Hello ladies and gentlemen (If any of you are gentlemen, I don't judge ^_~). Thank you again for your reviews and as promised, here is another chapter. This one is a bit longer cause I honestly had a hard time deciding where to cut it off! I want to warn you ladies (and gents) that this chapter, and a few to follow, is why this is rated M. I have NEVER written something like this before but giving the tone and atmosphere of this particular story I felt it was needed. I could argue that I could remove it and let your own imaginations run away with you, but I wanted to paint a clear picture of their relationship from the beginning so you can see it change. For those of you who are a bit sensitive to this kind of writing, I apologize but it fits my story. I will be writing other stories that will be rated T at best if it bothers you that much and maybe you can give me another shot when I put those out. For those of you who are not shy, enjoy! And prepare for the cold shower you will need later, that is if I did my job!
Once again, I am using a song that is not mine but I don't claim that it is. It is another Adele song. Sorry if you don't like Adele, feel free to use your imagination and put in a song that you prefer. In fact, you can let me know of any songs you like better. I'm not saying that I'll change it, I'm just curious and I love music. Also, again, I don't own anything Sailor Moon. In the case of this story, they are really just names and character descriptions though. Better safe than sorry!
The Customer is Always Right
CH. 4
Helllooooo Lover...
The whole night, her friends had been incorrigible. They were so obvious with their little looks and not so subtle hints of Serena's feelings towards Darien. Especially, when they all decided to leave! She was so embarrassed when Mina cleared her throat and gave them "the signal". Serena knew "the signal", she and Mina had made it up! It's what they did when they wanted to be alone with a guy. All they did was just ask what time it was. Then the other person could suddenly realize that they were late for some made up appointment. So now the impossible had happened. She was actually alone with him on the streets of New York. If she had wanted to be alone with him, this would never have happened due in large part to her luck but for once the streets of New York seemed deserted. Part of her did want to be alone with him, but the other part felt it was a mistake. Even if he was interested in her, it was a passing fancy. She had looked him up during her lunch break with encouragement frm Mina. There was a LONG list of women he had dated, some of them he was even in pictures with. All of them beautiful and sophisticated. The thought made her shiver. Next thing she knew a blanket of warmth covered her. She must have been staring off into space cause she didn't even notice he had taken off his blazer till I was around her shoulders. She didn't even notice that she had been shivering in the early summer twilight. She took in the sight of him, in the orange glow of the dwindling sunlight he looked like he Greek god. She was definitely attracted to him. He wore blue jeans and dark blue polo. His arms and chest filled out the shirt nicely and she was sure he filled out the butt of his pants too.
"You want to get out of here?"
She was a bit surprised he didn't want to end their "date" here. She expected him to be running away by now. I guess if he wants to keep up this game, I should take him to the one place that will wake him up to what he is getting himself into. It was the only place she could think of that would be the make him see their differences and of who she was.
"Yeah sure. Wanna go to my place?"
She lived on the top floor of an eight floor walk up. He guessed by her stamina, she had lived here for quite a while. He was very thankful at that moment for his morning workouts. The hallway was dark with cream carpets and dark burgundy walls. He already feared the condition of her apartment just by the looks of the stairwell and hallways. However, when she turned on the lights, it was like night and day. It was a small studio apartment but it was very bright and open. It was filled with pale yellows, bright pinks, and whites. The floors were hardwood and she had put a white, shag area rug in her bedroom area and bright pink sheets on her queen bed. Her kitchen was made up in yellows, except for one area of wall that had been turned into a large chalk board. It was covered with notes to herself and from others with love and a few phone numbers. She made a little living room area off her bedroom with a love seat and two overstuffed armchairs all facing a small TV on the wall across from them. Neither of the three pieces matched but somehow they still went together. Next to her living room was a small upright piano that was littered with sheet music. He took in the whole place as she turned on lamps and tried to quickly straighten around her apartment. It felt warm and comfortable even though the place was the size of his bedroom alone. She set down her guitar next to the piano and turned to him expectantly.
"Well, what do you think?"
"I think this place fits you. It's exactly what I expected"
"What, you mean small and a cluttered mess?"
"No, I mean bright and warm."
She seemed surprised. But so was he, did she really see herself that way? She walked past him to her fridge and grabbed two beers. He made himself busy by studying her large chalk board. She handed him his drink an then stood beside him.
"So what, do people leave their mark here when they stop by?"
