Do You Remember?
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. The song used is Do You Remember by Jack Johnson
Authors Note: I know I should be working on my other stories, but the idea for this quick story hit me and I had to run with it. Hope you enjoy it!
"If I could have the happily married couple please come down to the dance floor, we'll begin the first dance." The emcee announced through the speakers that were placed sporadically around the patio and lawn area of the clubhouse.
Smiling happily, Serena was led to the patio and awaited the music as she and her husband prepared for the first dance as husband and wife.
Although happy with her husband, she was nervous. During the wedding planning, she had agreed to let him pick the song they were to dance to. It may be their wedding day and one of the most memorable days of their lives; but if he picked something like 50 Cent or Reel Big Fish as their first dance, she'd make this day a memorable one in another way.
Serena smiled up at her husband and bit her tongue when she would have asked what song he had chosen.
"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry." He whispered to her, obviously knowing what she was thinking.
"I'm not worried Darien." She responded quickly, a little too quickly.
"Yes you are, Sere. You're chewing on your lip." Darien informed her with a smile.
"Well, I know your taste in music, and I forgot to remind you about how important and traditional this dance is." Serena whispered, stressing remind and traditional.
"I know, don't worry." Darien reassured her as the song began, an acoustic guitar sounding over the speakers.
"Oh my." Serena gasped as realization dawned on her and Darien began to dance with her.
"Yes, I chose this song. It's us." Darien whispered into her ear, "I love you."
As the song played, Serena remembered back.
Do you remember when we first met
I sure do
It was some time
In early September
Serena had just locked her bike to a lamp pole and was hurrying to meet her friends for their first day as juniors. As she quickly turned the corner to get to their spot, she ran into someone, causing her to drop the books she had borrowed from Amy.
"Sorry about that." A voice said as they both bent to retrieve the dropped books.
"It's no problem, really." Serena smiled at the person.
"I'm Darien, by the way." Darien introduced himself.
"I'm Serena." Serena smiled at him, "What grade are you?" She then asked, thinking that she might have had a class with him last year.
"I'm a senior." Darien answered.
"Were you in Ms. Dougless' Biology class last year?" Serena asked, placing him in a seat near the door.
"Yeah, I was. That's where I know you from." Darien smiled back at her.
"Yeah. Um. I have to go and meet my friends. Maybe I'll see you around." Serena excused herself quickly.
"Yeah, see ya." Darien said as they began to move away from each other.
You were lazy about it
You made me wait around
I was so crazy about you
I didn't mind
Throughout the year, Darien kept bumping into Serena; sometimes literally, sometimes just as a coincidence. Though, Serena would never show if she was interested in him or not. Every school dance, she would be busy or going with friends. When Winter Formal came around, she already had a date in the form of a guy from another school.
It drove Darien crazy; so crazy that in the middle of Winter Formal, he almost tried to steal Serena away from the guy until he found out that he was a student from another school who was only a friend to Serena. And that they were friends and nothing more.
Though Andrew had persistently told Darien to just take the plunge and ask her out, he couldn't do it.
So I was late for class
I locked my bike to yours
It wasn't hard to find
You painted flowers on
Guess that I was afraid
That if you rode away
You might not roll back
My direction real soon
Darien finally got up the nerve to ask Serena out; but only in the most indirect way possible. After Serena had locked her bike to her lamp post, Darien came and locked his bike to hers; hoping to "catch" her before she left for the day.
As the final bell for the day rang, Serena walked to her bike to unlock it and go home; only to find that there was another bike locked around hers.
Looking puzzled, Serena stood and continued to stare at the intertwined bikes; maybe hoping that they would separate if she kept staring at them.
"Sorry about that. I was late and just locked my bike without really looking at what I was doing." Darien said behind her.
"Oh, it's fine. I just didn't know whose bike it was." Serena smiled, "I'm now overly glad it's yours and not David's." She then added.
"Why is that?" Darien asked as he unlocked his bike.
"He just won't leave me alone. He believes that we'd be a good couple while think otherwise." Serena answered simply as she unlocked her bike from the lamp pole.
"Why?" Darien asked, then kicked himself mentally; he was asking too many questions.
"I just don't see us, David and I, as a couple." Serena answered, obviously not wanting to go into the reasons why.
"I see. Oh, uh, so there's a bonfire tonight. Do you want to come?" Darien asked, taking the plunge.
