Author's Note: So, I kinda lied when I said I would try and not make you guys wait so long for the next chapter. I didn't do it on purpose, believe me! I know four years is quite a long time, but I'm back and I will try to be more diligent about my stories. Anyway, enjoy!

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Serena lowered her head as she followed Darien to her brother's truck. He stopped and turned to face her. "Is there anywhere you want to go that you'd feel more comfortable talking at?" He asked, starting to open the truck door for her. She hesitated, but then nodded.

"Yes, there's this park up the street not far from here. I like to sit at the fountain there." She said as he smiled a little.

"Great, well hop in, let's go!" He said as he offered his hand to help her into the truck. Serena hesitated at first, but then accepted and climbed into the truck. He shut the door gently and walked around to the driver's side. Serena watched him as he got into the truck. Her stomach felt like it was in a ball of knots.

What if Darien had done something to her and he was trying to get her alone again? Luckily the park she picked was usually fairly busy at this time of day, so she would have plenty of witnesses, if need be. She wanted so much to trust him, but it was so hard for her after what happened.

'At least I'm trying, but I'm being smart about it.' She thought to herself as Darien pulled away from the campus.

It was only less than five minutes from the college. Before Serena could really think, Darien was already pulling into a parking spot. Once he stopped, he got out first and came quickly to her side of the truck. He opened the door for her, again offering his hand for help out. She took his hand again and hopped out, leaving her books and laptop behind. Darien locked the truck and they walked to one of the many benches surrounding the fountain. Serena sat down and sighed a bit, not sure if she was ready for what was to come.

Darien looked at the fountain in sort of an awe. The structure was huge and made of mostly white marble. There were several little mini fountains of water surrounding the huge plume of water spilling out beautifully.

"Wow, I can see why you picked this place. It's beautiful and peaceful here." He said, looking at Serena. She couldn't help but blush. She looked down slightly. "Yes, I like to come here a lot and relax or just think." She said as she finally made herself look up at him. "So about the other night…." She began and Darien interrupted.

"What….exactly do you remember?" He asked, trying to get to the bottom of this so Serena would hopefully stop acting so sheepish around him. Serena was slightly surprised that Darien just wanted to get down and right to the point. She stared at him, hoping to figure out what exactly was going on in Darien's mind.

"Honestly, nothing. I don't even remember most of the car ride home, or even getting into my bedroom. All I know is that I woke up the next morning, leaning against my bathroom door. I had mascara all over my face like I had been crying. Can I ask you something and you be completely honest?" She asked, gulping inwardly. Darien nodded, a little thankful that she didn't remember the bad parts. Serena tried to mentally prepare herself as she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Did we….did we….you know….have sex?" She asked as Darien simply shook his head.

"Answering in all honesty, no we did not." He said as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…" She said and then quickly looked at him.

"Oh no! I didn't mean it like that! I meant like, thank God that….what I mean to say is you're a handsome guy but….and I would….oh….I'm just making this worse on myself the more I talk aren't I?" She said, turning red while fumbling for the right words. Darien chuckled and tried to reassure her.

"I'm not an attractive enough man for you, you can say it." He said, jokingly. Serena turned a deeper shade of red.

"Oh no! That's not it at all! I would totally….I mean under the right circumstances maybe….Darien! Stop it!" She said as he started laughing at her. She looked at him while he laughed. 'I like the way he looks when he laughs. He didn't take advantage of me, I don't think.' She thought as Darien stopped laughing and then gently took her hands in his.

"Serena, I will tell you this though, in all honesty. You did come on to me while you were drunk and I didn't realize you were that drunk…." Serena froze.

'Oh God, did he?!' She asked herself as she waited for him to continue.

"We started making out, taking off each other's clothes….Don't worry, I didn't see too much. I touched you and you freaked out and damn near hit me and threw me off. Then you ran into your bathroom and locked the door. I tried to coax you out, but you told me to leave, so I did. I'm sorry." Darien finished his story as Serena let it sink in.

"I know part of the reason is because you were drunk and I should have just left your room as soon as I knew you were safe, but I also know the other half is probably because of what your brother told me." He said as Serena's eyes grew wide.

