Lizzie's booming alarm woke her up the next morning. She forced herself out of bed and went straight to her coffee maker. She made herself a strong brew and started to get ready for work. Just when she had gotten used to Longbourn time? She had to get back to Derbyshire time. The three hour time difference was killer. Lizzie hadn't been able to sleep the night before, so she called Will and they talked the rest of the night, until she finally did fall asleep.
She was late to work. She made the mistake of sitting on her bed after her shower and fell asleep for 20 minutes. She cursed at herself and grabbed everything she could and ran out the door.
Her boss Nicholas was sitting in her office when she got there. Kitty tried to warn her, but she wasn't listening.
"Ahh, Elizabeth, how was your trip back home?" He sat with one leg perched on top of the other.
"It was good, really good."
"I'm glad." If Nicholas Gerald wasn't a total creep, Lizzie wouldn't have a problem with him. Since she started working there, four years ago, he had been trying to make her hook up with him. That was never ever ever going to happen in Lizzie's book. Not even after she got shit faced at a bar with Kitty and he happened to be there. "Want to grab lunch so you could tell me about it?"
"Sorry Nicholas, I have a lot to catch up on. Kitty told me about Greg Spencer. I need to prep a ton of things."
"Don't work yourself too hard Lizzie, we can grab lunch another time."
She pretended not to hear him and straightened out papers on her desk. Kitty entered Lizzie's office with her phone in front of her, "Lizzie, do you know a Georgiana?" She stood next to Nicholas.
"Will's sister Georgiana, why?"
"She's been trying to contact you." Kitty said a little confused. "There's an interpreter involved and I don't know what's going on."
"Here, hand me the phone." Lizzie reached out for it. She saw Gigi, and signed hello.
Nick leaned over to Kitty asking, "who's Will?"
Kitty watched Lizzie's face garden while she watched the screen.
Lizzie's free hand signed no. She put it down so she could talk more freely. Kitty and Nick watched her sign, they knew she could have a conversation, but they hadn't known that Lizzie was fluent in signing.
Lizzie, I thought you said you didn't want to hurt my brother.
I don't. I'm not going to do anything to do so. Gigi, I told Will that I was done pretending that I hate him, because I don't and I don't think I could.
You left again... Why didn't you just stay away? You're setting him up to think he's going to be with you, and then you're going crush him again.
Gigi, have you talked to Will?
When it comes to you he never thinks straight. I can't talk to him. Lizzie why are you so fucked up?
Then she hung up Lizzie looked from her phone to Kitty, then back to her phone. She shook her head, "alright, get out." She said quietly, "I have work to do."
"Wait, Lizzie what was that about?"
"Nothing Kitty. Now, out please." She crossed the room to the door. She stuck her head out, "Frances," she called to her assistant, "if anyone calls me, I'm not available."
Kitty left quietly, but Nicholas lingered a little longer, "look Lizzie, if you want to talk about it, we can-"
"I just need you to go."
Lizzie tried so hard to not cry, but Gigi's words stung. She didn't take any calls, or talk to anyone; she hardly spoke when it was time for her to run the show.
At the end of the day, she ran out of there as fast as she could. She didn't even say bye to anyone. She got in her car to drive home but she couldn't. Muffled in her purse, her phone rang again. She, for the most part ignored it the whole day as well.
She fished for it and looked at the caller id. It was Will, she couldn't talk to him. She didn't want to be the reason why he and Gigi would argue. Of all the years she had known the Darcy siblings, she had only ever seen Will really angry with Gigi, and that was the summer when he was 16 and she was 8 Gigi had snuck into his room and unpaused the game he had been working to beat all summer and lost. They fought over a stupid video game, but it was almost like a war between them. He didn't talk to her for weeks, but Lizzie always did, she played with Gigi when Will wasn't looking, or she'd prepare her snacks when she was making one for her and Will. Lizzie looked out for Gigi, but for her to lash out at her was understandable.
She looked at her phone again, but still didn't pick up, the call went to voicemail. She got another call from Nicholas two minutes later, "hello?" He said, Lizzie stayed quiet, "sorry, I know you left already Lizzie, but I need you to come in a little early Lizzie, we need to discuss a possible new format."
"Fine."
"Are you alright? You've been off since you got that phone call."
"I'm fine Nick." Then she hung up. Will had sent her text message, 'hey Goose, do you think we could talk?'
She let out a curse that combined all of her favorite ones. She didn't know what to expect. When people ask other people that, it usually isn't a good thing right? It meant that Gigi did talk to him and knocked some sense into him. He was going to break up with her. Lizzie panicked a little. She was going to cry again. She took a deep breath. She'd call him when she got home. Lizzie ended up taking the long way home because the Polomar Street was so crowded.
