Quick note: As I was rushing to get this chapter published, I performed the most basic of editing. Therefore, I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors. I'm going to give it a full edit tomorrow. Thanks again, Merry Christmas, and enjoy.

Chapter Six

Revelations

"Are you going to be long this time?" Serena asked the man as he walked around the spacious bedroom. His dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and his tie was hanging loosely around his neck. Serena was sitting down on the king-size bed, following his frantic motions with her eyes and head.

"A couple days," he said. "Where's my suitcase?"

"Under the bed," Serena answered, followed by a sigh.

It was like this every time he went on to one of his business trips; always down to the wire. Serena hated it. She wished that she could spend the last moments before he left actually spending time with him; not desperately trying to get words in as he jumped around the room like a rabbit. She knew that most of what she would say just went in one ear and out the other. By the time he got in to the car, everything she had said would be forgotten.

He fell to his hands and knees and fished the black Samsonite from under the bed. He then stood up, placed it on top, and opened it.

"What is 'a couple'? Two? Three? Five?" The man sighed, transferred the neatly folded clothes from the bed to the suitcase and brushed the few strands of raven-black hair from his forehead. He turned up to face Serena.

"Every time you ask and every time I give you the same answer: I. Don't. Know. I wish I did. Really, I do! But I have zero idea. The best I can give you is 'a couple days'." Serena winced. She could tell that he was annoyed. He looked down at his watch and cursed himself.

"Damn, I'm going to be late!" He packed the last of the items into his case and zipped it up. He then grabbed his jacket off the bed and quickly threw it on.

"Okay, I'm going. I'll see you in a few." He leaned over the bed and gave Serena a quick kiss on the lips before picking up his suitcase and making his way out of the room. Serena stood from the bed and followed.

"Please call me?" she meant to ask, but it came out as a plea. He stopped walking when he reached the front door and turned around. There was a look on his face that she couldn't describe. It was almost fearful.

"Serena," he started, but then hesitated. He swallowed and began to speak again, "I…"

He was cut off by the sound of a car horn.

"Shit," he said. "I'll call you." He turned around again and head out the front door.

"Wait, Chris," Serena started after him, but it was too late. By that time, he was already halfway to the car. She watched as he stepped into the back of the car before he disappeared from her life forever.

Serena opened her eyes. It was dark in the room, but her eyes quickly adjusted to her surroundings. Before long, she was able to make out more details. Objects which were at first just shapeless shadows began to take form. At first, could make out what appeared to be a table. As her vision improved however, she was able to confirm without a doubt that it surely was one. She was still half-sleeping, which didn't help much with her confusion about the entire situation.

Slowly, she sat up in the chair. She could clearly see now that she was in Darien's apartment, and she was sleeping on his couch. She didn't remember falling asleep; she only remembered the feeling of his body against hers – of his arms wrapped around her – as she wept into his chest. At some point, she figured, she must have cried herself to sleep. Still, it was the morning when she made her way back to Darien's. There was no way, she thought, that she slept long enough that it was night time. Right?

"You're awake," a voice said. Serena looked up in the direction of the voice. Darien was sitting on the adjacent couch. Apparently, between the strange darkness in the room and the confusion accompanying her midday nap, Serena didn't notice that he was sitting mere feet away from her.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked in a voice that even she recognized as groggy-sounding. Darien stood up and began walking towards the other side of the room.

"Only an hour or so," he said. "I thought that I'd pull the shades down so that you could get some rest." Now it all made sense to her. She nodded in a mixture of understanding and gratitude. As her mind and body continued to become awake, and thus became more aware of what had happened, she began to feel her face flush.

"I'm so embarrassed you saw that," Serena said. Darien drew the shades and Serena winced as her eyes again adjusted; not to the darkness, but to the light that had suddenly poured in through the window. Darien then walked over to the other window and pulled up that shade as well, though at that point, her eyes had adjusted enough that she didn't feel like she was about to be blinded.

"Don't be," Darien said. He turned to Serena and smiled as reassuringly as he could. It helped ease her mind a little. He made his way to the kitchen and poured a glass of water from a large bottle. He then walked to Serena, handed her the glass and sat back down on the adjacent couch.

"Make sure you drink up," he said. She looked down at cool glass in her hand then back up to his blue eyes and nodded. She took a small sip and placed the glass down on top of one of the coasters on the table.

"I don't remember, so I need you to remind me," Serena said. "Did I tell you what happened? Or did I just come here crying like some crazy person?" Darien sat forward and rested his forearms on his knees.

