I can't remember the last time I posted back-to-back chapters in 24 hours. But alas, here I am, addicted to writing the end of this story.

And without further ado, I present to you the final chapter of A Kiss of Yesterday!

Enjoy!


Seiya walked out of the nightclub as quickly as his legs could carry him. He would text Mal to bring his jacket to work tomorrow, but right now he needed to get out of here. What he just heard, who he just saw; if he stood in front of them any longer, he would have reacted in a way that was completely out of his element. Although, it probably would have been justified.

He was just about to interject and shake the man's hand when he heard it. He heard this jackass tell his fiancée that he loved her. He didn't know what was worse: the declaration, or Serena's passive face to the statement. Part of him wanted to continue to eavesdrop, but he intervened before he could hear her reply to it. He didn't want to hear the words that she was choosing at that moment.

She looked shocked, and guilty, when she saw him. "Seiya," she had stammered out before shouting "it's not what it looks like, I swear." Her eyes were shifty; her words were carefully chosen. And when she introduced the man in front of her as a guy she knew from back home, he nearly came unglued when that guy turned around to go along with the story.

Seiya wasn't stupid. When they began dating he quickly picked up on her hesitancy to do a lot of things that couples do, from introducing him to her parents to even holding hands in public. She had said she had a relationship end badly, but never divulged. It wasn't until a year into their relationship when he went to spend the night at her house did he finally learn who the mystery ex ever was. She had gotten food poisoning and was throwing up, her duvet cover covered in vomit. He searched around for a quilt or a blanket, finally finding one on the top shelf in her closet. He yanked the blanket out, and with it a shoebox dropped to the floor. Once he covered her up with the quilt, he went to pick up the items that he had accidentally dropped. Amongst those contents were pictures of her in her late teens with another guy. Tons of romantic photos, including ones of him kissing her, the two of them holding boxes, presumably moving into an apartment, holding each other on her graduation day, and dozens more. Pieces of cheap jewelry and other trinkets were in the box, and he couldn't help but thumb through it all. He suddenly felt insecure; for her to still keep this box, he must have really meant something to her. Even looking at the pictures, he noticed that he, too, had black hair and blue eyes. The thought that he might be a replacement for him crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Serena was too kind of a person to do something like that. At least, that's what he thought back then.

He never approached her about the box. As their relationship evolved more, he assumed she would eventually get rid of it. But one night when they were out drinking with their friends, and she had one too many glasses of wine, the girls were babbling about bad exes. The name "Dr. Shields" came up and a sputter about how that was more important to him than her. He recalled from the brief exchanges about their exes that his name was Darien, so when he got home that evening, he went online and searched for him. One in the same, he saw that he was a doctor in New York state at a hospital in some city hours away from them. His insecurities were brimming again, noting that he was not only smart enough to be a doctor, but he unfortunately wasn't the world's worst looking guy. However, from clicking around on his profile, he saw he was in a relationship with a girl who lived in the same city. From the looks of it, they had been together for a while. Satisfied that this doctor was just a thing of the past, he exited out of his browser. He concluded that this guy, who might have been smart enough to be a doctor, was a giant moron for letting Serena go. He also categorized him as a giant asshole for hurting her enough that she was hesitant to do what he presumed she did with him. But had he not broken up with her, who knows if she would have come to Toronto, or if he ever would have met her? So, in the grand spectrum of things, this guy's worst decision was the best thing that ever happened to Seiya.

So when Darien turned to face Seiya, he knew exactly who he was. He could only imagine what that guy was saying to Serena, and knowing her heart was already fragile from this jackass, he couldn't imagine how she was handling it. But even so, Serena was his fiancée. They had been together for years now. They were getting married and moving in with each other. So why did she look so conflicted? What struggle should there be?

"You're the ex-boyfriend, aren't you?" Seiya said once Darien turned to face him. Both parties were taken aback, but he wasn't going to back down. The phrase "I love you" kept swirling in his mind. This guy didn't get to tell Serena he loved her; not anymore. This guy had broken her heart. Her heart was Seiya's now.

"Care to tell me what you're doing here with my fiancée?" he asked, his arms crossed.

"Seiya, it was an honest coincidence, I swear," she said, her eyes still widened by the confrontation.

"Really, Serena?" he asked with narrowed eyes. "Because from what I just heard, it's suddenly explaining your behavior all week long." Internally, Seiya grimaced. The dots were slowly starting to connect. Her moods were up and down, her rejection the other morning, and her wandering mind all started to make sense. Had this guy come up trying to sway her to come back to him? Was she seriously considering being with him after everything he had done to her?

