Previous Section, Section IV

Chapter 13

Posted on Sunday, 15 June 2008

Several Months later…

You say don’t ever say you’re sorry
I say I can never be sorry enough
You say everything is okay, it’s over
I say I can’t forget all the bad stuff
You say it wasn’t as bad as I think
I’m way too hard on my self
I say you’re too nice to see me clearly

You like to say I’m pretty
I tell you that you’re blind
You want me to be ready
I have to admit I’m behind
You always look so happy
And I know it’s so sincere
And it really drives me crazy
But I’m so glad that you’re here

Elizabeth heard a knock on the door and stopped strumming her guitar for a moment. She let out a little sigh of frustration. She hated it when something interrupted her flow during the process of writing a brand new song. The fickle beast called inspiration could not be taken for granted. Elizabeth knew she risked the chance of losing her thought process and never gaining it back if she stopped writing her song now. She had to finish the song before her creativity dried up. Nevertheless, the knocks on the door grew louder and then they were succeeded by the incessant ringing of the doorbell. Her options became limited. The noise made it impossible to hear her own thoughts, thus, whether she answered the door or not, the song had to be abandoned. Too bad, another one bit the dust.

“Come in!” she shouted with a grimace. She figured the intruder was Jane, stopping by to check on her again. She couldn’t help but shake her head. Now that Jane and Charles were married, they seemed to have nothing better to do other than worry about her life. Jane would visit her every other day, asking her how she was doing and lamenting the fact that Elizabeth had to live alone, while her boyfriend worked thousands of miles away.

It didn’t help matters when Elizabeth told Jane she had decided to sell ‘The Beat and Bop’ club. Elizabeth had thought long and hard about the decision, but in the end, she realized she wanted to be with Will more than anything else and since the bar made it difficult for her to travel, she knew she had to get rid of it. Despite Jane’s attempts to change her mind, Elizabeth remained firm and even grew excited over the freedom she would have once she relinquished her ownership of ‘The Beat and Bop.’ Her practical side dampened her eagerness to spread the good news to Will, insisting that she needed to wait until the new owner, a man named Joseph Gardiner, finished all the paperwork. In the meantime, she tried to figure out what she would do for a living in the future, which is why Jane felt she needed to take extra good care of her. With no job, no kids, no pets, and a famous boyfriend living in the other side of the country, Elizabeth had become an unwilling figure of pity for her sister and her brother-in-law. She insisted that she didn’t mind the long distance relationship, but Jane and Charles refused to believe her.

Elizabeth stood up and dragged her heavy, non-compliant feet towards the living room. The door opened with a jolt, causing Elizabeth to freeze in astonishment. Will Darcy greeted her with a fervent hug and an even more fervent kiss.

“You’re back!” were the only words Elizabeth could utter as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Yeah…I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

Elizabeth laughed and drew away from Will. “Don’t worry, you’re not. I have a lot of free time these days. You didn’t tell me much about the movie shoot over the phone, how did it go?”

Will shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, it was okay, I guess. The truth is I felt miserable the whole time.”

“Why?”

“I missed you too much.”

Elizabeth blushed. She still had not become accustomed to Will’s passionate yet sincere compliments. To be honest, she couldn’t understand how a man like him could love her, though she knew beyond a doubt that he did.

“I hope you won’t have to go back to Hollywood for a while. I know there’s a lot of pressure on you to keep putting out hit movies, but I wish you wouldn’t have to work so much. I’ve missed you too, you know.”

Will swept a lock of his hair away from his forehead, “Uh yeah…about that…I have something to tell you.”

“Okay, but make it quick, because I have something I need to tell you too,” Elizabeth answered, crossing her arms.

Will stared at her without saying a word for several minutes.

Elizabeth smirked, struggling to hide her growing impatience. “Uh…are you going to talk anytime soon, or did you want to stare at me all day?”

Will chuckled, but Elizabeth noticed him wringing his hands. “Sorry…I’m uh…I’m a little nervous.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell. You hide it so well.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Anyway…so you know how I’ve been saying that I kind of wanted to direct or maybe even write screenplays instead of act and you were encouraging me to go to film school and all,” he paused, waiting for her reaction.

“Yes…so….what about that?”

“Well….I uh…I took your advice…a couple of months ago…I didn’t want to tell you though, because I thought, if I don’t get accepted anywhere, I would be really embarrassed and you would be disappointed with me and…okay, so I was chicken and I’m sorry, I know I should have told you and I hope you won’t be too mad at me.”

Elizabeth sighed. “I’m not mad at you. I don’t like that you kept this a secret...but then again, I have no right to judge you, considering…uh, nevermind, anyway, go on.”

“Uh yeah, so…I got into NYU…and I told them I’m going.”

“Oh my God! Seriously?”

Will laughed and nodded.

Elizabeth jumped up and gave him a big hug. “Will, that’s great! I’m so happy for you!”

Will didn’t put her down until he completed a long, celebratory kiss. Elizabeth pulled away, too excited to go another minute without talking.

“Oh, this is fantastic! You’re going to be here in New York for the next four years! I can’t tell you how happy I am!”

