When It Rains by everymonday

Chapter Twenty-Two: Love is to be Made

This one's for the faithless, the ones that are surprised

They are only where they are now regardless of their fight

This one's for believing, if only for its sake

Come on friends, get up now, love is to be made

Greg Laswell; It Comes and Goes (In Waves)

Charles is surprised when he opens his front door to find William on the other side.

"Hello, Charles. How are you?"

"Good. What are you doing here?"

William shrugs. "I was going to see if you'd like to play video games or something."

Charles already wide eyes get even larger. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Sure. I'm-I'm actually glad you came by. I know we haven't really spoken since—well, I—I really wanted to apologize again because I truly didn't know-"

"It's quite alright, Charles."

"No, I shouldn't have-"

"Water under the bridge."

"Are you sure? I really feel awful-"

"I'm sure. Let's just forget about it."

Charles nods gratefully. "Okay, come on in."

They play for quite a while without really speaking except for some curse words now and then when they die. It's quite easy with Charles. The boy is so easygoing and agreeable, that William doesn't really have to do much work. He doesn't feel angry or annoyed with Charles anymore. Best of all, William didn't even have to apologize like Lizzy had insisted.

William realizes he's actually enjoying himself and is glad he knocked on Charles's door in the first place. It is shaping up to be a nice, relaxing Saturday.

Instead of starting a new game after they complete their fourth match, Charles lets the game stall. He breaks the silence with a topic William really should have seen coming.

"Jane says she doesn't need anything for Valentine's Day, but do you think I should do something for her anyway?"

He thinks back to the few Valentine's days he's spent with girls and how upset they usually got when he offered them no gifts of monetary value, despite the fact that they told him they needed nothing. "In my experience, girls usually want you to give them something, no matter what they say."

Charles looks thoughtful. "So you think I should get her something?"

"You two are officially together now, right?"

"Yes," he replies quickly, though there is uncertainty in his voice.

"Then, yes."

"Like what? What do girls like?"

"Probably flowers and candy. Maybe jewelry."

Charles shakes his head. "Jane never wears any jewelry."

Probably because she doesn't have any, William thinks. He doubts the Bennet family has much money for things like that, what with a single mother and five girls.

"Do you think she'd like some?"

"I don't know. I'd have no idea what kind to get her anyway."

William shrugs. "Maybe just flowers and candy then."

"That seems cheesy."

"It probably is, but you don't know what else she likes."

"She says she likes just spending time with me."

William fights the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, then spend the day with her, but you should definitely get her something in case she's expecting more since it is Valentine's Day."

"Yes. Good idea. Thanks, William."

As Charles pushes some buttons on his controller to begin their fifth match, it occurs to William that Caroline is right. For whatever reason, Charles does trust his opinion.

His talk with Charles forces William to consider his own plans for Valentine's Day. Is Lizzy expecting him to do anything? More importantly, should she be expecting anything of him?

The advice he had given to Charles was based on the fact that Charles and Jane are officially dating. He and Lizzy are not. William isn't even sure how to go about bringing that topic up.

William spends lunch outside of the cafeteria with Charles on Monday, listening to him talk about all of his grand plans for Jane. It's raining, so they stand side by side with their backs against the wall, eating sandwiches they purchased from the lunch line earlier. He doesn't know why Charles didn't want to eat with his friends inside, but doesn't really press it. It's not like William enjoys spending time with the others anyway.

"What do you think I should do for Jane for Valentine's Day?"

He wonders if Charles dislikes talking about Jane in front of his other friends and why he seems to be the exception to this. He wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't for the fact that this had been the exact same topic of discussion a few days ago. William doubts they'd have anything to talk about if they didn't have this though.

"She's obviously not my first girlfriend, but she's the first one I've felt this strongly about, so I definitely want to make this good," Charles continues when William says nothing. "I don't want her to be disappointed."

William nods, their previous conversation about this topic still fresh in his memory. "So what were you thinking?"

"You think taking her to dinner and bringing her flowers and chocolates will be good enough?"

"I think that should suffice, especially since you say she's not expecting anything to begin with."

"It's just that I've seen the stuff boys give to Caroline, and it's a lot. She's still usually disappointed or angry though."

William frowns. "Jane and Caroline are two very different girls."

"You're right," Charles is very quick to concede.

"Don't overthink it." In his mind, he sees Lizzy's teasing smile telling him to follow his own advice, but he ignores her.

"Are you getting Lizzy anything?"

William frowns. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I thought you and Lizzy were-"

"We're not the same as you and Jane."

"I know, but-"

"How do you even know about me and Lizzy?" He fights to keep the shock out of his voice. No one was supposed to know about him and Lizzy.

"Jane told me."

