-Chapter 1-
~Serena's POV~
It was only three months ago that I had met the love of my life, the man of my dreams, my very own knight in shining armor. He was sweet, caring, understanding...come to think of it, there wasn't really anything bad about him. He was just so perfect. I remember...when I first met him. The best day of my life. It started out like a stupid crappy romance love scene, that sappy stuff you always see on the screens of the cinemas. But you get the point.
It was a rainy day and I had ignored my parents' advice to wear a raincoat, or bring an umbrella. I had no idea what had gotten into me, probably the argument my mom and I had the night before. So there I was, stuck out in the freezing rain. I swore it was hailing. I had chosen to wear a thin long-sleeved shirt with next to no protection from the weather, and a knee-length skirt. It sucked that I had to walk home...
My best friends, including Molly, had all gone their separate ways. Molly lived the closest to me, but she lived in a whole different neighborhood. She couldn't walk me home. I was stuck in this crap-hole alone. It probably didn't help that I'd fallen asleep during my last class. It also probably didn't help that my teacher hated me and had chosen not to wake me up. Plus, I was such a deep sleeper that I didn't even wake for the bell... I could be the worst idiot sometimes.
I stood half-frozen, waiting for all those car lights to stop shooting past me and let me through. The law that "pedestrians had the right of way" obviously wasn't enforced very much here.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably. At this rate I was going to catch a cold, or the flu, or something like strep throat. Man, I really wished I'd listened to my parents...
I wrung my hair out, wiped the rain off my face, and braced myself for the icy winds. Suddenly the rain vanished. My eyes were still too drenched, and I wiped them again to regain my vision. My eyelashes had clumped together, making it look like I done a poor job of putting mascara on. My skin was completely pale, and I still couldn't stop shivering. It was annoying, really.
I glanced up. A kindly man was smiling down at me as he tucked me under his black raincoat. It was then that realized the rain was still there, pattering against this man's coat. The storm hadn't instantly passed, I was simply being shielded from it by this...well, embarrassingly handsome man. I felt myself blush, but I knew for a fact it wasn't showing. My face was far too cold for color to seep through.
He told me to put my arm through one of the sleeves, which I did eagerly, for warmth if nothing else. I was shocked that this one raincoat was large enough to cover the both of us. I held back a girlish giggle that started to bubble inside me. I couldn't help it...we were pressed awfully close against each other...and he was so warm...
We waited for the traffic to stop forever, but being as it was the holiday season, there was just no end to the flashing lights and occasional car horns. My house couldn't be reached unless I crossed this death road, and I had no choice but to tell this to the nice man who had saved me from becoming a Serena-cicle.
"It's okay, you can stay at my place until it stops raining!" he yelled to me over the pitter-patter of the downpour. I forced back another giggle. He had a lovely voice.
I agreed to accompany him. As fate would have it, his home was a nice apartment. It was a little messy, but he was a guy, so that sort of made it okay. The unfortunate part was that his apartment, which had like four rooms, was a bit far from my house.
"I don't want to be rude or anything, but I really need to call my parents," I told him. "I was held back by the traffic and they were expecting me to be home about two or three hours ago. I want to let them know I'm fine."
He smiled (I loved his smile) and gave me his cell phone. I flipped it open and dialed my home number.
After only one ring, my mother picked up the phone. I could hear her hushing everyone else in the house so she could hear who was calling. "Hello?"
"Hey, Mom. It's me. I just wanted to let you that I can't come home yet. There a bad storm and too much traffic."
She asked me why I was calling from a different number. Again, the fault of my stupidity...
"I left my phone at home and forgot to bring it to school with me. I'm borrowing one from someone else," I answered.
Yelling. Lots of yelling. I knew it was because she loved me and was relieved that I was okay, but she didn't need to make me feel bad about it.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry, it won't happen again," I said.
"IT BETTER NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, SERENA!" Wow. She was so loud that the man looked at me in a strange way, but quickly turned his head back, as though he hadn't heard my mother screaming at me over his phone.
"Uh, I'll call you back when the storm passes, okay?" I mumbled into the speaker.
My mom grunted and hung up. I hoped that meant I was off the hook.
I turned back to the man, who grinned at me. My face was still pale, my hair still looked like a rat's nest, and I was still saturated in water. I had no clue why he motioned for me to sit on the couch. (His couch faced a big flat-screen TV! How lucky could I get?) I sat down, only to be faced with a weird silence that made me uncomfortable. He seemed just as uncomfortable, but tried to start a decent conversation anyway.
