Chapter 27: The Holiday
Lizzy had become really good at evading the York Peppermint Patty commercial. It was almost as though she had developed a sixth sense for when it was coming on and always managed to leave the room, or at least change the channel, accordingly.
Seeing Will Darcy was difficult enough to begin with, but it was the final scene of the commercial that she truly couldn't bear to watch. He would take a small bite of the candy and then chew his lip contemplatively. All the while, his eyes stared relentlessly at his viewer, a look that communicated a number of things all in one moment: "I want you", "please understand me", and "don't you want to give me a chance"? He had to be an incredible actor, because not only was it the perfect double entendre for both the candy and the man, but it was this final scene that had made the commercial an instant hit with women everywhere; Lizzy simply couldn't handle the way it made her heart race and her skin tingle, and therefore chose to avoid seeing it altogether.
Of course, that didn't help one bit when all of her houseguests decided that it was their absolute favorite thing on television to watch.
Jane and Lizzy's annual holiday party had a very grown-and-sexy feel this year, partly owing to the fact that it was the first one being held in their own place. The drinks were more abundant, the conversation more risqué and the company more boisterous than it had ever been when it was held at their parents. The physical assets of many a man, both fictional and real, had already been discussed and debated at length; it was during this conversation that Jane's college friend Melissa had excitedly proclaimed, "Have you all seen that new, York Peppermint Patty commercial yet?"
Jane's other college roommate, Andrea, widened her eyes and waved her hand excitedly. "You have to be talking about 'Mr. you can give me the 'sensation' any day you please. Those grey eyes are to die for!'" As she spoke, she suggestively rubbed the tops of her thighs, bit her lower lip and waggled her brows. The entire room burst into laughter, and of course, a sentiment spoken with that level of enthusiasm sparked an instant curiosity. Some of the other guests hadn't it seen it yet, so it was not long before YouTube was loaded and every woman in the room was treated to the sight (whether welcome or not) of Will Darcy nibbling chocolate from his lips and tormenting the audience with his mysterious stare and icy-yet-alluring eyes.
And so commenced the school-girl giggles and swoons as the video was replayed roughly ten times. Charlotte looked over at Lizzy in concern just as Elizabeth had directed her attention to Jane. Lizzy had to admit, her sister hid her emotions frighteningly well. Now, a little over a month later it was almost impossible to tell that inside, her heart was still irrevocably shattered; everything about her outward appearance seemed perfectly fine. If you didn't see her on a daily basis, there would be no way to recognize the slight dullness in her eyes or the sadness at the corners of her mouth. However, even with her superhuman resolve to go on as though nothing had changed, Lizzy was sure that seeing Charlie's best friend flung in her face was not, in any way, helpful.
And never mind what it did to her. A month had given her a lot of time to think, and the truths she had come to learn about herself were not entirely satisfactory. It had not been long before she realized just how close she had come to throwing caution completely to the wind by contemplating a dating relationship with PNC. Her attraction to him had developed well beyond what she had ever thought possible, and it unsettled her that he had been able to creep beyond her dislike of him so easily. Although she had determined that the purpose of their evening together would be to confront him on the myriad of insults and challenges she had suffered at his hand, she now acknowledged that she had become so susceptible to the powerful draw she felt towards him that if he had only hinted at a romance, it was very possible that she would have compromised her resolves and kissed him on the spot. At the end of it all, she was supremely grateful that he had chosen their mutual fate by never even appearing at Max Brenner; it saved her from the embarrassment of opening herself up to a man that, in reality, clearly felt no romantic inclination for her. At least she finally had the answer to that question.
However, a new question had quickly formed in its wake. She knew that it was no coincidence that the week she had been stood up, and the week that Charlie had disappeared, were the same. However, she couldn't make head or tail of what the connection was. Charlie had proven himself to be enough of his own person that Will could not have inspired the break up; indeed, what reason could he have even had to do so? And Will's strongly marked independence dictated that if he had wanted to keep their evening together, he would have. It was a mystery beyond her comprehension, and after a few days of attempting to reason it away unsuccessfully, decided it was best to let the question drop for both Jane's sake and her own sanity.
One darkly comical side of the situation had been Mrs. Bennet's complete inability to rationalize the break-up in her mind, a struggle that became painfully obvious during Christmas a few days prior. Elizabeth and Jane had agreed to keep the break up secret for as long as possible; however, once the time for Jane's London trip came and went, there was no way to hide it any longer. Mrs. Bennet's quandary was clear: on one side, her favorite daughter's heart was broken, and she had to hate the man who did that to her. However, that very same man was incredibly wealthy, and the loss of a potential marriage of that magnitude must be grieved. The result of this mental contradiction was alternating comments of "Poor, dear Jane. Keep your spirits up. You are so beautiful that you will find his replacement in a heartbeat," and the incredibly inappropriate, "Jane, you did do everything with him, didn't you? Are you sure that it wasn't something you did? Think Jane; if you figure it out, maybe you can still fix it! It's only been a month." Jane either patiently ignored or denied each energetic outburst; Lizzy took on the more forceful role of telling her mother to stop talking about it altogether, or she and Jane would gladly have dessert back at their own apartment. Both Kitty and Mr. Bennet looked beleaguered and said nothing, a tell-tale sign that they had already been hearing a similar commentary from Mrs. Bennet for an extended period of time.