"Yeah. Some people leave messages, others leave art work."
He admired the works of art on her wall. Many were just doodles and misshaped creatures. But then there were ones that were quite good.
"I really like those two." He said pointing at the art works.
"Oh, I did those two."
He turned to her, "Who are you?"
"I'm Serena Sparrow, remember?" she laughed.
"One minute your poisoning strangers coffees and the next your wooing strangers to tears with your voice."
"Well I make coffee to pay the bills and I dabble in the arts."
"You do more than dabble. Have you ever made money off your works?"
"Not yet, but that's the goal."
They were silent for a few minutes. He was still looking at the board, reading the messages left by her friends. Some read like they were from lovers which made him a bit jealous. How could he be jealous already? He still barely knew this girl. He found that he liked everything he learned about her, but that didn't explain it. He heard the clink of her bottle hitting the counter. Next thing he knew, she had her small hand around his wrist and gently placed it against an empty spot on the chalk board. She took a small piece of chalk and delicately traced around his hand. Her little fingers slid across the flesh on his hand and sent small shivers through his hand, up his arm, and all the way to his spine. It took only a minute, and when she removed her hand from his he found himself disappointed.
"There. Now you have a mark here too."
He was staring at her. Maybe tracing his hand had been silly. His eyes were dark and hard to read. He moved closer to her and raised his hand to her face. He gently stroked her face till he hit her sore spot. On instinct, she pulled away with a hiss, breaking the moment. She made her way to the living room away from him.
"I'm sorry! Does it still hurt?"
"No, not as bad."
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid he came after you cause of me."
"You?! What did you do besides save me?"
"I was there on business. Deemond wanted my company to invest in his expansion. But after I saw what he did to you, I told him there was no way in hell we would ever put our name with his."
They stood there, just looking at each other. The silence was thick in the air but she didn't feel uncomfortable. It was more like foreplay, the tension between them seemed to be growing. He ended business with someone for her? She hardly felt worth it, but Deemond deserved it. She needed to get out of here.
"Want to see the roof?"
"Sure."
She stepped out onto her fire escape and climbed up to the roof. He enjoyed the view before even making it to the roof as she climbed in front of him. The roof was clearly a common space. It had a grill and a few tables and chairs scattered about. There were large string lights that zig zaged above them across the roof connected to the walls of taller, neighbor buildings. She stood at the edge of the roof and looked out to the skyline. A breeze blew strings of fallen hair around her face. When he didn't join her right away, she turned to look for him and caught him staring.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No. Nothing is wrong."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"
She blushed a bright red and lowered her face in attempt to hide from his gaze. He closed the gap between them and lifted her chin to face him again.
"Do you think I'm lying?"
She shook his hold and put some distance between them again, "Look I brought you here to make you see."
"Make me see what?"
"That I am wrong for you! I'm a nobody Darien! I'm nobody special. I'm not rich or sophisticated. I'm not your type! That girl you met at that club isn't me. She doesn't own the dress she was in or anything even close to it. Look around Darien. You don't belong here. You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be with me."
"Did I ever say that any of that mattered to me? Or that "rich sophisticated women" were my type?"
"You didn't. Google did it for you."
He laughed and moved towards her, "Oh so you Googled me huh?"
"Yes, I wanted to make sure you didn't drink people's blood!" she said with a stubborn air.
He took two slow steps towards her and she turned her back to him.
"So you were interested in me? You want to get to know me?"
He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair. She gasped and turned ridged at first but in a few seconds she melted in his arms. He kissed her soft skin along hair neck. He slid his jacket of her shoulders to gain more access. Her skin was warm and sweet. She smelled lightly of lavender and lilies. When he reached the end of her shoulder, he returned to her ear and whispered,
"I want to get to know you too." causing a shiver to run through her.