"Seiya," she said, trailing off. Her eyes gave it all away. There was a sadness, a confusion in them as she looked at him. Before she could say anything else, he turned and walked away. He could feel his own heart breaking. He had made Serena number one in his life. But the way she had looked at her ex the moment before he interrupted her, he realized it was one he had never seen before.

As he burst through the door and slipped into the cab, Seiya could hear her calling after him, but he chose to ignore it. He told the cab the address, then sat back as he processed what he just saw, and the revelation he just experienced.

It was obvious that she still had feelings for him.

#

"Seiya! Seiya!" she cried as she ran after him as quickly as her heels would take her. He wasn't supposed to see that. He wasn't supposed to know anything. Clearly he picked up on her turmoil this week, and now he knew the reason why.

She threw the door to the club open, not even bothered by the chilled November air on her bare arms. "Seiya!" she cried again, looking around for him amongst the smokers and the lingering patrons. In the distance she saw a cab driving away. Her heart sank; she knew he was in that cab. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. She had to fix this. Quickly going back inside, she breezed through the hallway and toward the stairwell, but when she saw Darien make his way toward her, she stopped.

"Serena, I am so-" he started, but in her state of shock, she opted to slap him across the face.

"This is exactly why I told you to leave me alone Monday," she coldly stated. "He doesn't deserve this, Darien. He doesn't deserve for me to be unsure of my future with him." Darien looked at her, his hand cupping where she just slapped him. Had it been any other time she would have felt bad, but she just watched the one person who was always there for her with her walk away. Any time they had an argument, a disagreement, any sort of issue they needed to dispel, he was always patient and understanding. He always thought rationally and never, ever walked away. For him to leave without her having any chance to explain herself, she knew she had hurt him.

He nodded. "You're right," he agreed. Not wanting to hear anything else from him, she continued on her mission to grab her clutch. She quickly ascended the stairwell and back to her table, retrieving her purse. She quickly dug for her coat check ticket, not bothering to answer the questions from her friends as to what was going on.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," she quickly said before she dismissed herself, hearing soft goodbyes as she walked away in haste. Running down the stairs and back to the coat check, she quickly noted that Darien was no longer in the vicinity. Retrieving her coat, she ran outside and hailed a cab, instructing it to take her over to Seiya's townhouse. The drive seemed to take forever, but she eventually made it to the complex. Once she paid the driver, she flung the door open and ran up to the front door, knocking against the large, navy panels. When no answer came, she knocked again before noting that she had a key to his place. Sliding the key into the lock, she opened the door, only to be greeted by the foyer light being on.

"Seiya?" she called out, floating between the various rooms, finally ending in the bedroom before concluding he was not here. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she dropped her head into her hands and began to cry. After everything all week long, all the confusion, the turmoil, the questions, the moments, she never imagined how she would feel if Seiya ever discovered what was going on. He didn't even know everything and she still felt terrible. She wanted nothing more than for Seiya to walk through that door so she could apologize, but as time passed, he still didn't come.

She shucked off her club outfit and threw on her sweats, hoping that the task would make enough time pass for him to come home. Even after taking off her makeup, he still wasn't here. Her heart continued to sink, wondering where he would have went. Did he go to a bar? Did he go to a friends? She made her way downstairs where she walked over to the table, opened her bag and pulled out her phone. She frowned when she saw that no missed calls or texts were on her locked screen. Quickly unlocking it, she clicked on the phone app and scrolled to dial Seiya's number, but she hovered over it in hesitation. What was she going to say to him?

Clicking on the button, she listened as the phone ringed once before he sent her to voicemail. She hit the end button; he was clearly ignoring her. More tears slipped out; he was definitely upset with her, and rightfully so.

Deciding that staying at his place was probably not a good idea, she went back to his room and gathered her outfit, discarding it in one of her drawers. She retrieved a pair of sneakers out of his closet and slipped them on, then grabbed her bag and her coat before leaving. She walked sluggishly, making her way to one of the main roads in attempt to flag a cab. She walked a few blocks, but successfully flagged down a driver to take her home. It was after midnight when she made it back to her apartment, and after paying the cab, she slowly made her way up the stairwell and into her apartment. Slipping the key into the door, she quickly noticed it was unlocked. Her heart quickened; did Seiya come here?

