Chapter Seven
It took some convincing, but eventually, Lydia was impelled to get out of bed. She wanted to shower and change, but Lizzy argued that there was no time.
"Please, like you're in such a hurry to be chewed out by mom and dad." Lydia scoffed, rummaging through Lizzy's near-empty refrigerator.
"Not really," Lizzy allowed. "But making them wait around isn't going to make it any better. Might as well get it over with."
"That doesn't make any sense." Lydia rolled her eyes. Lizzy was learning that her baby sister was ornery when coupled with a hangover and lack of sleep. "The longer we wait, the more time they have to cool off."
"Lydia," Lizzy took a breath, aware that Darcy was sitting on the couch in her very, very small apartment and listening to everything they were saying. "We screwed up. Jane, Cathy, Mom, Henry – they were all really worried about us. We owe it to them to get home as soon as possible and-"
"Okay, okay, I don't need the guilt trip." Lydia threw her hands up and sighed, then screwed up her face in what Lizzy assumed was meant to be pleading. "Please just say we can stop and get some coffee."
"Deal. Grab your stuff and let's go. Will's going to give us a ride to your car," Lizzy replied. Lydia glanced at the stranger on her sister's couch, sizing him up curiously. She hadn't really given him much attention when Lizzy first introduced them, but to her credit, her eyes were barely open and she was bemoaning the spinning room. Darcy must have felt their eyes on him, but he was as relaxed and cool as ever, casually flipping through his phone while he waited for them to be ready to go. Lizzy looked back at her sister and gave her a look. Lydia smirked back but went into Lizzy's room to make sure nothing had been left behind.
Once they had everything, Lizzy led them down the block to a coffee shop where the girls both ordered large, strong cups of coffee for the road. Lydia was silently savoring the caffeine, but once they were in Darcy's car she perked up and started interrogating the new man in her sister's life.
"So how did you guys meet?" Lydia piped up suddenly from the back seat. Lizzy immediately clenched her jaw, knowing full well that Lydia was not ignorant of the story of how they met.
"School," Lizzy jumped in, saving Will the trouble. Her tone was final, and she hoped Lydia took the message.
"Duh," Lizzy couldn't see, but she had the feeling Lydia was rolling her eyes. "I didn't ask where."
"We were in math class," Will offered. Lizzy looked over and caught his eye. He gave her a little smirk, touched a hand briefly to her knee. "I gave her some line, but she put me right in my place," he brought his hand back to the wheel and his eye firmly on the road, but the sisters could still see the affectionate smile on his face.
"I bet not many girls turn you down," Lydia commented, encouraging the story.
"Not too many," he gave a little shrug. Lizzy hid a smile – one of the first things she could say for certain about him was that he was not a modest person. "Your sister wasn't shy about telling me exactly what she thought about me, though," Will paused at a red light, glanced at Lizzy.
"So you went for the challenge," Lydia remarked. Will gave another shrug, but this time was silent.
"So, when you asked her out…" Lydia prompted again, but Lizzy interrupted her.
"Lydia, knock off the third degree, okay?" Lizzy turned in her seat to give her sister a look.
"Don't be so defensive, Lizzy," Lydia smirked. "I just love a good origin story."
"I thought you were hungover," Lizzy quirked an eyebrow.
"The coffee's helping. I could go for a really greasy breakfast, though. Maybe we should stop on the way home." Lydia replied, a questioning tone in her voice.
"No. I'm sure Henry will have food ready," Lizzy replied, remembering she should probably text Jane to let them know they were on their way to pick up Lydia's car and head home from there. She pulled her phone out to do just that. Lydia was mercifully silent in the remaining time it took to get to the club and pick her car up. Will pulled up alongside it, and Lydia let out a heavy sigh.
"Thanks for the ride, Will," Lydia said, opening her door. "We should all hang out sometime."
"Sure," Will nodded and then turned to Lizzy. "You want me to follow you and give you a ride back?"
