Lizzy's POV, lunch with Samantha. Lots of fun conversation/banter. Next chapter will probably be Darcy's :) I'll post again soon!
Also, please leave a comments if you like something— I always appreciate it ❤️ Have a nice day/night! ~Vinny
"Hey!" Samantha said, poking her head around the corner, "Is it alright if Fitzgerald joins us for lunch?"
"Ohum, sure!" Lizzy said, glancing up suddenly from the computer screen. "Just— I don't want to be a third wheel."
"Oh you won't be," her new boss dismissed cheerily, "We like the company!"
Lizzy nodded, and set about tidying up the desk. She had gotten a lot done— despite her distracting thoughts. When she was ready, she and Samantha headed out of the building.
"What are you in the mood for?" Samantha asked, smiling.
Lizzy shrugged. "I'm a bit worn out, to be honest."
"Not working you too hard, are we?"
She looked at Samantha's worried gray eyes, and tried to smile. "No, it… it's not that. It's…"
"Wait!" Samantha cried. "We're almost to one of my favorite restaurants. Fitzgerald's be here soon; let's wait to bond over deep conversation until he gets here."
"Alright," she laughed. "I'll wait."
Together, they walked through the bustling streets. The day was warm, and light; the sunlight streamed down from clouds that resembled sheep, jumping across the baby blue sky. When they reached a Dairy Queen on the corner, Lizzy laughed out loud.
"Is this the restaurant?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Of course!" Samantha said, gray eyes glittering mischievously. "Best restaurant in town."
They walked inside, and found Blondie waiting for them, sitting in a booth with his arm over the back of the seat. He jumped up when he saw them.
"Hey hey! If it isn't the two loveliest women in town!"
Lizzy waved, chuckling, while Samantha poked her fiancé's chest. "And if it isn't the most empty-headed flatterer I've ever met!"
"My head might be empty," Blondie said, flashing a grin, "but my heart is full! OF LOVE! FOR YOU!"
"Oh shut it, ya khara," Samantha said fondly, scooting into the booth, "you're making a scene."
"And we wouldn't want that— Dairy Queen is known for its high society customers."
Lizzy watched the exchange with a slightly waning smile. It was amusing to watch them go back and forth like this, but… it reminded her a bit too much of… of…
"Liz? Liz! There you are. Zoning out already?"
She blinked, and shook her head. "No. No, I'm good."
"Cool," Samantha said, grinning, "Then you can tell us what's bothering you now!"
Lizzy kept her smile firmly on her face as her eyes flicked briefly to Blondie. "Um… I don't…" She trailed off, feeling helpless. She couldn't ask Blondie to keep secrets from Fitzwilliam; that would be weird.. so... what..?
"Is it to do with Darcy?" He asked, unsurprised. "It's alright— I'll leave the table. Want me to order for y'all?"
She shot him a grateful look; she was glad he understood. "Yeah. Just.. a burger for me. No cheese."
"And the usual for me, habibi," Samantha said, patting his hand.
"Alright," he nodded, and left the table.
As he did so, Samantha leaned forward, and rested her chin on her folded hands. "So! What's on your mind."
"Well.. do you know.. um, I broke up with Fitzwilliam?"
Her smile faltered. "Yeah. I did know that. Is it… about him?"
"Yeah, I just…," she sighed. "I miss him. A lot. I could use someone to rely on right now."
Samantha shifted her legs under the table. "Well.. I know I'm not the same… but if I'm here for you if you need me. You know that, right? I'm VERY good at girl talk. Watch."
She pulled out her phone and assumed a valley-girl accent. "Omigosh, CINDY?! GURL! You would not BELIEVE what JASON told me yesterday! Uh huh. Uh huh. Her outfit was soooo fetch! Yeah.., like, totes!"
Lizzy snorted a laugh, and Samantha joined in. They were still laughing by the time Blondie came back to the table with the food.
"Having fun without me?" He asked with a phony frown.
"No, no," Samantha laughed, "Just girl stuff." She winked at Lizzy. "You wouldn't understand."
Lizzy hid her smile behind the coke Blondie handed her. He gave Samantha and himself milkshakes, and passed out the food— two burgers and a grilled cheese. It had been a while since Lizzy had a meal like this. It was.. comforting.
"So," Blondie said, chewing, "How's your dad?"
"Oh, you know," Lizzy shrugged, taking a sip, "Dying."
Samantha put a hand to her mouth so she wouldn't spit out her bite. With difficulty, she swallowed, exclaimed, "um, sorry, whAT?!"
Lizzy grinned faintly, though her heart wasn't in it. "Liver cancer. It's been coming on for a while now. He's having surgery in a few weeks, and hopefully that'll go well, but beyond that… I have no idea. Doesn't really open up to me."
"Oh my god," Blondie said quietly, watching her. "I- I had no idea."
"It's okay." Lizzy took a bite of her burger. It tasted like microwaved cardboard. She went back to nursing her soda. "I'm gonna visit him every day, to make sure he's taking the meds. I'm a bit stressed about that too; my home life was.. never very good."
"Ohh, I can relate to that," Samantha nodded. Her face took on a downcast look. "I would have a hard time visiting my parents' home too. Even if one of them got sick."
Blondie put his hand over his fiancé's. Lizzy watched as she squeezed his hand, and seemed to draw strength from the contact.
She shook herself off, and smiled again. "Yeah, my parents didn't really approve of Fitzgerald here."
"What can I say," he said, faking humility, "I'm just a bad boy."
As Lizzy chuckled, Blondie tried to flip up his collar and strike a pose. Tried, because his elbow ended up hitting the table, and his open ketchup packet went flying, hitting a perfect bullseye on his lap.
"Ah! Fuck!" He cried, jumping up to wipe himself off hurriedly.
Samantha's real laugh exploded out of her— so contagious that Lizzy couldn't help cracking up herself. Soon, the conversation moved on from heavy topics, with the aid of an unfortunate ketchup stain.
After they finished the food (Blondie insisted on paying), Lizzy decided to head back to the office, and get a bit more work done. This time, there was a bit more spring in her step than when she had left. Maybe things were looking up after all.
Two sets of eyes watched her leave.
"So," one said, conversationally, wiping milkshake from the corner of his mouth. "What do you think?"
"With the whole Dad's Cancer situation?"
The first voice nodded.
"Jeez, he should just keep his distance for a while. She has enough on her plate."
"But… what if.. hypothetically… he's going stir crazy without her and acting like a depressed mop and he's driving me bananas and please god we need them back together because seriously they both miss each other and I need him off my back."
A pause.
"Hypothetically speaking, of course."
The second voice sighed. "Then.. at MOST… something anonymous."
The two people inside the Dairy Queen looked at each other. They each tilted their heads, communicating silently.
"So flowers?"
"Yeah, let's go with flowers."