Alright guys, I'm really, REALLY sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Honestly (pleasedon'thateme) the next two chapters have been up for ages on my tumblr (lepommes) but the think was (and I'm still relatively new to FF so please don't make fun of me) I uploaded the chapters a while ago but for som reason FF wouldn't let me publish debut then I realized that they were in the wrong format! I'm really sorry! Here take my love *love* and please enjoy! 3 And then you to my lovely beta (agroncriss on tumblr3) for putting up with my sporadic everything! OKAY NOW ENJOY!

*knock-knock-knock*

Dianna tugged nervously at the hem of her oversized sweater, bunching it up in her fists. She'd probably end up ruining it but she didn't even care. She began to shift her weight from foot to foot when she heard a low, muffled voice come from behind the door.

"It's open, come on in!"

Dianna hesitated briefly before twisting the doorknob and pushing the door open. It was similar to what she had imagined. The apartment was larger then she'd originally thought, yet so simple; a coffee table, a few sofas, and a fairly large television mounted on the center of the wall. It was such a comfortable atmosphere that it made her smile. Perhaps it was the warm throw blankets, or the dim lit lamps in the corners of the room, but something about it felt very homey to Dianna.

"Dianna?"

"Y-yeah! I'm here!" she called, hastily taking off her boots.

"Great! Come on into the kitchen." Dianna heard his familiar voice call and followed it to an arched doorway to her right and took in the scene before her.

She saw a spastic Darren wearing a dark blue apron and hastily stirring the contents of the saucepan on the stove. Across the kitchen was a lanky guy, probably somewhere close to her age, with straight, dark brown hair and an utterly overwhelmed look in his eyes. He was holding a pot full of white rice over the trash bin and staring at it miserably.

"A-are you sure it's no good, Dar?" he asked hesitantly, his hands reluctantly hovering the pot over the garbage.

"Yeah, we can't eat that, Joey, it's-hey!" Darren's eyes lit up as he saw Dianna in the doorway, grinning widely. He wiggled the wooden utensils in his hand, "I hope you like Mexican!"

Dianna blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I'm making fajita rice. It's something my dad taught me," Darren said, smiling fondly and concentrating as he shook various spices into the saucepan, flicking the wooden spoon around expertly, "and it's one of my favorites!"

Dianna felt herself relax a little, shaking her head and chuckling as she leaned against the wall and dropped her bag to the ground, "Yeah, I love Mexican."

"Great!" he said, turning around and grinning, "Though, we might be eating a little later than expected. Right now I'm working on the chicken, and the rice would've been done already if Joey hadn't poured so much salt-"

"I told you to tell me when to stop!"

Dianna turned to the gangly boy still hovering over the garbage bin. She smiled kindly, walking towards him. He gave her a lopsided grin and put the pot down on the counter, sticking his hand out. "Hi! I'm his roommate, Joey."

"Hello," Dianna smiled warmly, taking him in fully. He was leggy, much taller than Darren. But then again, most guys were. His hair was a sight to be envious of; shoulder-length, dark and silky. But what stood out most to Dianna were his warm, brown eyes. They looked both mischievous and playful in all the right ways, and there was something very comforting about them. "I'm Dianna."

"Oh, I know," he said as Dianna turned around and began taking off any spare jewelry on her wrists and fingers, placing them into her bag. Joey casually strode to where Darren was fervently mixing the contents of three pots and pans at once, and leaned his elbow against his shoulder leisurely. "Darren's told me so much about you."

She didn't respond immediately, fumbling with her numerous bracelets, suddenly flushed and flustered, "Good things, I hope?"

"Understatement of the year…" Joey muttered, and if Dianna had been looking she would've seen Darren jab his elbow into Joey's stomach sharply and Joey reactively keel over.

"So," She broke the silence and turned around, a shy smiled plastered across her face, "How can I help?"

"Oh! You-okay." Darren stuttered, surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. He bit his lip and scanned the kitchen quickly, then pointed to the across from him, "You, uh… wanna cut the bell peppers for me?"

