A/N: Thanks to those of you accompanying me on my new adventure. To Vegetable lov3r: I apologize for my association of burritos and Mexico. I find it ironic that I was trying to poke fun at Mrs. Bennet and now the egg is on my face for misassociation. Being from San Diego, my knowledge of Mexican cuisine is the taquería, which I get is "not Mexican food." Can we chalk it up to Ellie's own sweet ignorance? ;-) I love that Chinese food is the cuisine du jour in your town. To mary: I am not Spanish (but wish I was...) To Olga: I am so excited that there is someone from Spain reading this. Please do not judge my descriptions of Madrid too harshly. I may take Ellie to otras partes de España. Not sure yet. ¿De donde eres? Also, my Spanish is rusty or as I used to say: mi español es fatal. Hopefully if I translate wrong you will forgive (and anyone else who speaks castellano/español).
Ellie was able to stave off any feelings of sadness until she boarded her flight the next morning. The Bennet family had an awkward sleepover in a rundown hotel airport the night before and the entire family saw her to security. She eschewed tears as her mother fell apart, a normally stoic Lydia crinkled up her nose and lips in a teary pout, and her father's nose turned a bright red. However, stepping onto the plane proved to be her breaking point. Ellie felt overwhelmed by the unknown adventure before her. She had always studied the idiosyncrasies of others. Introspection was not her forte. Will I actually be forced to search my own soul? Maybe a strip search... She gave a sniffly giggle. Lydia would be proud.
Her first flight took her to O'Hare and then she had a two hour layover before continuing on to Madrid. She found her seat and was pleased to be sitting next to a young boy who was evidently flying alone. He reminded her of her students, and of home and familiarity. He looked up at her shyly as she stowed away her carry-on. Tears were already quietly settling onto her cheeks. "Hi," she said to him, trying to be cheerful. "My name is Ellie." He glanced fearfully at her tear-stained cheeks, reached into his backpack for headphones and turned to look out the window. Ellie sighed and settled herself into her seat. The first leg was six hours so she set herself to getting cozy. She placed her Nook into the pocket of the seat in front of her, nestled her water bottle next to her and retrieved an inflatable travel pillow from her jacket pocket. Her sister had made fun of her for wearing a jacket in August but she hadn't flown anywhere before and didn't know how cold it could get on the airplane. When did I become practical?
As she wiped the tears away she contemplated her upcoming days. Was she making the right decision? How can I not be? There is nothing for me here right now. Nothing. She smiled wryly, remembering her sister's words. Nothing.
Ellie breezed through the first half of a new book on the way to Chicago and nearly finished it all in the airport lounge her father had insisted on paying for. "You'll appreciate the quiet, Ellie. I know how the crowds get to you." She did appreciate the quiet. Walking from her gate to the lounge she felt suffocated by the hoards of people in this major international airport. The lounge was hushed, with soft, easy listening music playing and complimentary food and wine. She accepted a glass of chardonnay gratefully from the attendant at the bar. Her mother had slipped her a Xanax before they parted that morning. Ellie had blanched at first, convinced that airport security would come arrest her for consuming someone else's drugs. Nothing had happened, however, and she had felt a bit calmer than she had anticipated on that first leg.
The chardonnay's effects were soothing but temporary. She boarded her next flight, exchanging the barest of glances with her seat partners. Once she had completed her novel, bereft from the end of a great book and no longer sated from the alcohol, her anxiety rose quickly. She debated ordering another glass of wine from the flight attendant but she didn't want to be too jet lagged when she arrived. Again, when did I become practical? Is practical polite for ridiculously boring and careful? Is this the me I want to be in Spain?
Ellie ultimately decided the best course of action was sleep and so she turned fitfully from side to side, trying to get comfortable enough to doze off. Her mind had other plans for her and would not shut off. Fears of all kinds raced through her head, accompanied by miscellaneous Spanish grammar. She had been listening to Spanish podcasts to brush up on her ancient skills. What if I hate it? ¿Odiar? ¿Donde están los aseos? Aseos or servicios? What if the kids don't like me? Or if they talk about me behind my back? How will I know? My Spanish isn't that good! Hablar: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan. Will I make any friends on this program? Hola, me llamo Ellie. Tengo treinta anos. Is my Dad right? Is this just an excuse for adults to go back to school? That last question gave her pause. Less to discover the answer and more because she couldn't figure out if that would be a bad thing.