"Uh…" Lizzy stalled, not having thought that far ahead. She usually came home with Jane, but then it was another bus ride home from there. She could salvage a lot of her Sunday if Darcy took her directly home. However, that would mean he would probably have to meet the whole family, a scenario she had never imagined. On the plus side, her mom might be so distracted by the new boyfriend that she would go easy on yelling at her about being out all night on the weekend they were supposed to be spending time together as a family, not to mention taking her baby girl into the city for a little underage drinking, not checking in all night, and making her think they were missing. Lizzy quickly calculated the pros and cons of Darcy's offer before realizing she was taking too long and just accepted.
"Sure. That would be great. If you're sure it's not too much trouble?" Lizzy squinted curiously.
"No trouble," he shook his head simply. Whether Darcy or Will, she realized he was never one to waste words.
"Ok then. Follow us," Lizzy directed, getting out to join Lydia in her car.
"We probably reek of alcohol," Lydia said as soon as Lizzy slide into the passenger seat. She furrowed her brow at the thought; after a pause, both sisters simultaneously sniffed their clothing. They glanced at the other questioningly, then shrugged. Lydia started up the car and Lizzy guided her back to the highway, warning her to keep Will in her line of sight behind them.
"He is even hotter in person," Lydia commented. "And that whole strong silent type he has going on just makes it better."
"Yeah," Lizzy couldn't help but agree. "He's definitely hot."
"He's sweet too. You can tell he really likes you." Lydia replied, checking her mirror as she changed lanes.
"You think so?" Lizzy replied with mild curiosity because it was expected of her. She knew Darcy was good at pretending to be an interested boyfriend; the more practice he got the better at it he became. She also knew she wasn't as good, not yet being comfortable with easy affection; but she chalked that up to being intimidated by his good looks. The more they hang out, she was sure, they easy it would be for her as well.
"Are you kidding? The smile he gets and all the little touches? Oh yeah. He likes you big time." Lydia nodded enthusiastically. "We should do this more often," she added suddenly. Lizzy was adept at following her sister's train of thought, however.
"Yeah, sans the missing person calls to the police," Lizzy quipped.
"I'm serious; this has been like, the best time of my life. I should come up every weekend so we can party." Lydia replied excitedly with a little bounce.
"Every weekend? Talk about burn out," Lizzy shuddered at the thought. "Not to mention the damage to your liver. Plus, after this, do you really think mom and Henry are ever going to let you come hang out with me?"
"Psh." Lydia waved her hand in dismissal. "They'll get over it. Anyway, I'm eighteen."
"Maybe, but they own your car, the roof over your head, and the money in your pocket. They still have power," Lizzy reminded her, finishing the last dregs of coffee from the styrofoam container.
"Stop being such a downer." Lydia rolled her eyes. "You'll see, they won't be so bad."
Not long after, the sisters pulled into Lydia's driveway, Will pulling in seconds behind them. The three got out of their respected cars; Lydia and Lizzy taking a moment to stretch and take in the seemingly peaceful atmosphere.
"Well, I guess we should get this over with" Lydia shrugged with the laid back attitude of someone who had never faced a harsh punishment in her life. Lizzy was a bit more apprehensive, especially with the added stress of Darcy being caught in the middle. Nonetheless, she followed her younger sister to the front door and through it.
"Lydia! Oh, my sweet precious baby girl!" Franny was immediately there, wrapping Lydia up in a giant hug. "We were sure you girls had been mugged and left dead in the street!"
"Mom, you're suffocating me." Lydia's muffled voice could barely be heard over their mother's elations that they were both alive. Jane and Cathy came down at all the noise and greeted their sisters happily, if more tamely than their mother.
"Oh! Will! How nice it is to see you again." Franny, reaching for Lizzy to bring into the embrace, was momentarily distracted by the sight of Will's six foot two frame in their doorway.
"You two know each other?" Lizzy gaped at her mother.
