Unwanted Attractions
Note: I do not own any of the characters unless I make someone up. But other than that all the characters belong to Jane Austen, so, no suing.
From the moment Lizzie had entered the store, Charlotte could see that something was wrong and there was going to be much ranting.
Coming out from the back room, Lizzie went over to the stereo system in one corner of the store and put on the CD 'The Phantom of the Opera', which made Charlotte even more aware of her friend's sour mood.
Within hearing the first chords of the overture, Lizzie approached the counter and proceeded to bang her head against it.
"He-hey!" Charlotte cried, reaching over to stop her friend. "You lose brain cells by doing that!"
"I could deal with the loss of some, maybe then whatever God or Goddess of good fortune would shine upon me," Lizzie groaned, resting her head on the counter inhaling deeply.
Resting against the counter, Charlotte suggested, "Care to talk about it? I mean confession is good for the body and soul and all, as Reverend Taylor would say."
Lizzie's head snapped up and she took a deep breath, making Charlotte realize just how long of a tale this was going to be.
"Okay, do you remember that one guy that came in looking through the back issues, Charles Bingley…?" Elizabeth was explaining before Charlotte interjected with a gasp of acknowledgement.
"That guy who bought the old Netherfield farm! Yes, I remember him, daddy plans on having him come over for the barn raising party Sunday. What about him?" For a few seconds Lizzie stared in astonishment at her friend, she had no idea that Charles Bingley was her family's new neighbor. Her shock was overcome easily as she shook out of it.
"At least you remember him, do you remember his friend?" Lizzie asked.
"Wheelchair right?" Charlotte asked and her friend nodded. "Yeah, he was the rude one who called us artists and writers 'talentless' and that Jane or my drawings could have been done by a five-year-old."
Pushing herself away from the counter, Elizabeth began to pace which translated that she was going to be rambling on for a while unless interrupted.
"Exactly!" Now that Charlotte and she were on the same page of information, Lizzie could tell her whole story. "My sisters and I are at the book store with Kitty and Lydia, 'cousin bonding' and all that. Well, you know how Kitty and Lydia hate books and love going 'men watching'." Charlotte nodded. "Well, they decided to unknowingly, check out Charles and his friend, whose name is Darcy by-the-by."
Charlotte looked perplexed for a moment. "I thought they only chased after military men."
"They do but it's slim pickings right now so they pass their free time by staring at men in general and saying how good he would look in uniform," reasoned Lizzie offhandedly. "So, they can't figure out why Darcy's short, no offense meant, so I check it out, see them, and panic a bit. Charles and his friend come on over by us and strikes up a conversation with Jane.
"Oh my God, he's such a sweetie and I think that Jane is taking a liking to this guy, I mean he offers to take us out for coffee. Coffee! Name one guy around here that will do that to two girls he barely knows!"
"Joe."
Lizzie shot her friend a warning glare, stating, "Besides Joe, he's too gallant for his own good."
Shaking her head, Charlotte decided not to say that she disagreed; Joe was too much of a flirt and knew exactly what most girls wanted. However, since Joe and Lizzie were good friends, Charlotte made no negative comments about his character.
"Anyways, while Charles talks back and forth between Jane and I, his friend just stared at me in this disdainful way," Lizzie continued, her voice becoming bitter. "I mean, do I disgust somehow just by being in their presence?! Is it because I just happen to work at a comic store and be a comic fan that people find distasteful?"
Charlotte shook her head.
"Seriously, though Charlotte, what is it?" Lizzie demanded, finally stopping her ten-step pacing.
"I have no idea. Maybe his expectations and standards are too high. Or perhaps he is just so used to the more exquisite, expensive side of life that he thinks of us being a tad…awkward," she suggested with a shrug. "After all, dad told me that both Charles Bingley and Darcy are very wealthy men, Darcy more so, and that he owns a plantation in New Orleans; actually, it's his family's England house brought over to America from Derbyshire."
Elizabeth stared at her friend with a countenance of suspicious-disbelief. "Did your dad hire some sort of private investigator to dig up all of that information or something? Because, as much as I'd hate to say it, that some pretty detailed information that I don't think the common person should have on a new neighbor."
Flushing a bit, Charlotte began to busy herself with miscellaneous papers lying about behind the counter. "Yeah well, mom is trying to peak my interest in them while praying that I will start dating one of them," Charlotte replied, unconsciously turning a bright shade of red in the neck.
"Oh no," groaned Lizzie, banging her head once on the counter. "Mom's been making plans to do that for us as well. Dad told me how mom had wanted him to meet Charles and that can only lead to her trying to set Jane or I up."
It was easy to predict this for Mrs. Lucas and Elizabeth's mother were as much rivals as they were friends, especially when it came to getting their daughters dating and married. The Lucas' had two daughters, and only one of legalized age to marry without parental permission, whereas the Bennets' had three daughters and two of them were of age to marry.
"You have my deepest sympathies," Charlotte stated, well aware of how Mrs. Bennet could be at times.