“Good. You deserve to be happy. I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t have your support for all these months. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“You’re too sweet. I only did what any halfway decent girlfriend would do.”

Will laughed. “Hold on now, I’ll have you know, you are way better than halfway decent as a girlfriend.”

Elizabeth smiled. “You would say that even if it wasn’t true.”

“I would mean it, though.”

“I know you would. That’s what’s so intangible about you. After everything I’ve done wrong, you still think I’m a good person.”

“You haven’t done much wrong and, yes, you are a great person.”

“I think that statement qualifies you as an insane person.”

Will shook his head. “You put yourself down too much.”

“Hey, somebody has to keep me grounded. If I listened to you and your never-ending compliments, my head would be too big to fit in this apartment.”

“I only say what I think. You can complain about it all you want, but I’m not changing anytime soon,” Will said with a knowing smile.

Elizabeth sighed. “It’s funny how things work out in the end, isn’t it? I remember when we had first met; you kept calling me a smartaleck. Now you’ve turned into one and I lost my knack for quick comebacks.”

Will smirked. “Yes, life is much better this way.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and held her hands above her head. “Oh God, I’ve created a monster!”

Will broke into chuckles and Elizabeth did not take long to join him. He then put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. He stared at her for a while, so much that Elizabeth started to squirm under his penetrating gaze.

“I wish you would take your own advice for a change,” he said in a lowered voice.

“What do you mean?”

“You told me to chase after my dreams of directing. You kept nudging me, pleading with me, and nagging me to apply to film school. You believed in me and yet you’ve given up on your own goals and nothing I say has helped you change your mind. I don’t get that.”

“Will, I told you, I love making music, but I don’t like performing anymore. It stopped being fun for me. That doesn’t mean that I’ve given up. The truth is I never saw myself as a professional singer. I’m convinced I would be much happier if somebody else sang my songs.”

“So then why don’t you try to make it as a songwriter? You have the talent for it, and you have the work ethic. I’m sure you can be successful if you stopped waffling and gave it a real shot.”

“My songs are so personal. I don’t feel all that comfortable sharing them with people I don’t know. But even if I did, it wouldn’t matter, because my songs aren’t any good.”

“Oh, give me a break! Your songs are much better than half the stuff that gets played on the radio.”

“Believe it or not, people like the songs that are played on the radio! If they didn’t, that stuff wouldn’t be on the air every single hour of every single day. My music isn’t catchy enough, the masses wouldn’t want to listen to it on the radio and they definitely wouldn’t want to pay money for it.”

“I think you’re wrong….but that’s all I’m going to say, because I don’t want to argue with you anymore. I haven’t seen you in months and I don’t want us to start off with a fight. Besides, you said you had something to tell me, didn’t you?”

Elizabeth hesitated. “Oh, yeah…um, well…it might seem a little unnecessary now that you’re going to be living here, but…I…well, I wanted to have the freedom to be with you and travel with you, and maybe move to Los Angeles someday, so I sold the bar.”

Will’s eyes bugged out of their sockets. “You did what?”

Elizabeth shrunk back in embarrassment and confusion. “I sold the bar. I’m not a bar owner anymore. I’m free to do whatever I want now.”

“Wow! You sold your bar…for my sake? Really? I can’t believe it…I don’t know what to say…except now you really have no excuse for not pursuing a career in songwriting!”

Elizabeth laughed, but she didn’t get the chance to give an answer, since Will pulled her close and didn’t let go until they had both become…reacquainted with each other after a long absence.

After that, catching up with Will became Elizabeth’s priority. He talked about the movie he had just finished shooting over lunch, but he didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about the project and Elizabeth didn’t find it very fascinating. It seemed the only good thing Will had to say about the film and the experience of making of it was that it lacked Caroline Bingley. Elizabeth mentioned that she had heard from Charles that Caroline would never forgive Will for talking her into accepting that supporting role, when she could have had the lead, in their last film together. The movie had been an enormous box office success, and to everyone’s surprise, it had garnered glowing reviews from the critics, who hailed it as the smartest romantic comedy of the year. Maria Reynolds had gone from obscurity to becoming a breakout star, thus, spinning Caroline into a jealous haze in which she fired her agent, her publicist, and everyone else who had supported her for years. On the other hand, Will’s career had skyrocketed from there, and Elizabeth eventually managed to come to terms with the fact that her boyfriend would not have as much time for her as she would have liked. Thus, Will’s decision to take a break from show business and go to school had stunned her more than she’d let on.

“What are you thinking about?” Will said from across the table, interrupting the succession of Elizabeth’s thoughts.

She gave him a half-smile. “I’m starting to realize how much you’re sacrificing by going to school here instead of making more movies.”

Will scoffed. “Trust me, I’m not sacrificing anything. I’m sick of acting. I’ve been typecast as the romantic leading man for so long that no director or screenwriter will take me seriously as an actor. Plus, I need to be here with you. You were all I could think about in L.A. and now that I’m with you again, I know I don’t have the strength to say goodbye.”

Elizabeth fell quiet. Will broke the silence with a look of insecurity. “I can’t figure out if the fact that you’re speechless right now is a good thing or not. What do you think?”