"He came by this morning when he heard you girls were missing. We are so grateful to you for bringing our girls home, Will." Franny smiled enthusiastically at Will. "Lizzy told us all about you, of course, but it's so nice to put a face with the picture. And my, what a handsome face!" Franny giggled. Will smiled politely while Lizzy's face burned in embarrassment.
"Well, come in, come in. I'm sure the girls will want to change and relax a minute; would you like something to eat Will?" Franny had already calmed from her hysterics, and Lizzy started to relax, thinking that maybe Lydia was right in predicting no reprimand would be coming their way.
"Yes," Lydia replied, though the request had been directed to Will. "Please, I'm starving. I need to shower and change first."
"Just one minute, Lydia," Henry appeared suddenly; one look at the expression on his face and Lizzy was as apprehensive as ever. Even Lydia looked a little sheepish. "Franny, why don't you, Jane, and Catherine take our guest to get something to eat. I need to speak to the girls."
Franny agreed happily, leading Will into the dining room. Jane and Cathy followed their mother, both giving sympathetic looks to their sisters on the way out. Henry led the girls the opposite way and into his study. He sat down behind a large desk, then folded his hands and stared into them to gather his thoughts. Lydia and Lizzy glanced at each other, both standing opposite him.
"First of all," he began finally looking up at Lydia. "You are grounded for two months."
"Two months?" Lydia repeated, mouth agape.
"Two months- no car, no shopping, no nothing," he confirmed calmly. For some reason, Lydia's harsh punishments made Lizzy nervous. He had no control over her- so what would he do instead? Her thought ran wild, and she couldn't help but feel he was well within his right to banish her from his house.
"Dad, I'm eighteen. If I want to go out all night, I can." Lydia replied with attitude; Lizzy would have warned her against it if there was time- she was only likely to push him to revoke more privileges.
"Lydia, your mother, and I thought you and your sister were dead," he paused long enough that both Lydia and Lizzy squirmed in discomfort. "You certainly are eighteen years old and well within your rights to go to the club in the city with your sister if you want to; but while you still live at home, your mother and I deserve to know where you are. You are old enough now that you need to start thinking of how your actions can affect other people. A simple phone call could have avoided this whole mess- just as telling your mother the truth in the first place could have."
Lydia seemed to not be able to argue with this. "We meant to call," she finally said lamely.
"And I'm sure that if there is a next time, you will," her father replied. "Go get changed."
Lydia glanced at her older sister, hesitating. "Dad, this wasn't Lizzy's-"
"Lydia, I need to talk to your sister alone. Go get changed," Henry said firmly. Lydia sighed, glanced at Lizzy one more time, then left.
Lizzy fidgeted as Henry collected his thoughts. It had been a long time since she felt she was facing a firing squad – it was a feeling she thought would have died with her father. Certainly, no one could make her feel as bad as she did at his disappointment, but Henry was coming close.
"Now, Elizabeth, I can't imagine there's much I can say that you haven't already anticipated. Your actions last night were completely juvenile, and to be completely honest, I expected much more from you. I know you had your wild ways in your youth, but I had come to understand that that was all behind you, that you were getting your life back together."
Lizzy winced. "I am. I'm sorry, Henry. I don't know what else I can say, except that of course we didn't mean to make you all worry so much."
"You took my little girl into the city, got her drunk, left a completely misleading message on Jane's phone, didn't call, and wasn't available when we called you," Henry summed up their actions last night. "I pray when you become a parent that you never have to feel the worry that we felt last night. While you were passed out drunk, we were up talking to the police."
Lizzy struggled against the impulse to defend her actions. Intellectually she knew he was well within his right to scold her and make her feel as guilty as he could for their actions last night, but it was hard not to be defensive under such an attack. "I understand. I'm sorry."
Henry looked at her for a few moments. "You know there was a time when I didn't want you around Lydia and Catherine when you had become too wild and unpredictable."
"Yes," Lizzy replied quietly. Her stomach rolled with the memories of that time in her life. Late nights and underage drinking, being out all night with her friends, breaking the law- Darcy was right that she didn't have a record but that was only because she had the pure dumb luck of never being caught.
