Hey all! Is it she? Why yes, yes it is.

I can give a few reasons as to why I haven't updated anything in months, but the reality is, I lost my "spark." However, it's slowly coming back and to help move it along(actually, shove it along) I decided to write this fun little story. I do hope you all enjoy it. I'm thinking it'll be no more than five chapters, possibly less. My aim is to finish it by this weekend (20th or 21st of October.) Once I can get this story out, my goal is to update The Kings, re-work Paper Dolls, re-work a bit of the Witches of Luna, etc. You get the gist. All of my stories will be undergoing some type of writing, minus Give your heart a break and The Queens.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings and on to the story.

As always, characters are not mine. Story is. Any reviews, constructive criticism, etc are appreciated!

"Out! Both of you!"

"But..Andy…"

"No. Out!" Andrew lowered his tone as he turned towards the silvery-golden hair young girl before him, his eyes softening, "Serena, you just graduated High School and should be preparing for College; becoming an adult.."

"That's if she actually gets in."

"TAKE IT BACK YOU BUFFOON!"

Andrew rubbed his temples as he watched his best friend of ten years and the young woman who was more like a sister than anything else, glare at each other.

Well, it was mostly Serena glaring and Darien looked like a cross between annoyed and frustrated.

"ENOUGH! This has gone on for the past five years! Enough is enough!" Andrew lowered his voice as he realized the three of them had a captivated audience from every patron in the Arcade. His hazel eyes narrowed as he pointed at them, "You two are not allowed back until you've settled your differences and can act like adults." Turning towards his best friend, Andrew gave his best impression of being disappointed that he could muster.

"Darien, you're twenty-two. Act like the adult here!"

Said friend just blinked as he stood beside the petite blonde whose face was crimson with embarrassment.

"Serena, you're seventeen now. Enough is enough! Now out! Both of you! The next time you two come in, I expect civility, at the least."

Serena huffed as she grabbed her cream colored purse, pulling it over head and letting it flop down to her side, and marched out of her one sanctuary. The buffoon, as she had come to call him, followed closely behind her, his body posture indicating how unhappy he was about the situation.

Glaring at the sidewalk, Serena turned left and kept walking. This was all his fault. He couldn't just be nice, you know, say her REAL name. No, he had to call her meatball head and then ask which insane asylum offered to take her, when she had excitedly pulled out acceptance letters to two colleges. He couldn't just congratulate her or even bother to ask what her major would be. He just had to tear her down; rip her confidence apart like he had done since she was twelve.

"Hey!"

Ignoring the man behind her, Serena kept walking, her teeth clenched tightly together so she wouldn't respond. She gasped when she felt a large hand wrap around her bare upper arm and pulled her to a stop and then, without much thought, into a small alleyway, away from the prying eyes of the public.

She turned then, seething. Her eyes did a quick intake and she couldn't help the blush as they took in his toned form in a black shirt and relaxed dark wash jeans. Why did someone so handso- ugly, have to be so mean too? Bending her head back, she made eye contact, "What?! What do you want, Darien? Want to be belittle me some more?!"

His ocean blue eyes widened for just a moment before they narrowed, "I wanted to see how quickly we could come to some agreement."

Sucking in a quick breath, Serena pulled on her arm, hoping he'd just let go. Instead, his grip seemed to tighten. Glaring at his large hand, she looked back up, punctuating each word, she snapped, "Let me go."

"Not until we can come to some agreement."

"Are you hard of hearing or just an idiot? I said, let me go!"

His deep blue eyes traveled down to where his hand wrapped around her slender arm and Serena felt a blush come up as she noticed his eyes flicked quickly towards her breasts and finally back to her face. In that moment, she wished she had never borrowed this particular dress from Mina. It was a soft blue, sleeveless halter top that dipped lower than she was used too. It was slightly longer on her than Mina, simply due to the height difference, but she had always felt beautiful in it, up until now.

Now, with Darien standing so close, his warm hand wrapped around her pale arm and his eyes flickering back to the deep plunge, she just felt like he ruined it somehow. He seemed to ruin everything for her.

"Why are you being so damn stubborn?"

Yanking on her arm, Serena tried her best to escape his grip.

"Me? You think I'm being stubborn? Do you realize what you said to me in there?!"

He seemed to think for a moment as his eyes moved towards the semi-empty street and back again, "Yes."

Was he that cruel? That heartless? He mocked her constantly and when she finally did something right and was proud of herself, he didn't care? If he could be that cruel well then so could she!

"Just apologize and let's move on."

She saw red, that was the only way to describe it as her free hand came up and slapped him across the face. The slap seemed to echo off the walls as neither one moved, her hand still poised in the air. It seemed as if timed slowed down as his face turned to the left, turning a soft pink shade from her hand.

'OH GOD! I slapped him? I slapped him!'

Dropping her offended hand, Serena stared, wide eyed as Darien rubbed his cheek with his free hand, his body seeming to tense with each second that passed.

"Dari.."

She swallowed as he turned his face back towards her; his eyes sharp and focused.

She tried again as the silence ticked by, "I'm…"

What could she really say? While they had always had a verbal fighting match, neither one had ever gotten physical before. Would it be right to offer her own face for him to slap? Tic for tac? Would he even hit a girl? She didn't really see him as the type, but what did she really know. Without much thought, she turned her head slightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Go for it."

The hand on her arm tightened slightly, though not enough to hurt her, rather, an indication to look at him and Serena dared a peak at the man before her.