"One," he said, "you're not crazy. Two: yeah, you did. More or less. You told me that Mina and you husband, I mean Chris, had an affair." Serena fought back tears and nodded. "I'm sorry Serena. I hope you don't hate me for saying this, but if he were alive, I would punch him in the face right now." She didn't hate him. Not one bit. In fact, if her husband were alive, Darien would probably have to stop Serena from hitting him herself.

"Do the others know?" Serena looked down at her lap, then back up to Darien.

"At least Raye does. I'm not sure about the other girls, or Andrew." Darien nodded and sat back in his couch.

"So what now?" He asked. Serena looked up at him in surprise, but then shook her head. She eyed the glass of water, which was now dripping with condensation.

"No idea," she said absently. "I just…I just wish this could all go away." Serena was lost in her thoughts and didn't notice that Darien had stood up and sat down next to her until she felt his arm behind her back and his hand on her shoulder. He pulled her towards him and she allowed herself to be pressed against his warmth. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"You said that she got really drunk?" Darien felt her body stiffen.

"Not that it's any excuse, but yeah."

"And him?"

"Huh?"

"Your husband."

Serena hesitated, her body still stuff against Darien.

"Wh-what about him?" At that moment, Darien almost changed his mind. Still, he knew that he had to say it. In the end, he threw all hesitation out the window. It was all or nothing.

"Well, was he drunk?" Now Serena's body felt like it was shrinking away from him, as if the two of them were magnets with the same polarity pushing each other away. The feeling was terrible, and Darien instantly regretted saying what he had. Serena pulled away from him completely and looked up at him. When Darien saw her eyes, he felt as if somebody had literally stabbed him with daggers. Her eyes carried with them a look of anger and sadness, but most importantly, hatred.

"What are you getting at?" She demanded. Darien swallowed and opened his mouth to speak.

"I-I w-was just…"

"Stop right there," She said. He closed him mouth. "Are you implying that he took advantage of her? That he got her drink on purpose? That he RAPED her?" Darien tried his best to gather himself.

"Listen, I'm just saying…"

"What's your end game Darien?" Serena stood up from her place on his couch. "I mean you tell me that you like me. No, you tell me that you LOVE me. You cook for me, you're nice to me…! Why? Because you think I'm easy or something because I'm suffering? So you come in and take advantage of a girl in mourning? You even go as far as getting me to feel something for you. You're sick!" Tears were literally pouring from her eyes at that point, and Darien could do nothing but stare at her wide-eyed. Darien stood up himself, and Serena cowered back in fear. It was that action which finally broke him. At once, he felt all his strength escape his body.

"Stay away from me," she demanded. She quickly turned around and stormed out of the apartment. Darien fall backwards on to the couch behind him. Unlike the last time Serena stormed out of the apartment, this time she slammed the door behind her so hard that Darien was able to feel the vibration of it travel through him like a shockwave.

As Darien stared as the closed door, he didn't realize the tears beginning to stream down his face.

Serena ran down the sidewalk with tears streaming down her face. She didn't care if anybody saw. All she wanted to do was run away; to get away from everything. It was a mistake coming back, she thought. Even through her sadness and her tears, she couldn't get Darien's face out of her head. The thought of him only made her cry more. She hated him. Yet, she knew that she didn't hate him, and that's what made her the most upset.

She didn't know how wrong she ran for before she had to stop for a combination of a strong burning in both her chest and her legs. She leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees, and spent several moments gasping for air. Her husband had always told her that she ought to get exercise. Serena couldn't help but snicker at the thought. Maybe he was right.

After a few moments, she was finally able to breath normal again, though there was still a burning sensation in her chest, which caused her to cough. At last, Serena stood up straight and wiped the rest of the wetness from her eyes. After, she looked up and felt a sense of relief. In front of her was the Crown Café and Barcade. Serena pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit the button on the side to turn on the screen.

She had two missed calls from Darien. Serena grimaced and slid the notification away with her thumb. She had taken out her phone to look at the time. It was a few minutes past two, and The Crown would be serving alcohol at this time of the day. Serena never felt a greater urge to drink in her life until that moment. She walked across the street and into The Crown for the second time that day.

Unlike the time she had entered The Crown that morning, this time, she swung to her right upon entering. Walking through the wooden archway, she was immediately greeted by the lights and sounds of the classic arcade games. Any other time, she would had been completely mesmerized by it (Serena was always a sucker for old arcade games), but this time, only one thing caught her interest: the wrap-around bar.

The stools around the bar were mostly unoccupied, sans two young men who were conversing over on the far end. Serena sat down on one of the stools on the complete opposite side of the bar. She doubted that the men would be approach her inn the middle of the day, but she still wanted to avoid any possible confrontation nevertheless. It only took a minute or two for the bartender come over. When Serena saw him, she froze.

