to be a lot more, ah, physically exerting than this."
"I wouldn't dare accept anything else."
As he settled into another position to pick up his mug, she snuggled in closer, and their heartbeats and breaths became aligned once again.
He loved her warmth.
It was those moments with her that made him so inexplicably at peace, so comfortable with the world. He loved her; he loved when they were together.
He loved them, together.
And he couldn't wait for the rest of their little infinity.