Turning the knob, she was greeted with the sight of lights on, Seiya sitting at her kitchen table with a box in front of him. She froze, her eyes looking back and forth between Seiya, who was seated with his hands folded under his chin, his eyes downcast, and the box, the lid being the only thing keeping the past and the present apart.

"Seiya," Serena said sadly, dropping her keys and her clutch on the side table before walking up to him. He slid the chair back, it nosily scraping against the kitchen floor, before standing up. His face had an expression she had never seen him express before, conflicted between sadness, anger, and confusion. Her heart squeezed in agony when he began to speak, the words laced with hurt and deception.

"How long?" he asked. "How long have you been seeing him?"

"Since Monday," she said quietly. He nodded in acknowledgement, as if he was processing.

"When?"

"He was here at my doorstep when I got home from work," she answered honestly.

"And?"

"He said he was in the city for a conference and wanted to look me up and see how I was doing," she answered.

"And?"

She sighed a troubled breath, but needed to be honest with him. "He told me he still loved me."

He nodded again, but refused to look at her. "And?" he urged her to continue.

"I told him I was getting married." She watched as he let out a deep breath, his shoulders relaxed slightly, but he still refused to look at her.

"You're not telling me something," he stated matter-of-factly. "If you had told him that Monday and it's now, what, Thursday night, something's not right."

She took a hard swallow, the words sour as she made her admission. "He kissed me," she admitted, watching his reaction. Her heart broke when she watched him process the admission, from his mouth going to a firm line to his eyes squeezing shut, his hands clasping harder as his knuckles and fingertips began to turn white. She tore her gaze away from him; watching him take in the information it hurt more than saying the words.

After what felt like an eternity, he broke the silence. "So, the rest of the week?" His voice was unsure, broken. Her eyes squeezed shut; never had she heard him sound so sad. She caused him this pain, and he was the last person to deserve this.

"He tried seeking me a couple of times, but I blew him off. The night of the dinner I ran into him with Greg and Ami, then again at the hotel bar. Seeing him brought up all these past feelings that I never really got over," she began. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall. Now was the time to be honest with him. It was two years too late, but she needed to tell him about her relationship and why she took its ending so badly.

"Darien was my senior year and my college boyfriend, but he was my parent's neighbor and my friend first. We both went to Ohio State, we lived together near campus, and when he got into his residency, he moved away to New York. When I graduated, I was supposed to move up to be with him. But when I got accepted into the Master's program, he started acting weird, and then out of the blue broke up with me. I was completely blindsided. He told me he had met someone else and that he didn't want to be tied down by his roots. That same day, though, DFW called me to set up an interview, and in two weeks I was moving up here."

She looked over at Seiya, and for the first time she noticed he was watching her as she finally told him the story behind her breakup. She continued.

"I thrusted myself into this new life, trying to ignore the mourning of losing him. I mean, he was my friend first, then he was my boyfriend. I really thought we were going to be together forever; you know? But when he broke my heart, he broke something deep inside me. So when I saw him, it stirred up all of these feelings. I was angry, I was sad, I was confused. And then he told me that he never cheated on me, that he was failing, and he broke up with me to salvage his job. That there was never anyone else."

Seiya looked down at his hands, as if he was anticipating what was going to happen next. She looked at him and studied him carefully before choosing her next words, her heart beating wildly as she did so. He looked rejected, his shoulders slumped, his black hair disheveled from the multiple times she could imagine him running his fingers through it. She looked back down to her hand, her engagement ring sparkling back at her, as her heart urged her on to do what she needed to do.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Seiya began to approach her. She took in a shaky breath, his blue eyes boring in to hers, as if they were seeking the answers inside her soul. He looked at her mournfully. In that moment, she knew. She knew exactly what she needed to do.

She never wanted to see that look again.

"So these past two years," he asked her, "me asking you to marry me, you getting moving in with me, was it all just a way to get over your ex?"

"No!" she cried out, her heart and her hands trembling that he thought so low of himself. "Seiya, I never, ever was dishonest in my feelings about you."

"Then if you know you love me, why are you confused?" he asked, clearly perplexed himself.

"I never got closure," she said. "But this; this is worse than seeking out closure, because I've hurt you in the process."

"I just, I don't know what's going on," he said to her. "I feel like I'm losing you and I don't understand why."

