The End of a Very Long, Bad Day

By Jennifer Lynn

Part I

Posted on Saturday, 27 November 2004

Elizabeth blinked several times, gripping the cart that held her overhead projector. The door slamming shut jarred Elizabeth out of her bemused daze. School ended. It was Friday and yet she had no feelings of joy for the weekend.

Her first instinct was to lock the doors and close the blinds. She could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes, but blinked them back. Elizabeth could not break down at work. Not here. Especially not here. The thought of a student or another teacher seeing her crying was not an option.

She also could not leave. The thought of facing someone in her current state was unbearable. Elizabeth could not pretend she was feeling great, looking forward to the weekend. She was not one to put up a mask for appearance's sake.

Instead of barricading herself in her classroom, Elizabeth went to the phone and dialed his number. It was impulsive, but she needed to speak to him.

Even though it had been nearly two months since she had spoken to William.

When she remembered that detail, Elizabeth was ready to hang up the phone. Instead, she heard his clipped voice, "This is William Darcy."

Elizabeth felt her throat tighten.

"Hello?" There was a pause before he said, "Is this. . . Elizabeth?"

It took her a second to croak out, "Yes."

"Hold on." She heard him excuse himself, probably from a meeting, and in less than a minute, he was back on the phone. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry. You're busy. I shouldn't-"

"No, it's alright." There was concern in his voice. "It took me a minute to recognize your work number."

"Oh." She forgot he had it programmed in his cell phone.

"Did something happen?"

"I. . ." She steadied her breath. "It's just . . . it's been a really bad day."

"I'm sorry."

"It was stupid of me to call. You're probably very busy and . . . I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. You can tell me what happened." He paused before he said, "Was it a parent?"

"Actually, it was two."

"They doubled team you?"

Elizabeth could not help but laugh. "Not exactly. They were parents of two different students. One came first and then shortly the other."

"Maybe they should put a revolving door in your classroom."

She laughed again, but it was small.

"Did they hurt you?"

"No," Elizabeth felt her throat tighten again. "It's just . . . I can handle one parent, but two in one day. . ."

"Were they rude to you?"

"The first parent was Michael's mom. She was angry with me because I forgot to ask her son for his essay."

"Wait, Michael . . . the autistic kid?"

"Yeah. I'm not making excuses, but it's Friday. So many kids come and go to check their grade and . . . the one time I forget. . ." She sniffed and cursed to herself. "I. . ."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"I don't know."

"I can be there in fifteen minutes." He did not like the sound of her shaky voice.

Elizabeth's grip on the phone tightened. "O.K." They said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone.

She went to the windows and shut the blinds. She locked the door. She needed some private time.

However, when Elizabeth had a chance to survey her classroom, she realized she had to prepare her lessons for Monday and enter the nouns test results into her grade book.

She erased her white board and put up the new agenda and the homework for the week. Next she began inputting the test scores. She had only put in two scores when she realized what she had agreed to.

She was back on the phone and she was relieved to hear William's voice.

"Elizabeth?"

"William, you don't have to come."

"But, it's not a problem."

"No, it's alright. I'm alright."

"But, you sounded-"

"I know, but I have some things to do and . . . it's helping."

"Oh." He sounded disappointed. "Well, are you alright to drive?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She hesitated before she said, "Thank you anyway. I hope you have a great weekend." Then she said her goodbye and hung up.

She returned her attention back to her work. It's what had kept her going for the last couple of months.

William pressed the end call button on his cell phone. He stared at it for a few seconds before he was brought back to the present by the sound of his secretary clearing her voice.

"Mr. Darcy?"

He saw the expectant look of not only his secretary, Theresa, but two of his business associates from the Paris firm.

Theresa said, "Is everything alright?"

He nodded, but did not say anything.

"So, will we be continuing with the meeting?"

"Yes. I won't be leaving after all."

Theresa gave him a concerned look, but his determined expression told her they would continue with the meeting. Theresa translated to the French men that they were going to continue.

They gave her an expression of relief.

He put his phone away. He thought about shutting it off, but decided against it. "S'il vous plaît continuer."

William could understand French. He could read and also write it, but very little. He could carry on a conversation, but with business matters, he preferred to have Theresa by his side because she was fluent and it helped move the meetings along faster.

He also could rely on Theresa to take very good notes, so he could let his mind wander a little.

In the four months he'd known Elizabeth, there was only one time he heard her sound so broken. It was when she discovered that he had interfered with her sister, Jane, and his best friend, Charles', relationship.

He had told Charles that it did not seem like Jane felt the same way Charles did. William told Charles it was a mistake to propose to Jane especially since they had been dating for only five months. Charles took William's advice and not only held off on proposing, but had told Jane that they needed to take a break from their relationship.

The injured tone in Elizabeth's voice was very fresh in his memory as well as the truth about Jane. He was wrong about her and according to Elizabeth, Jane was mending a very broken heart.

His breath always caught whenever the image of Elizabeth's crushed expression came into his mind. She thought she could trust him and she had respected him. She could not continue seeing the man who ruined her sister's happiness.

Those were Elizabeth's last words to him two months ago.

However, it was not as if he was idle during that time. He was quick to amend his unfounded assumptions. William admitted to Charles that he was completely wrong to have interfered with his relationship with Jane. It was wrong of him to base his judgment of her on mere observation. He had been in Jane's company, but never really made the effort to get to know her.