"Lydia especially looks up to you; I had come to think your recent change in attitude would be good for her, that you could curb her wild impulses now that you had seen the errors of your ways, sort to speak," Henry commented. Lizzy shrugged a little, unsure of what he wanted from her.
"To be honest, you lost a lot of the recent trust you had built back up with me," Henry sighed. Lizzy counted to ten in her head. She wanted to tell him that she didn't care and that his youngest daughter was eighteen and he could no longer keep Lizzy away from her sisters if she wanted to see them. She wanted to tell him his opinion didn't matter to her and he could shove it up his ass. She knew that she was just reacting from the defensive feeling she got when criticized, so she bit her tongue, quite literally, and waited him out. If he was going to tell her she wasn't allowed back in his house she would simply shrug and pack her stuff.
"But in light of all the changes you've made in your life – going back to school, staying out of trouble, I'm willing to call this a momentary lapse in judgment and give you another chance," Henry gave her an indulgent smile like he was doing her a favor. Lizzy held onto her temper so far, and she wasn't going to lose it now.
"Thank you, Henry," Lizzy replied simply.
"Well, I suppose you'd like to get changed too," Henry gestured to her that she could go; she did so immediately before she said something she'd regret.
Upstairs, she ran into Jane coming out of the bathroom. "How did it go?" she asked, following Lizzy into their shared room.
"Ugh. It went okay. He gave me this whole 'I've very disappointed in you but willing to give you another chance' speech," Lizzy replied. She decided to forgo the shower until she went home, not wanting to leave Darcy alone with her family any longer. She quickly changed into simple jeans and a t-shirt.
"That boyfriend of yours" Jane started with a smile. "He seems to suit you."
"Really?" Lizzy questioned, curious. What did that mean?
"Yeah. You know- sweet, but tough," Jane clarified.
"Sweet but tough," Lizzy repeated, thinking that summed up Will perfectly but didn't feel it described her at all. Bitchy and prone to mistakes felt closer to the truth, but then Jane always did see the best in people, especially those she loved.
"Well, he's going to take me home so you don't have to," Lizzy let her know, shoving clothes into her overnight bag, cringing as she thought of all the things Franny could be doing and saying in the absence of level headed people like her and Jane.
"I figured," Jane replied.
"I really am sorry we made you guys worry so much," Lizzy finally faced her sister. Jane smiled, sweet and forgiving.
"Of course you didn't mean to make us worry like that," Jane reassured her. "I'm just glad you guys are okay. I thanked Will too; you know he came by when he heard you guys were missing?"
"He said something about it," Lizzy replied, trying to remember what exactly he had said. She remembered him saying his partner had picked up on it first because it was the first mention he had ever made that he had a partner. How did he explain knowing they were looking for her?
"He was here early and he listened to the message you left. The police were stalling, because both of you guys were over eighteen and they weren't sure if it qualified as a missing person's case or not, so he promised to look for you in the city," Jane explained, able to tell her sister was curious. "He's got a real take-charge attitude."
"Yeah," Lizzy agreed, thinking her sister probably got more of a glance at Darcy than Will.
"You do like him, don't you?" Jane asked gently, her head cocked.
"What? Of course I do," Lizzy asked, suddenly nervous.
"It just seems like…" Jane hesitated, trying to put words to her observations. Lizzy should have known the person who knew her best would be able to pick up the subtleties of her interactions with the man who was supposed to be her boyfriend. "It seems like he's more of a friend."
"Well, we just started dating. And you know I'm not into PDA," Lizzy shrugged, hoping the guilt she felt at lying wasn't all over her face but Jane nodded.
"That's true," she agreed. "Just as long as you're happy."
"I'm happy," Lizzy smiled. "I'd be happier downstairs so Will isn't alone any longer with our crazy family," Jane laughed. Lizzy grabbed her overnight bag, swept her gaze once more over the room to make sure nothing was left behind, then followed her sister downstairs.
