Chapter 5

A Private Realm

Gigi chirped with enthusiasm,"Lizzie, you're doing so well!"

"This is the sixth game and you've already beaten me!" Lizzie was overcome with heaving breaths that she placed her hands on her knees. "Dang I'm so, so out of shape. Your skills are unmatchable."

"Thanks, but you're a great player too. Way better than most people I've played, especially Will. You've really improved over the week. Remember the first score? This time it was 48-56!"

"Yeah and this game killed me! Okay, let's…let's just settle down." Lizzie dropped her tennis racket and went to the sideline to sit down in a white wicker chair. Gigi sat down next to her.

"I'm really glad you're here," said Gigi genuinely. There was that winsome smile that broke down Lizzie's barriers.

Lizzie and Gigi's friendship had deepened greatly in the past few days. They not only bonded over tennis but over the discussion of books. When Darcy was in a meeting or answering an important phone call, Gigi and Lizzie spent time in the Darcy library recommending books to each other and sipping their favorite teas. Lizzie already felt nostalgic about the memories. Whether it was mutually teasing Darcy or analyzing fictional characters, she would miss Gigi dearly when her shadowing was over.

"Me too, I've had a lot of fun being shown up by you," Lizzie replied earnestly.

Darcy emerged from the kitchen with two bottles of water. Lizzie suddenly became very conscious of how she looked. The color of her face most likely resembled her hair. She quickly swiped her hair back from her sweaty forehead. Throughout the week spent in Darcy's offices and visiting his home, she felt her feelings slowly turning in a perplexing direction. Only recently she cared how she looked around him. Darcy found another wicker chair and placed it by theirs.

"Did you finally beat her?" he asked, full of hope.

"Nope. Hate to disappoint, Darce, but I'm defeated yet again. I'm beginning to want to dig a grave for myself out of shame. I shutter to think of what my high school coach would say if he saw me now."

"She was so close though!" Gigi said, her arms gesturing at Lizzie excitedly.

As soon as the bottle was in her grasp, Lizzie gulped her water down entirely.

"You really worked hard," said Darcy, his voice mingled with concern. He put his hand on Lizzie's upper back. Darcy and Lizzie's physical proximity to each other had become gradually closer during the week. While watching a BBC mini-series after work, Darcy seemed to move noticeably closer to Lizzie in comparison to Gigi. Even when Lizzie was shadowing his company during the day, he seemed to regularly brush his elbow against hers or quickly put his hand on her arm when speaking to her.

It was not just the physical proximity where they became closer but also the emotional. It seemed that Darcy took Lizzie's ideas more seriously than any CEO should with a graduate. He listened fervently as she explained how he should integrate YouTube into the advertising aspect of his company. He often expressed to her his genuine appreciation for her rare wisdom and innovation. He claimed because of her extensive vlogging experience, "she was a gem to the company." He even hinted of his desire to hire her for future employment. There were many times when they worked over time discussing ideas together with the advertising section of his company. Lizzie was often surprised at how well they worked together from a professional standpoint.

"You should rest inside," he said, in concern.

Lizzie laughed faintly. "I'm fine, oh chivalrous one."

She sprung up from her chair quickly, perhaps a little too quickly for she was off-balance. She underestimated her faintness. She didn't want to seem like a Victorian lady so she tried to shrug it off. Darcy immediately steadied her, with his arms around her, playing the chivalrous role yet again.

"Don't worry about it," Lizzie said. She was used to taking care of herself. She was always stubborn to receive help, even from Charlotte. Having a self-indulgent whiner of a mother had taught her self-sufficiently from an early stage.

"Here, please let me help you," said Darcy, gently.

Over the week, Darcy had become so gentle and sweet to her. He made her feel like one of the most important people to him. It seemed that way with Gigi too. She learned by watching them of his attentiveness to his sister. His dedication to Gigi had become one of many traits came to admire about him. Fitz was right; Darcy really cared for the people in his life. The main question on her mind, was she becoming one of them?

Darcy led her to the couch slowly while Gigi finished cleaning up after their game. Lizzie felt her head throb obnoxiously. Maybe hitting her head while she was twirling her racket in victory of a score wasn't the smartest thing she could've done.

"It looks like you got hit." He rushed into the kitchen and quickly brought her an ice pack. He tenderly put it on her thumping head.

"Thanks." When she looked into his vivid blue eyes, her heart fluttered rapidly. She had glimpses of this fluttery feeling during the week, but never this intense. He lightly put his hand on the pack to keep the ice in place for her. She impulsively touched her hand to his. Gigi abruptly came in through the sliding doors and knelt by the couch.

"Are you okay?" she said, breathlessly, "Was it the twirling racket incident?" There was a hint of laughter underneath her worry.

"Twirling racket incident?" Darcy questioned, an eyebrow raised jestingly.

Lizzie avoided admitting to her twirling racket failure due to embarrassment.

"I'm fine, he's taking good care of me."

"That's my brother for you. "

…

After Lizzie's nap and the lobster dinner, Gigi went upstairs to finish more homework, leaving Darcy and Lizzie alone to settle in one of the private living rooms. Darcy started a real wood fire and then joined Lizzie on the crimson Persian rug. If someone had told Lizzie she would be laying down on a rug next to Darcy meditatively glazing into a fire a few weeks ago, she wouldn't called them mentally deranged.

It was refreshing to see Darcy, usually prestigious in manner with the faint glow of the fire on his face; his body lying limp on the floor, looking truly relaxed. Darcy propped his head with his hand and turned towards her, an apprehensive look on his face.

