He had been pacing for the past couple of minutes after stopping her from leaving the classroom at the end of the class.
He was still pacing
She had no patience for this - Whatever he was planning - right now. Not later. Not EVER.
She had just heard from his cousin that he was the one responsible for her sister's unhappiness.
How could anyone have patience for anything after that?!
She tried telling him that now was not a good time but did he listen? A clue: No.
Being the pompous snob he was, he decided that her wishes did not matter as, after all, if Jane was not worthy of his consideration, how would she be?
He even locked the door...
Jerk!
Finally, finally he stopped pacing and just... stared.Stared at her with an intense gaze, stepped towards her, as if her presence was drawing him in (what a ridiculous notion!), and, abruptly, without any sort of warning, he took her hands in his.
Shocked beyond all measures, Lizzie's eyes widened. She took a step back, her hands, still in his, and narrowed her eyes at him.
What was he upto?
He opened his mouth a couple of times but words seemingly left him. every. single. time.
(Ha! Even words cannot stand his arrogance!)
He let go of one of her hands, then. And instead, used his free one to run it through his hair in frustration.
He looked at her again with those impossibly dark eyes and the groaned.
"Lizzie," he started but then stopped, again.
He didn't say anything else.
She was tapping her foot against the floor, by now, and checking the clock; her next lesson would commence in a matter of minutes.
"Whatever it is you feel like you need to tell me, right now, Darcy, I suggest you get on with it. I have things to do and cannot afford to be tardy unlike some people I know."
He looked at her then, with a small smile.
She blinked to make sure it was not a hallucination.
Darcy was smiling...
"Of course, forgive my thoughtlessness. You must have been jittery with anticipation these last couple of minutes. Therefore, I will attempt to end your agony and finally proclaim what I am sure you have been waiting to hear for a long time."
Lizzie looked archly, at that.
Was he going to apologize for being a pompous jerk? For thinking he knew better and breaking her sister's heart? For going around ruining the lives of people who, he believed, were beneath him?
Yeah, right!
Oblivious to her currently antagonistic feelings towards him, Darcy continued on, his eyes warm.
"It pains me to think that all these months of waiting has pained you, Lizzie. Especially when I knew that I had it in my power to grant you relief by turning a blind eye to your unsuitability. But you understand, you are a reasonable and sensible female. You understand why it has been so difficult for me."
Lizzie's eyes widened.
Darcy smiled.
Hear that, smiled...
"Yes, Sweetheart, I am finally willing to put it all behind. Your embarrassing mother, your... daring sisters. And let's not forget your financial situation. But I... I love you, Lizzie Bennet. I would put up with the utter humiliation of being connected to your family if you will agree to be my girlfriend." He finally stopped and looked at her with a relaxed gaze.
He was not even anxious.
He looked every bit the arrogant, presumptuous jerk she thought him to be. For all his insults at her, he wasn't even the least bit worried she might not feel the same - because, after all, who would ever commit the cardinal sin of not kissing the ground he walked on?
Did he think that due to his wealth, she would shred every bit of her dignity and fall at his feet because he had deigned to consider her worthy, in spite of her embarrassing family, of his oh-so-majestic self?
A rush of white rage went through her. She tampered it down. There was no need for this to get out of hand...
A startled laugh escaped her. She eyed him, sharply.
"You think of yourself as quite a prize, don't you, Darcy?" She narrowed her eyes. "Well, unfortunately for you, I'm going to have to turn it down."
She moved to leave, then - unsatisfied, wanting to do so much more to him, having so much more to say. But he halted her with a firm grip on her arm. Firm but gentle. She hated it.
"What is it that you are trying to say, Lizzie? Be straightforward."
She looked back at him, raising an eyebrow, mockingly, her control held on by a thread. "I'm trying to say, Darcy, that you are rejected." her tone was deliberately patronizing - if she couldn't lash out at him, she could, at least, irritate him.
Darcy furrowed his eyebrows as if she had given him an impossible problem to solve. "You are serious?"
That did it.
"Of course, I'm serious! What enjoyment would I get from deliberately playing with a man's feelings? It might be a strange concept to you, Darcy, but when the feeling is not mutual, girls reject boys. And that's what's happening to you, right now!"
After a moment of silence, he asked, "May I know why?"
"Why..." she reiterated, slowly, willing the fury flowing through her figure to not overflow. She couldn't have that. She couldn't loose control. She had enough trouble controlling her mouth, on normal occasions but she was known to be formidable in a temper.
"Do you honestly think I'd look twice at a guy responsible for my sister's heartbreak? If so, you've got another thing coming. And don't even try to deny it, Darcy. Fitz told me all about it! He seemed to think it was something to be proud of!" She was breathing fast. This was starting to get out of hand.
She needed to control herself.
She needed to-
"Your sister was being a-"
"You will NOT finish that sentence if you want to have children someday! And even if I somehow looked past that, which I never will but even if I had, I still have a thousand and one reason to reject you! You are the most self-centered, selfish being I've ever met. You could try a thousand times and you still wouldn't be able to change my answer. I gave you one answer and I will DIE with that answer, you hear me?"
Damn...
His face was paling fast. She didn't stay long enough to give him a chance to reply. She just turned on her heel and left, slamming the door shut on her wake.
I'm completely dissatisfied with the way it's ended but I can't think of anything else at the moment so... this'll have to do. tell me what you think!