Ellie's feet tingled mercilessly as she picked up each foot, wiggling it and rotating her ankle. She was waiting in an incredibly long line for customs while trying to maneuver two rolling suitcases and a backpack. She had been worried she was overpacking but this was going to be her entire life for the next year. She couldn't bear to leave some things behind. Jane had talked her out of her printed anthology of the works of Jane Austen (she had them on her Nook, anyways) but she had snuck in some bulky must haves that she now was beginning to regret.
She made her way up to customs, watching the agent scrutinize her photo. She smiled nervously at him as he flipped to her visa. He made some notations and then stamped her passport. Ellie was surprised at the elation she felt with that one stamp. She felt her anxiety dissipate to excited anticipation. As she walked towards the exit doors she took in a deep breath. "Here we go!"
Ellie scanned the signs crowding the metal barricade beyond the frosted glass doors. Bored men wearing collared shirts, ties and a sweater vests formed a line just beyond writhing family and friends. She read individual names, companies, travel tours, looking for Teaching Abroad Inc. or her name. She walked down the line twice before she saw a new crop of men arrive with signs. Finally she sighed with relief as she saw a man with a sign emblazoned with the Teaching Abroad logo and the names "Bennet" and "Bingley."
Ellie waved at the gentleman in the green sweater vest and maroon tie. He gestured her over. "Hola, muy buenas," he said, grasping the handle of one of her suitcases. He had a luggage trolley immediately behind and loaded her larger bag on. "¿Como te llamas?"
Ellie looked blankly at him, panicking slightly. She knew these words. It had been a long time since she had spoken Spanish but deep inside she knew these words, right? He looked at her expectantly. "Bennet," she stuttered. "Me llamo Ellie Bennet."
"Vale," the gentleman said. He was looking at a piece of paper encased in a plastic sleeve. "Bennet. Donde está Bingley? Voló en el mismo vuelo, no?"
Ellie's brain was working overtime. She didn't know she'd be speaking Spanish already. What about the other poor souls who didn't speak any? She tried to harness her racing thoughts and translate what he had said. He was asking about someone named Bingley, the other name on the sign. And vuelo was a flight, like an airplane flight. So, he must be asking where or who this Bingley person is. "No sé," she answered honestly. I don't know. He looked mildly annoyed and took out his cell phone to make a call. Ellie looked around to see if anyone else was going down the rows of signs, trying to locate someone, perhaps Teaching Abroad. The arrivals area had emptied and there were very few people coming out of the frosted glass doors.
She turned toward the man with the sign who was now speaking more loudly, as if to her and not to the person on the phone. He shoved the phone at her, "Mi jefe, señorita." Ellie accepted the phone automatically before she realized what she was doing. I can't talk to someone on the phone... in Spanish. I can barely follow a conversation in person.
"Hola," she said tentatively. After a few minutes of garbled back-and-forth she understood that this man's boss, or jefe, was asking her to stay in the airport for just a little longer to see if Bingley showed up. She hung up the phone and gave it back to the man just in time to see a grinning man with two large duffel bags stroll up to them.
"Teaching Abroad?" he asked cheerfully.
The man with the sign nodded, visibly relieved that Bingley had arrived. "Señor Bingley?" he asked.
"Yes, I mean sí," the man said laughing. "I don't really speak Spanish, do you?" he asked looking at Ellie.
"A little," she said. "I've already had to talk to him and his boss in Spanish."
Bingley looked astonished. "I thought they said no knowledge of Spanish was necessary. I'd better do well in our language classes then. I'm Charlie, by the way, Charlie Bingley. I guess you already gathered that, though. I got held up at customs." Charlie was a tall, handsome man with wavy blond hair. He had a toothy grin and Ellie noticed a chip in one of his front teeth. His eyes were very blue and Ellie caught herself staring at them as he talked. She shook herself a little as she realized he had stopped talking.
"Sorry," she said self-consciously. "I'm Ellie. Ellie Bennet. And I am completely jet lagged. Why do you seem so chipper?"
"Oxygen drops," Charlie said with a wink. "A flight attendant's secret." He picked up his other duffel to hand to their driver.
A flight attendant's secret, Ellie repeated in her head. I wonder how many flight attendants have told him their secrets?
