Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! By the way, Agnes1014, you guessed right

Friday morning. Lizzy yawned and squinted as sunlight filled the room. She saw now that there were a few Arsenal posters on the walls, and a weight lifting set in the corner. She groaned and looked at the clock about the television. It was eight o'clock. Lizzy managed to stumble out of bed (actually, the sofa) and tossed the blanket off herself. She yawned again and stretched, still feeling groggy. She was still in her denim jeans from the night before and a plain but nice-looking brown top. She felt her hair and realized with dismay how messy it must be.

She padded to the small kitchen. There was a note from Jane lying on a table.

Dear Lizzy, Charlie and I had to leave early to go to work. Charlie said to help yourself to anything in the fridge, because we certainly did. I'll see you later! Love, Jane

Lizzy shrugged and opened the refridgerator door. Hmmm...She took out a carton of orange juice before checking the expiration date on its side. Satisfied with the information, she poured the last remaining juice in a glass she found in a cabinet. She felt slightly guilty as she watched the last droplets of the orange liquid fill the glass, but then she remembered that the apartment belonged to Will Darcy and how much she disliked him.

She got up from the table for a minute and went back into the living area. There was a tall bookshelf with a nice collection of works. She was going to select The Princess Bride but changed her mind at the last minute to a book of Lorca poems. It looked to be an early edition of the poet's work, in fact, and it was entirely in Spanish. Good. She hated reading translations of the poems.

She went back to the table, swinging her legs back and forth in her chair and sipping the juice.

Then she heard footsteps in another room. She froze.

Hadn't Charlie and Jane left already?

A door creaked open and now there were footsteps coming closer to the kitchen.

She stayed seated, her mind working sluggishly in her just-awoken state.

But...if Jane and Charlie Bingley had left, then...

"Who the hell are you?" a voice behind Lizzy blurted out and she jumped in her seat.

The voice belonged to Will Darcy, clad in a T-shirt and—were those boxer shorts with little hearts and cupids on them? Yes, yes they were—and looking very angry.

Stay calm, stay calm, Lizzy told herself.

"Er..." Her mind couldn't fail her, not now! But she was so tired. "Er...I'm Lizzy," she said stupidly.

Darcy looked as though he'd like to wring her neck. "And what are you doing in my apartment, and why have you drunk all my orange juice? And what could you possibly—is that my book of Lorca poems?" he asked furiously. He walked over to her and snatched the book from her hands. "So help you God, if you've gotten even a drop of orange juice—my orange juice—on any of these pages—"

"I didn't spill anything," Lizzy snapped.

"It's an expensive edition, one of the—"

She interrupted him. "I'm here because Charlie Bingley told me it was okay."

"Charlie Bingley? How do you know Charlie Bingley?" He regarded her suspiciously. Now she was becoming angry.

"He goes out with my sister, Jane."

A look of recognition passed over Darcy's face. Lizzy huffed. But of course he hadn't remembered her at first; she was merely the sister of his friend's girlfriend who clearly wasn't blessed in the looks department. Or whatever he had said.

"And Charlie told you...that you could, what? Stay in my apartment?"

"Not indefinitely," Lizzy clarified. "Only for the night. Don't worry, I'm leaving right away." She got up from the table and stormed over to the living area.

"The door to the outside is the other way," Darcy called loudly, as if she were some dumb girl who couldn't find the exit!

She returned with her purse and a glare. "Well, thank you, I'm not sure I could have found my way out if you hadn't said anything." She walked to the door, opened it, and walked outside. "By the way," she said as she turned over her shoulder, "Nice boxers." And she slammed the door in his face as he blushed a deep red and mumbled something about a gag gift from someone named Georgiana.

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Charlotte wasn't back in their flat, so Lizzy did not have anybody to hear her rage about Darcy. How condescending and rude he was!

"I hate him! I hate him!" she yelled, half-hoping that Darcy, in his apartment on the other side of town, could hear.

She had to tell somebody about Darcy's behavior. She tried to call Charlotte at her work, but the receptionist said she was unavailable. Then she dialed Jane's unit work number.

"This is the Cardiac Unit," a bored nurse answered. "How can I help you?"

"Er, hello, my sister Jane Bennet works in your department. I wondered if I might speak with her?"

"You're Jane Bennet's sister?"

"Yes, that's right."

"The last time you called, you spent fifteen minutes on the phone with Jane, and that was when Mr. Klaff was having a second heart attack."

"Sorry. This is a family emergency, though. Promise."

"Fine, I'll go get her."

In a few minutes she heard Jane's frantic voice. "Lizzy? Lizzy? What's wrong? Is Mum all right?"

"No, she's not suffering from any bogus nervous symptoms as far as I know—"

"Is it Dad, then?"

"Calm down, Jane, everything's all right," Lizzy said quickly. "I just wanted to tell you how I met Will Darcy today."

"Will Darcy? Where did you meet him?"

"He was in his apartment. Apparently he was there all last night, he just didn't hear us when we came in."

"Oh my God! Well? He's a hottie, isn't he?"

"No, he's a rude arsehole."

"Lizzy!" Jane sounded shocked. "You don't really think that?"

"Yes, I do," Lizzy said staunchly. "Jane, he is one of the most grumpy and arrogant people I know. I don't know how Charlie puts up with him. I never told you what happened in the bookstore but..."

"Yes, a family emergency," Jane was speaking on the other end. "Who? Oh, my mother's mother...no, no, I never said...no, it's my father's mother who passed away...Yes, I'm sure. Just a bit of a stroke. My sister's filling me in. Yes, I'll be fine..." She sighed as she spoke to Lizzy. "I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Do what?"

"Force me to tell lies whenever you call. Why can't you just say you need to speak with me?"

"Because you're working. They'd say to take the call on your break."

"Well? Why can't I call you back later?"

"Because I need to tell you what a prick Will Darcy is right now!"

A/N So there you have it: Lizzy and Darcy's second ecounter. Hopefully the story will be a little faster paced now that they've met. I had planned to make all the chapters from Lizzy's point of view (well, narrated through her eyes), but now I'm toying with the idea of inserting some Darcy thought in there as well. Tell me what you think.