Darcy in Dubai
Darcy looked down from the hotel room window at the busy streets of Dubai. He had arrived late yesterday and not paid much attention to the view at the time. The weather forecast mentioned the likelihood of a sandstorm but the skies looked clear. If he wasn't feeling so tired and jet-lagged with all the travel he had done lately, he could have gone for a morning jog.
After he had showered and dressed, he decided to head downstairs for breakfast. The Shangri La was just a few minutes away from the client's office at Emirates Towers so he had half an hour before he had to leave for his meeting.
The hotel staff greeted him as he made his way to the restaurant where the complementary breakfast buffet was served. There was a huge variety of food but he was not in the mood to try out anything new. He got some pancakes with maple syrup and asked the friendly waiter for a cappuccino. Pancakes always made him think of Sunday mornings at home with his little sister Gina. He smiled as he thought of how Gina had made him promise to do some shopping in Dubai. He had been grumbling about being unable to get a flight that landed on Wednesday which would have allowed him to finish his meeting the same day. Gina had told him it was the perfect opportunity to check out the great malls in Dubai and buy her something.
He drank the last of his coffee and made his way back to his room to put on his jacket and get his things. The doorman called a cab from those waiting nearby as soon as he came out. He settled into the cab and gave the location of the 'Thakdam' offices to the driver.
It took a few minutes to get his visitor's pass from the security desk before he was allowed to enter the office building. Thakdam were on the 42nd floor. Amir Al Shahadi, the CEO, had mentioned to Darcy that they had a lovely view of the Dubai skyline from his office.
Darcy gave his name to the receptionist and sat down to wait. Amir came out in a few minutes and greeted him with a friendly hug. "William Darcy! Good to see you again! Come on, let us go to my office."
Darcy had met Amir a few times in the US last year and had liked him very much. Amir had done his graduate studies in the US and spoke English with a pronounced American accent which Darcy found quite amusing when Amir was dressed in his traditional white robes as he was now. He had started Thakdam a couple of years ago while the economy was still in a recession. The company was doing very well now and Darcy hoped that he would be able to sell his new security software to them. He did not have any other customers in Dubai and was hoping that getting Amir's company would make it easier to penetrate this market. Amir was from an influential Emarati family and it would definitely help to have him promoting their software and services.
They chatted about mutual acquaintances initially and then discussed the current financial situation in the region until they were interrupted by Amir's secretary.
"Mr. Al Shahadi, Anand from the IT department is waiting in the meeting room in case Mr. Darcy needs help with setting up for his presentation."
"Great. William, you have about 15 minutes to get everything set up before your presentation to the senior management team. Samira will show you to the meeting room. I will join you in 10 minutes."
Darcy thanked Amir and followed Samira to the meeting room. She introduced him to Anand and left. Darcy had everything ready quickly and Anand helped him check that his laptop was connected properly to the large TV screen in the meeting room.
Amir came in followed by two men in business suits.
"Will, this is Ramy Ajouz, my Marketing Head and John Brooks, Head of HR. "
Will shook hands with them. The IT Head, Siva Kumar was the next person to enter.
"We are just waiting for my Head of Finance. By the way, she is a countrywoman of yours."
"Oh, an American?"
"Yes, I think she is also from San Francisco."
As the door opened, Darcy froze in astonishment when he saw the person who entered the room. Elizabeth Bennet! He had never thought he would see her again, let alone as far away from home as this. Liz's face went pale when she saw him but her smile didn't falter. He wasn't sure how long they stared at each other; hopefully it wasn't very long since none of the others seemed to notice anything odd.
Amir came up to introduce them. Darcy did not explain that they knew each other and neither did Liz. She shook hands with him quickly and moved to sit with the others.
Darcy could think of nothing else but her. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her, more than a year ago now. Her fair skin was tanned golden – she must spend time soaking up the sun at the Dubai beaches. Her hair was longer now and curled around her shoulders; her blue suit accentuated the blue of her eyes.
He had given this presentation so many times that he was able to carry on as if on auto-pilot while he struggled to stop thinking about her and to avoid looking directly at her. His jet-lag seemed to have disappeared completely with the shock of this unexpected encounter.
By the time he finished the presentation and was ready for questions, he had managed to get his wandering thoughts under control. The questions were fortunately the usual ones that he expected. Liz asked him quite a few questions about the software as well as the transaction and service fees that they would be charging. He focussed on the top of her head while he answered her.
Amir called for some coffee while the others trooped out. The next meetings would be with individual departments. The meeting with the finance team was the last. Darcy wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
After the meetings with the marketing and human resources departments, he joined Amir and Ramy Ajouz for lunch at Zaika, an Indian restaurant at the nearby Murooj Rotana. He had worried that Elizabeth would join them as well. He did not feel he could act naturally with her sitting nearby. However, Amir had explained that they were very busy this week and apologised for only Ramy being able to take time to join them.