"So," he began, "you're name is Serena?"
I nodded. I had to give him some credit. At least he was trying to break through the quiet barrier. I wasn't really doing anything at the moment.
"That's a pretty name."
Yup. It was official. I liked him already.
"Thanks," I whispered shyly. Thank God my face was still pale and cold.
"My name is Seiya. I'm part of a band called the Starlights. Ever heard of it?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Sorry, I haven't heard of anything like that. But it's cool you're in a band. Is that how you got this big apartment?"
"Yeah. My friends and I used to share it, but we had a huge fight and we split up. They got their own apartments and I was stuck here. Gets kind of lonely, you know?"
I smiled, happy to keep him company. I knew what it was like to be lonely, but I didn't know what it was like to be all by yourself. I still had my friends, and they called me all the time. Molly, Rei, Amy, Lita, and Mina. And hopefully I could be friends with Seiya. Not only would it be awesome to visit his apartment every now and then, but he would have someone to talk with.
"So were your friends also your band members?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah, they were. We played an amazing bass, and our guitar solos were just as good. We also took turns singing."
"Wow. That sounds like fun," I replied.
"Well, it started off that way, but then we all got jealous of the others. We started bickering about who was better at singing, playing the guitar, and drumming. It was really a stupid thing to argue about, but apparently we still hate each other. I haven't seen or talked to them in years," he explained.
"Did you ever argue about who's better looking?" Crap. Crap crap crap. Why did I just go there? I'd have been better off if I kept my mouth shut. Seriously, I was blowing it! Why couldn't my stupidity ever come in handy for once?
To my great relief, he didn't sense any flirtation in my question and chuckled lightheartedly. "Well, if you were in the band, we probably would've."
No matter how pale my skin was, no matter how cold it was, I knew there was some intense redness leaking through. And really, who could blame me? This Seiya guy was kind, handsome, and to be blunt about it, charming. And let's not forget that he was in a band, which was pretty hot. Plus, he had his own apartment, he lived by himself, and judging by what he just said about me being in his band, he didn't have a girlfriend. And every girl knew that any single guy was fair game. And boy did I want this one.
I flashed a smile. My teeth were straight and white, just like his.
I watched him crack his own little smile and I listened closely when he told me I had a pretty smile. I can't forget to mention that he also told me I had beautiful eyes. He said something about me looking like an angel with my blue crystal eyes and my blonde hair. And for the first time ever, someone actually complemented my hairstyle. I liked this change of pace. After having Darien crack humiliating jokes about my looks and the way I ate, I was finally getting away from all that.
We kept up our conversation, which was turning from a normal, everyday chat into a bunch of flirting around and learning more about one another, for the next few hours. When I was starting to get tired, Seiya glanced toward the window. The rain hadn't let up at all, and there was still traffic flying by. I wouldn't be going home anytime tonight.
He offered to let me sleep in his guest room tonight, and I felt like I had no choice but to accept. After all, there was still the option of walking right back into the downpour and soaking myself again and then wait for traffic. But Seiya didn't say I had to stay. Technically I had made my own choice. And it wouldn't hurt to lie to my mother about all this. I could just say that Rei had seen me standing out in the rain and had led me to her place, where I used her grandpa's cell phone to call her.
Now, why would I lie about this? Well, was it in all innocence? Yes. Was it doing any harm to either of us? No. Was it hurting anyone's feelings? No. Was it providing me with shelter? Yes.
Was I spending the night with a hot guy who had just been flirting with me? Yes.
So yeah, it would be safe to assume that my mother would have a heart attack if she knew about this. But if she was in my position, including having the marital status of "single", what would she do? There's a super-handsome man covering her with his raincoat. It's wet outside and she's standing there freezing to death. The man leads her to his apartment so she could dry off and get comfortable even with it raining out. The man starts flirting with her even though she looks like a mess. The man is interesting to talk to, and his charms are overwhelming her. Then she gets tired and the rain still hasn't stopped. The man offers her a stay at his place. Would she accept? Would she decline? She would not decline, she would accept his offer eagerly. Any girl would.
So even if she found out about it, by some random strike of chance, she couldn't place blame on me, especially since it was hardly an option.
Seiya led me to his guest room and opened the door so I could see inside. Going so far as to open a door for me... He was definitely a guy I would want to date. He might even surpass Andrew!
I peeked inside and was impressed by what I saw. The room itself wasn't large, but it was cozy enough for even the most hateful person to like. Had to hand it to the guy, he knew exactly what a girl wanted.