Charles was at first surprised, then angry. He was more angry at himself for not trusting his own judgment. He forgave William. Too quickly for William's taste, but he was not one to argue. It took some time for Jane to accept Charles again. But, she did. William had also apologized to Jane. She forgave him, stating she understood he was trying to protect his best friend. William also felt she was too quick to forgive him as well.

In that time, he also made a concerted effort to get to know Jane. He realized with stunning clarity how right Elizabeth was in accusing him of his officious interference. Jane and Charles were not only well suited for each other, but were also deeply in love.

During the whole time William was getting to know Jane, Elizabeth had maintained her distance and silence. It was painfully clear that Elizabeth was not as forgiving as Jane. Would she ever forgive him?

He was beginning to think she would not. For weeks, she purposely avoided seeing or talking to him. He believed even Jane took up his cause, but Elizabeth was resolute.

Then she called. Out of the blue. He was about to let his voicemail answer, but when he saw the number flash on the screen and realized it was Elizabeth's work number, he took the call.

The raw emotion in her voice shocked him. William had imagined the next time he would speak to her, he would see her sparkling eyes and hear the playful tone in her voice when she said his name.

It was as if he had been brought back to that day, but this time something else had caused her pain. It tore him up inside that he could not do anything to help her.

Or at least, she would not let him.

William got to his feet when he realized his business associates were leaving. Theresa wished them a good evening and that they would meet again Monday morning.

When they were gone, Theresa said, "For all you know, I could've embezzled millions of dollars and put the blame on the French."

"You wouldn't have." He chuckled.

There was a slight tilt of her chin, "What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"Because you love working for me."

Theresa tried to be affronted, but she felt the back of her neck burn. She cleared her throat. "Actually, Richard had offered to increase my salary and include holidays off if I became his secretary."

"Theresa," he lowered his voice, "you know I'm prepared to do anything to keep you."

For a minute, an image of William and herself cruising the Caribbean in his private yacht entertained her thoughts. However, she didn't think her husband and children would like that at all. She cleared her throat again. "I'll make up a list."

He chuckled and then said, "Have a good weekend, Theresa."

Theresa took that as her cue to leave. "You too."

He watched her walk out before he took his seat again. He had a phone call to make before he decided what he was going to do about Elizabeth.

Elizabeth drove home almost two hours later. Work had a way of immersing her in a world where her only concerns were her students, their lessons, and their assignments. Then there were the minor details to contemplate and modify, for instance students being out sick or personal problems at home.

She shook her head to shake off the memory of her student, Meg, falling apart after school. Meg was an outstanding student, but at home, her parents were recovering from surgery. Her mother had donated a kidney to her father. The chances of compatibility were slim, but when her parents found out they were compatible, they went through with the procedure. While her parents recovered, Meg was staying over at her grandparents' home.

One of Meg's problems was that her grandparents did not have a computer and she was not sure if she would be going home over the weekend because her parents were still recovering. Meg's biggest worry was the group grade and she did not feel confident that her group would earn a good grade because some of the other members did not give their best effort, Meg felt. Meg was hiccupping and weeping as she spoke.

When Elizabeth created the project, she delegated tasks for each student in the group. She knew it was not fool proof, but she figured at least this way, the work would not fall on one student.

However, talking with Meg, an outstanding, conscientious student, Elizabeth learned Meg had taken it upon herself to insure that her group would get a good grade on the project by taking over some of the other group member's responsibilities.

Though Elizabeth's heart went out to her student, she understood Meg's need for getting a good grade and sympathized with her current home situation. Elizabeth told Meg that she would call the other students in her group to work on the pictures for the visual aspect of the project. She also decided that instead of a group grade, Elizabeth would grade each person on the work they did.

Meg was greatly relieved and Elizabeth was pleased that she could ease some of her student's worries. She hugged Meg and told her that on Monday, she would check on her group to see if the other members followed through with their responsibilities.

Meg had only left a few minutes later when her mother walked into the classroom alone. The expression on Meg's mother's face told Elizabeth she was not pleased.

Her mother stated that she had not talked to Meg about what they discussed, but she thought that group projects were the stupidest assignments teachers ever created. Meg's mother went on to say that she did not understand how Meg's teachers could screw her over with assigning group projects and putting her in groups that had other students who were half-assed at best.

Elizabeth had barely heard the rest of the mother's tirade. She was still recovering from Meg's breakdown and the other parent who had come in earlier, discovering that Elizabeth had not made sure her son turned in his essay, and so let Elizabeth know she was not doing her job.

She was 0 for 2 and by the time Meg's mother left school, and school had only been out for forty minutes.

Elizabeth let the soothing voice of Nora Jones playing on the radio ease her frustration.

It's not the pale moon that excites me
That thrills and delights me,
oh no
Its just the nearness of you *

Nora Jones' voice had a drowsy, yet welcoming quality. It made Elizabeth want to lounge in bed and snuggle up next to-

Elizabeth snapped out of her daze. She had become very good at preventing her thoughts from wandering to William. It was not easy, but in the last week and a half, she was able to not think of him so much. She even believed that she was fine.

Then the feelings of the terrible after school incident hit her. She had felt so alone and vulnerable. Elizabeth could not turn to anyone.

Except William.