"We should double date soon. You and Will and me and Charles," Jane said as they made their way to the dining room.
"Sure," Lizzy shrugged amiably even as she thought it would probably never happen.
Any further discussion was cut short as Lizzy and Jane took in the scene. Cathy and Lydia were at one end of the table, Cathy seemingly pestering Lydia for details on her wild night out as Lydia was uncharacteristically silent and focused on her food. Lizzy guessed she was still suffering from the effects of a hangover and felt solidarity with her youngest sister. During all the running around and apologizing she had been doing, Lizzy had pushed any ill effects from a night out drinking, but it was slowly catching up to her and all she wanted to do was lay back down for another twelve hours or so.
Lydia looked up as they walked into the room. Her eyebrows rose in question and Lizzy gave a little shrug to let her know she had survived the discussion with her step-father unscathed. Lizzy then turned her attention to the other end of the table, where Franny and Henry were both in discussion with Will, who was giving his typical short answer replies. The trio also looked up as Jane and Lizzy entered, Franny immediately honing in on Lizzy.
"Lizzy dear, you're not leaving?" she asked, sounding aghast. Lizzy met Will's even gaze, then turned back to her mother.
"We have to get back home soon," she replied, grasping for an easy excuse. "We have homework to finish up before class tomorrow."
"It might be more beneficial to get your homework done a bit early. That way, if you happened to be out all night you won't have to rush to get it done the night before," Henry commented with a small, knowing smile. Lizzy tried for a polite smile but suspected it looked more like a grimace. She didn't know what his deal was lately – he had always been friendly but distant; leaving any life lessons to her mother or father. When she had gone through her wild and rebellious years, it was true that he had forbidden her from visiting her two younger sisters for fear she would influence similar bad habits in them. Even then, however, he had been more like an acquaintance than a father-figure. After her own father had died and she was inspired to turn her life around, he was supportive but still familiarly detached. Now it was like something changed and she was a project he had to fix; a wayward daughter that needed his help. Well, he was in for a rude awakening if he thought he would have any influence over her.
"You ready?" she directed the question towards Will as she shifted her overnight bag on her shoulder. He nodded easily, standing up; Franny and Henry followed suit.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Long," he paused to shake Henry's hand. "Mrs. Long," he switched his grip to pump her mother's hand a few times. "Thank you for the meal," Lizzy eyed him, seeing a new fragment of his personality. Was this Will, or Darcy?
"The pleasure is all ours." Franny gushed. "You're welcome anytime, of course. We can't thank you enough for bringing our girls home."
Will just nodded, stepping towards Lizzy.
"Come back soon, Lizzy." Franny embraced her, letting her know with an extra squeeze that she was happy with the boy Lizzy had brought home. Lizzy smiled affectionately, a sudden swell of fondness for her mother blooming in her chest.
"I will mom. Thanks for everything," Lizzy smiled, pulling away. Henry had come closer as well, putting an arm around his wife when she stepped back. Lizzy nodded to him, not yet ready to embrace, even though she knew she had no right to be angry with him. Instead, she directed herself to Cathy, who had also come up when she realized Lizzy was leaving.
"Keep up the good work in school," she told her. "I'm proud of you." Cathy beamed at her when they pulled back and Lizzy was surprised to discover that maybe she did have some influence in her younger sister's lives. Did her opinion really mean that much to her? If so, she would take any opportunity to help her sister stay on the path she was on.
"I had fun." Lydia embraced her next. "We should do it again sometime," she winked, out of the view of her parents.
Lizzy gave her a look, but smiled and said "I had fun too," Jane was next, her embrace familiar and easy. "Sorry to cut our weekend short."
"Don't worry about it," Jane smiled easily, her eyes flicked to Will briefly. "I understand."
After another round of goodbyes, this one including saying bye to Will as well, the two of them left the house.
"Sorry about leaving you alone," Lizzy had to say as they made their way to his car.