Then he spun her around to face him. He slipped his jacket all the way off her and threw it to a nearby chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he claimed her lips with his. Shock waves went through his body just as they had the night before. He lifted her small body, carried her to a love seat, and laid her down. He put a trail of hot kisses down her chin and throat. She groaned and arched in response, only feeding his desire. He continued down her chest as his hands found it's way to her breast. He rubbed them till he felt her nipples perk in response. He leaned down and placed his hot mouth over them through the fabric of her dress. She gasped and moaned. Her body wriggled beneath him. He used one hand to untie the top of her dress, then pulled her breast free and then continued to suck and tease them. She had her hands in his hair, tiny fingers knotted themselves as she gently pulled his hair into her fist, closing and opening in her vain attempt to control herself. He pressed himself against her through his now tight jeans. The fabric was rough and begged him to release himself. He placed a hand on her bare thigh and pushed the skirt of her dress up to her stomach. Fabric pooled around them as he pressed two fingers against the wet spot in her panties. She let out a loud groan before he covered her mouth with his. Their tongues danced together in a pleasurable waltz as he stroked her over her underwear. Then he pushed the fabric to the side and slipped two fingers inside her. She was warm and wet, he wanted more than anything to be inside her. Out of nowhere, she pushes him off of her and quickly stands up. Holding the top of her dress to herself she quickly makes her way to the fire escape the leaves the roof before he has a chance to regain himself and follow after her.
What was she doing? This was not like her, she didn't sleep with men on the first date. It wasn't even a date! She paced her apartment trying to figure out what to do and how it all went wrong and retied her dress. She turned as he entered her window, but he didn't say a word. It was dark in her bedroom and she couldn't make out his face. She couldn't tell if he was mad for leaving him high and dry like that. She was frozen under his gaze. He began to move towards her and she felt like she was a gazele and he was a lion as he stalked into her kitchen. When he stepped into the light, his expression was not what she had expected. His eyes were dark with desire but his face looked sad and guilty. Maybe if she had prepared herself for his reaction, she would have been able to resist it. She had expected mad or even seething, not guilt and sadness. Was he sad because she pulled away or had he finally come to his senses?
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should go." but he didn't move, he continued to hold her gaze.
She didn't expect this, maybe that's why it happened. She raced to him and he met her half way crushing their bodies together. It felt like they hadn't touched in years even though it had only been a few minutes. She unbuttoned his pants and shoved his underwear with them to the floor. He sprung to life, freed from his denim prison. Their lips parted so they could take off his shirt and with a quick hand he roughly pulled the strings to her dress releasing it to fall at her feet. His mouth went to hers again while his hands slowly went down her sides. His thumbs brushed her breast but continued there journey down till they slipped into her panties and pushed them to the floor. His hands went to her buttocks, squeezing them, then lifting her up. Her legs went instinctively around his waist as he stepped out of his pants and shoes then took them to the bed.
She woke with a start and quickly smacked her alarm to death. She felt a limp arm around her naked waist and looked to see Darien asleep next to her. How could he sleep through that noise? They had been pretty...active last night. They had slept together three times last night. The first time was fast and needy. The second had been slower as they drove each other crazy and the third had been a mix of the two, switching positions many times throughout. Each time had been amazing, definitely the best she had ever had, a thought which saddened her. He had had a lot of practice, much more than her. She knew she probably wasn't the best he had ever had and she was sure she wouldn't be his last. Stop it Serena. You knew going in what this would be the whole time. She moved to get up but the limp arm became alive and tight at her movement.
"Where you going?"
"I'm going to make coffee."
"Oh no your not, you're not going anywhere."
And he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely like they hadn't had any carnal actions.
Work seemed to pass by so slowly today. It may have had something to do with the date she had later that night. It's the least Darien could do, making her late today. Course if he didn't have his driver pick them up and bring her here she would have been a lot later. Thoughts of last night kept creeping into her mind, making her face flush and her heart skipped a few beats. She really hope no one noticed.
"Do you really think I don't see you?"
She turned to see Mina with a smile on her face watching her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb. You keep staring off into space and blushing. Plus, you didn't do as well as you think you did, hiding those love bites! You slept with him."
"What?!"
"You slept with Darien last night you little slut!" she sang.
Serena began to feel really guilty. She had slept with a man she hardly knows. Was she a slut? She had to be. Not only did she know little about him, what she did know was his track record and she still slept with him.
"Hey. Are you okay? I was just kidding."
"No, I know. But what does it say about me that I slept with a man so quickly? Especially one that sleeps with every woman he meets."
"It just means that you have more will power than the others to wait as long as you did!"
"I'm being serious Mina."
"I am too. Sure the rule is to wait till the third date but think about it. You two met three separate times. Each time you both learned something new about each other. You learned that he is just as passionate as you are about your beliefs. I mean you guys have already had a fight, which most couples don't have till six months in!"
"I'm pretty sure that doesn't count."