Her instincts told her to go to William.

Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountain top
Come away with me
And we'll sit on a mountain top**

Elizabeth parked her car on the street and then walked up to her apartment. She was glad that Jane would not be there. Jane had been slowly moving in with Charles and even though Elizabeth missed her sister, she realized that Jane was beginning a new life. With Charles.

It was hard for Elizabeth not to confide in Jane. There were many instances where Elizabeth came close to telling her problems at work, but she could not bring herself to do so. Elizabeth knew that eventually the conversation would turn to William.

Jane had forgiven William. Elizabeth thought she did so a bit too easily. Yet, she could not criticize her sister because being forgiving was one of the qualities she admired in Jane.

One that she was sorely lacking in.

Elizabeth walked in the front door and put her stuff down. While she looked through her mail, she heard a noise in the kitchen.

"Jane?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's me."

Elizabeth did not move from her spot. "I didn't know you were coming over."

Jane came out of the kitchen. "I was picking up some things and thought a cup of tea sounded good too."

"Oh." Elizabeth hugged her sister. "I thought you were having dinner with Charles and Caroline tonight."

"I am, but not until much later. Caroline's out shopping."

"I see."

"Did you want some tea?"

"That sounds great. Let me get out of these work clothes first."

Elizabeth walked to her room. She wasted no time shedding her button down shirt and pants. Since she was spending time with just Jane, Elizabeth put on her pajamas which consisted of red and pink checkered flannel pants and a white tank top with little red flowers dotted across the neckline.

She padded out of her bedroom to the kitchen. She heard Jane talking to a man, she figured to be Charles. Perhaps Caroline was ready for dinner.

Elizabeth said, "I suppose Caroline has cleaned out Nordstrom's and is finally ready-" When she turned the corner, it was William, not Charles that Jane was talking to.

"Elizabeth, William came by to see if you were alright."

She looked at Jane then at William. "I . . . I said I was fine."

"I just wanted to make sure you got home alright."

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Thank you."

There was an awkward silence.

Then Jane jumped in her spot and said, "Look," she turned around and retrieved a vase from the sink which was filled with a bouquet of daisies, "William brought these for you."

Many expressions crossed Elizabeth's face while she stared at the flowers. When she realized Jane and William were waiting for her response, her face relaxed and she said, "They're lovely."

Jane said, "I think this would be great in the living room." She carried the vase out of the kitchen and Elizabeth followed her. William followed Elizabeth.

Jane placed the vase on the coffee table. "Perfect."

"I suppose you're all going out to dinner," Elizabeth said.

"You're more than welcome to come."

Elizabeth looked down at herself. "I'm not dressed for going out."

"I could wait."

"No, it's alright. I was going to order in anyway."

"Oh." Jane looked at William before she said, "Well, I should get going then. Caroline can take hours to shop or be ready within minutes to have dinner." She kissed Elizabeth and said to William, "Caroline will be disappointed that she won't get to see you. . ." She shrugged. "She'll learn to live with disappointment." And with that Jane was gone.

"You're not going out to dinner with them?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, I had not planned to."

She shifted in her spot. "I. . ."

"What were you planning to order in?"

"Order in?"

"For dinner."

"Oh. Right. I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

"Do you still have that stash of take out menus?"

"Yeah."

"Still in the first drawer in the kitchen?"

"Yeah."

William walked to the kitchen. Elizabeth hesitated before she followed him there. Was he planning to stay for dinner? When she reached the kitchen, she saw William rummaging through the menus in the drawer.

"Your collection has certainly grown since the last time I was here."

Elizabeth stood in the doorway. "Well, Jane was the cook. It's just easier to order take out."

He nodded in agreement. Then he pulled out a menu and said, "Here it is."

Elizabeth took a step forward. "Which is it?"

"Tsunami's."

"But, you don't like sushi."

"But, you do."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "So, what are you going to eat?"

"They've got teriyaki chicken."

She studied his face for a moment before she said, "Well, if you're OK with it. . ."

He nodded and took out his cell phone and dialed the number.

"Wait, I haven't looked at the menu yet."

"Don't you always get the avocado roll and the salmon sashimi?"

She wrinkled her brow. "Yeah. . ."

He smiled, and was soon talking on the phone and placing their order.

Elizabeth busied herself with getting glasses out of the cupboard and filling them with water. It disturbed her a little that he could remember such details after two months of not seeing each other. She heard him end the call.

"I . . . I wasn't expecting to see you tonight," she said over her shoulder.

"If it's a problem. . ."

She let his words hang in the air for a few moments, before she said, "Don't you have plans tonight?"

He stared at her back. His eyes were searching for that almost indiscernible birthmark on the back of her right shoulder. He loved her in tank tops. "No. I mean, Jane invited me out to dinner, but. . ."

"She said Caroline would be disappointed."

"She also said she'd have to learn to live with disappointment."

"And of course, you're not one to disappoint."

He recognized that tone. It had lost some of its bite, but he could not mistake the underlying anger. "Elizabeth-"

She shrugged off his hand on her shoulder. "Don't."

"I just-"

"No." She turned to look at him. "I can't do this right now. I can't. . ."

He could see a faint hint of anger in her eyes, but it was overpowered by something else. Pain. Her knotted brow and the line where her curvy lips used to be told him that she was barely holding herself together.

"I was just going to say that Jeopardy is on."

