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.
"Darcy. Darcy, have you even heard a single word I said?" Charles inquired, taking notice that Darcy might actually be engrossed in the book that he was 'reading'.
"You were waxing poetically about that girl again," Darcy replied, turning a page in the book.
Charles raised an eyebrow, about ready to snatch the book away. "She has a name Darcy," he pointed out, waiting to see if his friend even knew exactly who he was 'waxing poetically' about.
"That girl, Jane Bennet," Darcy answered absent-mindedly as he close his book and set it aside. "Which brings us to my question, what were you thinking when you decided to take her out for coffee?"
A bewildered expression crosses Charles' face then it began to take on a little bit of an insulted look. "What do you mean 'what was I thinking'? I just decided to drop by her work and take her out for coffee once she was off. It just so happened to coincide with the time that I was supposed to pick you up," Charles explained simply. "Why, don't you like her?"
Feeling that his answer was going to determine whether or not a gapping hole might form between him and his friend, Darcy took his time to answer, choosing his words wisely.
"I think that she is a very nice girl but she just seems to…smile too much," Darcy claimed and saw the quizzical look begin to appear on Charles' features. "I mean, what does a person have to be smiling about constantly?"
Quickly, Charles' confused expression dissolved into a fit of laughter where he began to slap his knee. "Darcy," he started while trying to catch his breath, "I don't know what century you're living in but the last I checked, we date first then we may get engaged then married."
Joining in with Charles' laughter, Darcy realized how ridiculous his reasoning was. "Point made," smiled Darcy, rolling over to the window and gazing out at the fields that would need plowing before and after the winter season. "You know how uncomfortable I am about meeting new people, Charles, and having just recently met Jane I wouldn't have thought that you would so readily take her out."
"Come now Darcy, you know just as well as I do that I have the horrible habit of falling in and out of love with the first beautiful girl I meet," Charles chuckled, calming down a bit. "So, does that mean I shouldn't invite her over for dinner on Saturday?"
Turning around with a lifted eyebrow, Darcy soon shrugged, playing the role of indifference. "If you wish to take her out to dinner then do so. You'll receive no quarrel from me."
"Great!" Charles clapped his hands decisively. "Then it's settled and everyone wins. I get to have dinner with Jane, Caroline gets to have her even number at the dinner table, and you get the chance to get to know her better," announced Charles as he stared up at the ceiling blissfully, oblivious to Darcy's questioning expression.
"You're…you're inviting to dinner here?" interjected Darcy.
Returning his stare to his friend, Charles nodded. "Of course, I didn't think you really wanted to be alone with Caroline as your only company," Charles was baiting Darcy, "but…if you really want to be alone with her…"
"Make her a fourth," Darcy quickly said, keeping from cringing at the mere thought of suffering through a dinner alone with Caroline Bingley. It wasn't so much that he hated her it was the fact that she relied heavily-even more than her brother-upon Darcy's opinions and felt the need to criticize anyone she felt was beneath her. Like in the comic store, groaned Darcy, recalling how he behaved.
"Who is a fourth and for what?" Ms. Bingley's voice rang through the nearly naked room, the living room to be more precise.
Standing in the doorway in her bathrobe and her hair twisted in a towel above her head. Apparently she was passing by the room after her shower and heard Darcy's last sentence.
"Jane Bennet, the girl you met in the car today," Charles replied enthusiastically, unaware how Caroline's lips twitched into a frown. "I plan to ask her to come over for dinner Saturday. I figure you won't mind since you seemed to get along with her in the car and I know how much you hate having an odd number of people at the table."
"That's a great idea, I do so enjoy Jane's company and it will be nice to speak with someone sane in this country town."
"Caroline!" Charles scolded.
"I know how you feel about this place Charles but if you had witnessed what I have about these people you wouldn't like this place either." Mr. Bingley just shook his head. "First there was that girl on the bike I told you about then there was that presumptuous girl from the comic store."
"Which girl? Surely, you don't mean Jane, she was with me for the most part, helping me find comics," Charles interjected.
Darcy took the opportunity to put his two-bits in. "It was Jane's sister, Elizabeth."
"Oh…so she has a name," commented Caroline casting Darcy a suspicious glance. "How did you come by her name, Darcy?"
Bingley was more than happy to jump in with the explanation. "We ran into Jane, her sisters, and cousins at the book store this morning. So, Darcy got introduced to Elizabeth today. Oh," Charles turned to Darcy, "wasn't Elizabeth quite pretty?"
Pretty? More like a challenging woman, Darcy thought while keeping a straight face as Ms. Bingley eyed him in anticipation. "Pretty?" he finally spoke. "I don't think so."
Caroline smirked in satisfaction as she took a seat in one of the folding chairs, substitute for the furniture that was to arrive the next day.
"Oh my, enlighten us of her defects that don't make her a pretty girl," baited Caroline.