"Andrew told you I was…." She trailed off as Darien nodded.

"Yes, Serena. I'm sorry for what happened to you years ago, but I'm glad he told me." Serena looked at him carefully.

"Why?" She asked as Darien smiled, still holding her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. He smiled at her. "Because, if you'll allow me to, I want to get to know you better. I want to take you out on dates, take you places, spend as much time with you as I can because I like you, Serena, very much." Serena pulled back on her hands slightly but she still smiled and blushed.

"I don't know, Darien…." She trailed off, then Darien gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Serena, I can't promise you a whole lot, but I promise I will do my best to make you happy while I'm here and I will keep my promise that I will never hurt you or do anything you don't want me to do." She looked off to the side for a moment, thinking.

"I guess I can give you chance." She said with a smile. Darien couldn't help but smile back. He stood up and pulled her up gently with him. He brought her into his arms and hugged her, just to be safe. Serena hugged him back, feeling what she could only describe as super warm and fuzzy.

"Can I ask for one favor, Serena?" He asked as Serena nodded. "Will you come help me pick up my new truck from the dealership? I'm pretty sure Andrew wants his truck back and won't mind if you bring it back to him." Serena smiled. "Sure!"

A couple of hours later, Darien pulled into his apartment parking lot with his brand new Toyota Tundra truck and Serena pulled into the spot next to him in Andrew's truck. They both got out and Serena followed Darien into his new apartment. She entered as Darien closed and locked the door behind them. He started flipping on random lights. The smell of new furniture and other smells of new filled the apartment.

"Wow, you have a nice place Darien." She said as she started walking through, sort of giving herself a tour. It was a two bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. She peeked into the smaller of the two bedrooms, which was filled with workout equipment. She continued down the hallway. Darien followed her quietly, keeping his distance.

She walked into his bedroom, flipping on the light. He had a sleigh style king bed with dark brown wood. His dresser and entertainment center matched. They all had intricate designing and looked very nice and expensive. A nice TV sat on the entertainment center with a PS4 sitting in one of the cubbies below the TV. She smiled, reminded of Andrew. She now stood beside the bed.

"I like your furniture." She said with a smile, turning to look at him. "It's all very nice, Darien. You have good taste-" She was cut off by Darien's lips on hers. His arms wrapping around her waist. She instinctively put her arms around his neck and continued kissing him. He slowly lowered her onto the bed, still kissing her. Darien moved so that they were more on the bed.

Serena started brushing her hips against his. Darien moaned through the kiss, moving to Serena's jaw line. Serena closed her eyes, feeling good, so very good. She couldn't remember the last time any man even remotely made her feel this way, even though she hadn't let any man touch her like this in over three years.

Then, the anxiety set in, then the slight panic. Darien started lifting her shirt slightly as he got down to her collarbone. Serena pushed at his shoulder slightly and pushed him off with slightly more force, not near as much as she had when she was drunk. "What's wrong? What's….?" Darien laid on the opposite side of her, slightly surprised. Serena stood up and off the bed, shaking her head. "Not now, Darien. Is it okay if I ask you to give me just a little more time? Please? We can still date and do other things….just….not that…..right now…." She said, almost ashamed.

Darien ran his hand through his hair, just a little sexually frustrated but he was okay. "I understand, Serena. It's alright. Whenever and if ever you're ready." He said as he stood up, trying to hide his arousal that was currently straining against his jeans. Serena smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She hugged him.

"Thank you, for being so understanding, Darien." She said as he hugged her back, taking in her scent. "I think I better go. Andrew will wonder where his truck is and I need to go back to campus and get my car. I'll see you later ok?" She said as she smiled at him and walked quickly out of the room and out his front door. Darien sighed and laid back on his bed. 'I guess I'll be taking another cold shower.' Darien thought as he sighed and started walking towards his bathroom.

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Well, I hope that was enough to satisfy, for now. Please review and I'll get the next chapter out, toot sweet! Haha!

Thanks to all my fans and readers,

~Mackenzie