"Oh." He tries to decide how he feels about that. Of course Lizzy would tell her sister. He shouldn't have really expected anything less. It's just that Jane knowing and Charles knowing makes this all the more real. He had liked it when it had just been the two of them.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to," Charles says.

William stays silent for a while, before replying in a resigned voice. "I would appreciate your discretion."

A slow smile spreads across Charles's face. "Oh man, imagine if Caroline found out though. She'd have a fit."

"Agreed. I really don't want to deal with her." He realizes his mistake. It's impolite to talk about Charles's sister like that to him. William quickly apologizes, but Charles waves him off.

"I would think you were crazy if you did want to deal with Caroline."

"I talked to Charles."

"I know, he told me."

"When?"

"He was over at our house on Sunday."

"Oh."

"He missed you. It's cute."

"What?"

"Oh come on, Darcy. You're, like, his best friend."

"I was not aware of this." He's never been anyone's best friend before.

She laughs. "I know. I bet you've never had a best friend."

William has become accustomed to Lizzy being able to articulate almost exactly what he is thinking. He doesn't bother to respond; he's more focused on the pretty smile on her face right now. She looks nice today, he decides. Her hair is in a ponytail, exposing some dangly, plastic earrings he's never seen her wear. He thinks she might also be wearing some make up on her eyes because her lashes look longer than usual.

"Are we gonna go?" she asks.

He blinks, realizing that he turned the car on, but hasn't made a move to drive out of the parking lot yet.

"Yes," he shifts the car into drive.

"How was your day?"

"It was fine. I had lunch with Charles today."

"See? Best friends."

"The very best," he tells her sarcastically.

"No, but seriously, Darcy. I think he can't really talk to you about things when there are other guys around. The guys he hangs out with are okay, but you're more mature, and you don't tease him about Jane."

That confirms what he had thought earlier. William debates bringing up the other topic that has been on his mind: the fact that Charles and Jane know about them.

He and Lizzy barely talk while at school, but he knows people have seen them walk to his car this past week. He hadn't really considered the consequences of being so public about driving her home, only the benefits of having more time with her.

It's not as if William needs to impress any of the people at their school, and it's not as if they have a way to tell his father. He really has nothing to worry about when it comes to that.

One quick glance at Lizzy's content smile and her relaxed posture in the passenger seat ends his inner turmoil. Bringing it up will only make her upset, and as long as this doesn't get back to his father, it doesn't really matter.

Mr. Lucas isn't at school for the next three days, and Lizzy is on her best behavior for the substitute. She doesn't make jabs at Caroline, even when Caroline makes snide remarks about Lizzy's hair on the third day.

When Mr. Lucas finally does come back on Thursday, Lizzy still sits straight in her seat and ignores Caroline's comments. She answers his questions when no one else will participate in the discussions. When class is dismissed, she stays in her seat, staring at the teacher, her eyes full of sympathy and uncertainty.

William considers staying and asking her what is the matter, but out of the corner of his eye, he sees Caroline watching them both, so he gathers his belongings quickly and leaves.

Lizzy isn't in the cafeteria at lunch, and when he goes to the art room to look for her, she isn't there either.

He can't think of anywhere else she'd be, so he has to spend all of lunch with endless, irrational thoughts plaguing his mind.

She's across the room in Physics, but it might as well be miles away.

"Are you alright?" he asks when she sits down in Government. The question feels like it's been in his throat all day. It's a relief to get it out.

She nods, not even looking at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She pulls out her supplies for taking notes. "Why do you ask?"

"You've been acting weird. Why did you stay after class this morning? Where were you at lunch?" There's no pause between his questions, he realizes, but it's too late to fix that now. They had been building up, and since one got out, the rest had to follow in suit.

"I'm fine, Darcy. Don't worry about it."

She barely speaks when he drives her home. It begins to worry him.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Lizzy nods.

As they pull into her driveway, she opens the car door before he even puts the car into park. William begins to scold her about this, but she leans over and plants a kiss on his open mouth.

"I'm fine."

She's gone before he can even react.

When his cell phone rings at work, he is confused. The only people that have his number are Gee, his father, and Mrs. Reynolds. There is no reason for any of them to call him, especially when he's at work.

"Hello?"

"Hi." Her voice surprises him, he wasn't expecting her to be on the line. It is like a breath of fresh air to him though, especially in this stifling place.

"Hi." William sits up straighter, pressing the phone to his ear as if this will make them closer.

"Charlotte is pregnant."

Three seconds pass before he asks, "Who?"

"Charlotte," she replies. "My friend that works with me, remember?"

He racks his brain but cannot place the name to a face. Is this truly why she's calling him? He had hoped it had been for something better, though he doesn't know what.

"Yes," he lies. "She works with you."

"She's Mr. Lucas's daughter. That's why he was out for three days."

