NOTES: Darcy's POV, shorter chapter this time. I'll post again very soon— I just wanted to split up this bit from the next, which is going to be back and forth from our favorite couple ^ V ^
Anyway, thank y'all for reading, check back in soon, and have a great day! ~Vinny
When Fitzwilliam Darcy had taken the two hour drive back to Pemberley Studios (effectively wasting 4 hours of company time on a failed romantic endeavor), it became apparent he needed to get his shit together.
What that did not mean was planning an insignificant bachelor party that was still weeks and weeks away.
He closed his laptop for the second time just to open it again, checking his inbox for that pesky snipe who was apparently the Maid of Honor. He didn't even know her name, but she was becoming a MAJOR distraction.
Darcy breathed out hard through his nose. He drummed his fingers on the desk. It was strange; he had never been bored at work before. And he probably had things to do, just… Well, he was spending more energy NOT thinking about her than he was getting work done.
God, he missed her so mu—
NO. Don't even go there. He pulled out a pen, and the file of a recently amended contract he needed to sign. Just to make sure though, he started carefully skimming through each line, hoping the monotonous words would drown out any unwanted thoughts.
For about 10 minutes, it worked! And then there was a knock at his door.
"Oh, uh, come in!" He called, setting aside the laptop and the writing supplies.
Georgiana poked her head in, halfway smiling. "Got a minute?"
"Anytime, Georgie," Darcy said. He relaxed into his chair, and folded his hands across his stomach. "What's up?"
"Well… I.. wanted to check on you."
He winged an eyebrow. "Why..?"
"You know..," she waved vaguely, "The whole thing with… Lizzy. I wanted to make sure you were doing alright."
Darcy cleared his throat, and resisted the tension that sprung up in his shoulders. "I am… doing fine. Nothing… Nothing really to tell. She.. is taking some time, to think, and…" He sighed, and scrubbed his hands over his eyes. "I have to be okay with that."
Georgiana's thin knees knocked together as she slowly stepped to his office chair. "But.. are you? Okay with that?"
"I'm not really up for talking about it right now, Georgie," he forced a smile.
She nodded. Her lips rolled inwards in thought.
"Is there… anything else?" Darcy asked.
"Actually, there is." She took a small breath. "I.. I'm dating Violette. Lizzy's friend."
At his blank expression, Georgiana continued, "You know.. the one from the cafe? With.. purple hair? She's sarcastic and has a really cute laugh and you really should know her by now and—"
"No, no, I remember her," Darcy waved his hand. "Just.. why are you telling me this?"
Her shoulders jumped up in defense as she shrugged, joltingly. "I dunno. Just thought I should keep you updated."
"Well.., I'm happy for you, sis," he smiled. Then he pointed at her sternly. "But if she ever hurts you, tell her I will learn karate. And then kick her ass."
Georgiana laughed as she got up out of the chair. "I'll be sure to tell her that." She paused, and then reached into her jacket pocket. "Oh! One more thing: Mrs Reynolds asked me to give you this— new phone."
"Ah, thanks." He took it.
"Remind me again, what happened to the last one?"
Darcy scratched his face, embarrassed. "Ummm… It… broke. A bit. And then, when I left for, uh… an unforeseen b-business call, the janitor… well, he thought it was trash… and so I had to get a new one."
Her eyebrows scrunched together. "But all your data and stuff is saved, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry," he said, waving it off. "All the important data was saved on my computer. I just lost some photos and voicemails. Nothing vital."
"Oh, good." Georgiana smiled. "Well.. I'll see you around then, big brother."
A second later, she was stepping out of the office, closing the door, and leaning her head back against the frame. She blew out that breath she had been holding.
"So?" Her girlfriend asked from off to one side of her, "How'd he take it?"
Georgiana made a face. "Bad. As soon as I said her name, he got all defensive and antsy."
Violette scrunched her nose. "Damn. I really thought he would open up to you."
"Yeah.. me too. I guess this wound runs a lil' too deep for me."
She tilted her head, and wrapped one arm around Georgie. "It'll be alright," she said, kissing her temple. "She misses him too. They just need some time to figure it out."
"I know, I know… I'm just worried about him."
Violette made a consoling 'mhm' in the back of her throat. She gently led her disappointed girlfriend down the hall to the elevators. "Did the distraction help, at least?"
This, at least, drew a smile from the shy woman. "It did. He's really happy for us."
"Mm, I'm happy too."
"I am happy, but.. I think I'll be more so when Lizzy's back."
"Well don't worry, sweetheart," Violette said, smiling knowingly, "I'm sure they're already on their way to being back together just you watch."
As the new couple made their way down the elevator, the conversation moving slowly to movies about dogs, back in the office, Fitzwilliam Darcy tried to get back to work.
He got as far as picking up his pen to sign the contract before he got distracted.
His eyes squeezed shut. Fuck.
The pen was engraved. With swooping letters, spelling out his first name; the one he never let anyone use. Anyone… but Lizzy.
If he wasn't such a sentimental whelp, he would have thrown the engraved ivory-colored pen across the room like he had done with his phone (though that time it had been by accident).
But he didn't have the heart to do it. His own was too soft, and still too lost for a woman he had promised to stay away from.
He left the pen in his private drawer. He couldn't be reminded of her right now.
Back to work, Darcy sighed to himself, opening up his laptop again and cracking his neck.
Unfortunately, the universe seemed to have other ideas.
His eye twitched.
In his inbox, there was YET ANOTHER email from a woman he really DID NOT want to hear from again. "Maid of Honor," my ass, he thought sourly. Made of Annoyances, more like.
He glanced at his watch. You know what? Work could wait a while. Darcy grinned emotionlessly to himself, and set to typing.
He was going to give whoever this pest was a piece of his mind.