Ellie found herself sneaking looks at Charlie as he gesticulated awkwardly, trying to communicate with the Teaching Abroad employee. He was tall, and broad shouldered, a very all American football hero type. She guessed he was about 35, maybe younger. She always had trouble estimating people's ages: Wicks was a perfect example. And she herself often was mistaken for someone ten years younger.
Charlie walked off and Ellie was left standing with the driver. He was typing into his phone - probably texting a girlfriend, she thought - and so Ellie busied herself with her itinerary. Heading off to the residential facility, then the orientation meeting, then welcome dinner. She knew it so well as she had done nothing but obsessively read the materials Teaching Abroad had sent her. She idly wondered about her room at the residential facility. She hadn't lived in a dormitory in college and wasn't sure what to expect. Would she have a roommate? Could Charlie be her roommate? She giggled. Shouldn't she, a grown woman of thirty, be able to think of a male roommate without giggling?
"What's so funny?" Charlie asked. He was handing her a paper cup and she took it without thinking.
"Nothing. What's this?"
"Coffee, or café con leche. I asked Raul what I should order." He motioned towards the driver who nodded his head in their direction at the sound of his name. "Good thing I could remember the name for coffee," he said his eyes twinkling. Ellie looked at him, bewitched by his blue eyes. She must have looked bewildered because Charlie followed with, "Coffee. For you. Because you're jet lagged."
Ellie broke out in a huge smile. "Thanks Charlie. That is so gentlemanly of you."
Charlie smiled back, "Anything for a fellow teacher starting this crazy adventure with me." Swoon. Stop it. "Shall we go?" he asked, following Raul towards the airport exit.
I think I might follow you anywhere. Stop it, Ells. No crushes on your coworkers. It's practically a golden rule. "Sure," she said, taking a grateful sip of the delicious coffee.
Raul ushered them to an older green Mercedes Benz and Ellie was impressed, expecting something much less plush for their ride to work. She had exchanged another grin with Charlie as they each slid into a backseat and Raul loaded their luggage in the trunk. Ellie felt all charged up during the ride into Madrid proper from the airport. She was exhausted from the travel and emotional turmoil of leaving her familiar home for a new job thousands of miles away but she felt... alive. It was as if she could glimpse the vibrant person she once was. The coffee was further fueling the excitement she felt about starting at Teaching Abroad. Preparing for this moment was nothing like the experience of actually being here.
The sleek airport was surrounded by industrial suburbs: high rise apartments with swaths of open land, railway yards and factories. She had been expecting charming, old-world buildings and narrow, cobblestone streets. She frowned as she spied barbed wire surrounding a billboard for chocolate Príncipe cookies. Barbed wire? Like at home.
"I didn't think it would look like this," Charlie whispered to her.
"Me neither," Ellie whispered back, pleased he was engaging her in conversation. Gah Ellie, desperate much? She had been hyper aware of the handsome man sitting next to her and had been absently thinking of conversation starters as they drove into the city. She didn't want to miss the opportunity to speak with him while they were seated so close to each other and alone. Pleasant conversation with a good-looking man: Spain 1, back home 0.
"I expected it to look like Italy, I guess."
Ellie turned to face him, "You've been to Italy?" she asked eagerly. She definitely had an interest in visiting Italy during their vacation breaks.
Charlie nodded, his eyes lighting up. "After college. Me and a buddy wanted to backpack across Europe. Turns out we could only afford one country. So we picked Italy. We went to Rome, Pisa, Florence and Venice."
Ellie sighed wistfully, "That sounds wonderful."
Charlie laughed, "Yeah, I guess so. I probably didn't appreciate the finer things that Italy had to offer. My buddy and I were more interested in eating and drinking than museums and historical sights. We visited those too but by the end of the trip it was mostly planning our day around bars we wanted to see. Plus, my buddy picked up an Italian girlfriend around day ten and she traveled with us for the rest of the trip." Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. "Needless to say it wasn't fun being in that beautiful place when they couldn't keep their hands off each other."
Ellie laughed. "Why didn't you get yourself an Italian girlfriend?"
Charlie grinned, "I could have, I guess. I just felt weird going out with someone I would never see again, you know. I am more of a relationship man than a dating man."
Swoon. Stop it. Ellie just nodded as she didn't know what else to say without getting too personal. She was pleased to hear his characterization of his dating habits. Or at least what he says they are, she chided herself. She thought of Jane's characterization of her marriage. You don't know him. He could even be in a relationship or married. Ellie's eyes compulsively looked over at his left hand next to her. No ring.