Lizzy felt guilty that her opportunity for travel was rapidly approaching just as Jane's had vanished before their eyes. One night during a quiet evening at home, Lizzy had offered to cancel her travel plans in order to stay home with her sister. Jane had emphatically denied the offer, telling Lizzy that she deserved her dream opportunity of exploring the DR and that she would be more than okay the short week she was away. Seeing the generosity in her sister's eyes, Lizzy marveled at the amount of goodness that her sister's slender frame contained, and threw her arms around her in a loving, grateful and supportive hug.
It really was long overdue. The varying emotions of the past three months had drained her to a low that she had never felt before. Greg had been very persistent, contacting her via text or phone call at least once a week. She still wasn't head over heels about him, but he really was trying, and Lizzy wanted her favorite earrings back. She had set a date to see him during the two weeks she would be home before flying off to England on her business trip. He was a distraction; but even his easy-going personality and funny jokes couldn't compare to her anticipation regarding her upcoming vacation.
She was excited to finally experience her culture and possibly discover pieces of it already inside herself, feeling rejuvenated simply by shutting her eyes and allowing the brightness of the Caribbean sun to warm her eyelids. Her impatience to run her fingers through what she imagined as incredibly silky sand was building daily, and she was certain that she would finally be able to draw her mind to a blank over the peaceful sound of crashing waves against a shore. In all, what she desperately needed was a change of scene and society, and it was already on its way to her in exactly one week.
Coming back to the present and taking another sip of her Candy Cane Martini, Lizzy was grateful to realize that the York commercial marathon had come to an end and was replaced with Channing Tatum's Pony performance from Magic Mike. There's just something to be said for a man who knows how to dance, she smiled to herself. Satisfied that PNC was finally out of sight, she was more than happy to rejoin her friends in the festivities.
The sunlight that streamed through the windows of Punta Cana International Airport touched Lizzy's skin and instantly warmed her mood. They had arrived, and the excitement normally felt at the beginning of a vacation had already wrapped her in a blissful contentment. Charlotte linked her arm though hers in a gesture that needed no words as they navigated the bilingual signs towards the baggage claim.
Waiting for the baggage carousel to begin its sluggish rounds, Lizzy closed her eyes and once again went over the mental checklist of all the things she wanted to do while in this country filled with her heritage. She was overwhelmed with a sensation of luck; or even, a feeling that destiny had conspired to lead her to this long dreamed of opportunity. A renewed hope welled within her; everything and anything felt possible in that moment, and the sensation was delightful.
Which was why, when she re-opened her eyes, she first wondered if they were playing tricks on her. Sure, she was in a magical place and that meant anything could happen; that didn't mean something like this should. This was more like a cruel joke; a sure sign that fate was openly laughing at her if what she was seeing was real.
The face that haunted her dreams – and the commercials during her favorite TV shows - had already found her as he leaned to pick up a suitcase from a carousel two aisles away. He looked as startled as she felt, locking surprised eyes on her in an obvious contemplation as to how the world could possibly be so incredibly small. Now wondering exactly how she would manage to get through the upcoming week, Lizzy felt herself begin to tremble as she accepted the inescapable truth before her.
William Darcy was on her vacation.
A/N
Kudos to FleursduBaudelaire, Dizzy Lizzy.60, and Punkhorse for guessing Peppermint Patties!
(For those who have never seen a York Peppermint Patty Commercial, I have posted one to the Media section of my profile from YouTube. Darcy's version (in my head) is a lot less playful and a lot more smoldering, FYI.)
Will's nomination for "Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor" was declared by Lydia in Chapter 10, and his modeling was briefly mentioned by both Charlotte and Lizzy in Chapter 11 during their happy hour. Our dear Will has some issues to work out, as you can see. Modeling is just a hobby for him, obviously…his profession is CEO of his family business, Darcy Motors.
The focus on work isn't as important at this point in the story, so I just wanted to give the reminder. It's hard reading a WIP and keeping things straight, I know…thank you all for staying with me and, as always, let me know if anything needs clarification! :)
Going forward, if you haven't heard from me in a while, please check the A/N in the chapter before; it is likely that I will have updated it in order to be able to communicate with you. I'm not planning on disappearing anytime soon (no vacations for me…I am SO jealous of our Lizzy… lol).
And I can't believe it, but another timeline update is sort of necessary, so:
Holiday Party - Saturday, December 27
DR trip arrival - Saturday, January 3
DR trip end - Saturday, January 10
Future Date with Greg – Tuesday, January 20
Future Business Trip to England – January 24 through February 7