Her eyes snapped wide. Hearing him suggest it, that she was leaving him, completely startled her. Sure, she thought about what she would do if she left to be with Darien, but she never once said it like she was leaving Seiya. Hearing him say it out loud put it into perspective what the choice truly meant. Was she willing to walk away from Seiya? Moreso, did she want to walk away from him?

"No," she said, answering both herself and him, shaking her head in denial. "No, no, no," she reaffirmed, reaching out to his arm, grabbing on to his shirt.

"No?" he asked, his voice a higher pitch, as if hope injected in his question. She continued to shake her head, burying it into his chest.

"I'm sorry, I am so sorry," she cried into his chest. "The thought of losing you, I can't," she said between sobs, her head and her heart finally on the same page as she bellowed out apology after apology. When he finally wrapped his arms around her, she buried deeper into him, her tears soaking his shirt, patches of her makeup she hadn't wiped off staining his white shirt. "I love you," she cried. "I love you so much." She felt his body stiffen before he pushed her off of him slightly, looking at her with widened eyes.

"Seiya?" she asked timidly, confused as to why he moved away from him.

"You've," he said with surprise in his voice, "you've never told me you loved me like that before."

"What?" she asked, puzzled by the statement.

"I mean, you've always said 'I love you, too' or when we've hung up on the phone you've said it, but not like that," he said. "Say it again," he urged, his voice full of pleading, as if it would heal what she put him through the last few hours.

"I love you," she stated, reaching her arms up to run her fingers through his hair. "I love you so much," she repeated, pressing her forehead to him.

"Promise?' he asked, looking into her eyes. He didn't have to search long for the answer. She kissed him, pouring every ounce of love and passion she had for him. Seiya responded, wrapping his arms around her tightly, effectively deepening their kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, as if she was holding on for dear life.

As they stumbled out of the kitchen and collapsed on the couch filled with folded sheets and blankets, she couldn't help but stop and think about the events that led up to this moment. The thought of losing Seiya, just the thought alone was enough to snap her out of her confusion. In all the questions, in all the hesitation, she never truly thought about what her life would be like without him. Hearing him question it hurt worse than the day she sat on that bed seven years ago when she thought she had lost the love of her life. And while Darien would always hold a special place in her heart, while he would always be her first love, she knew that Seiya was the one she wanted to truly be with.

The declaration was quite liberating. Sure, the memories hurt, and would continue to hurt. The wound of your first love breaking your heart never completely heals. Yes, she would regret that she had kissed Darien, two, three times this past week. No, she probably would never tell Seiya that she had doubts weaving in her mind. She would battle those demons on her own should they ever resurface. If anything, those kisses, as sweet and memorable as they may have been, allowed her to finally admit that she had finally moved on from him. And yes, her heart would never be quite the same, but she did learn to love again. It was a different kind of love, one where she felt safe, appreciated, respected, and one she was not willing to sacrifice. Seiya was too important to her.

Desire rippled through her, emotions exploding throughout her that she hadn't felt in years. It was as if her body was on fire, her heart and her head in sync.

She would never let him go.

#

Friday

Serena stood in the Westin lobby, her arms crossed as she scanned the guests and their luggage. Today was the last day of the conference, and most of the doctor's appeared to be departing the hotel. Unfortunately, in that crowd, it meant that locating Darien might prove to be difficult.

She glanced at her watch; she had been here about 20 minutes and still no sight of him. Sighing, she was about to turn around, but she saw a flash of black hair atop a generously tall man. She knew instantly that Darien was over there.

Merging through the crowd, she saw Darien with a slate colored roller bag trailing behind him as he made his way to the checkout. Extending her legs as long as she could, she quickly caught up with him, tapping him against the side of his arm. He stopped and turned his head, stopping completely when he looked at her, surprise etched on his face.

"Serena?" he asked in disbelief.

"Can we talk for a minute, or do you need to check out?" she asked.

"No, I can talk. Um," he looked around for an area to sit, but she quickly shook her head.

"We don't need to sit, I'll be quick" she said. "I wanted to wish you safe travels back home."

Darien looked at her, disappointment briefly flashing across his features before he nodded. "Thank you," he eventually said, accepting her rejection. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come up here. I'll always regret it," he added.

She touched his arm lightly. "I'm sorry that I was indecisive on my feelings. It wasn't fair of me to lead you on like that. Seeing you brought back a lot of mixed feelings."

He nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble with you and your fiancé."

"It's alright," she said. "I'm sorry I slapped you."

He laughed. "Even?" he asked. She smiled.

"Even."