She blinked several times.

"You still watch that show, don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"You've already missed the first five minutes."

At the last second, instead of reaching for her hand, he picked up the two glasses of water. He did not want to push Elizabeth anymore. He was in a precarious position as it was, imposing himself in her home. He did not think she would take too kindly if he tried to. . .

William cleared his throat and then put the glasses on the coffee table. "You know, I can't stop watching Jeopardy now."

Elizabeth sat on one end of the couch, making sure she was a good distance away from William. She did not say anything.

"Sometimes Georgiana tapes it for me when I'm not home." He snuck a glance at her. She had turned on the TV and was watching the show. "It's no fun watching with her because she yells all the answers when I'm watching the tape."

Elizabeth could not help letting a small laugh escape. "How is she?"

"She's fine. A little homesick, but enjoying college."

"How does she like Boston so far?"

"She loves it, but I'm sure she's going to think differently once winter rolls around."

"Yeah, we don't get much snow in California."

"She's awestruck by the Fall colors right now."

"I'm sure it would be hard not to be. California only has two seasons: rain and sun."

He laughed.

They watched Jeopardy in companionable silence. Occasionally, William would yell out an answer. Elizabeth was secretly impressed that he got most of the answers correct.

The Final Jeopardy category was "Brand Names".

"That could be anything." He said.

"Yeah, I'm going to guess, 'What is Coca-Cola?' "

"But, you haven't even heard the clue yet."

She shrugged. "The category is so broad, I don't think I would've gotten it if I did know the clue."

"Oh. OK. Well, I'm going to guess, 'What is Hershey's Chocolate?'"

They debated like this, throwing out other brand names until the show resumed. For all their guesses, neither of them guessed correctly. The correct answer was, "What is Coppertone?"

"It all makes sense now."

"What?"

"Well, that part about developing 'this skin condition' threw me off. There aren't any skin products called Melanoma or anything like that."

He chuckled. "A name like that might turn people off to the product."

"I suppose so."

"Well, if you had a choice, would you choose Coppertone or Melanoma to spread on your skin?"

Elizabeth pretended to ponder the question. "Hmm . . . Coppertone . . . Melanoma. . ."

He shook his head and laughed.

She leaned forward toward the coffee table to get a drink from one of the glasses of water. It was strange and comforting at the same time having William here. She did not know how long she would be able to keep up the harmless banter. Although she found the rediscovered familiarity between them soothing.

"Theresa threatened to leave me to work for Richard."

"Again?"

He nodded with an amused expression on his face.

"How did you get her to stay this time?"

"I told her I was prepared to do anything to keep her."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's low."

"Why?"

"A man like you shouldn't be flaunting yourself that way."

"Flaunting? As I recall, you were the one who said using my masculinity on the female sex could be advantageous."

She sat up in her seat. "I said that if you ever chose to use your masculinity on women it could be devastating." She had one hand on her hip. "And I didn't tell you, I told Georgiana."

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"It seems your family has a hard time keeping confidences." She winced at the statement. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"It's alright."

"No, I like Georgiana and Richard. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright, Elizabeth."

Before she could say anymore, there was a knock on the door and William stood up to answer it. "That should be dinner."

"How much-"

"Don't worry about it."

She did not want to argue with him. She had already put her foot in her mouth and she did not want to bicker about who was going to pay for dinner. Her comment about his family was supposed to be flippant, but after the words had left her mouth, she realized the implication of them. It was Richard who had unwittingly revealed William's actions in Jane and Charles' break up.

After he paid the delivery guy, William shut the door and walked over to the sofa. "I'm going to get a fork." He put the food on the coffee table. "Did you want anything from the kitchen?"

"No, I'm fine."

She watched William walk toward the kitchen. He seemed like he belonged here. Elizabeth took the food out of the bag.

William returned with a fork and sat on the couch. Eating dinner prevented any other conversation. He did not want to spend the whole evening having Elizabeth apologize and him having to tell her it was alright. If anything, he wanted Elizabeth to let him have it. He'd rather risk a full out argument than continue to dance around the subject all night.

He snuck a look at Elizabeth. He wondered why she just tolerated him instead of throwing him out and he saw, for a moment, the unguarded expression on her face that made him want to hold her.

It was beyond anger, hurt, and frustration. It was a tired almost beaten expression. The only thing holding her together was her pride.

And he realized, now more than ever, he wanted to be there when her pride was no longer enough.

*Come Away with Me and **The Nearness of You were borrowed from Nora Jones' CD Come Away with Me.

Part II - Conclusion

Posted on Wednesday, 1 December 2004

Elizabeth did not realize she had fallen asleep until she was brought out of her dreamless sleep by the sound of the opening song for the TV show Sports Center.

"William?"

"Shhh. Go back to sleep."

"But-"

"Shhhh." His fingers lightly stroked her hair.

William's gentle touch lulled her back to sleep. When her breathing became steady, he stopped stroking her hair and returned his hold around Elizabeth.

After Jeopardy and dinner, they watched TV for another hour. Their conversation consisted of inconsequential topics. However, when William tried to steer the conversation towards the one topic they had avoided all evening, he was met by silence.

He thought at first Elizabeth had thrown up her wall of defense, but it turned out she had fallen asleep. At this point, Elizabeth was no longer at the other end of the couch. She sat next to him. Only a few inches apart. Elizabeth had been asleep for half an hour when her head tilted and rested on his shoulder.

