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Chapter 10

"I was a kid when she met Darien," Sammy reminisced, placing a large wooden spoon with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in his mouth. He turned to Mika, gulping the ice cream down before saying, "He was like the big brother I never had."

Mika looked down at her fiance pathetically. She placed her hand on his hairy leg. Sammy had dressed down after he realized the marital status of his sister and brother-in-law, adorning himself with nothing but red boxers and a black silk robe. The scent of spice cake wavered under their noses from an orange candle on his mahogany dresser.

She didn't know what to say. Mika felt guilty, watching as her husband-to-be reduced down to a teenage girl who was trying to get over a breakup. She had caused this by bringing up what must have been one of his worst fears. Mika wanted to fix it. She just didn't know how.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mika suggested, snuggling under the blankets with him, and snatching the spoon from his hand. She licked a chocolate chip off the spoon, and dipped the utensil into the round Ben and Jerry's ice cream container. "You can tell me everything, you know."

It was a statement, not a question, more like a demand.

Sammy nodded solemnly. He pulled a tissue from the kleenex box on his lap, and blew his nose into it. He wished he wasn't so emotional over this, but Sammy felt like if Darien and Serena divorced he would lose a family member.

"I remember it like it was yesterday, Mika." He started, remembering his sister at fourteen desperately covering her blushing cheeks with her hands. "Serena was always complaining about this dude named Darien from the arcade… she seemed to hate him, and because of that, I thought he was awesome."

"Well, that sounds very brotherly of you." Mika chuckled, licking off another fix of sugary goodness.

Sammy smirked and nodded in agreement, "If only you knew. I drove my sister crazy."

"I believe it."

"Well, one day, Serena had come home admitting that she thought she might be falling in love with Darien to her friend Raye. I was so excited, because honestly, it gets lonely when you're dodging makeup and nail polish parties with your sister and her friends, you know?"

Mika nodded, but if she was being honest, she didn't have a clue what that was like being an only child. Still, she wanted to support Sammy, he had never opened up like this before. "Go on."

"I wanted someone to play video games and laser tag with. I wanted someone to help me trap snakes and cool looking spiders to scare Serena with." Sammy scratched the back of his neck, the idea of his adolescent self catching spiders in his hands making his skin crawl now. "I thought she might bring him around, that's what most fifteen year old girls do when they have a crush right?"

He stopped talking, peering intensely at the picture of Serena, Darien, and Rini on his dresser beside the candle. He stared at Darien's deep blue eyes, ignoring the rest of the picture. Ignoring his sister wearing a white sundress, and how she held Rini, who wore a matching dress, in her arms. He ignored Darien's admiring smile as he looked down at the two most important women in his life.

All Sammy could focus on was Darien's eyes as he murmured, "Darien was more complicated than that."

…

"What do you mean, 'you and Serena are falling apart?'" Ikuko asked, gasping into her hands with shock.

Darien's heart dropped into his stomach, and he felt as his body numbed, his skin prickling like needles. Darien had told her the truth, but he didn't know how to continue. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Ikuko's shock wore off, but only briefly to pick herself up off the couch. She'd known Darien since he was nineteen, and in the nearly thirteen years she'd known him and loved him like a son, she had never seen him so sad. His cerulean eyes looked lost, like a ship trying to make it to shore through a storm with waves tumbling and crashing into it, the water doing everything to submerge the vessel under it's salty surface. She noted the wrinkles in his skin. He had aged so much since the last time they had talked.

Her motherly instincts would have her wrap Darien up in one of her homemade quilts and tell him everything would be alright, but Darien was an adult; thirty-three years old and perfectly capable of doing that for himself. Ikuko wasn't sure if he wanted her to go all mother bear on him, cradling him like he was her baby cub in need of protection. From his expression though, it was clear Darien's heart was in need of some.

She almost didn't hear the chick timer she had left on the kitchen counter when it went off. It jingled and screamed for her, begging her to check on the chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Darien's mouth was still ajar, as if he were searching for the right words to say.

"Hold that thought, dear." Ikuko said, rushing to open the oven door in the next room.

Darien watched his mother-in-law as she went, his eyes following the imprints her feet made in the carpet. He noticed how her feet were small and dainty like Serena's.

"Serena," whispered Darien, and he looked down at his wedding ring. The gold metal had warmed against his skin long ago after years of wearing it. Simple. That was the only way he could describe the ring, at least on the outside. On the inside, Serena had their names inscribed, forever looping around and intertwining around the year they had married: 2011. Only last year. Why had he waited so long to give her that? Why did he make her wait so long to marry him only to disappoint her and ruin everything in the end?

