Page 24 of Desperately Seeking Mr. Darcy

“Please say something,” I say, after another bout of silence.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I just wasn’t expecting this.”

I scrub a hand down my face. “Yeah, I ... wasn’t either.” I let out a chuckle. “It was rash. Maybe I didn’t think it through.”

“Maybe?” She gives me a sort of sheepish grin.

I nod, now feeling even more embarrassed that I did this. “I can change my flight in Atlanta. You don’t have to be stuck with me.” The words feel heavier as I say them, as though I’m offering her an out but hoping she won’t take it. Which is ... ridiculous. I tried to help, and she doesn’t seem to want it. Why does that bother me so much?

“Zane,” she starts, but then stops herself. “You ... it’s ... ugh, why can’t I speak?” She says that last part more to herself, sounding frustrated. Her hands clench briefly before dropping back into her lap.

“Macey,” I say, placing a hand on her arm, which her eyes immediately track to. “It’s just me.”

Her eyes move to mine, and somehow I think that statement, which was meant to put her at ease, made things worse. Especially as her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. How did we get here? Once upon a time, I could say things to Macey and touch her arm, and it would have been a nonissue. Maybe it’s the letter. Maybe we need to get it out in the open.

But then again, maybe I’m full of myself for thinking that letter she wrote all those years ago is the reason for the distance between us. It’s not like Macey’s life revolves around me. There could be something else entirely. Still, the timing feels too coincidental to ignore. Should I ask her about it? Could it actually fix whatever this is between us? Or maybe it’s not that easy.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I say, pulling my hand back. “Because I’m feeling like an idiot.”

“You ... feel like an idiot?” Macey asks, frowning.

“Yes,” I say, gesturing toward the plane with my hands. “For this. For changing my flight. I thought I was helping.”

She lets out a long breath, shaking her head like she’s coming to a resolution of sorts. “Youarehelping,” she finally says. “I’m sorry ... It’s just that, well, I can’t believe you did this.”

“Me either,” I say with a self-deprecating-sounding chuckle.

“It’s ... I appreciate it, Zane. I do.”

I feel lighter and a little less stupid with her words, but only slightly.

The screens in front of us begin playing the safety video, and I lean back into my seat, feeling the tightness in my shoulders—tension I hadn’t even noticed—start to ease.

“But Zane,” she says, edging toward me so I can hear her over the audio. “You can’t actually want to do this.”

I shrug a shoulder. “Fly with you?”

She shakes her head before tucking some of the hair that’s come out of her bun behind her ear. “I mean ... um, dress up like Darcy and act outPride and Prejudice.” Her fingers fidget with the strings of her hoodie, twisting them into tight little knots.

“How hard can it be?”

This time she snorts out a laugh, the sound tugging at something familiar in me—a glimpse of the Macey I used to know. “Well ... for one thing, I’ve been memorizing lines for months.”

“Months?”

“Yes, months. I told you they were very serious about their reenacting.”

“I could learn lines,” I say, though my confidence wavers. The truth is, I’ve hardly ever had to memorize lines—unless you count the eighth-grade play where I managed to do the whole thing with my zipper down. It’s on video. It’s a family favorite during the holidays, and Macey has seen it plenty of times.

“But ... would you want to?”

Her words hang in the air, and I take a moment to let them sink in. Do I want to? I could change my flight in Atlanta andstick to my original half-baked plan—hanging on the beach and hiking through the jungle, things I’ve done before and know I’ll enjoy.

Or I could do something completely different—something I’ve never done. It feels a bit like a challenge—not just the lines or the costumes, but the idea of stepping into something unknown. And maybe being there for a friend is reason enough to try.

MACEY

PLEASE SAY NO, PLEASE SAY no, please say no.

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