In the past, when Elizabeth had fallen asleep, William would carry her to bed, tuck her in, and go home.

This time he did not. He stayed. Next to Elizabeth, watching TV.

He settled himself on the couch, so that Elizabeth could rest her head on his chest and he could wrap an arm around her. She put up some resistance, but when she was safely ensconced on William's chest with his arm wrapped around her, she fell into a deep sleep.

He suspected she had not been getting much sleep. Now that he was able to look at her without fear of reproach, he saw light circles under her eyes and what looked like a permanent line between her eyebrows. Even in her sleep, Elizabeth wore a mild expression of determination.

William kissed her forehead in an attempt to erase the troubled expression. Her expression softened and her arm reached around him, holding him in place.

Which he did not mind at all.

Elizabeth woke up with a start. She looked around and saw that she was in her bed in her room. She realized she had been dreaming. She had been dreaming she was back in her classroom when Meg's mom had visited. However, instead of Meg's mother ranting at her, William had come to her rescue. He had told Meg's mother that Elizabeth would not be treated that way and that he would not tolerate it.

Remembering how he had stood between Elizabeth and the mother in her dream almost made Elizabeth laugh. It was obvious that a part of her wanted to be rescued, but she knew better. Elizabeth could only rely on herself.

She shook her head and got out of bed. She was glad it was Saturday. She needed the break. Although yesterday had been a rough day, she felt rested. In fact, it had been a long time since she had such a good night's sleep.

Elizabeth was on her way to the bathroom, thinking about what she did the night before that had caused her such a good night's slumber. When she remembered that William had been here last night, she stopped in her tracks in the hall. He had been here and the last thing she remembered was sitting on the couch watching TV and occasionally talking, but of nothing in particular. Had she fallen asleep while they were talking?

She turned around and walked towards the living room. She was not sure why, but she had to make sure. When she saw that the couch was empty, a part of her felt relief, another part disappointment. Elizabeth realized a part of her wanted William to be there.

Why would he be? In the past, whenever she fell asleep, he would make sure she was in bed and then would leave. This time was no different.

Except it was.

It was different because this time, Elizabeth was sure she would not see or talk to him again. She knew this because she would not make the same mistake twice. She was not going to let her strength lapse again.

But, there was a part of her that missed him already. A part of her liked how he took charge of dinner and helped her forget about her bad day. She felt her throat tighten.

For a brief moment, Elizabeth was not alone. She was able to survive the end of a very long, bad day because William was there to care for her. And she liked it.

Did that make her weak? How could she still want the same man who betrayed her and her sister? However, the betrayal no longer cut as deep as before. She had been angry and hurt, but when things between Jane and Charles mended, she could no longer find reason for faulting William for meddling with their relationship. When Charles proposed, Elizabeth knew she could no longer blame William for what he had done.

At this point, she was holding on to pride. She was wrong to hold William in contempt, but she had reached a point where she did not know how to turn back.

Two days ago, she was not open to the idea of talking to William. Now she entertained thoughts of being with him, having him by her side at this very moment.

She wished he was still here. She wished that when she woke up, he was the first person she saw. Elizabeth wanted to be with him not just because she liked his company, but because she was tired of denying her true feelings.

She loved him and he was the only person that could make her happy.

The thought had stopped her cold in her tracks to the kitchen. Elizabeth had buried her feelings for so long, she could now barely stay standing. She had let her resentment and pride fuel her through the last few months that now she was unsure how to proceed. Acknowledging her true feelings was such a foreign action. What could she do? Could she do anything?

She had kept her silence and distance for two months. Would he be open to starting up again? Would he hear her out? Would he still want her? Most importantly, what could she say?

Before she could really work herself into a frenzy of worry, she heard the door to Jane's room open. Elizabeth was glad that Jane was home. She wanted to talk to Jane about what to do.

Elizabeth sat on the couch and waited for her sister. Instead of Jane emerging from the doorway, it was William. His dress shirt was opened down the front. He had on a fitted white t-shirt underneath. He had his slacks on and was wearing dark socks. He had taken off his shoes.

Elizabeth blinked several times in surprise and stood up. "I thought you were Jane."

He ran his hand through his hair. "No, I'm sorry to disappoint you." He walked toward the couch. He was not sure if he should sit or stand. "It was late and. . ." He remained standing.

"I'm not disappointed."

"You're not?"

"I mean, I don't mind that you're here. I mean . . . What I mean is. . . " She closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them and said, "I'm . . . are you hungry?"

"Hungry?"

Elizabeth walked to the kitchen. "I'm going to put on some water for tea."

William stood in the doorway of the kitchen. "Need any help?"

Elizabeth opened and shut cabinet doors. "No." She opened the fridge. "Not unless you have breakfast up your sleeve."

He smiled and stood behind her and peered into the fridge. He saw two bottles of water, an apple, and half a bottle of cranberry juice. "Ah, breakfast of champions."

Elizabeth could feel his breath on the nape of her neck. One of his hands rested on top of the open refrigerator door and the other on the freezer door handle. She had to stop herself from melting into a puddle. "I think there's some pancake batter somewhere." She extricated herself from his arms.

"I thought you already looked through the cabinets." He closed the refrigerator door.