"So, where are you from Charlie?" He grinned. Did every question make him smile? Ellie wondered if she could get tired of seeing his smiling face. Yes, I would. So much cheeriness cannot be natural. I will commence eye rolling if this is him day-in and day-out.
"Seattle originally. I have been moving around a bit for the past few years though. I just left a small town in Michigan. You?"
Ellie was curious to know what brought him from Seattle to Michigan but answered, "San Jose, California. More or less. A little town not too far away from there."
"Do you like it there?"
Ellie shrugged. "I'm here," she said simply. She had mixed feelings about her hometown at the moment. Thoughts of it bred frustration about the direction of her life.
Charlie nodded, "I know what you mean," he said somberly and turned to look back out the window.
Wow, a morose Charlie. So, that is what he would look like without a gigantic smile. Ellie was more curious about her new colleague.
His melancholy didn't last. "Ellie," he exclaimed, pointing out the window on his side.
She peered out his window and saw what she had been hoping to see; they had entered the city of Madrid. Trees lined the sidewalks which were bustling with passersby, walking dogs and clasping the hands of children tightly. An elderly couple exited a huge iron gate backed with glass. The old woman's hand was linked firmly in her companion's arm as he struggled to put on a brown chapeau. Ellie saw colorful shop windows, displaying clothes and toys and food. The buildings looked like mismatched socks, each slightly different, one abutting the other. Their colors were muted whites and yellows and reds. Some were brick and some had a plaster exterior. Curving iron was everywhere, decorating doors and windows, creating flower boxes and ornate balconies. She gasped as the car drove around a large plaza, a statue of a chariot and lions adorning the center with fountains surrounding the monument. Charlie looked equally impressed. "This is what I imagined," Ellie said. Charlie nodded reverently. They rode in silence, each lost in their eager survey of the city, until Raul pulled over the Mercedes. He gestured up at a pine green painted building with cream trim around the main door and windows. Residencia Santa Maria de Europa. They were here.
Residencia Santa Maria de Europa was to be Ellie's home for the next year. She hadn't found any information about it online and so she wasn't sure what to expect. Raul piled their bags on the curb, waved curtly, and was back in the car, pulling away. "And away he goes," Ellie said quietly.
Charlie walked ahead of her, easily clearing the two steps up to the front door, propped open with a large rock. Ellie grabbed her two suitcases, rolling them to the steps. As she hoisted the first, Charlie's large hand covered hers. "I'll get them, Ellie."
Swoon. Stop it. "My hero," she sung, imitating Olive Oil.
"I yam what I yam," Charlie said amused.
Ellie was delighted he got the reference. "Really, thanks. I'd have been here forever trying to lug these up a couple steps." She stepped through the doorway into a small courtyard. There was a second door and Charlie rang the doorbell. A voice answered, "¿Sí?"
Charlie glanced at Ellie, worry about his language skills etched on his face. Ellie stepped up and put her mouth near the speaker. "Hola, somos Ellie Bennet y Charlie Bingley. Estamos aqui para Teaching Abroad." A loud buzz sounded and Charlie reached for the door, pulling it open and using Ellie's larger suitcase as a weight for the door.
"All I understood was your name, my name, and Teaching Abroad," he said with a laugh.
"I just announced who we are and what we're here for."
"It sounded great," Charlie said appreciatively. Once he had carried their combined luggage into the small vestibule they ventured further in.
They were met by a small woman with gobs of eyeliner and shocking pink blush. The smoke lines around her mouth made her appear older than her makeup was portraying. "Charlie, Ellie welcome. I am Carmen Cano Conejo, the lead administrator at the Madrid campus. I want to welcome you to Santa Maria de Europa, your home for the next year." She waved a hand lazily at the small desk that was just through the foyer of the residencia. "This is Javier, your portero. I believe in America he is called a "super". She said the word super like "sue-pair." Ellie was in love already. "If something breaks, find him, or if you need something, ask him." Javier nodded shyly at the new arrivals.