"Hey Serena, how are you doing?" the young man asked. He was tall with dirty-blonde hair and dark, green eyes. He was also her late husband's best friend.

"Andrew?" she more stated than asked. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Andrew looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"My folks run this place, Serena. I've literally been here my entire life." Serena felt a blush appear on her cheeks. Between being away from New York for so long and her husband's passing, she had completely forgotten that Andrew's family were the sole proprietors of Crown Café and Barcade.

"Sorry," Serena said. "My brain is just mush right now." Andrew gave her a sad smile and Serena felt the stinging of tears in her eyes. She quickly willed them away.

"What can I get for you?" Andrew asked. He then grinned, "Let me guess? Sauvignon Blanc, right?" Serena actually felt flattered for a moment that he remembered. It had been many years since she and the girls went out for drinks at The Crown, and it was very rare that Andrew was the one manning the bar. However, she wasn't feeling wine that afternoon; she wanted – no, needed – something stronger.

"Actually," Serena started, hesitantly, "I'll take a Long Island Iced Tea." Andrew looked taken back.

"Hey, you sure? That's a lot of liquor."

"Yeah, positive. I won't tell you why, but I need it. Make it a big one too." Andrew looked at Serena with a worried look on his face, but when he noticed her eyes – begging and desperate – he gave in and began preparing her drink. As she waiting, Serena noticed a young couple walk in and sit down several seats away from her. They both appeared to be in their mid-20's. The girl was short and cute, with long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She had a few freckles surrounding the bridge of her nose. The boy was fairly tall and slim, with short black hair and dark eyes. They were definitely a handsome couple.

"Here you go," Andrew said, breaking Serena away from her thoughts. He placed the pint-sized glass of almost pure liquor in front of her. Serena pulled out her wallet and began opening it when Andrew placed his hand over hers. She looked up at him and he only shook his head.

"This one's on me," he said.

"You sure? It's really not…"

"Of course Serena. Of course it is." Serena mumbled a thanks and put away her wallet. She took her first sip as she watched Andrew move over to the couple whom had just sat down. Serena had to hold back a cough when she took her first sip. It was strong. She took a second sip, then a third, with each sip going down easier than the last. Before she knew it, the glass was completely empty. She placed it down, rather loudly, onto the bar top. As if on signal, Andrew walked over.

"Whoa, you weren't kidding," he said while gesturing to the empty glass. Serena nodded. Her head already felt like it was beginning to float off her body, but she didn't mind. In fact, she welcomed the feeling.

"See? Told ya! Give me another." Serena let out a slight snicker. Andrew wanted to say no, but reluctantly nodded his head and took her glass away as he prepared her another. Serena looked over to her right at the young couple that had come in earlier. The boy was drinking a beer and the girl what seemed like a mixed drink. They were joking and laughing as they drank, and Serena felt a slight pang of hurt, though she didn't understand why.

Out of all the memories she had of her late husband, she could not recall one in which they shared a drink together. In fact, she could not recall one time in which she had even seen him have a single drink, including their wedding. Not one glass of wine; not one sip of champagne. Serena's thoughts trailed back to the story Mina had told her earlier that day.

'Taking shots?' Serena thought to herself. 'Never. He never drank anything, ever.' Andrew walked back over and placed another mixer glass of Long Island Iced Tea in front of her.

"This one's on the house too," he said. He leaned forward against the bar, coming closer to Serena. "Hey, are you okay?" Serena figured that Andrew would eventually ask that. She was known as a person who couldn't handle her alcohol, and therefore, she seldom – if ever – drank liquor. If Serena actually took the time to think back to the last time she had a mixed drink (or God forbid a straight shot), she would have to go back at least a good nine or ten years, back to her formative drinking days where she originally realized she couldn't handle her liquor in the slightest. In fact, it had become a sort of a running joke amongst her friends and most people who knew her.

"I've been better," Serena said, surprising herself.

"Listen, if there's anything you ever need to talk about, or if you just want somebody to vent you, I'm here anytime you need." Serena could see inn his eyes that he was sincere and he smiled. In the months that passed since he passed on, she had gotten used to seeing looks of pity in people's faces. To actually see another person who legitimately seemed to care about her situation and not just offering their condolences because it's what they are "expected" to do was refreshing. Then again, Andrew was always a good guy.

"I appr-apicate it," Serena said. She laughed at her blatant mispronunciation of the word and laughed. Since she had finished the first drink so quickly, she had not felt any effect whatsoever from the alcohol, but at that moment, it hit her like a tsunami. The slight burning sensation in her head was warm and equally welcoming. It was what she had gone to The Crown to achieve, and feeling it was like reconnecting with an old friend.

