Lizzie grabs more of the blanket and pulls it up over her body, rushing to get the warm fabric over her cold skin. She sighs contently at the warmth, wrapping herself inside of the velvety comforter.
Darcy looks at her, frowning. "Are you cold? I thought it was too warm in here," he says.
"I'm closer to the window. It's worse on this side of the bed, I think," Lizzie mumbles.
"Do you want to switch sides, then?" he offers. "The vent for the heat is on this side. You'll be warmer here."
"I can't sleep unless I'm on the left side of the bed. You know that."
"Oh," Darcy replies, because there's nothing else he can say to her.
It's their first night in their new home together. While he preferred large, extravagant homes, Lizzie didn't want something over the top and unnecessary. Darcy didn't mind what home they picked, as long as Lizzie was happy. And when it came to picking a home, she was easy to please. Her only requirements were that it had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and places for the two of them to have some solitude. While they were fond of each other (more than fond, according to the white gold, diamond engagement ring on her left ring finger), they both needed some time apart on occasion. (Or just places to hide out when they argued and didn't want to see the other, which was more often than either of them liked to admit.)
The home they ended up choosing was a little too big for Lizzie's tastes and a little too small for Darcy, but they both thought it was a perfect choice: they would be able to adapt to it easily.
"It's so quiet in here," Lizzie comments after a while. Darcy sighs. "Sorry, I'm just used to sleeping with the TV on."
"We'll buy a television for this room tomorrow once I get out of work," he promises. "Try to get some sleep, Lizzie."
It's silent for another few minutes, and when Darcy thinks Lizzie has fallen asleep, he can hear her exhale slowly. She reaches over and grabs her phone from her bedside table to check the time ("We really need to buy a clock tomorrow, too."), before setting it back down.
"What can I do to make you comfortable?" Darcy asks. He's already annoyed with the lack of sleep – it's midnight and he has to wake up in five hours for work – but he figures the sooner he's able to help her sleep, the sooner they'll both be at peace. He notes that this isn't the first or last time this will happen. He's dealt with Lizzie's sleepness nights before, but that was when she was comfortable in his house or her own. This is a completely different ballpark.
"I don't know. Nothing, I guess," she replies. "I'm sorry, Will, I'm keeping you awake, aren't I? I'll sleep on the couch tonight," she says, sitting up before slinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing.
"Lizzie, wait. That's not necessary." he tells her.
"Yes, it is. You need some sleep, and so do I."
"I think I have an idea. Come here."
Lizzie hesitantly climbs back into bed with him, covering herself yet again with the blanket. She turns so that she's facing him. "What's your idea?" she asks when he doesn't do anything. Instead, his eyebrows furrow together and he slightly purses his lips. She recognizes this as his "deep-in-thought" look that she so often sees during critical decisions, such as, 'What will I eat for dinner tonight?' or, 'Which tie should I purchase?'
"This may be a bit ridiculous, but, um, it's something I used to do for Gigi after our parents passed," Darcy explains quietly. "She was never able to get to bed either, so I would sit there with her until she fell asleep. I'm unsure if this idea of mine will work for your benefit, but-"
"Will, I'm sure it'll be fine," Lizzie assures him. She knows it's something sentimental to him and his sister, and just that is enough for her.
"As long as you promise not to laugh at me," he replies.
She smirks and murmurs, "I will make no such promises."
The corners of his lips tilt upwards. He brings his hand up and traces her jawline before leaning forward and gently placing a kiss on her forehead. Lizzie briefly wonders if that's it, but then he pulls away and exhales, as if he's preparing himself.
"Close your eyes," he whispers to her. She obliges without hesitation.
It's quiet for a moment, but then Lizzie's ears are filled with the sound of William Darcy's light humming. She has no idea what tune he's humming – but it's enough to make her smile. For a millisecond, she thinks about how great of a father he'd be, but pushes the idea out of her mind. She opens her eyes and looks at him. He's still humming, but a small blush is evident on his face. The embarrassment is endearing to her, and she knows it took a lot for him to share this with her.
Lizzie closes her eyes again and lets the sound comfort her and thinks that yes, this is so much better than TV as background noise.
After a few minutes, Lizzie feels herself drifting off into a slumber, and Darcy stops his humming. She thinks he's falling asleep, too, so she quickly mumbles, "I love you."
It's something she rarely says to him. Sure, she does love Darcy – she wouldn't deny it. Not like she would have a year and a half ago. But Lizzie isn't really a fan of the mushy, sugar-coated love stuff on a daily basis. She knows she doesn't need to tell him how much she loves him for him to know it. Yet, something tells her that maybe he deserves to hear it tonight.
She opens her eyes slightly to see him grinning at her with that one smile he reserves only for moments like these: moments of bliss. It's that one smile that no one else ever sees but her, and although she would never dare admit it out loud, every time she sees it, her heart races and her body heats up.
Darcy places a light kiss on her lips and puts an arm around her, pulling her body closer to his.
His eyes close, and she follows suit, burrowing her head into his bare chest.
And even though she's still cold and Darcy is likely going to start to snore in about 2.5 seconds, Lizzie thinks she could definitely get used to this.