Darcy frowned; he wanted out of this conversation or at least have the subject be of something or someone that wasn't named 'Elizabeth Bennet'.
"Do 'enlighten' us Darcy, for I would like to hear what you see that I don't," Charles seconded but his tone was a bit more bitter-sarcastic than curious.
Clearing his throat Darcy simply said, "It's all a matter of opinion really. Charles, you might find her to be pretty but I'm not a person who finds scabs from previous pimples very attractive." Bingley rolled his eyes. "But, as I said before, it's all a matter of opinion. Even without those scabs on her forehead I still wouldn't find her attractive."
Shaking his head, Charles decided to close the conversation. "I'm sure you'll be happy to know Caroline that our furniture from the apartment will be arriving tomorrow morning. This is our last night sitting on folding chairs."
Turning back around to face the window, Darcy stared at his own reflection. The face he saw held the look of slight scolding. What would you have me say? That she was pretty just to please Bingley? I think not, I only told the truth, Darcy thought and his reflection gave him a dubious look. If you think otherwise than inform me of what the truth really is. The reflection looked defeated. That's what I thought!
Elizabeth sat in her college class, twirling her pencil while listening to the professor. It wasn't necessarily that she hated her classes that she appeared to be bored; it was rather that she was a bit distracted, but thankfully, she was recording the lecture so that she could take more notes later.
Let's see here, it's early October now and in three weeks Uncle Eddy is getting married and I have to wear that bridesmaid outfit. I wonder who they'll have me walking down the aisle with, if they have the bridesmaids walk down the aisle, wondered Lizzie, unconsciously sketching a figure in a wedding dress. What if they have me standing on a stair? What if I trip on my skirt? What if I happen to be paired up with my old high school history teacher, Mr. Komisk?
Lizzie shuddered at the mental image. She hated her history teacher but Mr. Komisk was her uncle's friend.
Anyone but Mr. Komisk, she silently prayed. Well, maybe they'll have me stand up with Rachael's son, Andy.
Rachael Miller was her Uncle Eddy Gardiner's fiancée, and Rachael just happened to be Jane and Elizabeth's favorite English teacher. While in high school Jane and Elizabeth decided to play matchmaker with their newly single Uncle Eddy and their favorite teacher. It turned out to be a great success!
Her Uncle Edward had been married two times in the past and divorced both times due to 'inability' to be there emotionally for this second wife and for not being so 'fertile' for his first wife. Now at the age of about forty, Edward Gardiner had custody of his two children who were ten and twelve years old from his second marriage.
Rachael Miller had been once married but it had only lasted about six months, long enough for her to get pregnant and have a son, Andy, who was currently thirteen years old.
I wonder if Andy and Morgan will pull a Greg and Marsha Brady stunt, Lizzie thought for a moment, trying to contain her laughter.
"Lizzie," whispered a person next to her, "pay attention or Prof. might make an 'example' of you."
Recalling herself to her surroundings, Lizzie sat up straighter and proceeded to give the professor most of her attention.
"Thanks Justin," she whispered back, starting to take down notes when an instant message box popped up. It was from Lydia apparently, which surprised Lizzie since her cousin should be in school.
'Hey L, what's this I hear about J having a b/f?' Lydia wrote and Elizabeth took a few moments to decipher what her cousin was asking. Lizzie never understood short hand writing and she never used it unless she was taking notes.
'Lydia, what are you doing on the computer? You're supposed to be at school, don't make me tell your mother you've been skipping again,' replied Elizabeth.
'I'm school, I'm in the comp. lab skipping study hall,' Lydia stated. 'So, what's the guy's name? Who is the b/f? Is it that guy from the book store?'
Shaking her head a bit, Lizzie responded with, 'Who said that she had a boyfriend?'
'Everyone.'
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth clarified, 'Lydia, you're only seventeen years old, you don't know "everyone," so spill, who told you that Jane had a boyfriend?'
'Your ma told my ma and my ma told K and me. So, who is he? I want all the juicy details. Is he in the military? Navy? Army, perhaps?'
Glancing up at the clock, Lizzie saw that she only had a couple of minutes before class would end. 'Lydia, I have to go, class ends soon. And no, Jane doesn't have an official boyfriend.'
'Then y'd he pick her up from work yesterday?' There was a long pause before Lydia's screen name appeared again. 'That's what I thought. What's his name?'
'Lydia, get back to class or I will tell your mother that you've been skipping again,' threatened Lizzie, before logging out of instant messenger. "Why do I even bother having that thing on during class?"
When the bell rang, Lizzie hurriedly gathered up her stuff and made her way quickly to the door. She had to get to work quickly.
It was to be expected, she sighed. Of course mom would want everyone to know that her daughter has a boyfriend. Hopefully none of them know that it's Charles or they'll be all over him, especially mom.
Thank you to: Tali, anti-botox, and TriGemini. I'm glad you liked the Lizzie/Charlotte conversation in the last chapter, TriGemini.