Searching for Mr. Darcy

Scene Sixty-Six

The entire drive home Maisie replayed her time with Bastian - every date, every text message.  Talia said there were red flags and she had known her friend was right, but she ignored it.  Why?

He never talked about work, except when cancelling for an "emergency."  He claimed to have read all of Jane Austen's works, then couldn't remember Dashwood was from Sense and Sensibility.  He got possessive and jealous over the smallest indications she might be seeing someone else - and not because he really liked her, like she thought at the time - but because he needed to be the only guy.  His challenge wasn't complete until her affection was fully his.

She thought she might be sick, and pulled off the highway a few exits early.  She parked at a gas station and turned the air conditioner on full blast to cool her face.  Once the nausea subsided, she took a few deep breaths.  Bastian was an asshole, but she would not give him any more of her time.  She'd explain to Talia what happened, and then she would move on.

It was almost funny, she thought as she took the onramp back onto I-40.  She'd been worried for several days about dating two men and having to chooe between them, and now they'd both dumped her.  "Karma's a bitch," she said.  "Get cocky and the world will put you in your place."

She turned into her apartment complex.  The parking lot was dark, and the one streetlamp in front of her building flickered feebly as she passed.  She'd have to let the office know the bulb needed replacing.

A deep sadness washed over her as she approached the door and fumbled with her keyring.  All the time she'd spent dating, all the hard work Talia put into managing the page, and this is what it came down to.  Two single girls sharing an apartment, realizing men were trash.

Her key slid into the lock and turned; she walked into the apartment heavy with the weight of the day, and slipped her shoes off.  Rounding the corner, her purse strap fell from her shoulder.  The bag dropped to the floor as she took in the sight of entwined arms and legs on her couch.  Clearly, Talia and George hadn't heard her open the door.  They hadn't heard her footsteps, either, or they wouldn't still have their lips locked together, and George wouldn't be making noises Maisie absolutely never wanted to hear again.

The irony that she'd been on the other side of the scenario less than an hour ago was not lost on her.

Talia started to shift positions and opened her eyes.  They met Maisie's and she gasped, "Shit!"

"What?" George asked her.  "Did I accidentally pull your hair or something?"

Talia tapped his chest and motioned to Maisie.

"Fuck," George said, scrambling to get off Talia and to his feet.

"Hey, guys," Maisie said.  "Don't mind me, you know, your best friend.  Clearly, I don't need to know anything about any of this."  Bastian was completely forgotten.  How could she care about that douchenozzle now?

"Maze - I'm sorry we didn't tell you," Talia said quietly.

"This is the secret you meant the other day? You're hooking up with George?"

Talia swallowed.  "Not hooking up.  We've been dating for about a month."

"A month. Wow. A month.  Well, congratulations, I guess."

"Don't be like that, Maisie," George said.  Maisie turned on him with enough ice in her stare to sink the Titanic.  He closed his mouth and sat back sheepishly on the couch.

Maisie glared at him for another second, then refocused on Talia.  "Why did you feel you had to keep this secret, of all things, Talia?  You know how much I love George - did you think I'd disapprove or something?"

The couch-dwellers exchanged a glance which only added fuel to Maisie's internal fire.

"No," Talia said, slowly.  "But you're right - I know how much you love George."

"He's one of my closest friend - or I thought he was."

"Right, but... the truth is, I didn't tell you because I've always.." Talia paused and looked down at the carpet.  "I've always thought you had a thing for him."

"Ooooooh."  Maisie laughed.  "I see.  So, instead of talking to me about it, letting me know of your own feelings, you go ahead and decide to date a guy you thought I was in love with?  Am I understanding this correctly?"

George stood up.  "Hey, don't fight over me."

"This is not about you!" both women shouted.  He promptly sat back down.

"Friends don't date friends' exes, or the guys they like.  That's just basic.  For the record, I've never had any romantic feelings for George."  Maisie turned to him, pointedly, "Zero.  Any affection I had for you was brotherly."

"Good.  I mean, I'm glad.  I wouldn't want to hurt you," Talia said.

"Wouldn't want to? But you clearly didn't care a few minutes ago when you were sucking on his tonsils if you thought I had a thing for him."

"But you don't-"

"I don't, but you thought I did, and you dated him anyway.  Is that why you were so gung-ho about running the Darcy page and setting up dates for me?  Did you feel guilty and think if I found a boyfriend, I wouldn't care about George and you could reveal your relationship, no harm, no foul?"

Talia didn't say anything, but tears came to her eyes.

"Wow," Maisie said.  "Sad news for your little plan - turns out Bastian was a Grade A douche. That's why I'm home early, by the way.  I'm guessing if I'd done my job and slept with him George would have been out of here before I got home, huh? You should have assumed that since Marcus ghosted me, my tides were reverting back to their pre-page levels and it was only a matter of time before Bastian humiliated me, too.  After all, he rubbed you the wrong way, right?"

Her best friend was openly crying now and George looked absolutely dumbfounded.  He leaned over to take Talia's hand and Maisie's heart broke into hundreds of pieces - not because she wanted George for herself - she'd been one hundred percent honest.  No, her heart broke because the two people she'd been relying on to comfort her when she was upset couldn't comfort her through this.  They'd comfort each other and she'd be an afterthought.  She didn't care how selfish her thoughts were - George and Talia were being selfish, too.

She had nothing else to say, and they didn't seem to either, so she picked her purse up and went into her room, swinging the door shut behind her.  Dashwood jumped off his tower and rubbed against her legs.  Robotically, she undressed and climbed into bed.  It had been the day from hell and there was no one to talk to about it.  Her go-to when she was sad was a sappy movie and ice cream, but she had no desire to leave the room and venture into the kitchen - they could still be in the living room.  The sappy movie could be achieved, though, and it had been at least six months since she'd watched the BBC's Pride & Prejudice.