William knows this is someone he should know, but he really can't think of who this person is. Obviously he knows people work with Lizzy, but he wasn't exactly paying attention to any of them the times he's been there to see her.

"How old is she?" That's a safe question, right?

"She's 22. She's supposed to graduate college this year."

"Is she not going to?" He calculates the months until graduation and the months it takes to grow a baby. William can't remember at what month during gestation the woman starts to actually look pregnant, but he is pretty sure a graduation gown could hide that.

"I don't know. She's talking about marrying Collin now." Lizzy says the name with such disgust, and William is now more confused than ever.

"Collin who?"

"Collin Thompson from our Physics class," she says miserably.

So many thoughts race through William's mind, but perhaps the most inappropriate of all was how could someone actually want to have sexual intercourse with Collin Thompson? He was at least a head shorter than Lizzy. What girl would be attracted to his already receding hairline, clumsiness, and overall stupidity? What girl could even stand to be around his nasally voice which, in his experience, never ceased?

"How could Charlotte even sleep with him?" Lizzy echoes his thoughts. "He's so gross."

"Are they together?"

"No," she replies. "They hooked up at Charlie's party."

"Where?"

Lizzy makes a frustrated noise, and he can practically see those lines form on her forehead. "Does that really matter, Darcy?"

"Yes," he argues. "I want to know where not to sit."

"I don't know." Her voice is lighter now. He imagines a smile on her lips. "I'll ask Charlotte."

"Please do. We won't go to Charles's house in the mean time."

"Okay." A slight laugh and then she is silent for a good minute. "Charlotte wants to marry him."

"He's still in high school." It's an obvious statement, but he feels like it still needs to be addressed.

"I know. Plus, he's gross. And way too young for her. I can't imagine wanting to marry someone still in high school."

"Is he even old enough to make that decision?"

"Charlotte says he's 18." Lizzy gives a distressed moan. "He's so gross, and she can do so much better. She just wants to marry him because he has money and can help with the baby."

William isn't sure if the Thompsons will want their son to marry someone like Charlotte. For the life of him, he can't remember what she looks like, but anyone willing to sleep with Collin Thompson can't have many options to begin with.

"That shouldn't be the only reason she wants to marry him though. She's acting like that's the only option she has," Lizzy continues.

"It's probably the most attractive option. What would the others be? A clinic or adoption?"

"She doesn't just have to get rid of the baby. She could do it on her own."

William snorts. "That's a much less attractive option than having the baby's father there to provide financial support."

"She could keep working and finish school-"

"Lizzy," he interrupts, as gently as possible because he knows that this is a volatile conversation they're having. "That's unrealistic."

"No, it's not! It's been done before."

"Of course it has, but it's not easy. How would she be able to find a job after she graduates with a baby on the way? Most places don't want to just hire a woman who will leave in a month for maternity leave that they'd have to pay for anyway."

"She could stay at the yogurt shop and work. I'm sure my uncle would help her out and give her the hours she needs-"

"And then what happens when she has the baby? Who is going to take care of it while she's out making minimum wage to make ends meet? Where will she live? When will she find time to look for another job?"

"I don't know! I just know she can't marry Collin. He's so ridiculous. I told her so."

"What did she say?"

"She got mad at me and accused me of being judgmental, which is stupid. Charlotte is just not thinking clearly. She thinks she needs Collin to help her with the baby, but she-"

"Maybe she doesn't need him to actually take care of the baby, but his money would be a big help. Do you know how much it costs to raise a kid?"

"She's got her parents to help her though. She is acting like she's all alone."

"What does her mom do?"

"She works with my mom as a manager."

William quickly calculates the income of a department store manager and a high school teacher. It's not good. "You really think they're going to be able to afford taking care of a baby on their income?"

"My mom takes care of five kids on half their income," she tells him stubbornly.

"Yes, but you and your sisters don't require as much as a baby does: diapers, strollers, cribs, bottles-"

"I just don't want her to marry Collin!"

He closes his eyes and gives a sigh. The distress in her voice makes his heart clench, and he wants to say something valuable to take it away, but doesn't know what. The hands on the clock tick, and William watches as a whole minute passes without him saying a single thing.

"Darcy, are you still there?"

"Yes." He's here.

"I smell like yogurt," she complains halfheartedly.

His hands tighten their hold on her hips, and he kisses her neck. "I don't mind."

"You're weird," Lizzy sighs, but she wraps her arms around his neck anyway.

William smiles before giving her neck another kiss, lingering to breathe her in. He doesn't know what she's talking about. She smells like her usual lilacs and citrus.

"Darcy."

"Mmm?" He looks up and can barely make out her face in the dark. It's late, but he had wanted to see her so here he is. He'd convinced Lizzy to call her mother to tell her not to come pick her up from work. The last 30 minutes had been spent watching her clean and close down the small shop. He'd kept his self-control, but now they're outside, and the smell of rain is as apparent as the mud on his shoes. It smells like Lizzy out here, and he's so completely intoxicated by it all.