"I didn't look carefully enough." Truth be told, she was doing anything to keep her attention not on William's presence.

"Here it is." He pulled off the prepackaged mix from the top of the fridge.

Elizabeth turned around. "Oh, I guess that's where Jane kept it."

He shook his head and opened a cabinet door. "Before Jane met Charles, you must've been a kept woman."

She put a hand on her hip. "You think I can't take care of myself?"

William poured some mix into a bowl. "Of course you can take care of yourself. You just tend to forget to feed yourself every now and then."

"I . . . I . . ." She could not really argue that point. "Sometimes I'm busy with work."

He turned around with the bowl in his hands. "I'm busy with work, but I remember to eat."

"Well, I don't have anyone to constantly remind me to eat something."

"I can see that." He looked down at the bowl and stirred the mixture. "It doesn't have to be that way."

Elizabeth ignored the invitation she thought she heard in his voice. "I think Jane used to keep frozen berries in the freezer." She walked away from him to the freezer.

"Where do you keep your pans?"

"Bottom cabinet."

She pulled out a frozen bag of berries from the freezer. "Do you still not like raspberries?"

"I never said I didn't like raspberries." He put the pan on the stove.

"Well, that one time we had that white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, you didn't eat the raspberries."

"Wait, when was this?"

"I don't know."

"I don't remember eating any white chocolate raspberry cheesecake."

"It was. . ."

"It was when?"

"Never mind." She opened the fridge. "I really need to go shopping." She pulled out the cranberry juice.

"Wait, when did we eat white chocolate raspberry cheesecake?"

Elizabeth poured some juice in a glass. "It was a long time ago."

William thought for a moment and flipped a pancake over. "I don't usually eat cheesecake."

"Really? Then that would explain why you barely touched it."

"When was this?"

"It was . . . that night when. . . I met your cousin Richard."

William put the last cooked pancake on a plate and turned off the stove. "Oh." He brought the plate of pancakes to the table in the kitchen nook. "That's a strange detail to remember about that night."

She shrugged and continued spooning the berries in a bowl. "I think Caroline was beside herself. Two very eligible bachelors were invited to her brother's house and she didn't know which to pay more attention to."

He chuckled and after a moment, he said, "So. . ."

"So . . . you don't like raspberries or cheesecake then?"

"I like raspberries, but not cheesecake."

"Then why didn't you eat the raspberries?"

"Because they were covered in cheesecake stuff."

She could not help laughing. "It was just raspberry sauce."

"Well, whatever it was, I like my raspberries simple and unadulterated."

She shook her head.

William went to the fridge to get some butter and syrup. Elizabeth brought the berries to the table. Then she retrieved some silverware while William brought the juice over.

They sat at the table together. It was somewhat pleasant and discomforting at the same time. Elizabeth usually slept in late and picked up lunch. She could not remember the last time she made breakfast on a Saturday morning. William never in his wildest dreams, imagined that he would get to talk to Elizabeth let alone sit in her kitchen sharing breakfast with her. That's what couples did. The thought crossed both their minds and it was unsettling for only one of them.

"The pancakes are good."

"Thanks. They were a lot easier to make than I thought."

"Jane can make pancakes from scratch, but she always keeps the batter mix just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"Just in case I decide to make breakfast."

"I see." He chuckled.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence. Elizabeth felt that at any minute they would have to talk about what happened. They danced around it when she brought up the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake incident. That was the night when Richard had unwittingly revealed how William interfered with Charles' and Jane's relationship. After Richard told her what William did, she noticed a marked difference in Charles' behavior.

She replayed that night over and over in her mind. It was a private torture she put herself through. Every nuance and every word that was said was embedded in her mind. By that time, she and William had been on three dates and although she thought he was reserved, she later learned that he was not the type to express his feelings openly. When he told her on that very night his feelings, she received them with shock and utter disbelief. If he really cared for and enjoyed being with her, how could he hurt her sister by taking away the man Jane loved?

"All done?"

Elizabeth looked at William and realized she had stopped eating. "Oh . . . uh . . . yeah."

"You didn't eat much."

"I have a lot on my mind."

William nodded, but he didn't say anything.

"I think I should . . . I better get dressed."

"Alright." He watched Elizabeth leave the table and disappear into the hall. He knew she was thinking about that night. He hoped she didn't think he was uncaring because he couldn't remember the dessert they had that night. It was actually quite the contrary. The expression on her face when she said she could never trust him again was forever etched in his mind.

He cleared the table and proceeded to wash the dishes. He knew he hurt her, but he never really understood how deep that pain was until last night and this morning. He knew Jane and Elizabeth were close, but by the way it seemed that Jane took care of Elizabeth, their relationship was beyond what he realized. Before he or Charles came along, it was just the both of them. Their bond as sisters went beyond a family connection. They were each other's confidant and friend.

He realized now more than ever what a great wrong he had committed against Jane and how deeply he hurt Elizabeth. He was thankful that Jane was the forgiving type, but not so optimistic about Elizabeth. He considered her current friendliness as mere tolerance. He figured Elizabeth thought they had to be at the very least on civil terms with each other especially because Jane and Charles were engaged and they would be in each other's company more often.

However, the idea did not bother him as much as he thought it would. He spent the last two months without Elizabeth. William thought if she was allowing some type of civility to exist between them, he would take what he could get.

