Chereads / TWNTY MNTHS (Twenty Months) / Chapter 7 - Two Months Earlier, Some Club in LA (again)

Chapter 7 - Two Months Earlier, Some Club in LA (again)

Do you believe in love at first sight, Darcy?"

Naturally and without any real effort on his part, Charlie was just the kind of guy whose romantic history could be described as a kaiju forged together from the sludge of coffee shop meet-cutes; and so Fitzwilliam did not think much of Jane Bennet the first time he heard her name.

It was well past noon when he took Charlie's call- dramatically rolling over in bed and grabbing the cell phone from the nightstand. 

"I'm going to marry this girl, I swear."

During the course of their friendship Fitzwilliam had found himself in this exact position several times over. In '99 it was a costar he'd exchanged Tiffany's promise rings with. 2001 brought an on-set French tutor and a couple of yorkies Charlie retained joint custody of, and just a year ago he was head over heels for some intern at a startup he met skiing in Big Bear. "First sight" was the only sight Charlie possessed when it came to dating, and (being that he was six months older) the role of protective big brother was one Fitzwilliam was comfortable slipping into when it came to Mr. Bingley.

So he agreed to third wheel a night out with the latest love of Charlie's life

"Do you believe in love at first sight…?"

finding himself in familiar territory being ushered past security to the sound of a Calvin Harris remix.

"...Darcy this is Jane's sister, Lizzie…"

And when he met Lizzie Bennet's eyes (though the only indication given was a slight twinge in his jaw) there was a major shift in the atmosphere that Fitzwilliam didn't care for at all.

"...Hi…" Lizzie said her friendly and light voice straining to be heard over the music. 

It was something like the ground beneath his feet tilting slightly when she smiled at him, and a confusing sense of home at the sound of her voice- like he'd just docked his ship after a thousand years at sea.

All of the Wilhelmina models and all of the chalet girls in all the world couldn't compare.

Lizzie Bennet was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life.

"...Hey," he said flatly and with a turn of his heels and a hand in his pocket, Fitzwilliam promptly disappeared into the crowd and towards the VIP.