But I've been looking at you
For a long, long time
Just trying to break through,
Trying to make you mine
Everybody wants a flame,
They don't want to get burnt
Well, today is our turn
After months of work and effort, the miniseries was going to be screened at the film festival, which coincided with Lizzie's first year at Pemberley.
She was chatting with Elaine at the theatre, waiting for the rest of the team, when she saw William arrived. He was wearing his glasses, and she felt herself blushing.
He greeted them, and told them how excited he felt that that day was finally there. They all mentioned how nervous they were to see the public's reaction and their expectations once it was fully released. When he talked, Lizzie could hear the passion in his voice, and she felt happier than ever of working with him.
Shortly after, the rest of the crew arrived and they all took their seats inside the theater, and waited for the first episode to begin.
Lizzie watched attentively the reaction of the public, as much as the lighting allowed it, trying to figure it out if they were attracted to her story or not. She was also very aware of William's presence next to her, and would sometimes feel his gaze on her.
When the screening finished, some of the attendees clapped. Lizzie did not expect that and a smile appeared on her face. She turned to William and he was also smiling.
They exited the room and joined Elaine, the director and some of the actors. Everybody was buzzing and excited. They knew that the public had to submit forms with their comments, but they still decided to have dinner and celebrate the good comments they had heard so far.
Before they left for the restaurant, William pulled Lizzie aside.
"So... what did you think?," he asked.
"I may be biased, but I think it went well," she responded.
"Thank you," he said.
"For what?," she asked.
"For making it possible."
"Oh... It was all team work, remember?," she chuckled.
"Yes, team work," he replied and smiled, "by the way, happy first year."
"Thank you," she answered, putting her hand quickly over his arm.
"I hope that you are happy at Pemberley," he added.
"I couldn't be happier, William. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life."
"I'm glad to hear that," he replied, a little flushed.
"Mmm... I think they are waiting for us," Lizzie noted when she felt the gaze of their friends on them.
"Yes, you are right," he said and escorted her back.
Dinner was pleasant, but Lizzie regretted that she had not taken a seat close to William. But then again, she would probably be too distracted to participate in the conversation. And William was feeling the same way.
However, they knew that they would see each other very soon, and that was enough.
The next day, as Lizzie was getting ready to attend the award ceremony of the film festival, she received a call from Elaine.
They had arranged to arrive together, but her son had gotten sick and she could not leave him. She apologized profusely to Lizzie, who now did not have a ride. However, Lizzie dismissed her apology, and asked her not to worry about her and to inform her about her son's health.
A minute after she hung up, her phone rang again. It was William.
"Hi, William," she greeted.
"Hello Lizzie, how are you?," he said.
"I'm okay, getting ready for the event, but Elaine just called me to cancel. Her son has a high fever."
"I know, she called me too. I hope her son gets well soon," he said.
"Yes, so do I," she replied.
"So, she also told me about your plans, and… I wanted to ask you if… if you would like to go with me… I mean, I could take you there…."
Fortunately, Lizzie interrupted him before he could continue babbling.
"That would be great. Thank you, William."
"My pleasure," he said, "I can pick you in two hours, if that's okay with you."
"Perfect," she replied.
"See you later then, Lizzie," he said.
"Bye," she finished.
When they finished the call, a smile appeared on their faces.
Exactly two hours later, William's car stopped outside Lizzie's building.
It had been a while since the last time he had been there, and he was glad that the circumstances had changed. He arrived to her door, and knocked on it, trying to calm his anxiety. He felt like a teenager on prom night.
Three seconds later, she opened the door.
"Hello," she greeted but he could not respond. She was so beautiful that he was speechless.
Lizzie blushed, seeing his reaction. She was glad she had followed Lydia's advice about getting her hair and makeup done at the salon. Her sister had also helped her pick out her dress. At first, Lizzie had not been so sure about it, but Lydia insisted that she looked very good on it (because it showed all her assets, duh!) and that the blue color brought out her eyes.
"You… look gorgeous," he managed to say at last.
"Thank you," she stuttered, "You look very handsome yourself." The words escaped her mouth before she realized she had said them. But it was the truth; he looked striking in his black three-piece suit, white shirt, and black tie.
"Do you want to come in?," she said.
William nodded and stepped inside.
"Do you want something before we go?," she offered, a little shaky.
"No, I'm fine, thank you," he answered.
"Okay, I'll be right back then," she said and walked towards her bedroom.
That was when William noticed the creamy, smooth skin of her back. And all his blood went to the wrong places. He tried to calm himself, thinking of very disgusting things so his mind would stop imagining the rest of her skin.
If Lizzie noticed something weird when she came back, she did not say anything.
"Shall we?," she asked.
"Yes," he replied, opened the apartment door for her and escorted her to his car.
The driver got out of the car when he saw them and opened the back door for them. They sat next to each other, still flushed to say something.
William was the first to break the silence. He regretted that Lydia had not been able to attend the film festival. Lizzie explained that her sister had to return to Miami, where she was participating in another series. They started talking about other things until they arrived to the venue.
Lizzie had never been on a red carpet and was nervous. William was nervous too, for more than one reason. None of his past projects had been presented in such public "grandeur", and he did not know exactly what to expect.
"Are you ready?," William asked.
"As ready as I can be," she answered, and she felt better when he put his hand on her back and guided her.
On the red carpet, they saw some familiar faces, who complimented their work and were excited about its release. William was happy to hear that, but he was more than delighted to be next to Lizzie.
The director of the mini series and the leading actor soon joined them, and suddenly they were being ushered to be photographed. It was all surreal for Lizzie and William to get that much attention.
Finally, they made their way inside the venue and shortly after that, the ceremony started.
Lizzie was having a great time. She had enjoyed the show, the food, but especially the company. She and William had talked with a lot of people, and continued to get praises for their mini series.
William was satisfied with the response to his project, and hoped that his parents would be proud of him. He also was relieved to see that Lizzie was completely her old self, and that she had put all the bad stuff behind her.
When the event ended, and they were again in his car, they settled in a comfortable silence as they were exhausted.
However, William had been meaning to ask Lizzie something, and finally got the courage to speak when he was leaving her outside her apartment.
"Lizzie, I understand if you are tired, but would you like to have brunch with me tomorrow?", he said and looked down at his shoes.
"Of course," she responded immediately. She had finally accepted that she liked him and wanted to take a chance.
He looked up, with the biggest smile ever.
"Perfect. Eleven tomorrow?"
"Looking forward to it," she said and smiled.
"Good night, Elizabeth,"
She leaned in and kissed on the cheek.
"See you tomorrow, William"
That night, their dreams were full of each other.
Bonfire Heart - James Blunt
conijito dot tumblr dot com/post/66301066730/love-me-tender-love-me-true-c hapter-56
Lizzie's look: conijito dot tumblr dot com/post/66301280870/love-me-tender-love-me-true-c hapter-56