Darcy was apprehensive when he saw the huge amounts of food that Amir ordered. He knew that Middle-Eastern hospitality sometimes extended to the host serving the guest repeatedly but, fortunately, Ramy and Amir had large appetites and cleaned off most of the plates themselves.
Darcy found himself nervous as he waited for Liz and her team to come. He had always become irritated when people told him that he had a poker face, however, today he fervently hoped his emotions were not showing on his face.
As Liz entered she gave him a shy smile and introduced him to the two members of the team who came with her.
Darcy took a couple of deep breaths before he started.
The presentation had gone well and they subsequently had a good in-depth discussion covering the areas where the finance team had concerns. Darcy's heart did a little dance as Liz got up to leave. She turned back at the door and Darcy hoped that she was going to suggest they meet later but just then Amir breezed in. Liz answered his questions about how the meeting had gone and then left giving Darcy a sad smile.
He knew that he should follow her and ask her out to dinner so that they could talk. But he hadn't told Amir that he knew her and did not want to get into any explanations now. Maybe he could go by her office on some pretence before he left.
Darcy entered his hotel room feeling despondent. He should have been happy that Amir had decided to purchase their software but all he could think of was that he did not know how to get in touch with Elizabeth. He had spent an hour with Amir discussing the details of the implementation and by the time they finished, the rest of the office was in darkness.
Amir had invited him for dinner but Darcy had told him that he had a ticket to the Burj Khalifa viewing deck for 9 pm. Gina had bought it online, insisting that he do some sight-seeing since he had the time.
Darcy glanced at his watch. He had enough time for a quick shower and change before he caught a cab. He might as well use the ticket since it was unlikely he would be able to focus on any work.
The view of night-time Dubai from the top of Burj Khalifa had been spectacular and helped take his mind off his troubles for a while. Darcy walked into Dubai mall wondering whether he should go get dinner or go to a souvenir shop and pick up something for Gina. His sister would have enjoyed shopping here. The mall was sparkling and shiny, all the big American and European chains were there in addition to many local shops. It was also very crowded, he supposed due to the weekend.
His phone started ringing and he saw with pleasure that it was his sister. "Hey Gina, was just thinking of you."
"Will, are you still at Dubai mall?"
"Yes, I just finished my viewing at the Burj Khalifa observation deck. It was –". Gina interrupted, "Will, I need you to go to this restaurant called Burj al Hamam."
"What? Why do you need me to go there? What is going on, Gina?"
"No questions Will. Just go there now – there is someone waiting for you there. I'll call you in a bit."
Gina hung up before he could ask her any more questions. Darcy was bewildered. Who could be waiting for him there? Could it possibly be Elizabeth? No, Gina didn't know about him meeting Liz here.
He found one of the electronic maps near the information counter to check the location of the restaurant, and made his way there quickly.
He paused at the entrance of the restaurant and glanced at the occupants of the tables. He spotted a distinctive auburn head at a corner table. Liz! It was her. But how did Gina arrange this? He walked towards her rapidly. She raised her head and saw him nearing the table.
"Will ... I'm so glad you could come. Please sit." As Darcy sat down, he felt like pinching himself to check that he was awake. This whole situation seemed unreal.
"I don't understand how Gina is in contact with you and how she arranged this."
Before she could reply, the server came with menus. Darcy waited till he had left and then looked at Liz for her answer.
"Gina had called me when Lydia got into trouble and we met for coffee a couple of times. And since I've been in Dubai, we are in touch on facebook."
"I can't believe Gina's been in contact with you and she didn't tell me anything about it." Darcy shook his head disbelievingly. He didn't remember Liz's name being mentioned in any conversation between Gina and him in the last year. He had always thought of Gina as a person who was unable to keep a secret.
"Well, she didn't tell me that you were going to be in Dubai", Liz continued. "She knows where I work and she must have known that we would bump into each other. I called her in the evening after I got off work. I was hoping to see you after the meeting but you took so long with Amir. Everyone left and I thought it would be awkward if I was waiting outside so late. I didn't have your number so I called Gina and she told me that you would be at Dubai Mall."
"You... you wanted to see me?" After all the things she had said the last time they had met, Darcy had never expected that she would want to meet him again. Had he been wrong? Could her feelings have changed?
"Yes, I've thought about calling you many times. I feel so bad about the things I said the last time we saw each other. And even after all that, you helped out so much with Lydia. If it wasn't for you, I'm sure she would have been arrested."
"How is she now?" Darcy asked, remembering the last time he had seen Lydia and her dazed and broken state. He had initially helped because of Liz, but after speaking with Lydia and understanding what she had gone through, he was really glad he had made the effort to help her.
"She's really good. Got into the Arts programme at San Diego. She is happy and going straight. Thanks mostly to you."
"It's my fault that Wickham got her in trouble and I just had to help."
"Will, it was Wickham's fault, not yours. And we are all very grateful for everything that you did."
Liz smiled at him affectionately and he started hoping again that there was another chance for them.