A few more moments passed by, but they were filled with silence. Deciding that there were no more words to exchange, she inched in closer to him and wrapped her arms around him; the final contact she knew she would ever have with him. He responded, holding onto her tightly, but was quick to let go.

"Take care of yourself, Dare," she said softly.

"You too, Sere," he replied before grabbing the handle of his suitcase and walking away.

She felt sad for a moment, but she also felt at peace. Was this closure? She watched as his figure merged with the other guests before she couldn't see him anymore. Nodding, she turned around and walked out of the hotel, leaving with it her doubts and her indiscretion. They both deserved to move on and be happy, and she was happy.

So although the past came beckoning, that the trials of yesterday's kisses teased her to stray away from her path, she rose above and would not fall victim, nor did she want to. And while sometimes the past seems easier, she knew she was only focusing on those memories of happier times. But when it came time to face the present, to see that the person that she had chosen to spend her life with was hurting at the indecisiveness that she was fighting against, did she realize that she had moved on from him. Her life, her heart, her happiness was here.

The evening was falling upon the city, the light barely hanging on as she looked out at the city in front of her. She looked over to see Seiya leaning against his car, smiling at her when she came out the door. When she had asked him if she could say her goodbyes to him for the last time, he was a little hesitant, but she assured him that this would put the past week to rest. In a moment of declaration as well, she ceremonially tossed the box of momentous in the garbage, to which he broke out into a very Seiya-like goofy grin and agreed to her request. Strolling over to him, she leaned into his wool coat, rubbing her cheek against the delicate fibers of his scarf, the one she got him for Christmas last year after he constantly dropped hints about not having one.

"Is he gone?" he asked, to which she laughed in response.

"Yes, he is," she affirmed.

"Good," he stated, wrapping his arms around her. She laughed again; she certainly couldn't blame him for that comment.

"Home?" she asked, to which he nodded yes. After how late they were up last night, they both decided to call into work to finish packing up Serena's apartment. Everything was set for the movers to arrive in the morning to bring everything to the townhouse, but as of 4:00 this afternoon, she officially declared herself moved in when she brought over five boxes of her shoes and lined them up on what was now her side of their closet.

As they pulled out into the city streets, she couldn't help but smile as they drove past various spots in the city. They drove past their office, the street to her old apartment, the spot where they had their first date years ago, the club where they reignited their feelings, and various other favorites of hers.

Everything she loved was here in front of her, and her tomorrow would certainly be as well.

Fin


AHHHHH it's COMPLETE!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

So, firstly, I am so, so sorry to most of you out there. This story definitely did not end the way you wanted it, did it?

I know I mentioned it last time, but I had three different documents saved on how to write this. I had a bunch of rambles, an SxS ending, and an SxD. When it came time to write the end, the Seiya storyline flowed out of my system. Even though I wanted Darien to be victor because I am always Team Darien, I had deliberately written their storylines so that all they were acting upon their past feelings. I also had a lot of parallels in there as to where they both were in their lives: note in the last chapter Serena called the club a "posh establishment" and Darien clearly said it was not one? If you go back, you'll see a few more of those throughout the story.

I also opted to end it this way because while you will always carry a torch for your first love, that person you were then is not the same person you are now. Aside from information in the past, they knew nothing about each other. They both were aware that, they both knew they were acting on their past feelings, and that they never had closure. Darien lied about why he needed space, Serena was blindsided by the breakup. When they finally acknowledged that their story was done, they were truly able to move on.

Thank you for everyone's comments, reviews, and your suggestions because I really did incorporate them as best as I could. What's funny is that originally everyone was all "I love Darien but this story I'm sooooo Seiya," and then everyone was all "WE WANT DARIEN!" You guys tugged at my SxD heartstrings, but I hope that you can accept this ending. They will both be happy in their lives! Honestly!

And if you want some SxD action, you can check out my newest stories: Critical Review and Lovechild. I'm actively updating those stories (LC is brand new!), but those ones are alllll SxD if you need a new story to begin.

Much love to you all!

MU

PS: Anon, you had asked about Darien saying he was not dating in one chapter but then he said he was dating Trista… he said there never was anyone else pertaining to their breakup, but a year later he said he began dating someone else after he learned she had moved away and presumably moved on. That's why you'll see Rei and Trista mentioned in the story. He wanted his own closure, that's why he came to Toronto.

PPS: We don't need an epilogue, right? I think the ending stands well on its own. I mean, I could do one if you guys wanted? Let me know if you want one!