A/N: I was going to do homework but I thought nahhh. Enjoy your reading while my grades suffer.
Ch. 5
To Elizabeth's dismay, Charlotte had no problem with the potential interview.
Elizabeth had walked into her office first thing in the morning. Charlotte was already busy typing away on her blog. She looked up and saw Elizabeth uncomfortably standing in the doorway.
"Come on in, Liz. What's up?" Charlotte asked.
"Nothing much. I have something to ask you."
"Shoot."
"So Jane told Charlie I was a journalist and now Charlie wants me to do an interview on Will for his upcoming film." Elizabeth left out the part about Will liking her writing because she didn't believe that herself. "I know you've wanted to interview him for a really long time so I told them that I would ask you first. I understand if you don't want me to do it." Elizabeth spat out quickly. The sooner she said it, the sooner it would be over with.
"Are you kidding?" Charlotte stood up with an amazed look. "That's so great! Of course you can, why would you need to ask for my permission?"
Charlotte walked up to Liz from behind her desk and gave her a big hug.
"Well, I just thought you would be a little mad. Plus, I was kinda looking for an out. I don't really want to do this."
"You have to! This is amazing opportunity! It can jump-start your career."
"But I don't write about famous people, you do."
"Oh come on, people are just like food!" Charlotte joked. "Besides, you have to be a versatile writer. Go for it!"
Elizabeth didn't know what to say. As much as she didn't want to write an article on Will Darcy of all people, she felt like she had to. Everyone was encouraging her to, and Char was right. This would be an amazing opportunity for her career. Will Darcy interviews were so rare.
"Alright." She finally said after a long pause. "I'm going to go call Jane and tell her to tell Charlie."
Elizabeth turned out into the hallway and Charlotte peeked out the door and watched her walking away. "That's my girl!" Charlotte yelled loudly and waved to Elizabeth, causing many people in the cubicles to turn and look at the two.
Liz blushed at everyone looking at her. She was giggling as she sat down at her cubicle.
Elizabeth knew that she had to call Jane and tell her that she would do the interview. She dialed the number and waited for her sister to pick up.
"Hello?" A voice on the other end came.
"Charlie? Is that you?"
"Yea, It's me. I'm with Jane right now. Turns out that she's part of the set designing team for the new movie Will's doing so we decided to grab a bite to eat. Did you need her?"
"I called to tell her that I would do the interview, but I guess I can tell you too." Elizabeth chuckled and she heard Charlie laugh too.
"That's great! I'm so glad you can. We googled you to find some of your old articles. They were really good. Will was pretty impressed."
There it was again. Will was impressed. Charlie was probably just saying that to flatter her.
"I'm sure he did." Elizabeth said, not even bothering to hide her sarcasm.
"No, really. I think he stayed up all night reading stuff that you wrote. He said he found a short story by you that he really liked."
Elizabeth covered her face with her available hand in embarrassment. "Oh God. I wrote that in high school for a creative writing competition. I didn't think they put it online. That's so embarrassing!"
"I thought it was fantastic." Charlie reassured her. "Will made me read it."
In the background, Liz could hear Jane's voice asking if Charlie was talking to her.
"Liz, your sister wants to talk to you now. I'll see you soon."
"Okay, Charlie. It was nice talking to you." Elizabeth answered.
There was a brief pause. Liz guessed that Charlie was handing the phone over to Jane.
"So you decided to do it? Char is cool with it?" Came Jane's voice.
Elizabeth sighed. "Yea, I am." She changed the subject to something that was on her mind since Charlie answered Jane's phone, "So...Charlie, huh? You too saw each other on set? It must be fate."
Jane giggled like a little girl. "I hope so. We'll talk about this another time though. I'm kinda busy right now."
"I understand. I won't keep you any longer. Have fun."
"Thanks, bye." Jane said and quickly hung up the phone, not even waiting for a response.
She must really like him, maybe even love Liz though. It made her smile.
Now that she got that over with, she returned to her work for the day, which turned out to be quite uneventful.
Will was up all night trying to get her out of his head. It didn't help that he stayed up until two in the morning reading old articles he found online written by Elizabeth Bennet. She sure did have a way with words.
But it wasn't just words that drew him to her, it was her entire being. Something about her was just different. Different than Caroline Bingley, different than any other girl he had ever dated.
She definitely wasn't the most gorgeous woman on the planet. Her sister seemed to be the real beauty. Even though Will tried, Elizabeth just couldn't be put into words. He felt attracted to her in a way that he never felt before.
Maybe it had to do with her eyes. Were they green? Or blue? He couldn't really see in the darkness of the club, but there was a sparkle to them when she talked. At the club it was almost embarrassing how many times he was caught staring at her.