He spotted their server hovering around and opened the menu. "Let's order, Liz. I'd like one of their grill platters – you probably know which is best. And a mocktail to drink. What do you think?" They had a quick discussion over the menu and then gave their order to the server.
"I didn't even know you were in Dubai," Darcy said. "I did meet Jane and Bingley in New York a few times but she never mentioned it. Not that I asked specifically about you but I did enquire after her family." He had felt very uncomfortable whenever he saw Jane, thinking that she knew everything that had occurred between Liz and him.
"Oh, Jane wouldn't have realised that you wanted to hear about me. I've never told her what happened in LA. In fact, Gina is probably the only person I've discussed it with. And that is because she brought it up."
Darcy looked at her, surprised. "I've never told Gina anything about that."
"I know, she just guessed from your behaviour and the way you reacted to my name. She knows you pretty well."
"But Liz, did you only want to see me to apologize?" Darcy looked at Liz trying to read her face. His heart beat faster as he waited to hear her answer.
Liz looked down. "That is not the only reason. I was wondering ..." She stopped speaking and looked at him. He was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes.
"Liz, what's the matter?"
She took a napkin from the table and started dabbing at her eyes. Darcy wasn't sure what to do. "Liz, why are you upset?"
"Oh, Will, I'm sorry for everything I said, I didn't mean it. All those awful things ... can you ever forgive me?"
"I forgave you a long time ago. I think we were both at fault then. But, tell me one thing, Liz, do you still care for me?" He asked anxiously.
She smiled at him tremulously. "I've always loved you, even when I didn't know it. When Gina said you haven't been dating at all in the last year, I hoped that you still felt something for me."
Darcy almost got up and went to her side to take her in his arms, but remembered in time that public displays of affection were frowned upon here. He settled for squeezing her hands.
Before he could say anything else, the server came with their drinks.
He hadn't let go of her hands. He didn't think he ever would want to let go of her again. He couldn't believe what had just happened.
"Liz, I still love you, I never stopped. I admit I was angry at the time but it never changed how I felt."
"I feel I've wasted so much time. I should have called you."
"Well, water under the bridge. I'm more interested in what we are going to do now. I figure I'm going to be coming to Dubai more often with this Thakdam contract but I don't want a long-distance relationship." He was very sure about that. He had lost enough time with her already. He started wondering about their options to be together. "If you really like it here, I suppose I could open up a new branch – I have been thinking of focussing on the region."
She laughed. "No, I like it here but I miss home. I've been thinking of going back. My assistant is really good so I don't think Amir will mind if I leave with a month's notice."
"But what are you going to be doing?"
"I've been speaking with a friend. We are planning to set up a firm in San Franciso, mostly specialising in Income Tax work. She's been doing the groundwork and once I get back home, we will speed things up. For the last few months, I've been thinking about the way we parted and I had decided to leave Dubai. I planned to call you after was home because I hoped that we could give us another try."
Darcy smiled back at her. He had spent a lot of time over the last year thinking about her but always expected that she had just put him out of her mind and gone on with her life. He was overjoyed to know that she had been thinking of him as well. And to know that she loved him too ... if someone had told him yesterday that within 24 hrs he would have been making plans for the future with the girl of his dreams, he would have laughed incredulously.
They continued talking and making plans as they ate dinner.
Darcy waited impatiently as Liz hunted for her keys in her bag. She had driven them to her apartment which was only a quarter hour's drive from the mall but it felt longer to Darcy who was waiting to take her in his arms.
"Found them!"
Before she could insert them in the lock, Darcy grabbed them, unlocked and opened the door in a flash and then slammed the door after them.
A neighbour who came out a few minutes later to throw a bag in the garbage shute, stopped for a minute hearing what sounded like screams from Elizabeth's apartment. She hesitated outside wondering if she should check on Elizabeth. However, she soon made out squeals and giggles and went back into her apartment with a smile on her face.
6 months later
Darcy thought of his last visit to Dubai as he entered the Thakdam office.
Amir was standing near the entrance talking with the receptionist and saw Darcy immediately. "William, you close-mouthed crook! I've just heard from Elizabeth. Congratulations! I still blame you for luring away an excellent employee but I'm very happy for both of you."
Darcy smiled back at Amir. "Thanks Amir. She does miss Dubai though. I've promised to bring her here on our honeymoon. We are thinking of spending some time at the Atlantis on the Palm."
The last few months had been wonderful. Elizabeth had moved back to San Francisco five months ago and since then they had spent as much time as they could with each other. Last week he had taken his grandmother's ring out of the bank vault and finally worked up the courage to propose to Liz. He had hoped she would accept but been worried that he was rushing her. Fortunately, she had been as eager as he was and they had agreed on a wedding next month. It would be a small affair with just close family and friends.
He reminded himself to pick up a souvenir from Dubai for Gina this time. The last trip he had spent all his time with Elizabeth until he had to leave for the airport. And he had been in a happy daze while he was in the airport so he hadn't thought to visit the duty free either. However, Gina had insisted that seeing him happy and having Liz move back to San Francisco was the best present she could get!