"You think I would hit you back?"

Closing both eyes again, Serena gave a slight nod, "It would only be fair; But just a slap." Time seemed to drag again as she waited for the assault.

She heard mumbled curses above her and gasped as she was pulled up against his much taller and harder body.

Her eyes flew open when his hand caressed her chin and in doing so, lifted her head back. Her sapphire eyes stared in shock as he leaned over her, his lips becoming dangerously close to her own.

"I wouldn't hit you Serena, ever."

In the closeness, Serena could barely register that he had actually said her name, though a part of her brain did file it away. The more important thing that currently occupied every cell in her body was, 'what the heck was going on?'

In a matter of seconds they went from arguing, to her slapping him and now here he was looking like he was going to kiss her. But he wouldn't kiss her, right? Why would he even want too? The thought was laughable, really.

Wanting to truly laugh at the situation, Serena made a move to try and step back and it was only then did she realize that his hand no longer gripped her arm; no, without her realizing it, he had slipped his hand around her waist.

Placing both hands against his slow breathing chest, Serena took a deep breath. This was getting weird, even for their standards.

"Darien..?"

His ocean blues seemed unfocused as the hand holding her waist seemed to grip the fabric, causing her to scoot even closer to his body.

"I'm sorry."

Blinking, Serena lifted a silvery-golden brow in confusion. His voice sounded different. Not apologetic, but different. Deeper. Serena blushed as she thought of another word, 'sexier.'

Clearing her throat, she tilted her head to the side, fully confused. Her voice came out in a whisper as she spoke, afraid to speak louder.

"Sorry for what?"

His face seemed to get closer as he whispered, "For this."

Gasping in shock was the only response as his lips covered her own in a demanding kiss. Serena felt her hands grip his black shirt as her eyes stared wide.

Darien was kissing her. Him. He. He was kissing her! No, devouring her lips!

Not sure what to do, Serena tried to push away, only to find that his other hand had snacked around her waist as well, joining its brother and pulled her flush up against him. She gasped when his teeth nipped at her bottom lip, and when her mouth opened slightly, she felt his tongue swoop in, like it was tasting a sweet nectar for the first time.

Darien Shields. Heartthrob of their city. The number one bachelor. The one guy ALL the girls chased after, was kissing her. Serena. As if his life depended on it!

Becoming lost in the sensation and finding herself responding, as best as she could, Serena realized that the hands that once seemed to be pushing him away now gripped him closer.

She felt her heart pound so loudly, it felt like it would pop out of her chest when his hands began to roam slowly down her body, squeezing her bottom. The blush ran quickly over her cheeks and neck as she squealed, separating their lips, and pulled away, eyes wide. She tried to say his name but his mouth latched onto her neck and she felt all words leave her as he bent slowly, his hands traveling down to her thighs and then, without warning, he hoisted her up; their height difference, she realized as they stared face to face, was no longer a problem. She felt her legs automatically wrap around his hips, perhaps an unconscious thought that she would fall if she didn't.

She felt her breaths coming out in large puffs as they stared at each other; her in shock and him, Serena swallowed as she stared. His eyes were,what was that term that she read over and over again in every romance novel? She felt lost as she stared into his eyes; their color darkening with each passing second.

'Hooded.' His eyes were hooded. A term used in the romance novels to signify something but what, Serena tried to wrack her fizzed out brain for the answer but came up empty.

Before she could muster up any words to speak, his lips were back, as his feet moved slowly forward and it wasn't until she felt the cold of the wall behind her, that she realized why he had moved. With her back against the wall, his lips nearly crushing her own and his hands gripping her thighs, Serena wasn't sure if she had died and gone to heaven. This was heaven, right?

His name came out like a plea when his lips dipped to her neck again as she lifted her head back, granting him better access.

"Darien…"

She had surely gone to heaven. How could one man make you lose every thought? Make you lose so much control with just a kiss?

She gasped suddenly when she felt something hard rub against her most intimate part and reality came crashing back down.

With her eyes snapping open, Serena focused in on the dark haired man before her. What started out as one heck of a kiss was now turning into something she couldn't control, and with her nemesis!

Feeling the panic rise up in her, Serena pushed against his chest, her voice coming out in a shaky whisper, "Stop! Darien, please top!"

Within an instant, everything stopped as he breathed heavily against her neck, his body seeming to shake with each breath.

She could feel his body still against her own. She didn't dare move, afraid of what that would signal to him. While she was naive in most of these things, she had read enough of Mina's romance novels to understand what was poking her. Taking in some much needed air, Serena pushed on his chest again, her voice slightly frantic as she spoke, "Put me down."

His hands slipped from her thighs to her waist and before she could blink, her feet were back on the ground and he had taken a few cautious steps away from her. His chest seemed to be heaving as his body continued to shake slightly. Not knowing what to say, Serena moved back, gripping her purse that she forgot about until now, and then her hands moved towards lips that felt swollen.

'Darien and I just…my first kiss…no no no no. This didn't just happen!"

"Serena, I…" his voice seemed strained as he looked towards the ground, his hands shoved into the front of his dark jean pockets.

Without letting him finish, she eyed the open alleyway and took off at the fastest sprint she could muster. She half expected to be pulled back again and it wasn't until she was running down the sidewalk at full speed did she realize that he wasn't chasing her.

Thoughts? Opinions?

-LAla