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“Hey, there you are!” Lizzie chirps as Charlotte’s face appears on her laptop screen. “Can you see me?” she waves and grins toothily at her webcam.
“Yes, yes, I see you. Back up a bit; I’m seeing more nostril then I should.” Lizzie laughs and adjusts herself, and Charlotte approves, “Much better.”
“Sooo… what’s new with you? Any exciting news at Collins and Collins?”
“Elizabeth Bennet.”
Lizzie raises her eyebrows at the intense stare that Charlotte is beaming through the internet. “Yes, Charlotte Lu?”
“We are not here today to discuss Collins and Collins.”
“Is that so, ‘Ms. Lu’?” Charlotte’s only response is a raise of her own eyebrows. “Fine. So what are we here to discuss?”
Charlotte grins at her obvious prompt. “Well, Lizzie… I would love to hear all about how you enjoyed those ‘unforgiving hills’ on your San Francisco tour today.”
Lizzie casts her eyes down for the merest of blinks - the smallest fraction of a second needed to hide her loss of composure from her lifelong best friend. “It was a lovely adventure. The city is breathtaking. I enjoyed seeing all the sights.”
“I see.”
Charlotte and Lizzie match gazes, both waiting to see who will break first.
After several seconds, the twinkle gleams in Charlotte’s eyes, the smile itches at one corner of her mouth, and she blurts, “And the company? Were your tour guides ‘lovely’ as well?”
Lizzie again looks down, away from her friend’s scrutiny. She picks at a speck of dust on her keyboard as she answers. “Yes. Yes, they were.”
Charlotte gives her a moment to elaborate. When Lizzie does not, Charlotte asks, “Is that all I’m going to get here? I want some juicy details!”
Lizzie glances back to Charlotte. “What do you want me to say, Charlotte? Both Darcys were very pleasant. Very… amiable. Their company was the highlight of the day. GiGi was pure sweetness and energy and sunshine and kittens, and Darcy was…. I don’t know. He was… Darcy. But different. Like ‘new and improved’ Darcy.” Lizzie re-focuses on the keyboard dust. “God, Charlotte. Do we have to talk about this?”
“What, you mean emotions and feelings and opinions? Yes, it’s a best friend requirement that we have honest discussions about those things.”
“Emotions? I am not being emotional here. Darcy is not an emotional topic for me.”
“Okay.”
Lizzie furrows her brows. “All you’re going to say is “okay’?”
“Well, if there’s nothing more that you have to say on the top-“
“If there’s any emotion involved, it’s pissed-off-edness!” Lizzie interjects, her voice rising. “Because I just don’t get him! With the history between us, it totally annoys me that he can just be so damned nice and so fucking attractive all of the fucking time, Charlotte!”
Lizzie’s hands pause in their flailing, and she freezes as Charlotte’s mouth pops open. “Goddammit.” Lizzie mutters as she slumps down in front of her computer, face burrowed in the nest of her arms.
Charlotte snickers, then softly asks, “Can we revisit that last statement, Lizzie? I believe you said that Darcy is ‘so fucking… ’ what was that word you used?”
“Attractive,” Lizzie moans into her arms. “I can never un-say that, can I?”
“Nope.”
Lizzie takes a deep breath, and raises her head to peer at Charlotte, smirking on her screen. “But I’m not wrong, am I? I mean, you know, he’s a handsome guy, right? It’s not just me! It’s a fact. He’s hot. Just because I find him to be really, exceptionally attractive doesn’t mean I want to have his babies or anything. I’m just human, reacting to another profoundly good-looking, sexy person.” Lizzie stops rambling and darts a slightly crazed look at Charlotte. “Do you think he’s attractive?”
“Well, of course. He IS. He’s easy on the eyes… But.” Charlotte studies Lizzie’s flushed face before answering. “But, I have a feeling that your appreciation of his attractiveness might surpass the mere aesthetic notice that I take of him.”
“I am sure, though, if you could see him as I have recently, your appreciation would also transcend aesthetic levels. You haven’t seen him here in San Francisco. He’s so comfortable, and confident! It shows in his mannerisms, in the way he carries himself.” Lizzie looks wistful, and Charlotte knows not to interrupt. “He looked so good today. Like inspiring-dirty-thoughts good, Charlotte. His hair was all mussed, and he has this jawline that is just asking to be nibbled on. And don’t even get me started on his bottom lip!” Lizzie braces her elbows on her desk, and covers her face with her palms. “Charlotte?”
“Yes?”
“He was wearing glasses.”
Charlotte bursts out in a rare bout of raucous laughter. “Wow, it’s like somehow he knows all the things that will appeal to you, right? An intelligent, handsome, family-oriented gentleman, who wears suspenders AND ties AND glasses?”
From behind her hands, Lizzie adds, “and they were ridiculous, nerdy, awkward, hipster glasses. You know that geekery turns me on…”
“So what are you going to do with this information – this sudden realization that you’re attracted to Darcy?”
Still hiding behind her hands, Lizzie sighs. “It’s not… sudden, Charlotte. Last week, when we were filming Episode 80, he turned around to leave the room, and all I could focus on was how much I wanted to dig my heels into his firm little ass! And, really, if I’m being totally honest with myself, if he hadn’t been such a pretentious rat bastard back at the Gibson wedding, I would have found him sexy even back then!” Lizzie’s head again slumps down onto her arms. “Ohhhh, Charlotte… what am I going to do?”
“Lizzie, I love you, but this is not a conversation that you need to be having with me.”
Lizzie raises her head. “I can’t just talk about it with Darcy! ‘Hey, I think you’re super-hot and I’d love to see what you look like naked?’”
“He might really, really appreciate that sentiment, Lizzie.” Lizzie narrows her eyes at Charlotte. “Fine. I just meant that I can’t give you the answers here. You have to own up to your feelings, whether they are purely physical or if there’s something else there, and decide what you want to do about them.”
Lizzie leans against her propped arm, and took a deep breath before nodding at Charlotte.
Charlotte wrinkles her nose at Lizzie before adding, “And in the meantime, I’ll send you some batteries.”
Lizzie laughs heartily. “I adore you, my naughty, wise Bestie.”
“Right back atcha, my confused, horny Bestie.”
They both wave as they ended their video chat. Lizzie sits back in her chair, and closes her eyes. An image of Darcy in profile, looking out over the bay, floats up from the depths of her mind. Opening her eyes, she impulsively reaches for her phone. She opens twitter and types “@wmdarcy Thank you and Gigi for an awesome day.” and posts before she has a chance to overthink it.
Two minutes later, she drops her phone on her computer when both chime loudly and simultaneously. She snatches up her phone and reads the new tweet. ” @TheLizzieBennet Our pleasure.”
Lizzie clutches her phone to her chest, and wonders what Monday will bring.