Tell It Like It Is
Chapter 21
Obligation is a four letter word. Technically, it has ten letters but to Will Darcy it might as well have had four and started with an F because obligation was the reason that Will Darcy felt so royally fucked.
He looked in the mirror for the umpteenth time that day and tried desperately to repress the wince that surfaced every time he saw himself in that confining penguin suit. He felt so stuck. Stuck in his life, stuck in this atrocious suit.
"You better be careful. If you keep making that face it'll get stuck like that and I don't think your bubbly bride would be too happy about that."
Will didn't have to turn around to know exactly who had said that. He looked up in the mirror and stared into the rarely serious face of his favorite cousin. "Like you'd know anything about weddings. This is a perfectly natural reaction to such a momentous decision."
Fitz Darcy laughed. "So I suppose that explains that horrible rash breaking out on your neck."
Will quickly tugged on the collar of his stiff white shirt. "Shit! I'm red, Fitz! Why am I so red?" Will was full out panicking now. Was it possible he was having an allergic reaction to making bad decisions?
"Calm down, Will. You're just nervous," came the soothing voice of Will's best friend who lay on the couch in their dressing room playing with a deck of cards. Under different circumstances Will would have yelled at him for wrinkling his suit, but he was too preoccupied with the rash quickly spreading up his neck and inching toward his face.
"He's right, Will. You just need to chill, unless you have any particular reason not to go through with this, because in all honesty, no man reacts this badly when it comes to marriage unless he's freaking out." It was possible that Fitz was just trying to make Will feel better. Possible, but not probable.
"Shut up Fitz. I'm getting married today no matter what," Will grumbled tugging his tie loose and glaring at himself in the mirror.
"I'm not saying you aren't. I'm just saying that if you change your mind I've plotted an escape route out the back of the church. Georgie will tackle the bride, Charlie here can distract the minister, and I'd be more than happy to explain away all the guests."
"Shut up Fitz!"
"I'm just saying. The opportunity exists, for emergencies," Fitz replied, holding up his hands in surrender and changing the topic as Will fiddled furiously with his tie and his face was quickly consumed by the pink rash. "So where's the honeymoon, Tiger?"
"Honeymoon? Oh-uh France?" Will stuttered.
"Virgin Islands," Charlie shouted flipping through his deck of cards unconcerned.
"You forgot where your own honeymoon is?" Fitz practically yelled. "You should be counting the seconds, not completely forgetting it."
"I didn't forget," Will protested. "I'm just a bit preoccupied at the moment."
Suddenly the door slammed in the back of the luxurious room and all three men turned toward the noise just as Georgie Darcy began to yell. "You have got to be kidding me."
Fitz stifled a giggle, Charlie's jaw dropped, and Will managed to drop his tie. "What happened to you?" Fitz asked, his laughter finally bursting from him.
There stood Georgie Darcy with her makeup streaming down her face and her hair more closely resembling a bird's nest. "The Evil Sea Bitch. That's what happened. Will, if you marry that demon I am officially divorcing you as a brother."
"Not even an option," Charlie shouted, picking his cards back up and resuming his absent flipping. Georgie flipped him something in return.
"Could be worse Georgie. Makeup can be fixed. Will here's face is turning red," Fitz replied finally grabbing Will's tie from him and doing it himself.
"Anxiety rash," Georgie replied, stepping closer to Will to examine his face. "People get it right before they throw their lives down the toilet. Good luck with that, Will."
Will elbowed her and Fitz away, grabbing his tie back. "Either help, Georgie, or get out. This is hard enough as it is without you three pestering me about ruining my life."
"I have refrained from pestering of all sorts," Charlie chipped in.
"Oh yes, Charlie. Your silence has been very comforting," Will replied sarcastically. "Do you guys not understand that this decision has been made and there is no point trying to talk me out of it? Got it?"
Fitz nodded. Charlie resumed his card flipping. Georgie scowled. "I don't get it," she protested. "You made your decision and none of us even got a say in the matter. Melanie doesn't just become a part of your life; she becomes a part of ours too. This isn't something you have to go through with. This isn't something to force yourself to do. This should be the easiest decision of your life! You've fucked up in the past, you great loser, but that doesn't mean you can't fuck up again."
"I'm not fucking up. I'll be happy with Melanie," Will replied solidly and turned back to his mirror. "Now go fix your face before I kick you out of my wedding."
"Like you would," she muttered darkly as she left. "I'm the last person that still even likes you anymore."
Fitz shook his head sadly, but smiled nonetheless. "Well that was… refreshing. Almost ready?"
Will finally gave up on his tie and surrendered it once again to the clutches of his cousin as Charlie finally quit his cards and came over to perform his best man duties. "You'll be fine Will," he soothed diplomatically. "You just need to relax."
Will slowly let his shoulders drop and took three deep breaths. His rash rushed out of his face as quickly as it came and somewhere in the depths of his mind he pushed away the image of the girl that could relax him by the mere thought. No matter what, he vowed to not pretend it was her he was marrying.
"We should go," Fitz added as he brushed off Will's shoulders. "You might want to smile or else people might think you're being blackmailed into this wedding."
"Yeah, yeah. What would I do if I didn't have Fitz watching out for me, eh?" Darcy added laying on the sarcasm again.
"Oh that's cool. Just bite my head off." Fitz smirked and led the way for the other two straight to the altar. They stood awkwardly for a moment, making sure Will was ready before they set off to find their female escorts. Fitz peered over Will's shoulder and whistled just as a stunning girl in a stunning pink dress followed a waddling pregnant lady to the front of the church. "My god is that Lizzy?" he asked and Will whirled around to face his greatest obstacle, and then quickly looked away. In moments of weakness, Will was not fool enough to look temptation in the eye.
Charlie set off back down the aisle, winking and blowing a kiss at his glowing wife, but before Fitz set off he leaned into Will and muttered in his ear before then quickly rushed off, "Since you'll officially be off the market, do you think it might be cool if I ask Lizzy out?"
Fitz's words reverberated in Will's head and his eyes flicked to the gorgeous girl sitting in the aisle instead of the one slowly walking down it. He suddenly found himself gulping for breath, and his neck felt itchy.
Obligation is most definitely a four letter word.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a freespirited hippy that cursed the ideas of chivalry and obligation, but if that were the case this whole thing wouldn't be nearly hard enough for poor Will.
He's a bit of an idiot anyways.
So was this update sooner than you thought? Yeah, me too. Im hoping to finish writing this week because... 9drum roll please) I finally got a new computer that works and it's a lappy so I can gtote it around with me! Woop-ee!
I'll nw spend my entire life at Starbucks.