"Sure!" Dianna said eagerly, walking across the kitchen to where she saw the red peppers on the cutting board. She desperately needed to busy herself and keep her mind from wandering elsewhere, like how amazingly fitted those jeans looked on Darren's ass. She felt her neck heat up from the thought and shook it away, attempting to seed the peppers.

"So…as I was saying," Darren crooned, stirring the seasoning into the chicken, "we would've been done a lot sooner had it not been for Joey and the salt. I swear, Dianna, he put the fucking Dead Sea to shame."

Dianna snorted, peeking a glance in Joey's direction. He looked mock-offended, his hand on his heart and an astonished look on his face. "Well…! I know when I'm not wanted."

Darren raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying Joey's presence. "Oh, do you?"

"I do!" Joey stated, flipping his hair wildly and hitting Darren in the mouth. Darren sputtered, rubbing his lips.

"That's it. I'm making you wear a hair net in the kitchen from now on."

Joey scoffed and turned to Dianna, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles dramatically. "And with that I reluctantly bid you farewell, my fair lady."

Dianna giggled, putting the knife down and placing her hands over hear heart. These guys were better than cable. "You're not staying?"

"Nope! On my way across town, to that new hibachi grill. I've got a date." He saluted to them and grabbed his jacket, closing the door, and then he mumbled, "Or, at least I'm the only one who's willing to admit when I'm on one…"

Darren bit back a smile. Maybe he hadn't officially declared it one (because why give Naya the satisfaction?) but he was fully aware that this was a date of some sorts. I mean, what else does it mean when you invite a girl to your apartment for dinner and a movie?

He looked over to where Dianna was rooted, dicing the peppers. He fully took her in for the first time today, smiling appreciatively as he did so. A dark, baggy sweater hung loosely on her figure, the top hanging just below one of her shoulders and exposing an expanse of smooth and very inviting bare skin. Her legs were covered with a pair of reserved, loose-fitting distressed denim shorts and little brown socks. Only a modest selection of her skin was bared, yet Darren still had a difficult tearing his eyes away from those delectable legs. And her hair-god, her hair was all wildly curly again. Darren had the sudden overwhelming and uncontrollable urge to delve his fingers through the roots, tugging and pulling-

"Hey, Darren?"

"Uh-Yah?"

"Am I cutting these peppers right?" Dianna asked, her eyebrows furrowing together as she pulled the drooping sweater over her bare shoulder, only to have it fall down again. This time Darren couldn't resist. "They look too small, I may have-"

She stiffened when she felt something heavy and warm rest on her collarbone. Her eyes fluttered closed when she heard light, steady breathing in next to her ear. "Nah, it's fine, they're perfect…" Darren's faint scruff tickled her skin as he rested his chin on her bare shoulder.

Darren's eyes traveled down to her hands, where one was firmly clutching the handle of the knife while the other made an ungraceful grab for the edge of the countertop, gripping it tightly. Her knuckles were white and her body was tense, and Darren couldn't help finding it amusing the effect he had on her. Darren dipped his head down even further, his smile and 5-o'clock-shadow flush against her skin. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent deeply, nuzzling the edge of her collarbone tenderly.

Everything, from the scent of her sweet, sugary perfume to the faint heat radiating from her body made his mind hazy until he heard a sharp sound echo through the silence. Dianna unintentionally dropped the knife onto the counter, causing Darren to jolt up slightly before shaking his head and turning to stir the pink beans over a low flame. He clenched his jaw tightly, fighting desperately to hide the stupid smile that kept threatening to make its way out.

It was a known fact; she knew that Darren was a very touchy-feely guy, especially once you got to know him well enough. He was always going around set between takes, hugging and snuggling with various members of the cast and crew whenever he felt particularly buoyant. Both he and Lea were famous for their friendly kisses on-set. He would sporadically come up from behind random cast members like Naya, Amber, or Lea, and cuddle them from behind, sometimes leaving affectionate little kisses on their backs or in their hair. Hell, he'd even done it to Harry once. And Harry did it right back. Her mind was racing, almost making her dizzy until his voice broke her haze.

