Most Ardently
Page 31
“And what have you learned?”
Elisa kissed her again.
“I love you, Darcy Fitzgerald. Most ardently.”
Darcy smiled against her lips, pressing another kiss to her mouth.
“I love you, too, Elisa Benitez,” she said. “I was already halfway through falling in love with you before I knew I had even begun. Once I realized, I found I couldn’t stop it. And soon, I found I didn’t want to stop it. I love you so much. And I don’t want us to have to ever be apart again. If…that’s what you want, too?”
“It is.”
They kept kissing, losing track of time, until footsteps approached, coming up the stairs. They both pulled back, heat flooding their faces as they turned toward the noise.
Her dad stood in the stairwell, eyebrows raised.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked.
“I—I, uh, I’m going to—I’m gonna go find Gianna and see how she’s doing,” Darcy said quickly. “I’ll—Elisa, you can…explain things to him— Hi, Mr. Benitez, I’m Darcy, I’m your daughter’s…uh…I gotta go.”
Darcy practically ran back down the stairs and down the hall, probably looking for the nearest hole to crawl into. Elisa laughed as she watched her, completely enamored.
Her father just stared at her, waiting for the explanation he had been promised.
“That was Darcy, my…my girlfriend.”
Elisa had never been able to call someone her girlfriend before. She’d never been able to call anyone her anything before.
“I take it she’s new?” he asked.
She nodded. “New as in…five minutes ago.”
“What’s she like?”
“Smart. Loyal. Kind of awkward, but…but so good. She’s so good to me, and good for me.”
“I take it you really, really like her,” he said.
“Papa, I love her.”
He smiled, stepping forward to wrap his arms around her.
“Then I’m happy for you, Elisa,” he said. “This Darcy better be the woman you deserve.”
“She is. I promise, she is. And if you want to get to know her, talk about books. She’ll be all over that.”
He chuckled, pulling away from their hug.
“All I want is for you to be happy,” he said. “I’m glad you found someone to help you with that.”
“I am, too. And I like to think I make her happy, in return.”
“You do. I think anybody can see that.”
They rejoined the party, and Darcy had clearly told Willow everything, because she was practically glowing. Darcy grinned shyly, trying to make conversation with one of Elisa’s grandmothers. Elisa stood by her side and dreaded the moment she’d have to leave.
…
“It’s a bit unorthodox to have a ‘the trial can proceed’ party, but we’re a bit unorthodox ourselves,” Colin said, settling into the couch as the movie started.
None of them were really paying attention to the movie. Colin and Charlene were snuggling, Lucia and Gianna were going over Lucia’s summer school homework, and Elisa and Darcy were talking, sitting on the other end of the couch. But the movie provided some background noise, and it was nice to have an excuse to hang out. And this definitely called for some kind of celebration, no matter how small.
Wick had been found in Cleveland and brought in by the police. The trial could start. Gianna had also submitted some screencaps she’d saved from the first time she’d attempted to press charges—screencaps that, combined with Lucia’s own evidence, would hopefully be enough to send him away for a long time. And it wasn’t just Lucia and Gianna; Darcy had been right, there were other girls. Two others, both about fifteen years old, had come forward, and were willing to testify.
Elisa wasn’t entirely sure how the trial would pan out, but she was optimistic. So was Lucia, which was more than she had dared to expect.
Things weren’t back to normal just yet, but they were definitely better.
“You didn’t have to come all the way from Columbus,” she said to Darcy, wrapping an arm around her.
“Hey, I’m up here any chance I get,” Darcy said. “Sort of a side effect of a long-distance relationship. Well, medium-distance.”
“I’ve actually been thinking about that,” she said. “Maybe it shouldn’t have to be medium-distance much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…how would you feel if I started at OSU, in Columbus?” She reached up to trail a couple fingers through her hair. “I wouldn’t be able to go in the fall, but I could transfer in for the spring semester. Plus that gives me time to get financial aid in order…and talk Mom around on the idea.”
Darcy grinned. “I would love that. And you’re definitely smart enough to get scholarships, and you could live in the dorm.”
“So, it looks like I have an application to start.”
“It appears that you do,” Darcy said, leaning up to kiss her lips. “Your mom will be sad to see you go.”
“Maybe,” Elisa admitted. “But she has four other daughters to torment. Us getting together has given her renewed hope for Jules and Bobby.”
Alejandra had freaked out harder than anybody when Elisa told her she was dating a Fitzgerald. She’d asked her about ten times if she was kidding and had taken to Facebook to brag as soon as she realized it was true.
So now everyone Elisa had ever met knew, too.
Including Catherine Burger, who, according to Darcy, had blocked her, since this was apparently the next-best thing to disinheriting her.
“Good riddance,” she said. Colin had agreed. Elisa worried about him when his mother first cut him off, but he seemed to be handling the new reality incredibly well. She could tell he still missed her at times, but she was surprised at how much independence he’d shown. And he and Charlene were happier than ever.
Colin and Charlene were both over-the-moon for the new couple and insisted on taking a little credit. Colin had already begun planning potential double dates. Another reason, Elisa thought, to hightail it out of Steventon. When they told Julieta and Bobby, he’d simply handed Julieta twenty dollars.
Elisa herself had never imagined being this happy. She’d been content before, but it was nothing compared to this. She’d become the very lovesick, giddy sort of girl she used to make fun of. Not that this stopped her from snarking at her new girlfriend, of course. Darcy was slowly getting used to it and had even begun firing back.
And now, with the future wide open in front of her, Elisa was both exhilarated and terrified. Moving away from home to live in the dorms was a nerve-wracking thought, but she was ready. If she had Charlene, her sisters, even Colin, and especially Darcy, she was certain she was ready to take on almost anything.
It wasn’t a happy ending, per se, but it was a very, very happy start.
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to Candace, a truly fantastic editor, and the entire team at Entangled for helping make my dream a reality.
Thanks to Annie, both for being an incredible friend, and for giving me the first feedback that made this book actually readable. You’re the best.
Thanks to Mom and Dad, for supporting me, all my gay-ass nonsense, and my dream of becoming a writer. And never once trying to talk me out of it. Also, thanks for, like, raising me and stuff.
And, perhaps most of all, thanks to Jane Austen, for giving us the classic romantic comedy that this novel completely rips off pays loving tribute to.
About the Author
Susan Mesler-Evans is a writer, college student, D&D enthusiast, theatre nerd, and horrific procrastinator. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Susan now lives in Florida, and can often be found reading, scrolling through Tumblr until 2 AM, overanalyzing her favorite fictional characters and relationships, bingewatching comedies on Netflix, thinking about writing, and even, on occasion, actually writing. Most Ardently is her first full-length novel.
You can find her at susanmeslerevanswrites.com.
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