"Why not? When people go on dates, what do they do? They meet, they tell each other things about themselves, they kiss, they sleep together, and then they either break up or get married. You two met, you learned that he is a good guy who would save a damsel in distress, you kissed, you both learned how to piss each other off and what you do for a living, and he learned about your dreams then you slept together. In reality, you two know more about each other than most do after a third date."
"..."
"Come on Serena. I've know you almost our entire lives. If you were a slut, I would have told you by now!"
"Okay, okay. But I'm still an idiot for sleeping with a man who will just break my heart."
"You don't know that for sure! Hell, you might be the one to break his!"
Freshly showered, Serena couldn't believe her reflection. Her eye had turned black at the outer corner where Dee-bags' hand hit. It was still blueish purple but it was yellowing at the edge, which meant it was at least starting to heal. However, it looked gross. Her neck was covered in red marks that she noticed went down and down and down...she was going to kill Darien. She looked a hot mess. She never wore makeup and now she had to coat it over her eye and her neck! She had no clue where they were going tonight, so she put on a shift dress made of a dark red silk and had a black and red bead design along the collar that sparked when she moved. It stopped right above her knees with the same bead design along the bottom. She twisted her hair up with one finger and secured it with long black clip and let a few strands fall. She sprayed herself with perfume and put her red and cork wedges by the door. She still had like thirty minutes till he got there and she was a bundle of nerves. She unlocked her door and walked over to her piano to calm her nerves. She began to pick around till it turned into a song. It wasn't one of hers, but it was how she felt at the time.
You've been on my mind
I grow fonder every day,
Lose myself in time
Just thinking of your face
God only knows
Why it's taken me so long
To let my doubts go
You're the only one that I want
I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before
Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all,
You never know if you never try
To forgive your past and simply be mine
I dare you to let me be your, your one and only
Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms
So come on and give me the chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile until the end starts
If I've been on your mind
You hang on every word I say
Lose yourself in time at the mention of my name
Will I ever know how it feels to hold you close?
And have you tell me whichever road I choose you'll go
I don't know why I'm scared 'cause I've been here before
Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all,
You'll never know if you never try
To forgive your past and simply be mine
I dare you to let me be your, your one and only
I promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms
So come on and give me the chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile until the end starts
I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart
I Know it ain't easy, giving up your heart
Nobody's perfect, trust me I've learned it
I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart
Nobody's perfect, trust me I've learned it
I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart
She stopped there. Was she able to give Darien her heart? Had she done it already?
"Why did you stop?"
She whipped around on her stool to find Darien. He was wearing gray suit with a blue shirt and a silk tie. He had on black shoes that were shiny enough to see your reflection and his suit was clearly tailored for him because it fit him perfectly. He looked dreamy and she felt woefully under dressed.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to come straight from work."
That's how he dresses for work?
"You know that your front door is unlocked?!" He sounded mad and he was acting really tense.
"Yeah, I do that when I know someone is coming if I'm playing. I don't always hear them knocking."
"Well you should stop doing it. Someone else could have walked in here and slit your throat before you even noticed."
"Geez, calm down. I've been doing it for a while now. This is a really safe building. It looks like crap from the outside so nobody wants to rob it."
"Safe my ass. I must have passed two drug deals on my up!" he yelled.
"Well if you hate it so much here then maybe you should leave!"
He shut her piano and rest is hands on either side of her so she couldn't escape.
"You are infuriating." He had stopped yelling but there was still anger in his voice.
"And you are spoiled!"
He crushed his lips to hers. When did they start fighting? And when did they start making up? She wrapped her arms around him under his arms. He lowered himself onto her a little more till her back was arched against the piano. She raked her nails down his back and he moaned against her mouth. Then he just pulled away an took off his coat and tie tossing them on her love seat.
"You ready?"
"Um...yes..."
"Good. If we don't get out of here soon, the only thing I'm going to eat tonight is you."
She slid into the back of the car before him, scooting to the other side. Well that won't do. He sat down and reached over and slid her over to him. He placed her legs in between his and slid his hands up her skirt, putting his face below her ear kissing her neck. He did it in one swift move, before she could give out a protesting "Darien!".
"I'm sorry I yelled. I just had a..less than reputable work day. Do you forgive me?"
"Only if you tell me what happened."
"Mmmmm...why would I want to talk about work when I have you in my arms?"
"Cause it's how you get me to stay in your arms."
He let out a sigh and sat back. "We had an ex-client come in and accuse us of being unfair."