Elizabeth stood in the doorway, watching William wash the dishes. It took her a long time to figure out that even though he wasn't a man of many words, his actions meant volumes. She knew he didn't wash dishes while he was at home. Mrs. Reynolds, his housekeeper, took care of such details, and yet, here he was, sleeves rolled up and elbow deep in washing dishes. How could she ever think he had a malicious bone in his body?

He knew she was watching him, but let the moment go unsaid. William was not sure how long this good will would last and did not want to ruin it.

Finally, when he started drying the dishes, Elizabeth said, "You don't have to do that."

"It's no problem."

"You can just leave the dishes in the drying rack."

"But then who knows how long they'll sit there."

"You don't think I can put dishes away?"

He merely raised his eyebrow at her as he continued to dry dishes and put them away.

"Well, if you're going to be stubborn about it, I'm going to get some work done." She left the kitchen and went to the living room.

She did not want to fight with him. Elizabeth knew he would be leaving soon and she did not want to part with him on bad terms. All things considered, things turned out better than she thought. William came out of the kitchen a few minutes later, and sat next to her on the sofa. This was unexpected because she thought he would try to leave when he was done with the dishes.

Instead, he said, "So, what are your plans this weekend?"

She could not believe her ears. "Plans?"

"Yes. Plans for the weekend usually include activities that you enjoy. Like going to the movies or out to dinner."

A corner of her heart began to hope. "I don't have any." Then she was quick to add, "I have a lot of work to do." The hope was short lived.

"Well, you will have to feed yourself again."

"I know. I'll probably pick up a sandwich or something."

"I see." He pressed a button on the remote and the TV flickered on.

Elizabeth was not sure what to do. She thought he was going to leave, but now it seemed like he was making himself at home. Why was he torturing her like this? The longer he stayed, the harder it would be for her to adjust to being alone again.

"Don't you have plans this weekend?"

"Not really."

"But, work. You always have work."

"Not always."

"Look," she turned to face him, "You don't have to stay."

He pressed the remote and the TV flicked off.

When he didn't say anything, Elizabeth continued, "I'm fine. I'm sorry I called you yesterday, but I'll be fine."

He looked down at the remote. His thumb tracing over the buttons. "So, you want me to leave?"

"I . . . I just don't want you to feel like you have to stay. You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"But, yesterday, you were so-"

"I know. I won't deny that I was pretty shaken up. I was, but I'll be fine now."

"Are you sure because-"

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me."

He let go of the remote and stared at her for a minute before he said, "You think I feel sorry for you?"

Elizabeth looked down at the pile of papers on her lap. "I won't deny that I . . . I appreciate all you've done for me, but I don't want you to feel obligated to-"

"Obligated? I'm not here because I think I have to be."

She looked up at him. "Can we just not say anymore? I don't want to ruin the start of a nice weekend."

William shot up from his seat and paced the room. Elizabeth watched him and waited for some kind of response. He stopped in front of the window when he said, "So, that's it. You really didn't . . . you just tolerated me being here."

"It has been difficult."

"Of course it has. You had a rough time at work and here I am just adding to the stress." He turned to face her. "I'm sorry. I was-am worried about you and wanted to make sure. . .but, I think I've been selfish." He walked towards Jane's room. "I'll just get my things before I leave."

Elizabeth stood up, but in the process the stack of papers on her lap scattered to the floor. William helped her pick them up. When he held the papers out to Elizabeth, he saw that tears were streaming down her cheeks. He put the papers aside and guided her back to the sofa.

He wiped the tears away and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's alright. It's just been-"

"I know. Difficult. I didn't mean to make it more difficult."

"Of course you didn't." She looked at him with shining eyes. "Yesterday, I didn't know who to turn to. When I picked up the phone, I had meant to call Jane. But, I automatically . . . I was surprised to hear your voice, but at the same time. . ." She straightened up and William let go of her. "Yesterday was so difficult, so hard. I've born the brunt of a parent's wrath before, but yesterday. . ." She shook her head.

"You said there were two."

She nodded. "But, I think normally, I would've been fine. It's just that. . . I'm not bothered by what they actually said, but by how they made me feel." She took a deep breath. "They made me feel like I didn't care. They made me feel as if I didn't care about their child."

She blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "The thing is, they will never know just how much I care. They'll never know how much I worry, how much I hope, how much I want the best for their kids." She wiped away the tears that spilled down her cheeks. "I hate that they think I don't care because . . . I do . . . I can't say how much . . . almost everything I do is for them. The kids."

"That's what makes you such a good teacher. I've always admired your compassion."

She gave him a watery smile. "Sometimes I wish I didn't get so involved in my work, but I can't help it. I can't just leave my work at the door. I can't just turn it off once I leave the school gates."

"I know." He took her hand.

"How can you know?"

He squeezed her hand. "That was one of the first things I noticed about you. You love what you do. I've never met anyone so committed and dedicated in their work. I mean, there are people who are good at what they do, but no one I know who really cares like you."

The last part caused new tears to spill from Elizabeth's eyes. "How can you say that? Even after-"

William guided her to him and wrapped his arms around her. He said, "I know you care."

Elizabeth lifted her head and pulled away from him. "See, but that's the thing. You don't."

"I do, Elizabeth." He wiped the tears from her face.

