Waiting out the storm
By Alex Martin
Serena was running as fast as she could to get out of the was slipping a lot. She's such a klutz. After walking a long way, she slipped outside of an apartment complex and fell on her immediately started crying and just sat there for a while. Then she stood up, looked up at the sky and shouted, "Stupid rain!"
She noticed the apartment complex and quickly ran inside. A few minutes after entering the lobby, she saw Darien get off the elevator. She immediately turned her back to him and crossed her arms. I cant deal with his insults today! She thought to herself.
Darien got off of the elevator, immediately saw Serena and gasped. He had had a crush on her for a while now and was thrilled to see her, but also confused because she hated him so much. Sure they insulted each other constantly, but he only did that to hide his real feelings for her. He thought about her all the time and had so many different fantasies.
He turned his head to look out the big lobby window, looked back at Serena and frowned. She was dripping wet and shivering. This is my chance to actually be nice to her! He thought to himself. He walked up to her, confident he would be nice this time. He opened his mouth to speak. "Hey Meatball Head. You're a mess." That wasn't nice at all he thought to himself.
Serena turned around to face Darien and screamed, "You don't exactly look like a million bucks either pal!"
"Why don't you use my apartment to warm up and wait the storm out?" Darien asked.
Serena was dumbfounded. He's actually being nice to me Serena thought to herself. She looked out the window at the pouring rain and thought about how cold she was. She shivered. She looked at Darien. "Umm… okay… thanks."
The two of them rode the elevator in silence. They got into Darien's apartment and were still silent. Ater a few minutes of silence Darien spoke. "There's the bathroom if you want to take a hot shower and change" Darien said while pointing to the bathroom. "I'll put your clothes in the dryer, and you can wear something of mine." Still confused, Serena walked to the bathroom without saying a word.
Serena took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Oh my god! I'm naked in Darien's apartment! She thought to herself. She had a small crush on Darien for a a while now, but only realized it when he was dating Raye.
Whenever Raye talked about her and Darien's relationship, Serena hated it. She always made a sarcastic remark.
"Two people who are way too serious, boring and no fun at all? You two are perfect for each other!" Serena once said to Raye about her and Darien's relationship. She quickly realized it was jealousy, not just a hatred for Darien but jealousy. She always1 thought Darien was handsome. Even though she screamed at him the first time they met, she walked away saying to herself, "He sure is cute." Darien and Raye broke up a long time ago, which Serena loved, but she knew nothing would ever happen. Serena sighed. He only thinks of me as a Meatball Head and a stupid crybaby.
While Serena was in the shower, Darien gathered some clothes for her to wear- a baggy, short-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants. To give her privacy, he laid the clothes in front of the bathroom door and took her wet clothes, which were hanging on the doorknob, and put them in the dryer. After he put her wet clothes in the dryer, Darien walked to the living room and sat on the couch. He listened to the water running in the bathroom, and a million fantasies ran through his mind. Oh Serena he thought to himself. We finally get to be alone, but I doubt you like me since I am always so mean to you. He put his face in his hands.
A couple of minutes later, the bathroom door knob jiggled, which made Darien's head shoot up. He turned his head slightly so he could watch Serena out of the corner of his eye. He saw part of her body poke out the bathroom door. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, and the part of her chest Darien could see was wrapped up in a towel as well.
Damn that towel! Darien thought to himself. He then slapped himself for thinking that way since she was so innocent. He happened to look to his right and was shocked to see Serena sitting beside him. He must have been really lost in thought to not hear her come over.
"Did I scare you?" Serena asked with a grin. She must have seen the shock on Darien's face.
"You just startled me." He kept a straight face, even though Serena's grin made him feel like smiling as well. They were silent for a while until Darien spoke up. "How about some food Meatball Head?"
"Urrrrrrrg! Don't call me that!" Serena screamed with her arms folded across her chest. Her angry face instantly changed into a smile. "But yes to the food. I never turn down food."
"Trust me, I know." Darien smirked. Serena frowned and turned her head away so she didn't have to look at him. Darien got up and walked to the kitchen, smacking his head on the way there for saying that.
"Be cool, man," Darien whispered to himself as he got the food together in the kitchen. "Be nice." He walked back to the living room and set a tray of food down on the coffee table; two pieces of chocolate cake and two cups of hot chocolate. He saw Serena's eyes light up at the sight of the food. She dug in frantically as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. Darien smiled. He found it adorable how excited she got about food. He caught himself staring at her multiple times when he saw her eating at the arcade.
He sat on the couch next to her and began to eat his food. She finished before him, of course. He chuckled at how fast she ate. Serena looked up at him with chocolate all over her mouth, which made him laugh even more. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"Y-you h-have ch-chocolate all over y-your f-face," Darien managed to say during his laughter. He grabbed a napkin, and held it out for her to take. She snatched it out of his hand angrily and began to wipe her face. After watching Serena try to wipe the chocolate off with no success for a couple of minutes, Darien finally took the napkin from her and began to wipe her face.