He didn't want to tell her it was Deemond and that he had gone around him to his father about his business. When he found out what was going on he had him thrown out. He managed to accuse him of being unprofessional, calling her a bitch and a slut a few times before getting pulled out of his father's office. This of course led to some questions from his father. He had to simply explain that Deemond was a bad investment and would taint their name. His father didn't press it, but it had really pissed Darien off. Who did Deemond think he was and how dear he go around his back to his father!
"Well, were you unfair?"
"I'm sorry?"
"To the ex-client? Were you unfair?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Then don't worry about it. I'm sure they will get over it."
That's what really worried him. The last time he turned down Deemond, he came after Serena. After today he didn't know what to expect and he really didn't like it. He would have called Serena but he still didn't have her number. He really needed to make sure he got it today. He almost had a heart attack when her door was unlocked. She didn't understand the danger she was in. Or maybe she just didn't realize. He wasn't sure which scared him more, the thought of something happening to her or the fact that he was scared of losing her.
Serena apparently approved of his choice of restaurant because she grew really quite when they walked in. She looked around the place with wide eyes of amazement. He knew that if there was ever a person who would appreciate this place as much as he did, it would be her. He took her to One if by Land, Two if by Sea in the West Village. He liked their quite atmosphere and the private feel to it. He had never taken a date there before, but he knew she would love it. He had never taken anyone else here before, but that was normal right? I mean, she is so different and I knew my usual dates wouldn't enjoy it as much.
The restaurant was better than she had imagined. It was dimly lit with big chandeliers that hung high in the ceiling. The walls were a dark wood with gold leafing. The tables where covered in white linen and the chairs were plush with burgundy cushions. Big open windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling and let in the last dregs of the summer sun set. They were led to a small candle lit table out on the patio. It was quite, save for the random outburst of laughter from the bar inside. They shared a bottle of wine and talked more about their days. The conversation was light and happy, she was starting to feel more like a normal couple whatever that is.
"So, tell me Darien. How much are you worth?"
"And just why do you want to know?"
"I have to know how much to set your ransom for."
He laughed, almost spitting his wine out onto her. Once their laughter died,
"I'm worth about 300 million on a good day."
"Holy shi...seriously?!"
"How much are you worth then?"
"Not much. I guess it really depends on how much you are willing to pay."
"Oh, I give it all for you."
That won him one of her adorable blushes as he had hoped. Their dinner arrived, which looked great. They finished it pretty quickly, it was too good not to. Their light banter soon continued over coffee.
"Where did you go to College and what degrees do you have?"
"Harvard and Oxford and an M.B.A. Actually I lived in England running our branch there till my father opened up here in NYC. What about you?"
"I went to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a bachelors in vocal performance and a PSD in instrumental performance. I actually missed the rain so I moved back here as soon as I was done."
"How did you end up working at The Nectar?"
"Getting a job in vocal performance isn't the easiest thing to do. I needed a job that wouldn't interfere with my music writing and I had a job at Starbuck's while I was in Cali. I grew up with Mina and Andrew so they gave me a job. I really love it there to be honest. I don't think I would leave even if my music starting paying the bills."
"Starbuck's huh?"
"Yeah, that's why I hate corporations. No offense."
"That's okay, I don't really like them either, but don't tell anyone I said that. I actually wanted to be an actor. I was pretty good too. Did some plays in college."
"Why didn't you?"
"...That's not how it works in my family Serena."
The car pulled up to her apartment and Darien got out of the car with her.
"Um excuse me? Where do you think you are going? I didn't invite you up."
"Yes, well I left my coat and tie on your couch."
"Don't think I don't know that you did that on purpose. I'm on to you!"
Serena had to run up the stairs to keep him from undressing her there. She got a little bit of a lead on him but as soon as she unlocked her door she was swooped her up into his arms and took her straight to bed.
He rolled off her to lay by her side. Both panting, trying to catch their breath after the marathon from undressing each other to calling out each others names. Serena rolled over onto his chest, propping herself up on her elbows to look him in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back.
"Tell me a secret Darien."
"What do you mean?"
"Tell me something that no one else knows."
He had to think for a few minutes. Wasn't he an open and shut book? He always thought he was, no one has asked him such a question before. But he did have a secret, one dark secret.
"I'm afraid of becoming like my father."
She waited for him to continue. "My mother died when I was young an although my father has never loved another woman like he loved her, he keeps getting married. I think he is trying to find something close to what he lost. But after each marriage fails he becomes colder and colder. Now he just marries cause he can, he doesn't love anything any more."