Will sighed. I couldn't possibly chase after Elizabeth Bennet. I have a reputation. Will thought. Hopefully the interview would go quickly and he would be able the get that wonderful, yet unsuitable woman out of my mind.
The rest of the week passed and not a day went by that Elizabeth didn't worry about the interview.
Saturday morning came, and the weather matched her mood. Clouds were rolling in and the sky was dark. Liz rolled out of bed at nine-o'clock, dreading the day.
She walked out of her room in a sleepy state to find Jane curled up on the couch with a bowl of oatmeal. The tv was turned on to the Weather Channel and Jane was studying the forecast.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Elizabeth grabbed the remote and pressed the 'mute' button. "I can't stand this channel. It's elevator music on a loop."
"I was curious about the weather. They're saying that there is going to be a storm tonight and probably a lot of flooding. I wonder if we should go today." Jane pondered.
"Nah, let's just get this over with. The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can get Will Darcy out of my mind." Liz grumbled.
Jane had made plans with Charlie earlier in the week for Elizabeth and Jane to drive up to Charlie's house. That way Jane would get to spend some time with Charlie while Liz interviewed Will for the article.
"Alright, Well I want to leave before the weather gets too bad so get a move on and we can leave in an hour." Jane said, returning her empty oatmeal bowl to the sink.
"Aye Aye, Cap'n!" Elizabeth joked and she saluted her sister. The corners of her mouth turned up and Liz found that it was a struggle not to laugh.
In the hour that followed, Elizabeth ate breakfast, had a cup of coffee (or two), took a shower, and got dressed.
The getting dressed part was the hardest for Liz. It wasn't that she wanted to impress him, she just didn't want a repeat of the club. 'I wouldn't want to hurt your delicate sensibilities, Mr. Darcy' Elizabeth thought as she laid out some more modest clothes.
This time around, she wore a pair of khaki pants that she had to roll up a few times to accommodate her petite frame, a white blouse, and a navy blazer to top it off. Liz wanted to look professional. She was on the job, after all.
At 10:01, Elizabeth emerged from her room, only to find a distressed Jane.
"Come on, Liz!" Jane said, wringing her hands. "The clouds are getting darker and darker and I'm afraid we'll get caught in a storm."
"Jane, It's going to be fine. It will probably rain for five minutes and then stop." Elizabeth reasoned. The weather in early March was like that sometimes.
"Just to be safe, I want to leave now." Jane said firmly.
Without another word, Jane grabbed Liz's arm and they were off. As they walked to their parked car on the street, Elizabeth felt a raindrop hit the back of her neck. Not wanting to worry Jane, she said nothing.
The navigation system in their Honda Accord said that their drive would take about an hour. 15 minutes into their ride, it started pouring and Jane panicked. She hated driving in the rain.
Elizabeth offered to switch places but Jane refused because she didn't want to slow down. It seemed that nothing would stop her from seeing Charlie.
The two sisters made it there in one piece, despite Jane's erratic driving.
As they pulled up the driveway, they could see the large, regal house growing larger and larger. Jane gasped at the sight and whispered something to herself that sounded like 'I think I'm in heaven.'
The rain still hadn't let up so they parked the car near the door and made a run for it. Elizabeth, being on the passenger side, reached the door with minimal rain hitting her, but Jane was soaked by the time she reached the door.
Without even knocking or ringing the doorbell, the door swung open and Charlie's broad smile greeted them. "Welcome to Netherfield!"
In the background, Will emerged, covering his face with his hands, slightly embarrassed by his friend. "He named his house. He's rather proud of it." He finished with his mouth turned slightly upward. Elizabeth took that for his version of a smile.
Taking in Jane's shivering body, Charlie ushered them in and hugged her body close to him. "Damn this weather. It's so unlike L.A. Let me get you a blanket, Janie."
Charlie then ran off to find Jane a warm blanket and left the others in silence. Will put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor, and Elizabeth hugged Jane to try to warm her up.
Just as Charlie returned to Jane and wrapped a blanket around her, a figure appeared at the top of the steps.
"Oh, Caroline. Come here and meet Jane and Elizabeth. These are the girls I've been talking about." Charlie said and waved his hand, inviting her to join them.
Caroline descended the steps slowly, her hand on the banister and her hips swinging back and forth. She was tall and had a slim figure, almost too slim. Her hair was flaming red, just like her brothers. However, unlike Charlie, there was no feeling of warmth when you looked at her.
She reached the bottom of the steps after what seemed like an eternity. The rest of the group was waiting rather impatiently for her to make her way down the steps.