Carmen walked around to Javier's desk and grabbed two envelopes. She handed one to Charlie and one to Ellie. "Here are your room assignments and keys. During our first meeting later we'll go over the living accommodations in more detail. For now, put your luggage away, rest, relax or go explore the neighborhood. Just be back here," she pointed over to a small door with a mottled glass insert and a sign labeled "Sala 1", "by five o'clock." Ellie arched an eyebrow at Charlie. It was only about 10:00 a.m. She would have plenty of time to rest and then explore before the meeting. Carmen showed them to a tiny elevator. "Normally we prefer you take the stairs, but today, with the luggage, you are fine."
Charlie and Ellie squished themselves into the tiny space, accompanied by Ellie's luggage and Charlie's duffels on top. "We must look like a can of sardines," Ellie griped.
"I feel like it," he quipped. She shivered as his arm brushed hers. They reached the second floor slowly and exited. "I'm this way," Charlie pointed down towards one end, "and you're the opposite."
Ellie chided herself for feeling disappointment that they weren't roommates. On the other hand, it has been five years..."I guess I'll see you later," she said glumly.
"Want to explore the neighborhood with me before the meeting?"
Ellie brightened. "Sure, Charlie. I'd love to. Come get me later?" Charlie nodded and started walking down the hall. Ellie oriented her suitcases and pulled them towards #217, her home for the next 12 months.
Her room was neat and compact. Ellie smirked. It was tiny, actually. About half the size of her bedroom at home. An army green blanket covered the small twin bed. We'll have to change that, she thought as she ran her fingers over its scratchy surface. A small desk and wardrobe were shoved against one wall and her bed was against the other. A rectangle window, taller than it was long, was in between the edge of the desk and head of her bed. She frowned. Where was the bathroom? Her body and mind were warring against her desire to figure out the bathroom situation so she rolled her luggage to the end of the bed, removed the ugly coverlet and laid down.
Ellie awoke a few hours later, disoriented and groggy. Figuring out where the bathroom was located was now a necessity. She propped open her door and walked down the hall. Two doors down she found an oversize bathroom with two stalls and two showers. Communal bathrooms, goody. On the other side of the bathrooms she found an open doorway leading to a lounge with couches, a kitchenette and a TV. There was also a small balcony that looked over a giant interior courtyard. Ellie walked out onto the balcony, enjoying the fresh air and sun on her face.
"Hello?" she heard a voice call uncertainly. She spun around to see a tall blond woman with a crooked nose and a shy smile. "Are you with Teaching Abroad?" she asked.
"Yes, I mean, I'm a new teacher here. I'm Ellie."
The girl's smile grew. "Me too. I'm Charlotte. Nice to meet you." Ellie said the same and came inside from the balcony. Charlotte had gotten to the residencia last night. "I had decided to come into Madrid a few days early to look around; get a feel for where I'm going to live, you know? I was able to check in here last night. It was pretty lonely as no one had moved in yet from Teaching Abroad. Only the teenage boys were around."
Ellie raised her eyebrows. "Teenage boys?"
Charlotte giggled. "I guess the higher floors are dormitories for high school boys. Kind of like boarding school. I saw so many of them in the laundry room and lounge downstairs that I asked Carmen about it this morning." Charlotte giggled again. "I'm just glad they're not on our floor. I already feel too old to be living in a dorm room and to have to feel like the Mom of the bunch..."
Ellie agreed. She hoped they wouldn't be seeing much of the boys while she was here. "Hey, Ellie," a voice called. She turned to see Charlie in the doorway.
"Hey Charlie, this is Charlotte." Charlotte and Charlie introduced themselves to each other. Ellie saw Charlotte go a little pink when Charlie reached out his hand to shake hers.
"I was just coming out to see if you were awake and interested in exploring. Maybe we can get something to eat?" Charlie patted his stomach for emphasis.
"Sure thing. I'll grab my purse. Charlotte, would you like to join us? Charlotte has been here for a few days, maybe she can show us around?"
Charlotte blushed again. "Thanks guys. I was just about to Skype with a friend back home. Maybe another time?" she looked up hopefully at Charlie.
Ellie narrowed her eyes. Back off blondie, I met him first, her inner bitch growled.
"Sure, Charlotte." Charlie smiled at her and then turned his attention to Ellie. That's right, eyes back on me, Ellie thought. "I'll get my camera and then meet you back out here," he said to Ellie and then walked down the hall.
"What a cute puppy," Charlotte said in a schmoopy voice.
Ellie laughed. "Puppy?"