"He loves you."
"I'm more like a business partner than a son. I think that's why he wanted me to go into business like him, so he could have a partner he could trust."
"Or so he could see you everyday."
"We hardly see each other when he is there. No I think that the man who was my father died with my mother."
She gave him a small, sweet kiss on the lips. He held her close and kissed her deeper, but ended it quickly.
"Don't you have to tell me a secret now?"
"I don't have any secrets."
"Everyone has secrets Serena."
"Okay, I'm adopted. I don't even know if my name is Serena but that's the name I was given when they found me. My parents left me at a church when I was three and I was adopted by a nice, older foster couple named the Sparrows when I was ten. They died last year."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"But don't Mina and Andrew know this?"
"Yeah, I met them when I was nine before I was adopted. That's not the secret."
"Okay, then what is?"
"The secret is...sometimes I wonder what was so wrong with me that my own parents would leave me at a church all alone at age three."
He rolled them over so that he was on top and kissed her deeply then pulled away to look her in the eyes.
"There is nothing wrong with you. There was something wrong with them. But it was their loss that they didn't get to see what an amazing woman you became."
"Darien..."
He claimed her mouth again, melting their bodies together again in ecstasy.
The next few weeks flew by. Darien would drop her off at work, after she pried his hands off of her. He would come mid day to get coffee and harass her some more then meet her at her place later that night. Except for Monday's when he meet her at work for her show. They would go eat out and have vigorous sex till the wee hours in the morning then do it all over again the next day. On the weekends they would walk in central park, sitting on a bench and talk for hours, or go to the Bronx Zoo, or, on rainy days, stay in her bed all day. She had never been to his place but she didn't want t push her luck about it. She had really expected things to have died down by now or at least for him to have gotten tired of her and moved on. Tonight would be their first night apart since they met. Darien had, "a late meeting that was very important and he didn't know how long it would be. But he would call her later". It was nice that he was telling her his schedule. I guess he has to since he spends every night at my place. Maybe he just didn't want to offend her by not showing up one night. It is the polite thing to do. It was good they were taking a night off. She would miss him terribly but her allergies were acting up or something. She just felt a little crappy.
By the time she got home, her little bit crappy had turned into a full blow cold. She took a hot shower, put on her comfy pajamas, made a pot of tea, dosed herself with cough medicine, and fell asleep to reruns of Frasier. She didn't think it was possible to feel worse. Till she woke up the next day. She could barely get out of bed to call Andrew. Once it was clear that she would not be in that day, she shuffled back to bed and fell back asleep.
Darien had called Serena twice now. Once last night and once this morning. She wasn't picking up her phone. Had he done something to piss her off? He racked his brain, going over their conversations and his actions the past few days. No, there was nothing he could have possible done to warrant this radio silence but he still had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. They had been together for over a week and this was the longest they had gone without talking since they met. He didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit. He wasn't the type to sit around and do nothing, so he left a slightly confused and concerned looking Amy at work and headed for The Nectar. He would confront her at work if he had to, figure out what her deal was. But when he got there, Andrew was running her station.
"Where's Serena?"
"Oh hey Darien. Serena called in sick today. Didn't she tell you?"
"She won't pick up her phone."
"Ha ha, yeah that girl will sleep through almost anything! Hey, where are you going?"
"To check on Serena!"
Mina yelled after him, "Wait! Here, take my spare key."
How long had she been asleep? It was almost one when she checked the clock, but it seemed to sway as she stared at it, making it hard for her to understand what she was reading. A sudden wave of nausea hit her and she ran to the bathroom. That's when she heard his voice.
"Serena?"
"How...how did you get in here?"
"Mina gave me her key."
Damn that Mina. This is exactly what she needed. Him to see her all sweaty and feverish with vomit breath. The room began to spin a little as she got up to shut the bathroom door. She had washed her mouth out and brushed her teeth when he twisted the handle to her bathroom. She quickly pressed her body against the door. She did NOT want him to see her like this.
"Serena, let me in."
"No. I'm sick. You should leave before you get sick too."
"Come on Serena, open the door."
The room really started spinning this time. She lowered herself to the floor to try and make it stop. Blackness began to invade her world as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Uh no! Is Serena dead?! Nah, no worries, not that kind of story. Well I hope that left you guys wanting more. More of the story that is. I can't really help you with the other stuff, my husband would not be happy! Hope to hear from you guys soon!