As she unlocked her apartment, she reached for a bottle of wine and poured herself a generous bottle. She sat on the couch in the dark and brought a pillow to her face and yelled. Her phone rang again,
"Hello?" She said with a weak voice.
"Hey!" Will sounded so relieved to hear her. "I've been trying to call you all day."
"Yeah, I've been busy."
"I'm sorry." He said, he paused. Lizzie didn't want to put it off anymore so she talked, very very fast.
"Did you need to talk about something? You texted you wanted talk..."
"I just wanted to talk to you, I wanted to hear your voice and I wanted you to tell me how your day went. Mine has been ridiculously slow."
"Do you think we're moving too fast?"
"Lizzie what?"
"I mean, after 4 years, we're just going to act like nothing happened? Like after four years of not talking to each other we're going to fuck, and then everything goes back to the way it was?" She was angry and sad. She knew it was a little too perfect; She and Will told people they talked, but all they've really talked about is about how much they wanted the other person when they're licking and biting at the other's bodies.
"No." He said straight out. "You're not just a pity call because we fucked Lizzie. I want to know how you're doing because I can't be there with you right now."
"Will-" she stopped herself and grunted in frustration.
"Why are you so angry Lizzie?"
"Because I'm stupid, why did I have to-" she stopped herself again.
"Sleep with me? Talk to me? See me?" He finished off the sentence. It was sad because those were along the lines of the responses she stopped Herself from saying.
"Will, I like you. I really really like being with you. But I don't like not knowing what's going to happen to us. What if I hurt you again?"
"Goose, did Gigi tell you something?" Lizzie's eyes welled up with tears and if she said something her voice would crack.
"Will we should take it slow. We were supposed to start all over."
"I can't." Will said, "I told you before, this relationship is between me and you, anybody else can go screw themselves." He confidently said. "Elizabeth, what happened happened already. Now tell me about your day."
She let out a laugh. She told him about Greg Spencer and Nick trying to date her, and the stupid joke Kitty tried to use to get Lizzie to laugh.
"Gigi did call."
"I knew it. She has no right to-"
"She does Will. I just feel terrible, she's asking me to pick sides: one where we stop and forget everything between us, or continue towards the inevitable where I hurt you."
"Neither."
"Neither?" Lizzie finished off her 3rd glass of wine.
"Stay, be with me, and show Gigi that we're not going to hurt each other."
"William, I think I'm drunk."
"Just how I like you." He laughed, "remember when you turned 21."
"I do, remember, we fucked in your car." Lizzie laid on her back thinking about their session in the car. She was on top of Will, they pushed seat down in a reclining position. Lizzie's hand found its way under her pajamas and underwear, "Will," she whispered, "I'm wet. I feel it on my fingers." her voice silky.
"Yeah?" He asked. He coughed a little, "God I wish I could help you with that."
"Such a shame because you know how much I love it when your cock is in my tight pussy." Lizzie smiled at herself. "Oh my god, I'm rubbing myself Will, I want it to be like your tongue is right here eating me out."
Will loved it when Lizzie talked to him like that. "Lizzie-" he breathed out. "You're making me hard."
"Good," she told him, "oh yeah, my fingers feel so good inside of my pussy. I feel so tight. God yes. I want your cock William."
"Lizzie, I want to fuck you so hard and so deep. I want to hear you yelling my name."
They stayed on the line listening to each other whispering dirty nothings into the others ear. Lizzie was the first to reach her edge, "Will, I'm going to cum Will, I'm so close." He couldn't reply with any real words, but rather moans telling her he was close as well.
Lizzie listened to Will as his breathing evened out again; then she started laughing. He started to laugh as well.
"I don't want to be a reason why you and your sister fight. I've told you that before. You used to never fight."
"Well, she's a grown up now Lizzie. She's not the little 7 year old she used to be. She can't get whatever she wants."
"She wants you to be happy."
"I am happy. Just as long as I get to call you and ask you how your day was, and maybe some more." She didn't know why she was so wishy washy. Lizzie knew she wanted to be with Will, but she hated that the only other person that knew about their relationship hated the fact that they were in one. Rather, had something going on between the two of them. Will hadn't asked Lizzie to be his girlfriend again, and she was glad that he hadn't.
Lizzie needed to decide for herself what she wanted. She knew clearly what Will wanted, and what Gigi wanted. Lizzie knew what she wanted, but was scared of a possible outcome. Her track record for screwing up was not pretty good. She constantly doubted herself she had to decide that night, that if she was going to be with Will, it was going to make it work. She couldn't act like how she used to; things were different than from how they were before. It would be a long road back to how it used to be, but Lizzie didn't want that anymore. She wanted to experience new things with Will, but love him all the same. She was going to make it work. He was all in, now she was too.