"Found you here. Happy to see you. Adorable." Charlotte said, her eyes lingering where Charlie entered his room at the other end of the hall. "I wouldn't mind if he followed me home, if I wasn't kind of, sort of attached to someone..."
"The friend on Skype?"
Charlotte nodded. "It's a long story. One I guess I don't mind sharing with perfect strangers that I'll be learning to love over the next year, though. So, I'll tell you about him later. Go have fun with your puppy."
Ellie and Charlie strolled down the street outside of their residencia. Ellie was amazed how inside it had seemed like a cool, dark, quiet cave but outside everything was in full relief: blindingly bright, vibrant and loud. Next to the residencia was a pharmacy on one side, "That should come in handy," Charlie remarked, and a shoe cobbler on the other. They passed several bars, an electronics store, a stationary shop and a children's clothing store. Charlie pointed across the street to a storefront with a cheery yellow awning displaying the name Pans & Company. Pictures of sandwiches covered the windows. "Want to try?"
"Sure," Ellie said. She hadn't tried Spanish cuisine before and a sandwich seemed harmless. The inside was reminiscent of an American fast food restaurant. Charlie looked to Ellie for translation but many of the food vocabulary was unfamiliar. In the end they pointed to a picture on the menu and hoped for the best.
Ellie learned more about Charlie's background while eating. He had worked for Teach for America after college, thought he'd go on to teach full time but then had a job opportunity in his uncle's steel factory. The pull of the money was great and he worked there for several years until the factory went under as the economy shifted. "After that I spent some time addressing other family obligations and finding myself. I had a friend who had worked for Teaching Abroad's Shanghai campus and he told me all about it. It sounded like a great gig, and I didn't have anything going on in my life at the moment so I jumped at it. And here I am."
Ellie also shared her experiences with Charlie. "So, after the second layoff this seemed like the perfect fit for me. Living with my parents and sister again was stifling. I am an introvert. I crave my alone time and it felt like they were everywhere." She noticed Charlie's slight frown at this and wondered if he was offended. "Don't get me wrong. I love my family and I'm grateful for their assistance in my time of need. I just felt like I was standing still. Lydia probably thought I was moving backwards."
"Lydia's your sister?"
Ellie nodded. "And Jane. They're kind of one of the reasons why I'm here." Ellie didn't go on to explain Lydia's hurtful, drunken assessment of Ellie's life or Jane's own sad example of what Ellie didn't want to do.
"So, you're an introvert?" Charlie asked before taking a large bite out of his bocadillo de tortilla.
Ellie screwed up her mouth in thought. "Pretty much. I'm a teacher, so I do enjoy some human contact," she joked. She wasn't sure if she should blurt out her agoraphobia and other related fears just yet. Maybe once they got to know each other better and she had some drinks in her. "I just don't feel energized after all that contact. I need time to decompress; hide in a dark, quiet space, you know."
Charlie let out a laugh. "I don't know actually. I guess you could say I am a classic extrovert because I crave that contact." Ellie shivered at the way he emphasized the word crave. "In Michigan I was pretty isolated and I found myself starting conversations with people standing in line with me at the drugstore." Ellie smiled in understanding and suddenly Charlie's face turned serious. "If I'm getting to be too much, just let me know. Like now, if you want to go back and have some time to yourself, I'll understand."
Ellie laughed out loud. "I don't have a disease Charlie. I'm not going to grow warts or turn purple from too much human interaction and friendly conversation." She softened her voice. "But thanks. It is easier when others know about this and can help me out in," she gestured her hands wildly, "chaotic situations. My sister Jane lets me squeeze her hand when it's all getting to be too much and I need a break."
Charlie smiled again. "Well, you can just squeeze my hand when you need a break." Swoon. Stop it, Elizabeth Mae Bennet!
They walked around their neighborhood some more, remarking about places they wanted to return to. Ellie was increasingly attracted to Charlie. He was polite, handsome, considerate of her feelings and they had just met this morning. A part of her was also concerned that the emotional upheaval that a move across the globe causes would make her see Charlie or any other person in a much more rosy light. As they separated to each rest some more before their five o'clock meeting she gave herself a stern lecture to not fall for him until she got to know him better. At least a little better.
A/N: Ok, I promise I'm not in love with Charles Bingley. I say this because my other story, Unfathomable, has an Elizabeth-Bingley premise. I just like foils. Right?