Elizabeth smiled. “It’s a good thing.”

“Oh,” Will lowered his head.

“William,” Elizabeth said after another lengthy silence.

“Yes?” He raised his head and looked into Elizabeth eyes.

“I love you.”

“Oh…uh…yeah, I know,” Will said, trying to sound nonchalant though he was blushing like crazy.

Elizabeth laughed, walked over to his side of the table, and gave him a smoldering kiss. This time, Will became the speechless one. Elizabeth gazed at him with a heartfelt smile as he tried to catch his breath. He stared into her eyes and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it.

“William, say something,” Elizabeth whispered.

“Marry me,” he blurted.

Elizabeth started. When the meaning of his words sunk in, she struggled to restrain a giggle.

“You’re joking!”

“No, I’m not. I love you. I want to share the rest of my life with you. Please, will you marry me, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Will, you know I love you too and if you were a few years older…”

“What does my age have to do with anything?” Will interrupted.

“You don’t think twenty-one is too young to get married?”

“No! Look, just because I’m a few years younger than you, that doesn’t mean I’m too immature to get married. I know what marriage is, okay. I know it’s a commitment. I know it takes work. I didn’t just blurt this out right now, because I felt like it. You should know I’m not spontaneous like that. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I decided over a month ago that I wanted to marry you…Please, Elizabeth, will you give me a chance?”

“Will, I don’t want to hurt you. I know how much you care about me and I trust you more than anyone else, but I have to admit that I don’t think either of us is ready for marriage right now. I’m sorry. I hope you won’t hold this against me. I want to be with you just as much as you want to be with me, but I can’t be so cavalier about it.”

Will sighed. “Will you at least move in with me then?”

Elizabeth laughed. “God, you still don’t know how to take no for an answer, do you?”

Will put his arms around Elizabeth and started kissing her neck. “No, I don’t,” he murmured.

Elizabeth pulled away from him, knowing his close contact would cloud her judgment. When she looked into his pleading eyes, however, she knew she had lost.

She sighed. “Yes.”

“Yes, you will…”

“Yes, I will move in with you,” she cut in before he reached the wrong conclusion.

Will grinned and engulfed her in his arms, making it impossible for Elizabeth to regret her answer.

Posted on 2008-07-11

Five years later…

“Cut! Okay guys, great take. Only a few minutes longer and we’ll wrap this thing…Jenny, you’ve improved so much since you first started. Your only problem is you still lack some self-confidence. I know that’s natural, since you don’t have much experience, but you don’t need to worry about that anymore, you’re a natural at this, you just need to believe in yourself some more…And Jake, well…there isn’t much left for me to say, is there? You’ve been a consummate professional through this whole process, and believe me, for a first time director, that meant a lot to me. Thanks for everything,” Will paused and glanced at his watch, “Anyway, I need to stop rambling so we can finish this movie already! All quiet on the set, lights, camera, and action!” Will shouted from the director’s chair.

“William, are you free for a moment?”

Elizabeth came up behind him once the scene ended. He turned around and faced his wife with a smile.

“Yeah, why?”

“I have good news for you…I finished composing the soundtrack.”

Will clapped his hands. “Excellent! You see, I knew you could do it. You never had a good reason to doubt yourself so much. You really should listen to me more often.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Will, I’m your wife, not your puppet.”

Will blinked. “Actually, during the ceremony, you did vow to obey me…the priest asked if you would love, honor, and obey me and you said yes, remember?”

Elizabeth laughed and threatened to slap him. He ducked his head as soon as she raised her arm.

“Yeah, and you said the same thing!” she said while Will backed away from her, holding his hands over his face for protection.

“Well, of course I’m going to obey myself.”

“Oh, shut up. You know that’s not what I meant.”

Will opened his mouth to speak, but he paused at the sound of a crew member coughing behind him. He turned around and addressed his cast and crew with a self-deprecating smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot something important, didn’t I?”

Half the cast and crew laughed, while the others looked at him with bemused expressions.

Will pulled Elizabeth towards him and wrapped his arm around her waist. “You’ll have to forgive me, I got distracted,” he said with a sheepish grin.

As everyone on set waited with baited breath for the final directions, Will basked in the moment. He had done it. Going beyond what anyone, including himself, had ever expected from him, he had written and directed his first feature film. His career was now at the cusp of a new beginning, while his personal life skirted on the verge of profound happiness, for he knew that any day know Elizabeth would tell him of her pregnancy. Considering the dubious start to his relationship with Elizabeth and all the mishaps they shared along the way, he could not have asked for a happier ending.

He took a deep breath, knowing his cast and crew were beginning to lose their ever-present patience.

“All right, everyone. That’s a wrap!” he said and everyone on the sound stage broke into uproarious applause.

Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Will forgot to uphold his usual discretion and gave Elizabeth a dramatic kiss in front of everybody. Elizabeth blushed as he pulled away. Will noticed the many prying eyes and laughed.

“Hey, movie’s over people. You can all go home now,” he shouted, maintaining his tight hold on Elizabeth despite everyone’s gawking.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “And everyone lived happily ever after. The End. Roll the credits!” he said and gave Elizabeth another kiss.