"Lizzie, I'm really happy you're here. I'm sorry, if that's strange to hear. I can be rather abrupt with my…my feelings and they tend to be unexpected." He said this shaking his head regretfully, no doubt in recollection of his love confession to her.

Lizzie smiled coyly and shook her head. "No, no. It's good to hear that. Well, I assumed you don't hate me being as you keep inviting me after work. But…" She stopped herself and forced out the truth.

"I'm really happy to be here too. Thanks for being so welcoming to me this week."

"Well, you've been such a help to us at Pemberly and for that I am truly grateful. You've also been so good to Gigi, she really enjoys your company. Honestly, I can't remember the last time Gigi and I were this happy to have a guest here. We're more content to be alone since…" he stopped, and cleared his throat.

Lizzie was suddenly made more aware of the main source of Darcy's intensity. His social barriers made more sense to her now. She used to think of Darcy as someone frankly impossible to figure out, or perhaps she didn't want to. She never assumed a depth to his robotic tendencies.

"Since your parents died," she finished for him. "I'm so sorry Darcy."

His usual sturdy, opinionated voice suddenly became a little weaker, almost vulnerable.

"I just worry for Gigi and her happiness. She's been so strong but being without a women figure is difficult for her. And upholding my father's company admittedly has its own stresses."

It became clear to her why he incessantly worked; he was trying hard to be everything for Gigi and for his father's legacy. The pressures of fulfilling those roles must be great indeed. How was it that she could've ever been so cruel to him? Willfully misunderstanding people was a description of her that bore truth. She made a weak attempt to comfort him.

"As anyone would in your situation. Will, I know that I always talk badly about my parents and their eccentricities, but I don't know what I would do without them."

Darcy laughed slightly in return, "That's true. I've realized that you love your family, and as you should." He suddenly became downcast.

"I'm sorry for judging them so harshly, that was truly heartless of me, " he said.

She swatted the air with her hand dismissively, "It's okay there's no mistaking the craziness."

She wanted to say how sorry she was for judging him but she couldn't muster the confidence to do so. Maybe it was her pride preventing her again. She gulped down her feelings, trying to overcome the inevitable vulnerability. She simply wasn't ready to be vulnerable around Darcy, even if her feelings had inexplicably changed for him in some uncertain direction. To lighten the mood and to avoid any more self-exposure, she changed the subject.

"So Gigi told me today that you have a private ballroom and that you both take lessons together."

"It's true. Though I doubt you would've guessed it at the previous dances we shared." There was strange buoyancy in his tone.

Lizzie scoffed jestingly, "Well, the third time's a charm and besides, it's past my turn to ask you to dance."

She bounced up from the rug and gave Darcy her hand to help him up.

"If you insist, though I cannot promise it will be any less awkward than before." Darcy let out a sigh but as he did, Lizzie caught a small trace of a grin.

"We'll just have to see, Darce."

…

The majestic ballroom was like a modernized duplicate for the ballroom in Beauty and the Beast. The life parallels weren't lost to Lizzie's notice. The ballroom floor was a deep glossy stenciled wood. The oval ceiling was probably 50 feet tall with a massive silver chandelier hanging from it.

Darcy pointed the remote at a massive stereo surround sound set. A smooth, jazzy voice echoed off the walls.

Upon the music, his concentration immediately focused on her and nerves gripped her from such undivided attention. His hand extended to clasp hers and the other fell surprisingly naturally on her waist. He was effortlessly guiding her; very unlike the first two dances they shared. In the previous dances, Darcy was awkward and seemed unsure of what to do with her, but now, he moved her body with a certainty that was insanely attractive. He twirled her into himself, his toned arms flexing around her. Despite his arm's momentary constraint, they produced a feeling of bewitchment and freedom.

Lizzie couldn't help voicing her surprise.

"Gosh Darcy, why didn't you start showing me this side sooner? You could've been the life of the party right up there with Fitz!"

When the song's tempo slowed, they naturally moved even closer together with barely an inch between them. He surprised her again by dipping her slowly and passionately. She could feel her heart race at the newfound passion Darcy emanated towards her. His heartfelt gaze was soft and intense all at once and stripped her raw of all her defenses against him. As his eyes peered hers, the pure love within them was evident. His eyes seemed all knowing, her body and her soul to be easily deciphered by them. In reaction to such a perceptive gaze, all essence of time had collapsed to her. As he brought her up slowly, she had to blink herself back into the normal pace of the world.

She rested her head on his chest, a new home for her anxious, over-analytical mind. Lizzie felt a deep urge within herself to kiss him. She also felt that Darcy was looking at her lips with an unmistakable curiosity. She forced herself to look up at him. She struggled for composure but found it difficult with so many feelings under the surface. She never expected these feelings with him; they petrified her senses. She decided she wouldn't let fear of the unknown ruin this moment. She nodded her head slightly as if giving him permission to kiss her. They both leaned in painfully slow, both losing sense of reality when suddenly a voice distorted their private realm.

Ringing through the ballroom was the fake-pleasant voice of Caroline Lee.

"Lizzie, what a lovely surprise! Gigi just let me in. So sorry to interrupt your little dance, I just heard the music and followed it." Her giggle was nauseatingly sweet.

"Caroline, what are you doing here?" Darcy asked plainly, his annoyance unhidden.

"Now, now, Darcy, Bing's here too. We just thought we'd drop in and visit for the weekend, which I'm sure is fine with you."

Never had Lizzie felt more frustrated at Caroline's talent of perfect timing. Darcy looked at Lizzie apologetically; he then gave a reluctant nod towards Caroline.

"That's fine." Darcy said, "We'll be there in a moment."