"Uh, sure, I guess. Can the girls come?" Serena asked, obviously afraid that there would be no one she really knew well there.
"Yeah, of course. It starts at 7." Darien answered.
"Ok. We'll be there." Serena smiled as she got onto her bike and began ride away from him.
"See you tonight." Darien smiled back as he too mounted his bike and left for home.
Well I was crazy about you then
And now the craziest thing of all
Over 10 years have gone by
And your still mine
We're locked in time
Lets rewind
Serena had left for college. And Darien continued to look out the Arcade window, perhaps hoping she would reappear and hug him again.
"She'll be back in a month. And you'll be going down there is two weeks." Andrew commented from behind him.
"I know. It's just. It's only been two years. What if something happens?" Darien asked, turning to his friend.
"Darien, she's crazy about you. And if there were any doubts about the two of you, it was already brought up with the Bethany fiasco that happened last year." Andrew reminded him.
"She still calls me, you know. Saying that I deserve a real woman and not some child who's going to leave me in three months when she meets someone new at school." Darien said, almost sounding as though he believed what she said.
"Don't do that, Dare. Don't believe what she says. Serena loves you." Andrew assured his friend again, "Trust me, she does."
"I hope you're right, Drew. I really hope you're right." Darien responded softly as he sat down and thought about how many guys Serena would be meeting in a few hours when she moved into her dorm room; away from him.
Do you remember
When we first moved in together
The piano took up the living room
You'd play me boogie woogie
I played you love songs
You'd say we're playing house
Now you still say we are
"I think that's the last of it." Serena said happily as she set the last box in the living room.
"Yeah, it's all in here now." Darien smiled at her as he assessed the amount of work that still had to be done.
"Come on." Serena smiled as she grabbed his hand and dragged him a few feet to the piano.
"We have to unpack, Sere." Darien laughed at her.
"We can take a quick break." Serena argued, "Come on. Sit down." She then said as she sat on the piano bench and lifted the key cover.
"So am I to play you something, milady?" Darien asked, knowing that that's what she wanted. She loved nothing more than to sit next to him on the bench as he played the piano. It didn't matter to her if it was a song or something he made up on the spot.
"No. I'm going to play for you." Serena smiled at him as she brushed his hands away from the keys.
"Really now?" Darien asked.
"Yes really." Serena laughed at him as she began to play a few notes.
"Do you have any clue on what you're playing?" Darien asked.
"No, but that's half the fun." Serena answered and continued to play.
We build our get away
Up in a tree we found
We felt so far away
Though we were still in town
I remember watching
That old tree burn down
I took a picture that
I don't like to look at
"Darien, can you turn the TV up?" Serena asked suddenly.
"Why?" Darien asked as he put down his newspaper and did as she asked.
"The park's on fire!" Serena answered, in a way, as the headline flashed on the screen again.
"I'm sure it's near the camping area and not the creek." Darien assured, thinking of the same place Serena was.
"No, there's the heart shaped rock." Serena pointed out as the camera crew showed the creek and what was left of the grove of trees that surrounded it.
"Serena." Darien said as he hugged her to him, "I'm sure they're ok." He assured her.
It was their getaway, a small cove near the creek where a rather large heart shaped rock had made its home in the middle of the creek. A small group of ducks and ducklings had also made it their home and Serena and Darien would go on weekends to feed the ducks.
"Look, Sere. Look, the ducks were caught and taken down stream to where they'll be safe." Darien said as the anchor woman reported the story.
Well all these times
They come and go
Alone don't seem so long
Over 10 years have gone by
We cant rewind
We're locked in time
But your still mine
As the dance ended and the toasts began, Andrew got up before their family and friends to begin his best man's toast.
"I have known this guy for most of my life. And I have to say; I've never seen him happier then when he's with you, Serena. I know that we had lost him after his parents had died. No one could reach him in the black pit he would hide, until you bumped into his life. We may have lost him for some time, but we're glad we did. So you could find him." Andrew said with sincerity, "And now for the embarrassing. There are two main things I will always remember about Darien Chiba; one being how he pushed me down in the third grade during recess, best friends since though. And the other being how he swore to me and to god that he was going to ask out Serena Tsukino at this bon fire our senior year. Here's to you, Serena and Darien, 10 years later and still loving each other." Andrew finished his toast and held up his glass.
"I told you she was crazy about you." Andrew then told his friend after he had sat down and the maid of honor, Mina, got up to begin her toast.
Do you remember?