I went inside, sat on the edge of the bed and waited, not knowing what else to do. Seiya seemed to understand this and closed the door. I had never been in a man's apartment before. Even with Seiya out of the room, it was freakishly strange to be in here. I opened the closet and saw only a number of hangers. Then again, he lived alone and this guest room didn't look as though it had been used in quite awhile. So of course he wouldn't have clothes in here.
I yawned and stretched, then closed the closet door. I was tired. And hungry, but I didn't want to be a pain. For a moment, I looked around the room. I guess I was just trying to get familiar with my surroundings. It was weird...I didn't feel trapped like I do when I go to my cousin's house. I felt right in place. Now, I didn't know if it was just because it was cozy, or if it was because Seiya was in the bedroom next to this one. Either way, I would sleep well tonight. And thank God it was a Friday today. Tomorrow would be Saturday, which meant I could sleep in.
Darn it all there was thunder and lightning... Scared me half to death!
But thankfully Seiya was there, and when I woke up screaming he let me sleep in his bed. He was mindful to keep a bit of a distance from me, to let me know he wasn't going to try anything with me.
The next day, after enduring a verbal smack-down from my mother and father, I met up with my friends at the arcade. I didn't hesitate to describe my stay with Seiya. I didn't tell them his name, mainly because I myself wasn't sure if I was ever going to see him again. He had given me his phone number (which I went to great lengths to hide from my parents and little brother) but I didn't know when the right time to call him was. Was I supposed to wait and play hard-to-get? Or was I supposed to give him a break and call him soon? And if I chose to call him soon, when would "soon" be? How soon should a I call? It was a difficult decision...
~Darien's POV~
I was sitting at my usual stool, waiting for a chance to ridicule Serena about something. If she fell, that would be the perfect time. Which of course, she likely would fall. But my thoughts of what to joke about were broken by Andrew's voice.
"Serena's awfully chatty today..." he mumbled to me.
Now that he mentioned it, she did seem a little more talkative than usual. She was the kind of girl who loved to gossip, but this time seemed different. She was making all kinds of hand gestures and giggling about whatever. The other girls were listening intently to her, and smiled slyly at times. Sometimes they exchanged these secretive looks while the others giggled with Serena. An occasional squeal was heard coming from either Mina or Serena, who seemed to be the narrator of whatever this conversation was about.
Now normally, I would walk right up to the group and tease the meatball-head right in front of all her friends. I didn't know exactly why I did that to her, but I just did. Anyway, this time I felt no desire to let myself be seen by any of them. I really wanted to know what all the fuss was about.
I crept quietly into another booth, one where Serena and her friends couldn't possibly see me. Unfortunately, such a booth was a little far from hers, and I could only make out little bits and pieces of her story. But it was more than enough to paint the picture.
"You stayed at his house!" Mina squealed.
I cocked my head in a way that put one of my ears higher, trying to pick up a little more. After all, Serena staying at "his" house? Who was this guy anyway? And why didn't I know him? I knew everyone she hung out with! Or at least, I thought I did. Guess not. But still, I could've misunderstood. I hoped I'd misunderstood.
"Shh!" Serena hissed, instantly silencing her friend.
The rest of what I heard was still nothing but fragments. Nonetheless, it got me to the main point of her story.
"..and he was super hot...so charming...so I stayed at his house...slept in his bed...had to lie to my mom about it..."
My mind blanked out. This was too vivid to be a misunderstanding. Frankly, I didn't want to hear more. From the other girls' sly smiles, she was about to go into depth. And I didn't want to hear about the amazing sex she'd had that night. I didn't want to hear how "he" had pleased her. It was mind-boggling enough that a junior in high school would get laid by a guy she had just met. I didn't need to hear the details.
I tiptoed back to Andrew, my face whitened by Serena's dirty little secret. By the truth. It was a whole new side of her personality I had never seen before, not even once, not even a hint of it! I'd never even thought to mark her as that kind of girl. I'd always thought she was just some klutzy little ditz who had a strange hairdo. And I'd always thought she was innocent.
"Darien, you look like you saw a ghost. It couldn't have been that bad," he said, soft enough that Serena and her friends wouldn't hear him.
I quickly drained the remnants of my coffee, suddenly feeling parched.
"She had sex," I whispered shakily.
Andrew spilled a drink he was making the instant he heard "sex". "Serena? That Serena?" He pointed to "that Serena".