"Sho tell me," she said. "Actally, I have a kestion!" Andrew looked at her with an expression that looked like a mixture of worry and amusement. "You've known Chris longer than me. He evver drink? Like, booooze?" She snickered at her emphasis on the "ooo".

"That's kind of a weird question," He said. "Why?"

"Don't worry 'bout it. Just tell me." Andrew stared at her for a moment before diverting his eyes to the wall, losing himself in thought. He stayed like that for a moment, and Serena took that time to gulp down the rest of her drink, which had been a good three-quarters the way full. Andrew turned back to her.

"Now that you mention it, not really. Actually, he was always sort of against it. I remember we used to tease him some for it and he used to get so mad. After that, we really never brought it up to him ever again." He looked like he was about to say more, but then his eyes diverted to her now-empty glass.

"Serena, you should really be careful. Everyone knows you can't really handle your liquor."

"Oh shut it," she snapped back playfully and picked up her drink, forgetting that she had already finished it. "One more. I promise!" Andrew looked at her and sighed in defeat. At that moment, a small group of guys walked inn and sat down at the bar.

"I'll be right back," Andrew said. "Don't go anywhere." He then walked over to greet the bar's newest patrons. Serena sighed and leaned back in her stool, causing it to balance on its rear legs, as she compensated by resting her feet against the bar itself. She heard the sound of talking to her right and turned to look at the couple several seats away from her; the ones who had come in earlier.

"Hey, you're drinking that way too fast," the man said.

"So what?" the girl replied with a teasing shrug.

"So I don't want to have to deal with you being drunk later."

"Oh shut it! I'm fine." The man stood up so abruptly that he almost knocked the stool over He grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her to her feet.

"Hey, let go of me, you jerk!" the girl snapped.

"No, we're going." She girl attempted to pull her arm away, but he only tightened his grasp. The man turned to Andrew, who looked like he was about to say something, and threw a small wad of bills into the table.

"Sorry about her," the man said before leading the girl out of the arcade. Serena looked on, dumbfounded. She attempted to straighten her chair as to stand up in defense of the girl, but in doing so, only caused her stool to fall backwards completely, taking her with it.

"You smell like a God damn liquor store," the man snapped. Serena had just walked in through the front door, and her husband was waiting for her on the couch.

"Huh?" she asked him. He stood up and walked over to her.

"What? You're so fucking drunk you can't even understand English anymore? I said you. Smell. Like. A. God. Damned. Liquor. Store! Christ, take that wax out of your ears." Serena laughed drunkenly.

"Cut it out, Chris. I just had a few drinks *hiccup*." She burst out laughing. He pushed her against the door, causing all the air to escape from her lungs.

"What was that? Just a few? You come in here stinking of a frickin' crocked whore and you tell me you had 'just a few'?" Serena looked at him disgust and shoved him away.

"Cut it out! Yur bein' sush a dick!" His eyes filled with a fire she had never seen before and grabbed her by the neck. He then proceeded to push her to the ground with all the force he could muster, and in her inebriated state, was unable to resist. She felt her feet leave the ground and for a split-second, experienced a strong sensation of weightlessness before the back of her head suddenlt made contact with the ground. She browned out at that moment, and when she came to, he was on top of her, pinning her shoulders to the ground.

"Ch-Chris! "Wh-what the hell are you…"

In her mind, she tried to struggle, but her limbs wouldn't budge. If she had been sober, she would had been panicking at that moment, but she was far from being sober. Earlier that night, she had gone out with a few girlfriends to a get-together at a local bar to celebrate one of them getting engaged. She had drank a little more than originally intended, but they had a designated driver, and had been dropped off by her before walking into the house. It was her first time going out for drinks since she had left New York.

"If you're going to act like a drunk whore, then you'll be treated like a drunk whore," he said.

Serena opened her eyes with a gasp. Her face was soaked with a mixture of sweat and tears, and she could vaguely make out a dull pain in the back of her head. Her vision was blurry, but directly ahead of her – standing over her – was a face she could not make out, except for its raven-black hair and deep, dark eyes.

"…S…na…ere….a…S…rena…"

The tears fell freely down Serena's face and she smiled.

"Ch-chris? You're alive?" Almost immediately, the world around her began to darken once again, and soon after, everything went black.

So that's the end of Chapter Six. Hope you are looking forward to the next chapter, where I begin to wrap things up. Also, I'm working on a new story which will be a high school comedy/slife-of-life. Basically the exact opposite of this story, lol.