Searching for Mr. Darcy

Scene Thirty-Eight

A rich, dark aroma filled Maisie's nostrils and woke her from a deep, dreamless sleep.  She pulled the fluffy comforter tighter and snuggled deep into her pillow, refusing to open her eyes yet.  Life was too warm and cosy in that moment, but then the sound of a toilet flushing and water running startled her into bolting up.  As she waited for the culprit to emerge, she remembered the previous night: clothes flying off, sheets being thrown aside, stumbling, fumbling, kissing. God. It had been delicious.

The bathroom door opened and Caleb stepped out.  He was already dressed in the clothes he'd worn last night - a white button-down shirt and [navy/black] slacks.  His blazer and tie had been slung lazily across a chair in the corner of the room.  Maisie thought he might be the sexiest man she'd ever met in real life.

That's probably the post-sex endorphins talking, she thought.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning."

He moved towards the end of the bed and Maisie noticed for the first time where the coffee smell was coming from.  A room service cart laden with two mugs, a coffee pot, and a plate of bacon, eggs, and fruit was parked there.  "I hope you don't mind, but I ordered you breakfast.  Don't worry, I charged it to my room."

Maisie gathered the blanket around her and attempted to gracefully stand.  The attempt was unsuccessful as she tripped almost immediately and tumbled right back into the bed, clutching the blanket for dear life.  she know, logically, that he'd already seen everything she had going on, but there was something different about being naked in the throes of passion, and being naked in the harsh reality of the next morning.

But he didn't laugh when she fell - just offered a hand to help her back up.

"Thank you for this," she said, pouring coffee into the two mugs.  "It was really sweet of you."

"You're welcome."  He accepted the cup she offered adn took a sip.  She mirrored him.  She didn't know what else to say - this had been her first one-night stand.

He broke the awkward silence.  "I had a really good time last night."

"Me, too."  She picked up a piece of bacon and the memory of his lips on her neck flashed in her mind.

"I know we said no strings," he paused.

"Yeah."  She cleared her throat.  "It was fun, but I'm not expecting anything from you."

"No, that's... I didn't mean that."  He took another sip of his coffee before setting the mug back on the car.  "Obviously we live far apart."

Maisie didn't respond, just slowly chewed on her bacon.

"Can I see your phone?" he asked, abruptly, holding out his hand for it.

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to save my number in it.  You can call if you're ever in Philly.  No, I mean, I want you to call if you're ever there."

It was so sweet and awkward, Maisie felt heat rising into her cheeks as she hobbled to the nightstand, still clutching the blanket around her.  She unplugged her phone from the charger and entered her passcode, then handed it over to him.  He took a few seconds to save his number and call his own phone so he'd have hers.

"Thank you," he said, handing it back.  "I can't stay - my sister is going to be dropping the kids off in a half hour and I need to shower and change before they get here."

Maisie nodded.  "Of course, of course.  Thank you for everything.  Last night was... unexpected. And a lot of fun."  She tightened her grip on the blanket one more time as he came around the side of the bed and gently kissed her.

"Bye, Maisie."

"Goodbye, Caleb."

He shut the door behind him and Maisie collapsed on the bed, smiling ear-to-ear.