"Don't worry about it." His low voice was beginning to become familiar to her. "Your parents seemed to take it well."
Was that a subtle way of asking how her talk with Henry went, or just idle filler for the conversation? As unimportant as it seemed, she needed to learn the answer to that. When they were alone, she couldn't help but think of him as Darcy; the self-assured, borderline cocky undercover cop whose sole purpose was taking Wickham down. Darcy, she knew, cared about keeping her safe, but keeping her safe and wanting to get to know he better were two very different things. It was hard for her to imagine Darcy being interested in her, past whether or not she was in immediate danger, so when he asked her questions he didn't need the answer to it threw her.
She supposed she might have been being hard on him. Thinking it out in her head like that made it seem like he was some cold machine, and she knew from experience that he wasn't. Though it was the part of him she thought of as Will, she had seen him be teasing, funny, and caring. She knew she was more guarded around him when they were alone, but that was part of self-preservation. She was attracted to him, and she knew that was clear to him from the first day they met; it wouldn't be hard to think she was in love with him if she got to know him any better. Then again, getting to know him may uncover undesirable parts of his personality that would turn her off. She supposed there was an equal chance of either scenario happening and, actually, that thought made her feel better.
"My mom was fine, obviously, but Henry was a total tool about it" Lizzy answered in a huff. She tossed her bag into his backseat before joining him in the front seat.
"How so?" he asked, his brow furrowed. She gave him a brief summary of their talk.
"I know I was in the wrong," Lizzy fully admitted. "But… he just got under my skin, with his attitude."
"What did he mean about the trouble in your youth?" Darcy wondered. Lizzy bit the inside of her cheek, hesitating. Darcy didn't push, and that helped her feel relaxed enough to tell him.
"Before my dad died," she began quietly. "I was a little out of control. I had lived my whole life, balancing on the line of Thomas Bennet's super nerd daughter, and the friend of a bunch of criminals. One day I took the plunge. I quit school and did the usual- stayed out late, drank too much, experimented with, well, pot because I was too scared to try anything else."
"Or too smart," Darcy commented. He glanced over briefly to meet her eye before looking back at the road.
"Anyway, I didn't know it at the time, but my father was sick. He kept it from me. He was too weak to curb my rebellion, but at the time I thought he didn't care enough to try," Lizzy hesitated, feeling the familiar pain of shame at her actions and fights with her father. She felt tears sting her eyes and decided to stop there. Whatever her relationship was with Darcy, she was not ready to cry in front of him.
She looked out the window but felt his hand on her knee. She couldn't help but glance over at him in surprise, but his eyes were steadfast on the road, even though she was sure he could feel her eyes on him. She returned her own eyes to the road, but focused on the strange feeling; usually, whenever a guy had touched her knee it was in flirtation, in this case, however, she would describe it more like a sense of comfort, though her skin did still tingle under the fabric where his hand lay. After a moment he took his hand away and she was surprised to realize the momentary distraction had calmed her and she was able to go on.
"Then there was a moment… it was like a scene out of a movie. I was supposed to go with some guys from The Family to wreck a meth lab in what would eventually become Wickham's territory," she began again, but Darcy stopped her.
"You were going to do what?" he asked, incredulous.
"Simmer down, detective," she couldn't help but smile with a hint of her former self. He met her gaze again, but this time he wore a familiar frown. "Just because I don't have a record, doesn't mean I'm an angel," she said mysteriously. He looked disquieted, and she decided to finish her story before he could question her further. "Anyway, as I said, I was supposed to go with The Family to wreck this meth lab, but I got a call from my dad wanting to see me. I had to make a choice between going with The Family or seeing my dad, who at this point I still didn't know was sick. Looking back, it was like it was taken right out of a screenplay," she joked lightly to distance herself from the memory.