"Hey, toss 'em over here?" Darren called, looking over his shoulder casually. She hadn't moved an inch.

Forcing her muscles to relax, Dianna breathed in deeply, struggling to relax her heart before picking up the cutting board, with its contents, and walking over to the stove. She could only hope that she came off as somewhat composed, smiling tightly at him as she dropped the sliced bell peppers in with the chicken, trying desperately to stop her hands from trembling.

"Great! Now…all I have to do is mix the rice and beans in and…" Darren's stomach rumbled embarrassingly loudly and he shot her a sheepish look, "Sorry."

"Oh, don't be," She giggled lightly, clutching her own stomach, "I'm pretty hungry myself. Plates?"

"Top, left cupboard. Wine?

"Please." Dianna said a little breathlessly. God knows she would need a little help if she ever had plans to get through this night in one piece.

"Alriiight." Dianna turned around to see Darren from across the kitchen, holding three movies in hand, cards-style. "I've got The Other Guys, Atonement, and Toy Story. What'll it be?"

As the soft instrumental music of the credits filled the room Darren yawned, his arms stretching dramatically in the air before coming back town to rest atop Dianna's calves, and said, "God, I've always had the biggest man-crush on James McAvoy…"

"Mmm, Same," Dianna said, stretching along the length of the sofa like a cat, her body twisting in ways that made Darren's mouth go dry, "though I'll bet my girl-crush on Kiera Knightley is bigger."

Darren hummed in agreement, raising his eyebrows, "Yeah, very few can rock that green dress like she can."

Dianna then envisioned herself in that very same long, lean, slinky green cocktail dress leisurely strolling through an old-fashioned library, her hair all done up in delicate finger waves. There, across the floor, would be Darren in a well-fitted suit, with his tousled, wavy hair and handsome face staring at her hungrily, just like Robbie, as she leaned across the desk casually, waiting for him to take her then and there…

Dianna can feel her cheeks heating, so she tries to stop the though before it evolved by distracting herself.

"Do you blame Briony?" Dianna said, shifting so that her thighs were now perpendicularly resting across his. She let her head rest against his shoulder, playing with his fingers that previously rested on her calves.

Darren, a little caught off guard by her suddenly bold signs of affection, smiled and squirmed in his seat a little, trying to casually shift closer. "Well…she was just a naïve child and…" Darren said, squinting his eyes and biting his lip contemplatively, "Her parents and the cops really should not have put that much faith in her word, so…"

Dianna relaxed, letting her mind wander as she sat there listening to Darren go about 'the complexities of the understanding of the young-adult mind in a time period and place where they simply didn't know better' while playing with the hand that rested on her lap. She laced her fingers with his, ponderously spreading his fingers apart, stroking them softly every once in a while. Her thumb smoothly ran along the pads of his guitar-calloused fingers and her mind began to wander farther: What would it feel like to have these fingers against her? What would it feel like if these fingers, the very same ones that were notoriously famous for their talent with so many different instruments, were to touch her in only the most intimate ways?

Dianna turned to face him and, of course, he was still rambling. Her eyes fell to his lips, taking in how unbelievably soft they looked, and the way they moved. She imagined how it would feel to have his lips ghost over her skin, what it would be like to have him kiss her, nibble her, suck her in places that could make her scream.

She closed her eyes, trying to visualize: his body, hard and heavy, dominating her lithe figure, his lips trailing down her shoulders, down the flat plain of her stomach, lower, towards…

"Darren?" Dianna whispered, interrupting his lecture on the intricacy of the young-adult mind.

"Huh? Yeah?" Darren asked, turning to her where she continued to play with his fingers, playfully stretching them apart.

Dianna hesitated, biting her lip, before saying, "Would you…would you do something for me?"

He smiled warmly, "Anything."

"Touch me."

"Sure, I-what?"

See, now I could be really nasty (hehe) and leave it as a cliffhanger here for a long time like I did on tumblr (not purposely, I was writing chapter 5, I SWEAR) but I figure I've left this hanging for long enough...so I'm gonna upload them at the same time!