Finally, after looking Jane and Elizabeth up and down, Caroline spoke. "So nice to finally meet you Jane, Elizabeth. Charlie has told me so much about you two." She forced a fake smile and shook both of their hands with her fake nails and cold grip. It reminded Elizabeth of a predatory bird.
Before either of them could respond, Caroline had turned to Will. "Willy, my dear. It's so tragic. I was supposed to have an outdoor shoot today but this dreaded rain is keeping me in. I guess you'll just have to keep me company." She fake pouted and grabbed on to his arm.
Will looked up from the floor slightly to acknowledge her presence, but didn't do more that that.
"Oh, that's right, you're a model. What is it that you model, again? Was it hats? No, gloves, maybe?" Elizabeth asked with mock sincerity.
Caroline's mouth dropped open and Will coughed to hide his smile. Even Charlie laughed, but Jane looked to Elizabeth with a mortified look.
Elizabeth returned the stare with an innocent smile and a shrug.
"Close your mouth, Caroline. You're catching flies." Charlie said, still in a fit of laughter.
Still in shock, Caroline opened her mouth to speak. "I have never been talked to that way! How rude!" She finally said and stomped out of the room.
Shrugging off Caroline's dramatic exit, Charlie led the group into the living room.
"I made some hot cocoa for us all, let me go get it." Charlie said.
"I'll help you, Charlie." Jane said quickly, putting the blanket down and following Charlie out of the room, leaving Will and Elizabeth alone.
Will took a seat on the sofa and Elizabeth, not really wanting to be near him, sat in one of the comfy chairs across from the sofa.
He looked at her for a second then said, "So..."
Will's mid was reeling. He didn't know what to say and he was a little nervous. Green. Her eyes are definitely green Will thought. The prettiest shade of green I have ever seen.
Not knowing how to respond, she repeated the "So..."
Luckily, before the atmosphere could get anymore awkward, Jane and Charlie returned, mugs of hot chocolate in hand. Jane handed one to Elizabeth and Charlie handed one to Will. Then, they took a seat next to each other on the sofa.
Once they were all settled with their hot beverages, Jane spoke up, "Charlie, you have a lovely home."
"Thanks. I just bought it. Usually when Will does a film in L.A, we rent an apartment downtown, but I've been wanting to get a house here for a while. When I saw this house on the market, I thought 'It's now or never!'" Charlie explained.
"Why don't you live here full-time?" Liz asked.
It was Will who answered her question, "I have a home in New York that has been in our family for generations, so I live there when I'm not filming. Charlie's kind enough to let me live with him for now."
Charlie added, "He prefers the peace and quite of his home in upstate New York. He spends as much time there as possible, so It's not really worth it for him to buy a house here too."
"That's good. At least you're smart with your money, unlike a lot of other celebrities." Jane joked.
Just then, Caroline strode into the living room, squishing herself next to Will on a couch that was clearly only made for three. In her effort to be closer to Will, Caroline caused him to spill some of his hot chocolate on his clean, white shirt.
"Sowry." Caroline pouted. "I just want to be near you all the time, Willie." She finished as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
"Caroline, please stop." Will said curtly, seemingly put-off by Caroline's advances.
Elizabeth tried to itch her nose to cover her growing smile, but to no avail. Her giggles caught the attention of Caroline. Caroline was seething. If looks could kill, Elizabeth was sure that she would have been dead by now.
Will took this opportunity to untangle himself from Caroline and get up from the sofa. He quickly excused himself from the company to go change his shirt.
By the time that the laughter died down, Will emerged, leaning on the door-frame wearing an old tee with The Beatles on it.
"So can we get this interview over with?" Will asked, a little bit annoyed.
Over with? Even though Elizabeth had said something similar earlier, she wouldn't dare say it to his face. But since he brought it up, maybe now she would.
"Let's." She said, trying to sound pleasant. "The sooner we start, the sooner you can go back to moping around."
Liz got up from her chair, placed the empty cup on the side table, and looked to Will to see his astonished face. She was pleased with herself that she could get that kind of a reaction out of him.
"I'm not moping." Will shot back.
"I beg to differ."
"Alright." Charlie interrupted before their argument got out of hand, "How about you two go into the study for the interview. It's quiet in there. We will be out here if you need us."
With that, Charlie gave Will a behave-or-else-I'll-murder-you-in-your-sleep look and returned to a conversation with Jane.
This has not gone as planned so far. I was hoping for this to be a quick visit, thirty minutes tops. It's been fifteen and now Caroline has ruined one of my shirts. But knowing that if he made another comment he would be in trouble with Charlie later, Will lead Liz to the study silently.