Searching for Mr. Darcy

Scene Forty-Six

"Ugh, Cary," Talia groaned as Maisie turned into Clay's subdivision - a lot row of nearly identical houses, crammed so close together they may as well have shared walls.

"What's wrong with Cary?" Maisie asked. H&L did a lot of building in Cary.

"It's so suburban without an urban center. It's soccer moms and juice boxes."

"And Raleigh is soooo much better?"

"It at least has some historic neighborhoods."

Maisie laughed. "How did I not know you are such a city snob?"

Talia shrugged. "If I ever say I'm moving to Cary or Apex or Morrisville, knock me over the head and seek professional help. It will mean I'm not in my right mind."

"Deal. Look at my phone - what house number did Clay say it is?"

"780."

Maisie slowed down to look more closely at the numbers on the houses. The street seemed endless. "Did we pass it? There's 690 and that one's 810. Who designed this neighborhood?"

Talia pointed to a side street. "Try down there. And then, we're never coming to Clay's again."

"Give it a chance. Clay has always known how to throw a good party. Oh, look - I think that's it." The house two doors down was lit up with twinkle lights in the trees and Chinese lanterns hanging from the rafters over the porch.

"I thought you said he just moved in yesterday - how'd he have time to do all that?" Talia asked, sitting up in her seat.

Maisie shrugged. She found a place to park on the street as the driveway was already full.

"Who else is he having over? It looks like a block party."

"Probably some other high school friends who still live in the area. Clay was always a popular guy."

"You've never really told me much about him." Talia opened the passenger door and stepped out onto the curb. Maisie quickly turned off the car's engine and followed.

"He's the male you."

"Shut up."

The ladies walked up the driveway, Maisie admiring the smooth, almost-luminescent stones lining the path to the front door. "It's quite pretty landscaping, isn't it?" she asked Talia.

"Did he buy the house like this?"

"We'll have to ask him." Maisie rang the bell and they waited silently as footsteps approached within.

"Welcome!" Clay threw the door open and his arms out and Maisie stepped into the offered hug. "I'm so glad you're here," he said.

"Me, too. I can't wait to see your house. If it's anything like the landscaping, it's bound to be gorgeous."

He waved off the compliment. "I can't take credit for any of that." He turned to Talia. "And who is this gorgeous creature?"

"Clay, meet Talia. Talia meet Clay."

Her two friends shook hands and Clay stepped aside to let them in. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Talia. Maisie always tells the most hilarious stories about you."

"All true." Talia grinned. "Sadly, she hasn't told me much about you."

"I was you before she knew you," he said.

"The male me?" Talia smirked at Maisie.

"I told you so."

Clay led them through a spacious entrance and living room to the kitchen and dinig room at the back of the house. A group of people crowded around the kitchen island, snacking on the trays of hors d'oeuvres and laughing at someone's joke.

"Maze," Clay said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "There's someone in particular I want you to meet."

"Oh yeah?"

He steered her into the dining room, Talia following just behind, and stopped in front of a tall man with the prettiest olive complexion Maisie had ever seen.

"Maisie, I'd like you to meet Terence, my fiance. Terence, this is Maisie, the only girl I ever loved."

Maisie and Terence both laughed and Terence moved in for a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Ever since we found out we were moving here, Clay's been telling me one story after another about his amazing childhood friend, Maisie."

"Well, then he's a total ass, because he hasn't told me anything about you!" Maisie playfully slapped Clay's arm. "What happened to Miguel?"

Terence rolled his eyes. "That guy? He was just a placeholder, right baby?"

"Right." Clay kissed Terence's cheek. Then, in a stage whisper to Maisie: "Miguel made Terence jealous enough to finally admit his feelings for me. All part of my evil plan."

"I love it."

The doorbell rang and the hosts sprung into action. Clay nudged Maisie and Talia toward the kitchen. "I think there are a few people in there you'll recognize. We'll catch up in a bit." He and Terence went to the door, and Talia stopped Maisie from moving into the other room.

"He's gay!?!?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, I told you that," Maisie said.

"No, you didn't," Talia insisted.

"Oh. Well, he's gay. Surprise!"

"Obviously I don't care about that - I'm just shocked. The way you talked about him when he said he was moving back, I thought he was an ex-boyfriend or something."

Maisie shook her head. "Nope, just a boy who is a friend. He's the best, though. You're going to love him."

"I'm well on my way, and Terence is going to have to teach me his skincare secrets. He does not have a single visible pore on his face. Did you see that?"

Maisie laughed. "Yep." They entered the kitchen and Maisie did a quick survey of the other guests. She knew about half of them - more friends from high school and - she stopped in her tracks and grabbed Talia's arm.

"What's your damage?"

"You wanted to meet an ex-boyfriend?"

Talia perked up. "Yes, I did. Where? Who?"

Maisie nodded her head to the end of the island, where Marcus, her first love, stood chatting amicably with a young woman whose olive skin and sleek hair practically shouted her familial connection to Terence.

"Ooooh," Talia lowered her voice. "Is that-?"

Maisie nodded again. She and Marcus had gone to school together from kindergarten through high school. They started dating freshman year, and mutually decided to cool things off right before leaving for college. She was staying relatively close, he was going across the country. They loved each other, but knew long distance at such a young age would be disastrous. As far as Maisie could tell, he'd never joined any social media platform, so she hadn't been able to keep tabs on him. She hadn't seen him in almsot a decade, but now he was standing right in front of her, looking barely a year older.

Unconsciously, she shrank back. She hadn't washed her hair in two days, and had put almost no thought into her outfit. He looked gorgeous - she couldn't meet him again like this.

"What are you doing?" Talia asked. Maisie looked around and realized she'd stepped completely back into the dining room.

"He looks so good," she answered.

"So do you."

"I look like crap!"

"You don't. But even if you did, so what? You're fucking amazing and if he's so shallow that all he cares about are your looks, then why should you care at all what he thinks?"

"He's not shallow. Or, at least, he wasn't."

"Perfect. Go say hello."

Maisie gulped, but nodded. What harm could it do?