Chapter Twelve:
A/N: hey, so short update! I don't really have any plans for after this, so I didn't know where to draw the line. And I wanted to update quickly so that last chapter can have closure. Please review and I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!
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"Wait, Lizzie," Will ran to stand in front of her, "what I mean to say is that I—I like you, very much so."
"What?"
Will didn't mean to say that; he wanted to tell her how he felt because it was becoming overwhelming, but he didn't just want to announce it without any precedent, "Lizzie, I have liked you for a while, but I kept my feelings repressed because well…you're you" he tried to make amends for what he had said previously, knowing that she thought it was to offend her. He tried to explain honestly what his feelings were but all eloquence that had once existed in his head had long since left.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lizzie's face was beginning to turn crimson with anger. All the emotions from when Richard had told her what Will did to her sister were coming back to her in full force. She wanted to hit him, but her logic kept her from injuring herself further, and humiliating Charlotte at her own wedding.
"C'mon, Lizzie," Will ran his hand through his hair anxiously, "You argue with me every chance you get, and that makes me nervous to say anything to you." Shit, he thought immediately after finishing his statement, that is not what I meant to say. It was impossible to properly iterate everything that he had in his head; he had spent countless nights going over exactly what Lizzie was to him and what he felt in perfect expression and he had hoped to explain it as clearly to her. But his thoughts on Lizzie had morphed into poorly timed insults; Will decided that he needed to somehow recompose himself.
Lizzie rubbed her hand on her dress to calm herself, "Will, honestly, I am a little confused, but I appreciate the sentiment," she lifted her eyes to meet his, "I just don't know what you want me to say to that? That I like you too? I am sorry that I have to let you down like this, but your feelings are most definitely not reciprocated."
Will felt like he was falling, and had finally hit the ground, "You…don't reciprocate." Lizzie nodded in confirmation, "May I ask why?" He finished, stiffening his posture. He felt anger and embarrassment rising in him, but was completely unable to stop it.
"Are you kidding me?" Lizzie scoffed, "You just told me that I bother you, yet you somehow like me. Are you crazy?"
"You don't like me just because you think that what I said about you bothering me was an insult?" Will asked, "Lizzie, I didn't mean that as an insult."
"No, I dislike you for many reasons," her eyes became lit with raw anger, "how could I possibly have feelings for the guy who singlehandedly ruined my sister's happiest relationship?"
Will paused, so she had heard about it.
"God, you don't even deny it," she began again, the premonition of hot tears pricking her eyes, "do you even feel bad about it? I have never seen my sister so defeated, and she's the kindest person I have ever known. It's like kicking a puppy, Will."
"I don't want to deny it," Will's anger had reached its apex and it was beginning to spiral down uncontrollably, "Your sister was not as serious about the relationship as Charlie was, I simply suggested they take a break from each other. If you thought Jane's boyfriend wasn't truthful about the nature of their relationship, wouldn't you tell her to let him go?"
Lizzie recollected the times she had done just that, "Yeah, but the difference is Jane actually breaks up with them; she doesn't just leave without as much as a goodbye. Charlie gave her no closure whatsoever, she doesn't know what happened and it killed her." Lizzie's own anger was quickly rising to meet Will's.
"I did what was needed to be done," Will crossed his arms in front of his chest in defense. Will wanted nothing more than to leave her presence and nurse his wounded pride. But Lizzie was not done with him.
"But it's not only your horrendous treatment to my sister that causes me to hate you," Lizzie lifted her chin slightly and pushed her shoulders back to give her a more confident appearance than the crutch offered, "after I heard what you did to George Wickham, I knew that you were the worst person that I have ever met."
"George Wickham?" Will asked in astonishment, scarcely believing what he was hearing, "How do you even know him?"
"That's not any of your business," Lizzie repositioned the crutch under her arm that was cutting off the circulation to her hand, "what is important is that you ruined his life, and still treat him with ridicule."
Will's mind was reeling, what is she talking about? What has Wickham told her? "Is that it?" he managed sarcastically, his facing contorting with the raw emotions that were clouding his judgement.
"And then you called me 'vile' the first time we met!" Lizzie added at Will's invitation, "we had barely spoken, and I tried to make conversation with you! You're the one who was 'vile'"
Will furrowed his brow as he tried to remember the party. He had no memories of ever saying something negative about Lizzie, and then his memory brought his conversation with Charlie about his sister. His anger and clouded acumen prevented him from talking any more to Lizzie, afraid that she might retaliate more.
"I'm sorry I have wasted so much of your time," Will looked at the ground, and glanced at the bag in his hand, "I got you this."
He handed her the bag and looked once more at her confused face before turning to walk down the hall to the reception hall.
Once he was out of sight, Lizzie sat back down and opened the box in the bag. Inside was a pair of chocolate brown hiking boots, with a striped fabric on the inside of the shoe. Lizzie picked up one in amazement, examined the bottom tread and the overall quality. She pushed the tongue of the shoe out and noticed the Merrell logo printed on the inside. She looked up at the door where Will had escaped to a moment before, and immediately felt guilty.
This newfound guilt passed over quickly when she remembered what he had said to her.
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"Will, are you okay?" Richard asked his cousin when he sat in the chair next to him, returning from following Lizzie out of the room. Their aunt had left their table to join Ricky and Charlotte sitting at the main table. They were alone in their private corner of the room. Many of the guests were dancing and enjoying the young evening.
"I'm fine," Will replied darkly, his eyes glazed over with his embarrassment as he over-analyzed what had just transpired between them.
"What did you tell Lizzie?"
"I just gave her a pair of hiking boots I bought yesterday," Will shifted uncomfortably next to Richard.
"You bought her hiking boots?" Richard questioned, smiling and arching one eyebrow, "how adorable."
Will sighed and put his elbows on the table and his face in his hands in exasperation, "I screwed up horribly."
Richard's face softened when he saw his cousin's distress, "What did you do?"
"I told her I liked her," Will looked up from his hands, "but I did it in the worst way possible. I can't help it; whenever I talk to her I just colossally mess up."
"How badly did you piss her off?" Richard asked knowingly. He had never met two people who were as talented at angering another off with such fervor as Lizzie and Will.
"Really badly,"
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Lizzie woke early in the morning at a knock on the door; she quickly glanced at the clock on the table next to her, 6:30 a.m. She groaned loudly before slinging back the covers and using her crutch to stagger to the door.
"Richard?" she remarked when she opened the door, seeing a disheveled but fully dressed man before her, "why are you here so early?"
"We're leaving soon," he ran his hands through his hair, "I just need to give you something," he reached into his pocket and fished out a slip of paper folded neatly, "here," he said handing her the paper.
"What's this?"
"Listen, it's Will's but I really need you to read it," Richard's eyes pleaded when Lizzie up looked at him, "he is really messed up right now, and if I tell him that you promised to read it, it'll give him some comfort. So promise me, please, Lizzie, just read it,"
Lizzie sighed, too exhausted to argue with him, "Fine, I promise,"
"Awesome," Richard smiled and moved to place his arms around Lizzie in a warm hug, "Goodbye, Elizabeth Bennet."
The door closed and Lizzie placed the paper on the table before curling back up into her next of warm blankets, trying her best to fall asleep. She laid in bed for a half an hour before succumbing to the reality that she was not going to fall back asleep, and sat up to look at the paper sitting on the table. It was practically screaming at her to open it, but she remained frozen on the bed. After contemplating what the letter could possibly contain, she moved to open it.