A/N: This chapter is pretty short, only about a thousand words, but it took me ages to write. I must've rewritten it at least five times. Stupid author's block. But then I watched 'Bride and Prejudice' again and I got back my lost muses. They're called Gertrude and Hubert. They ran away. But now they're back. So yeah. Just read. And review. Yeah.

---------------Five---------------

Will had tried a few times to approach Lalita, to apologize, explain himself, something, but each time she saw him coming towards her, she would quickly go and lose herself in the crowd to avoid him. After this happened three times, Will gave up and just watched people dancing for the rest of the night.

So he was really quite glad when it was time for them to go. Balraj walked outside with Jaya, Lalita's older sister. Will was standing next to a pillar with Kiran; they were both waiting to leave.

Just then, Jaya's family joined them.

"Mr Bakshi," said Balraj, "we're all going down to Goa tomorrow; Darcy's looking at a hotel there and we'd love for Jaya to join us."

Mr Bakshi smiled politely, then said, frowning slightly, "Mr Balraj, I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for Jaya to go alone."

"Of course. I understand," said Balraj.

"Don't be silly, dear," said Mrs Bakshi, smiling at her husband in a strained way. She turned to Balraj. "So kind of you to invite Jaya!" Her voice was dripping with honey.

"Perhaps one of her sisters can accompany her," suggested Mr Bakshi.

"Papa, I can go to Goa," said the girl Will recognized as the youngest. She was called… Lakhi, he was sure.

"Lakhi, you're too young," said their father kindly. "Perhaps Lalita can go."

Lalita started at the mention of her name and flicked a quick glance at Will before turning back to her father. "But, Papa –" she began, but was cut off by her mother.

"Don't be silly, Lalita," she said, shooting daggers at her before smiling again. "Go have fun with your sister." Will noted the mother's eagerness to send her eldest daughter off to Goa and frowned slightly.

Lalita turned to look at Jaya, who had a hopeful look on her face. She sighed in resignation, then smiled. "Sure," she said, hugging her sister. "I'd love to come with Jaya."

"Excellent," said Balraj, "we'll pick them up tomorrow morning."

Lalita gave Will an inscrutable look before he walked away. Will was almost positive he heard Mrs Bakshi say, "Have you gone crazy, old man? This is Jaya's chance to win him over once and for all. And he'll get to see her in a swimsuit!"

His frown deepened. He didn't want Balraj to be stuck with a gold-digging wife who just wanted him for his money. For now, he decided he would watch and wait, and when he was sure that Jaya only wanted the cash, then he would step in.

And as for Lalita coming on their holiday… he felt weird about that. He couldn't figure out if he wanted her to come or was apprehensive about it.

-----

The next morning, the car was a bit squashed, because there were five of them and the driver in a five seater car. The driver and Kiran sat in the front, and the other four were squashed in the back.

Lalita sighed. Someone up there hated her. She was squashed into – guess who? – one William Darcy. They hadn't really spoken after their little tiff yesterday. Of course, Darcy seemed to be making an obvious effort to be polite to her.

He had opened the car door for her, but had quailed at the glare she gave him. She was independent, dammit! She could open doors herself, believe it or not.

But then a short while after that, she felt a little bit guilty for being so short with him: after all, he had only been trying to help. He wore an expression of hurt bewilderment whenever he looked at her. She had given him a small smile by way of apology and he seemed to perk up a bit after that.

Anyway, the thing about squashing four people into seats meant for three… well, it's squashed. Balraj was seated by the left window, then Jaya, then Lalita, then Darcy. Being squashed into Jaya was not so bad, but being squashed into Darcy was… awkward.

Balraj and Jaya seemed quite comfortable, but then, they got along really well.

It was really squashed. Maybe you can't quite get an idea of exactly how squashed they were without a bit more description. Thighs jammed together, arms everywhere, shoulders clashing.

After about ten minutes of this, they decided that they couldn't last the entire drive to Goa in this way. Balraj suggested (while smiling slyly at Darcy for some reason) that the girls sit on the guys' laps.

Darcy seemed flustered and his face was flushed; Lalita herself was not too keen about the prospect of sitting on his lap, because she knew Balraj and Jaya would automatically pair up. She could feel her face heating up. She hurriedly pointed out that if Jaya sat on Balraj's lap, then there would be enough room for the other three to sit comfortably.

A mixture of intense relief and something that might have been disappointment showed on Darcy's face, but Lalita was sure she'd imagined the disappointment.

-----

Again, Will was confused. There were a lot of conflicting emotions. When Balraj had suggested that Lalita sit on his lap, he had felt mostly embarrassment and awkwardness. But a small part of him had felt like he actually wanted Lalita to sit on his lap.

After four hours of contemplation (until they reached Goa), he had dismissed it, and reasoned that Lalita was a beautiful girl what with her almond-shaped eyes, smooth complexion, full lips, long dark hair and slim figure (he could have gone on, but he stopped himself). Of course he would want a beautiful girl to sit on his lap. He was male, after all.

-----

Lalita looked around. She had been to Goa once before, but she had been about three years old then, and didn't remember much about it.

Goa was a Portuguese settlement, so there were more westerners holidaying there than you would find in most other parts of India. There were sparkling blue pools, smooth beaches, palm trees and the ocean. It was beautiful, but in a completely different way to Amritsar.

When they first went into the hotel, women in saris came up to them and garlanded them, blessing them and putting marks on their foreheads. Lalita suspected that they were only getting VIP treatment because Darcy was thinking of buying the hotel.

She sighed and wondered when this trip would be over.

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A/N: The next bit will be hard to write, so expect an update in… about three or four days? Yeah… if I can get it done by then.