Matters of Chance

Chapter 30

Elizabeth lugged her suitcase out of the trunk. For the fifth time that summer, she was at the SeaTac airport. Her father stepped out of the car.

"Do you need any help with that?" He gestured towards her luggage.

Lizzie shook her head. "No, I can handle it."

Mr. Bennet cleared his throat. "I'm going to miss you, Lizzie."

Elizabeth let go of her suitcase and pulled her father into a tight hug, his much bigger frame enveloping hers. "I'm going to miss you too, Dad." She pulled back to look up at her dad's face. Mr. Bennet had never been much of a crier, but Elizabeth could see his eyes getting watery.

"Don't cry," she said, "I'll come to visit."

Mr. Bennet shook his head. "I know. I'll still miss you, though. It's what dads do."

Elizabeth smiled and hugged her father once more before she grabbed her suitcase again.

"My flight is in a couple hours," she said, "and Darcy's waiting in there for me."

Mr. Bennet looked at his daughter. "At first I found it odd, that you'd be pursuing a relationship with him," he said, "But after I learned about what he did for Lydia, I think he's the only one in the world that could possibly deserve you."

Elizabeth sniffed and forced her eyes to stay dry. She couldn't help giving her dad one less hug before she finally parted ways with him.

Lizzie rolled her suitcase behind her as she inspected the terminal numbers. She was looking for B12, where her flight would take off from and where her boyfriend was waiting for her. The business of the airport blocked her view, and she had to stand on her toes to notice some of the signs. Her search was cut short by a voice calling her name a short distance away.

"Elizabeth!"

She turned her head to the voice and saw a familiar tall man waving his hand. She smiled and wove her way through the airport traffic and into the terminal waiting zone.

"Good morning, Darcy," she said, looking up at him.

"Good morning, Elizabeth." Darcy had no luggage with him, and only his phone in his pocket. After he came to her doorstep the afternoon before, he did some explaining. He had heard everything from his aunt, including the fact that Elizabeth would make 'no promises' to staying away from him. When he heard this, he got the first flight he could find to Seattle, rented a car, and drove to her house. When she asked why he didn't just call, he simply said that he felt like he needed to see her. It made her heart melt.

After that, her entire family had returned, only to find Elizabeth and Darcy together in her room. She had a lot of explaining to do, and after getting permission from Darcy to tell, she told her family of everything that went down between then since the beginning of the summer. Once her parents found out that Darcy had been the reason they got Lydia back, they thanked him repeatedly, which he seemed really embarrassed about.

It was then that Elizabeth realized that her family leaving was entirely a front for them to throw her a farewell party. They had gone out to the store and bought Lizzie her favorite chocolate cake, ice cream, and a new laptop. Hers was ancient, and she made it work, but her parents insisted that it would be her housewarming gift because they wouldn't be there, and because she was starting a new chapter of her life.

Together, her family, along with Darcy, ate sweets and celebrated. Darcy got hammered with questions by Mrs. Bennet and Lizzie's younger sisters. He handled them well, though at some points he looked like he needed saving. When Darcy left, her family had talked about how polite he was, and Mrs. Bennet asked the biggest question on everyone's mind.

Elizabeth confirmed that yes, her and Darcy had officially become a couple. Now, the two of them smiled at each other in the airport like lovestruck teenagers.

"You didn't have to reschedule your flight to come with me," Lizzie said, "I know you had an earlier flight booked."

Darcy shrugged. "I wanted to fly back with you. Besides, this way I can help you move in. I know my way around San Francisco."

"You're cute."

Darcy flushed, looking away. Elizabeth had quickly learned that Darcy didn't know how to handle compliments. She used it to her advantage.

He coughed awkwardly and pointed to the sitting area. "Let's wait for our flight."

Elizabeth nodded and rolled her suitcase over, sitting down. Darcy sat next to her. From where she was sitting, she could see through a huge window looking out into the airfield. She leaned her head against Darcy's shoulder and slipped her hand into his. Together, they watched as metal giants flew into the sky.