Her words die on her lips as he covers her mouth with his own.

William likes when their kisses start out slow. He still enjoys exploring her mouth. She is a thrilling mixture of warm and cool, and he can taste orange on her tongue from the yogurt he watched her eat right before she turned the machines off. His heart constricts when he feels her arms tighten their hold around him.

Not breaking the contact of their mouths, he maneuvers them a few steps so that her back is pressed against his car and his body pressed firmly against hers. William's hands slowly find themselves underneath her shirt, his fingers drawing a disjointed map on her skin.

When she breaks their kiss for air, her chest expands as she sucks in breath and her head tilts back, giving him full access to her neck. He intends only to plant soft, chaste kisses on her neck like he had before, but when his open mouth makes contact with her cool skin, she gives a harsh exhale of the breath she had just gone through all the trouble of taking in. William feels emboldened.

His tongue slowly paints the same map on her neck that his fingers are so frantically drawing on her hips. He trails his mouth to the spot between her jaw and earlobe and sucks.

It's subtle, but he feels a slight push of her hips into his at the same time she tilts her head further to the side so he has better access. So he does it again and, this time, is rewarded with a quiet moan. William wants to be closer to her, though he thinks that might actually be physically impossible. With his chest pressed so tightly to hers, he swears he can feel her heart beating rapidly in time with his own.

He feels her hands on either side of his head as she gently moves it so that he is facing her again. Their noses touch, and he holds her eyes for a brief second before he can't take it anymore. He needs to be kissing her. So he does.

Her hips keep pushing against his, and it's driving him absolutely mad. Without thinking, he pushes back, and the pleasure of the friction takes him by surprise. He can't prevent the groan that escapes his lips.

William can feel her mouth form a smile. He pulls away just to check.

"What?" she asks when she sees that he's got a quizzical look on his face.

"Nothing." His own lips curve upwards.

Lizzy rolls her eyes.

"How far have you gone with a guy?" he asks suddenly. The question is out of his mouth before his brain can even decide if it should be asked, but now that it's there, he finds himself waiting nervously for the answer.

Her eyebrows knit together. "Why?"

"I want to know." It's an answer he learned from her. He sees that she's as annoyed with it as he is when she uses it on him.

Lizzy's expression doesn't change and neither does her response. "Why?"

"Because I want to know."

"You tell me how far you've gone with a girl first." Her lip juts out into a stubborn pout, and her expression becomes guarded.

"Not very far," he replies, staring at her lip, wondering which he wants more: to know her answer or just kiss her again.

"How far is that?"

His desire to kiss her wins, but she's not having it. Lizzy moves her head away when he bends down. "Darcy." Her voice is stern.

He sighs and wants to kick himself for even bringing this up. "Not very far, Lizzy."

"Well, neither have I."

William understands this game. She won't give anymore than he gives her.

He straightens up so that he can look at her properly, as properly as one can in a moonlit parking lot.

"I haven't had sex with anyone," he confesses to her quietly. It doesn't feel strange to say this to her, even though he's never told anyone this before. Perhaps it is because he's already told her so many of his important secrets. This one doesn't struggle like the others; it comes out clearly and purposefully.

The creases in her forehead soften, and he takes his right hand off her hip so that he can touch the skin of her forehead now. His knuckles graze the now smooth surface before he slowly cups her cheek. His fingers stretch to make paths into her hair.

"Neither have I."

He smiles, because he had suspected as much. Much later, years and years after this moment, he'll recognize that he had hoped just as much as he had suspected. He wanted to know that they shared this as well, that his secrets were exchanged for hers, and that they were equals.

"So just…kissing?" she asks. Her eyes are hard, but her voice is small and uncertain.

"Light petting and touching. Nothing beyond a girl in her knickers though."

"Touching over or under…knickers?" Her nose scrunches at the word, but he loves the way she says it with her American accent.

William kisses her nose affectionately without thinking. "Over."

"Oh." She looks forlorn, rather than comforted, which confuses him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Something."

"I haven't done anything in…knickers." She looks troubled.

He shrugs, not sure if he should say that he guessed as much. Who would she really do these things with? "I don't mind," he says instead.

"I'm still deciding if I mind you and other girls in their underwear," she admits, frowning.

He's disappointed that she's gone to the American terminology, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like her jealousy.

Author's Note: Thank you all for sticking with this story and your amazing responses. Also, all three of my betas: Lynnie, Colleen, and Erika are awesome. This chapter was a mess before they all got their hands on it, haha. These ladies truly do magic to my writing. As always, please let me know your thoughts and leave a review. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!