He tried to be as gentle as possible. Finally, there was one spot of chocolate left on her bottom lip. He put the napkin on her lip and paused. He wanted to kiss those lips so bad. He stared at them for a moment, but then his gaze made its way up to her eyes. Such beautiful blue eyes he thought to himself. A smile appeared on his face, and he couldn't break the gaze.
He's staring into my eyes! Serena thought to herself. She was shrieking on the inside. He eventually broke his gaze and wiped the spot of chocolate off of her lip. Serena felt her face turn red, so she turned her head so Darien wouldn't notice. They sat in silence for a couple more minutes until Serena spoke.
"Thanks for the food Darien."
"No problem Meatball Head," Darien smirked. Serena folded her arms in disgust.
Darien frowned and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." She smiled at him, accepting his apology, and he smiled back. His smile had her in a trance. She couldn't stop staring. He noticed and leaned a bit closer to her.
He's so close! Serena thought to herself. That smile.
BOOM!
"Ahhhhhh!" Serena screamed and jumped. She was so scared that she didn't even notice where she landed. After taking a few moments to calm down, she looked down. She was sitting on Darien's lap, gripping his shirt for dear life. She looked up at Darien, who was grinning and blushing. She immediately jumped to her side of the couch.
He leaned in close again and said, "It was only thunder. You don't have to be scared."
"I know that," Serena retorted. "I'm not scared."
Darien smirked. "Then why were you sitting in my lap?" Serena looked at him and blushed, knowing she had been caught. He was still leaned in close to her, just staring. They just stared at each other for a while. She was thinking about what might happen next, and this excited her but made her nervous at the same time. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
After a couple of minutes staring at each other in silence, Serena was still nervous. A million scenarios ran through her mind, but all that thinking just made her more nervous. She couldn't take it anymore and abruptly stood up. She started walking around the living room.
"What are you doing?" Darien asked, confused.
"Oh… just stretching my legs," Serena said nervously with her hand behind her head. Darien just watched as Serena walked. After her third lap around the living room, he started to get more confused and irritated. He stood to block her path. She wasn't paying attention and ran right into him. She fell but Darien caught her before she hit the floor.
Serena looked to either side of her. I'm in his arms! She thought to herself. He is so strong! She blushed. "Darien?" Serena started.
"Yes?" Darien responded, still holding her.
"Why are you always so mean to me?"
Darien stood her up, released her and thought about her question. "Well, the first time we met, I really don't know why I was so mean. The insult just kind of slipped out," Darien said nervously.
"Okay… What about every day since?"
'
Darien wanted to tell her that he was only mean to hide his feelings, but he was too nervous to say it. "I really don't mean to be. Every time I see you, I tell myself I'm going to be nice, but it never works out that way."
Serena looked at Darien with confusion. There had to be a reason why he was always so mean to her, and she wanted to know what it was. She opened her mouth, about to ask him another question, but he interrupted her.
"Look out the window!" Darien practically shouted and ran to the window. Serena rolled her eyes but followed. They stood in silence, watching it rain cats and dogs outside.
"Thanks," Serena said suddenly.
Darien looked at Serena, confused, "For what?"
Serena looked at Darien. "For letting me stay in your apartment until the storm stops."
He smiled at her. "You're welcome. It doesn't look like it will stop any time soon though."
Is he saying that because he doesn't want me to stay long? Serena thought to herself. Serena frowned. "I won't stay long. I'll be out of your way soon."
Darien didn't know why she frowned and sounded so sad. "Why?"
"I know you really don't want me here," Serena said, holding back tears.
"But Serena I –"
"I'll leave now." She started heading toward the door.
Darien didn't want her to go. He didn't know what to do. Suddenly, the apartment went pitch black.
"Ahhhhhh!" Serena screamed and jumped in Darien's direction. She felt herself land on something hard, and then felt arms wrap around her.
"It's okay," Darien said. "It's just a power outage."
Serena was so frightened. The only thing she could do was bury her face in Darien's chest. I feel so safe and warm when he's holding me Serena thought to herself.
She's not letting go of me! Darien thought to himself. Could she possibly like me? She didn't seem to mind when I wiped the chocolate off her lip and stared into her eyes. She didn't look away from me. Then I caught her staring at me and blushing. In fact, she has been blushing a lot since she got here. Plus, this is the second time she has jumped on me because she got scared. Does she like me? Her skin feels so soft. I don't want to let go.
The two of them stayed like that the entire time the power was out, which was for about five minutes. The power came back on, and Serena realized that her legs were wrapped around his waist. She wanted to stay like that but knew she couldn't. She kept that position for a moment, then took her time releasing his body from her grip. After she got her feet to the floor, she looked up at Darien. They just stared at each other for a while and she began to blush.