"No." She took his hand from her face and held it. "What happened yesterday . . . it made me realize that I was tired of pretending to not care . . . about you." She squeezed his hand. "I can't pretend anymore." Fresh tears streamed down her face. "I never could. I. . ."

"It's alright, Elizabeth. I understand-"

"No. When I said that it's been difficult having you here, I think it came out the wrong way."

He waited for her to continue.

"It's been difficult because when you leave, I have to return to the fact that I might not see you again."

"But-"

"And that hurts me. Last night, I thought you'd leave and that would be that. But, you stayed. You've never stayed before."

"It was late." He brushed away a strand of hair with his fingers. "I didn't want to leave you."

She blinked back tears.

"I know what I did was unforgivable, but someday, I hope. . . I hope I can at least earn your trust again."

"William-"

"And then maybe we can even be friends."

Elizabeth swallowed hard before she said, "Is that what you want?"

"I know it's too much to ask, but-"

"No, it's not."

He looked at her for moment. "Really?" He reached for her hand.

She nodded.

"But, what about you? Do you really want to be friends?"

Elizabeth studied William's face. "I. . ."

He let go of her hand. "Elizabeth, I don't want you to do anything just because you feel sorry for me."

"I never-"

He stood up. "If some day you can forgive me, I'll be happy with that. I shouldn't expect that you'd want to be friends. I know I've screwed up and ruined any chances of that ever happening."

Elizabeth stood up. "I've already forgiven you."

"You have?" He stared at her with an incredulous expression.

She nodded.

"Then. . . you don't hate me?"

She shook her head. "Not anymore."

He laughed and after a moment, he said, "I was really worried about you."

She saw the concern in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I'm glad you called me by mistake."

"What were you doing when I called?"

"I was in the middle of a meeting."

"Was it a really, really important meeting?"

He shrugged.

She put her hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Just because I'm falling for you-" Elizabeth gasped and covered her mouth.

He moved closer to her. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." She tried to move away.

"That was not nothing." He held onto her hand.

"I-I," She felt her throat tightening.

"Is it possible that you. . ."

"I didn't-I-you-" She stood up.

"Elizabeth," He stood up as well, "Wait." He caught her wrist. "Did you say you. . ."

Elizabeth's throat had closed up. She couldn't get the words out. She never thought she'd get this chance and now that it was here, Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to say anything.

William saw the struggle in her eyes. Perhaps he was pushing too hard too soon. They just barely met last night after a two-month silent period and now he was demanding answers from her.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I don't have any right to-"

"I don't want you to go."

His eyebrows shot up, but he remained silent.

Elizabeth continued, "I. . . I don't know how I would've gotten through last night without you."

He held her face. "You're stronger than you think."

She shook her head. "I don't know about that."

"OK. Maybe just really stubborn then."

She laughed and then said, "I love you."

William stared at her with his mouth partly opened.

It was not the response Elizabeth was expecting. "I can't believe I said that." She stepped back. "I shouldn't have expected that you would. . . after two months. . . that everything could-"

Before she could turn away, William took her face in his hands and kissed her.

Then he pulled away and said, "I thought it would take a while to get to this point."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Get to what point?"

"Where I'd get to tell you that I'm in love with you."

"You can still tell me." She smiled.

"I love you, Elizabeth." He gave her a warm, but gentle kiss. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to tell you. I didn't think you'd ever forgive me. I didn't want Charles to get hurt, or to hurt your sister."

"It took me a long time to understand that."

"But, even then, I realized that I shouldn't have interfered." He looked at her with a tender expression. "I do love you, Elizabeth, but I know it's not enough if you can't trust me."

"I. . . I can't say that I trust you right now, but. . ."

William's expression became hopeful.

"Maybe after some time, we'll be able to work things out."

"I only want another chance."

"I do too."

William took Elizabeth into his arms and they held each other tightly.

After a moment, she said into his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He pulled her back.

"For. . . waiting so long. I just. . . I didn't know how to talk to you again. I shouldn't have waited until I had a bad day."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I don't know how I would've gotten you to talk to me if it weren't for those parents."

She laughed and smiled at him. Elizabeth would continue to have some bad days in the future. However, they would never be as bad as this one. "I'm happy you're here."

It was as if he was experiencing a sunrise and it promised to bring a wonderful day, but it was not just a day, it was his life. Elizabeth needed him. She did not have to explain herself or be strong. He knew whatever happened, good or bad, Elizabeth needed him and William would be there for her.

Elizabeth would not have a day that would be as bad as this one because William, as her husband, would always be there to. . . help her through them.

"Now," he gently stroked her face with the back of his knuckles, "Is it possible to continue where we left off last night?"

Her brow wrinkled. "As far as I know, we were talking, then I fell asleep."

"Right, so you didn't let me finish."

"Finish what? Were you in the middle of saying something?"

"No, I was thinking. . ." He kissed her temple.

"Thinking?"

"Thinking about. . . how I could make you forget about your bad day." He slid his hand behind her head and gently tilted it back. He breathed a kiss on her collarbone.

Elizabeth steadied her breath. "Actually," his lips on her skin made her heart beat faster, "It was a very long, bad day."

His mouth found its way to hers and he kissed her with an ardor that had been held back for two months. After a moment, his lips lingered on hers while he said, "Well, I'll just make sure I'm thorough."

And he was. And then some.

The End

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