It was11 pm when Lizzie came home exhausted, as it was Friday the store got busy by 5 o'clock with lots of comic fans coming in an browsing for hours on end before making a selection. Plus Lizzie had decided to read up on her Eras of Literature books, so now her eyes hurt from being strained with the small printing.
Upon entering the house, Lizzie was greeted with the sight of her mother standing there ready to pounce.
Raising an eyebrow, Lizzie slowly set down her backpack while staring at her mother bewilderedly. "Mom," she began, "what are you doing up?"
Mrs. Bennet pounced. "Lizzie, what do you know of this man that Jane is seeing?!"
"What do you mean? What guy?" inquired Liz, her eyes narrowed in concentration. She knew her sister like the back of her hand, Jane didn't have a boyfriend. Unless she has been keeping secrets from me.
"The man who dropped off Jane after work. She was carrying a cup of coffee!" Mrs. Bennet informed her daughter in a scandalous tone.
Lizzie's head snapped up at the word 'coffee'. Charles Bingley, she realized but she wasn't certain. "Mama, we'll talk tomorrow, I have to get to bed. Long night and all."
Not waiting for a response, Lizzie took off upstairs and went directly to Jane's room, which was right next to hers. Knocking quietly on the door, Lizzie waited for Jane to open it.
It didn't take long before Jane opened the door already dressed for bed and was surprised to find Elizabeth standing there.
"Lizzie, what're you…?" Jane began to ask but was cut off as Lizzie entered the room and sat on Jane's bed.
"Spill, did you go out with Charles Bingley today? Don't you dare deny it because mom just told me that 'some guy' had given you a ride home and you were carrying a cup of coffee, and I doubt that it was from Ted's. So confess," Lizzie bombarded her sister, leaving no room for Jane to get a word in.
"You're right," Jane blushed, looking down a bit. "I did go out for a cup of coffee in the city with Charles after work."
"I knew it!" cheered Elizabeth falling back on the bed. "So, tell me all about it for I shall not rest until I know the whole story."
A dreamy expression crossed Jane's face as she laid on her bed with her head beside Lizzie's. "Where shall I begin?" Jane sighed with a joyous smile. "We were offered to go out to coffee and we both declined."
"You declined? Where was I?" Elizabeth spoke up, cocking her head toward her sister.
"You had left for work by that time," answered Jane. "Anyways, since he knew that I worked at the daycare and there is only one in town, it was easy for Charles to find it at Aunt Phillips' house." A faint tint of a blush spread over Jane's cheeks. "Charles came over at lunchtime and ate lunch with me and the kids."
A knowing smile crossed Elizabeth's lips as she listened to her sister with her eyes closed. "How were the kids at that time? They weren't being brats toward him, were they?"
"No, each of them were very well-behaved, but that could have been because Charles was their new playmate for a good hour or two. Even Cameron was behaved, now if only he would behave so everyday," Jane commented with a content tone.
Elizabeth could well imagine that her sister felt at home at the table for lunch with the kids and Charles. It was no secret that Jane wished to someday be a mother and be married to a man whom she loved.
"Aunt Phillips apparently let it slip what time I get out of work when Charles left after lunch. So, when I was done with work Charles was there to pick me up saying that I 'owed him a cup of coffee'," Jane related, turning her head to Lizzie. "I had told him at the book store that I would like to have coffee with him sometime."
"Oh…and he took that time today." Nodding in understanding, Lizzie urged her sister to continue with her narrative. "Where did you guys go? Town?"
Jane nodded. "We went to the city, stopped at a Starbucks and went to pick up Darcy from his meeting. Apparently he's the CEO of a major publishing company and he was sent to the city to interview a possible writer." Biting her lower lip a bit, Jane debated whether or not to tell her sister that she had told Darcy that Lizzie was an exceptional author.
"Then he just brought you home?" Lizzie asked, a bit disappointed.
"No," Jane corrected, "we stopped by the mall afterwards to pick up Charles' sister, Caroline. She was a very nice woman, although I think that she might not have had the best experience here. Caroline told me about this one girl who almost ran her over with a bike on her first day in town and never apologized for it."
"That's not true, I did apologize and I missed her, falling off my bike to do so! Not to mention that I was almost late for work," defended Elizabeth, surprising her sister.
"It was you on the bike?" Jane inquired and Lizzie confirmed it. "Oh, I can always tell her that you did say sorry and were in a hurry for work."
Liz shook her head. It was so like her sister to offer an explanation for others, even if the explanation would change the opinion of people like Caroline Bingley's.
"Don't bother," sighed Lizzie. "I'll just deal with it, besides it wouldn't make a difference."
Jane began to protest but Lizzie got off the bed and made her way to the door. "It's late sis, and I once again have work while you have class."
Forgetting her protest, Jane glanced at her clock to read 11:50 pm. "Alright, night Lizzie."
"Night Jane." Closing the door behind her, Lizzie went into her room quietly-she didn't wish to attract her mother's attention-and began to do a minor victory/happy dance. Jane's got a boyfriend!
Thank you to: Clavel, missmcweir, hey, TriGemini, EreshkigalGirl, Micheala90, Tonya Looper, and rubberdukki. You guys are awesome!