BUZZZZZZZZ!
Darien growled, loud enough so that Serena could hear, as he broke his gaze. Serena just stood there, silently cursing the noise that interrupted them, as Darien walked away. She then followed his path to a very small stacked washer and dryer. She watched him grab her dry clothes out of the machine.
Darien turned to face Serena. "Your clothes are dry. I'll lay them on the couch so you can change when you're ready."
He's not telling me to change right away and leave. Does he want me to stay longer? Serena thought to herself. And why did he wrap his arms around me when the power went out? We were just staring at each other after that… until the dryer went off. And he tried to stop me when I tried to leave. Now that I think about it, he called me Serena, not Meatball head. Does all of this really mean what I think it means? Could Darien, the one who tortures me and teases me every day, actually have feelings for me? Or, is it just wishful thinking? Serena's thoughts were swirling around in her head.
"I put them on the couch for you!" Darien shouted.
Serena walked back out in the living room and saw Darien leaning against the wall. He looked at her, frowned and quickly looked down. "I suppose you want to change and go?"
He didn't seem very happy to say that Serena thought to herself. "No," she said and Darien lifted his head to look at her. She was smiling. "Well…" Serena started and twiddled her thumbs. "I'll still get soaked on the way home, so it doesn't make much sense for me to leave yet."
She wants to stay! Darien thought to himself. I need to tell her how I feel… But how?
"So… " Serena started. "Back to what we were talking about earlier…" Darien instantly felt nervous, blushed and looked at Serena. "Why are you so mean to me every day but you're being nice to me now?"
Darien started sweating. He still didn't know how to tell her. Then, he came up with an idea. "I know I always insult you, but you give it right back." He paused and grinned. "Why is that?"
Serena's eyes widened. Is he really trying to turn this around on me? She thought to herself. She always insulted him because he always started it. She couldn't let him have the last word. But there was a deeper reason as well. It's the only attention he ever gives me- no matter if it's good or bad. I could never let him know that I enjoy his teasing. I can't give him any clues that I have a crush on him. So, whenever he fires an insult my way, I fire one right back she thought to herself. Why is he smiling at me? Uh oh! He knows he caught me! Her thoughts were all over the place. "I only insult you because you always start it. You always deserve it."
We could go back and forth like this all day. At this rate, she'll never know Darien thought to himself. She obviously wasn't going to tell him she liked him, so he had to be the one to do it. He sighed and stepped closer to Serena until their bodies were only one inch apart. "I like you."
Serena stood there with shock and excitement on her face. Did I hear that right? Did Darien just say he likes me? I like you too! Serena thought to herself. She had so many thoughts swimming in her head, but she couldn't speak. Her heart beat was just as loud as the thunder outside.
When Serena didn't respond, Darien became even more nervous. He spoke but could no longer control his lips or his tongue. "I've liked you for a long time but could never find the courage to tell you. I was always mean to you to hide my feelings for you because I didn't think you would ever feel the same way. I went to the arcade every day just because I knew I would see you."
There was a long silence. Serena still couldn't speak. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn't come out. She noticed that Darian was fiddling with his shirt out of nervousness. She knew Darian was starting to regret what he said. He thought she didn't like him.
Darien's eyes started to water, and Serena couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to put an end to his sorrow. Then an idea popped into her head. Actions speak louder than words she thought herself. She put her arms around his neck and began to kiss him softly but passionately.
I guess she likes me Darian thought to himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to him as he possibly could. Then Serena used her hand to push his head forward to deepen the kiss.
They finally pulled apart but still held each other. Darien stared into Serena's eyes and smiled. Serena was the first to speak.
"Now was that so hard?"
Darien chuckled. "Yes, it was." He paused. "But I'm glad I did it." He smiled.
Serena smiled back and gave him a quick kiss. They separated. "This explains a lot."
"What do you mean?" Darien asked.
"I wondered why you were at the arcade every time I was. I thought a hunk like you would have better things to do than hang out at a place for kids and teenagers."
I'm a hunk huh? Darien thought to himself. A big smile and a red blush spread across his face.
Serena's face began to turn pink as she realized what she just said, but she moved on. "And I would catch you staring at me but told myself you were looking at something behind me." She frowned at that last statement and turned her back to Darien.
Darien noticed this and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist from behind. "I was always looking at you," he whispered into her ear.
Serena turned around, smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye. "Look!" She said excitedly and ran to the window. "It stopped raining!" She opened the balcony door and ran outside. Darien smiled at her excitement and followed. He came up to Serena and put his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they both enjoyed the new sunny weather and each other.
***Hey guys! This is my first time posting a story on here, so I hope you enjoy it(: Please read and review.