"So what did you choose?" he asked after a moment. His voice didn't seem too curious and at first, she was irritated that he was losing interest in her story- one that she hadn't actually shared with anyone so unconnected to her. He met her gaze once more when she didn't answer and she realized he was interested- the reason he didn't seem curious was that he had already guessed the outcome.
"I skipped the raid," she shrugged. "I met my father, who finally told me how sick he was. It was the turning point I needed, and I spent the next few months trying to make him see that I had changed, that I was going to get my life back together." There was a lot she didn't tell Darcy; how she had lost a lot of respect from people in The Family when she backed out of the raid, especially when she distanced herself from them afterward; how hard it was after her father died to keep going with her newfound life changes when all she wanted to do was revert back to drinking and partying to feel numb. The only thing that had kept her going then was the thought of making her father proud of her once more, even if it was posthumously. In a way she was learning to appreciate, Darcy didn't push any further.
Soon after, they pulled up to her apartment building. He got out with her, carrying her stuffed overnight bag and leading the way upstairs. She unlocked the door, happy to be home once more.
"If you're hungry, we should probably order something. The fridge is empty," Lizzy suggested, taking her bag from him. "I'm going to take a quick shower."
"Alright," he replied, settling into his usual spot on her couch and pulling books out of the backpack he had left. She guessed they really were going to finish up homework, though what they had wasn't actually due until later that week. He seemed to like to keep on top of it, however, and she had to admit she tried to do the same.
After she showered and changed into sweat pants and an oversized t-shirt, she joined him on the couch.
"I called that Thai place up the street and ordered you fried rice with chicken," Darcy said as a greeting, shifting his books and papers to make room for her. She moaned her appreciation.
"Yeeesssss," she sighed. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until this moment. How long ago did you order?" she asked eagerly. His mouth pulled slightly upward at her reaction.
"Fifteen minutes ago, I guess," he looked at her with an unreadable expression. She was too tired to let it intimidate her, however, so she just smiled back and opened her own book to the page he was on.
"I guess I can wait," she sighed, hoping her stomach wouldn't rumble and betray her. She pulled her damp hair back away from her face, twisted it a few times, and hung it over her left shoulder. Darcy squirmed slightly next to her and she glanced over, afraid she had flicked residual water from her hair on him, or something. His eyes bore into the book in from of him, giving nothing away, so with a mental shrug, she concentrated on her own book.
Another half an hour passed in silence before there was a knock on the door. Lizzy started to rise but Darcy put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He checked the peephole before opening the door; deeming it safe, he flicked the deadbolt and swung the door inward. After a few brief moments of exchanging a few words with the delivery guy, he set a warm bag of food in front of her and she eagerly dug through the treasure.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked.
"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively. She raised her eyebrows and asked if he was sure but he waved her off again, so she could only shrug and thank him.
"I'll get us some plates," she said, moving towards the kitchen. "Thirsty? We have…" she hesitated, opening the refrigerator door. "Water, beer, milk, orange juice…" she picked up the orange juice, gave a shake, and checked the expiration date. "Eh, scratch the orange juice."
"Water's fine," he replied, putting their books and notes away. She nodded, not sure he was looking, and grabbed two glasses and filled them with water. She brought them to the small coffee table in front of the couch before going back for the plates and silverware.
They both filled their plates with their respective dishes, and Lizzy gave Darcy the remote control to find them something to watch on TV. He eventually stopped on an episode of Law and Order. She glanced at him until he felt her eyes on him, fork halfway to his mouth.
"What?" he questioned, lowering the fork.
"Law and Order? Really?" She asked, a small smile in the corner of her mouth
"We can watch something else if you like," he offered.
"No, I like this show. I'm just surprised that you like it," she commented. He could tell where she was going with this, but he just gave her a look and continued eating. "I thought cops were supposed to be all indigent about how wrong shows like this get it."
"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me a cop." Was all Darcy said in reply. "You may slip and forget yourself out in public" Lizzy rolled her eyes but knew the jab was deserved, she did, after all, already slip once.
"Yes, dear," she quipped back, a sweet smile on her face.