"Yeah, I heard it myself. She said something about a good-looking guy, and that she liked him. She said she stayed at his house, slept in his bed, and had to lie to her mom about it," I told him.
"Why, though? She's only a junior!" he exclaimed.
This time Serena's group turned to look at us. For the first time, Serena didn't glare at me. There was no evil look in her eyes, no spark of anger, no sense of foreboding...nothing. That one glance from her put everything to rest. The pleasure from last night had put her in too good of a mood to be angry.
"Uh, yeah I know she is. So why are you dating her?" I said, a bit loudly so Serena and her friends were sure to hear me.
Andrew have me a weird look, but caught onto it quickly. "Well, she's really nice. Besides, I can date whoever I want to."
Everyone turned back around, and after a few minutes, the girls began engulfing themselves in their friend's tale. The arcade was once more filled with the hum of the girls' chatter.
I sighed in relief. If she knew that we knew her secret, we were going to get it and we were going to get it bad. But she didn't know. And making sure she didn't know was probably the only thing we could do right now.
~Serena's POV~
It had been two days, and I was still pacing around my room, wondering if I should call Seiya yet. I had dialed his number on more than one occasion, but after the first ring, I hung up. I didn't know why I was so nervous. Again, this is where stupidity could lend me a hand. I picked up my cell phone. The little device had never before looked so intimidating. I tensed up, clenching the little phone. I made a conscious effort to loosen my grip on the poor thing. Didn't want it breaking before I had the chance to call him.
My heart almost leapt out of my chest when it rang in my hands. I read the caller ID, and it was an unknown number that obviously wasn't in my contact list. I answered it and held it to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Serena," a voice greeted me.
"Uh, who is this again?" I asked.
Laughter. "It's me, Seiya! Tell me you haven't forgotten already!"
"Seiya!" I squealed. "Sorry, you sound so different over the phone."
He chuckled and said, "I get that alot. So listen, you want to do something later?"
I blinked and unwitting smiled in delight. Was the hot guy from a few nights ago actually asking me out? He already knew a good little portion about me, thanks to our flirting back at his apartment. And here I had started to wonder if I'd been too intrusive by sleeping with him in his bed. But...wait a second, how did he get my number...? Oh, duh... I kept calling then hanging up. The missed calls would show up on his phone. He must've guessed that it was my number and called me back.
Now that I had sorted all that out, I needed to keep myself calm and collected while I was talking to him.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked sweetly.
"Just want to hang out, get to know you a little better," he replied.
A thought suddenly struck me. It was a bit devious, but if it could be done, I wanted to do it. I kind of already liked Seiya, and he seemed to be interested in me. If I could bring him to the arcade and flaunt him in front of Darien, maybe that could even the score as the perfect payback for three years of insults. And I was positive that the girls would want to meet the man who let me stay at his place for the night.
"Well, my friends and I meet up at Crown Arcade every day. You think you could come down there so they can meet you?" I suggested.
"Crown Arcade, huh? I've never been there before."
"What? You mean you haven't tried their milkshakes? You have to come there!" Okay, that much wasn't bribe; the arcade had the best milkshakes on the planet. On top of that, I'd never met anyone who hadn't been to Crown Arcade before. He needed to see it.
"Well, alright. I can pick you up if you want."
"Great! My address is 214 Hearthstone Drive."
"I'll be there in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Bye, Serena." He hung up before I could tell him goodbye, but that was fine because he was visiting my house for the very first time.
I began staring at the clock, waiting for fifteen minutes to pass. The wait was too long for my liking. But I was probably just moving too fast. I couldn't show him that I was so interested in him. I needed to take it slowly. But I knew that I would probably jump at the opportunity of a first kiss. That lead me to wonder what his lips felt like. Would they be soft, firm, hard? I had no idea. But for now I needed to play coy. That could be the key to hooking up with him.
I had no idea how naive I was being at the time. I shouldn't have been thinking those thoughts yet. I literally just met the guy! I assumed I was just being a teenage girl, daydreaming about fantasies that pleased me the most.
I heard a call pull up and I dashed downstairs. I told my suspicious parents that Amy's mother was coming to pick me to take me to the arcade. And with that I pulled open the door and ran out. I was sure my actions had left my parents speechless and confused.
Author's Note
Hope you all liked this story. I was listening to a song and this story somehow formed on fanfiction. Anyway, tell me what you think. Oh, and one more thing: Yes, this story might go on to be a little slow-paced, but things will heat up and you'll see how all the little things add up.
*In this story, Serena is sixteen years old. Seiya's age will be revealed later.