He felt his mouth dry up like leaves crackling up before winter began. He could imagine the Autumn leaves losing all their moisture, becoming stiff and lifeless. Darien heard Ikuko's footsteps though, and looked up when a plate full of cookies were placed on his lap. His mother-in-law pried his left hand open, pushing a hot cup of dark coffee in his palm.

"Now, tell me everything that happened," Ikuko reinitiated their conversation, picking up where Darien had left off.

Darien glanced at Ikuko, hardly noticing when she brushed her curly blue hair back. It had grayed over the years, but she went on dyeing it so then she always appeared young. She would appear that way too, he thought, if it weren't for the wrinkles and sags in her chin and cheeks.

"It all began when Serena got pregnant with Rini," He said, continuing with a look at the silver watch on his wrist. "She was always complaining about time."

"Time?" Ikuko asked gently, looking down at his watch as well.

"The time that I spent at work."

…

The time on Serena's pink watch changed to four o clock. She sat at a bistro table outside one of her favorite sandwich shops, 'Sandoitchi'. The cold of the silver metal from the table brushing against her skin made her shiver. She turned the page of her textbook, attempting to focus on her equations, but she was always so horrible at math; an unfortunate circumstance considering her career choice.

Her mother was babysitting Rini so then she could focus on her schoolwork, but still, Serena would rather look at the other people sitting in their seats and enjoying their meals in the fresh air. Spring was on it's way, the snow had melted since Christmas. The pools of water that had collected in the cracks of sidewalks, and in dips of the road were all but gone. Soon, she'd be able to go on picnics and enjoy the sun instead of wrapping herself tight with layers and layers of thick fabrics to keep warm.

Andrew was meeting her here though. She would see him again, and it was almost easy to ignore the goosebumps on her skin from the light wind that blew across her cheeks. Seeing Andrew would make the cold worth it. Seeing Andrew would make a few incomplete assignments nothing to be concerned about.

She caught a glimpse of golden hair from the sidewalk, and then green eyes. Andrew was here, she realized. She picked up her assignments, calculator, and pencils, pushing them into her bag. Serena straightened up her posture, making sure her pink blouse was aligned correctly. She didn't want to look like some hooker trying to sell the goods. She flattened the pendant of the necklace he had given her against her throat, so then Andrew would know that she cherished it, and then placed her hand on a gift bag sitting next to her chair on the ground.

Andrew waved to Serena, and his heart melted at the sight of her. Her blonde hair pooling from two buns on the top of her head with black bows clipped in front of them, her smile so large and bright as she kept her arms wrapped tight around her large winter jacket...she was almost too much for him to take in.

Taking his place at the seat across from her, Andrew picked up the black and white menu to read. He let his eyes meet hers from over the menu, and they just stared at one another. Finally, he stopped letting his nerves get the best of him and said, "Thanks for meeting me."

Glimpsing down at her ring briefly, she cursed herself inside for being taken by Darien. Her anxiety, her heart racing, all the dreamy thoughts Serena had been having for Andrew, it was all for not. She was married to someone else, and she even had a daughter. What she had worked up to be a date wasn't one Serena had to keep reminding herself.

Still, she had no self control, and couldn't contain her flirtatious tone, "My pleasure."

A waitress with a slight jump of excitement walked up to their table. She teetered back and forth on her feet, anxious to take their order. "My name is Carrie, and I'll be your waitress today! Can I get you any beverages or would you like to hear the specials?"

Serena looked down at the menu, looking over the options for wraps, sandwiches, and sides. After a couple of moments, she decided on the cranberry chicken wrap. Andrew chose the jalapeño popper grilled cheese sandwich.

"And a bottle of your finest red wine," Andrew added, smiling brightly at Serena.

The waitress half skipped away as she quickened her pace to the kitchens inside. Carrie seemed to really love her job, Serena thought to herself.

"Andrew, I brought you something." Serena handed him the gift bag, watching as he dug his hands into the green tissue paper. "It's the Christmas gift you should have gotten two weeks ago."

He opened an red envelope, revealing a stereotypical christmas card with a picture of a village covered in snow on the front.

"Happy Holidays!" was written in large italic font inside, and underneath, Serena had signed the card. Andrew couldn't help but notice that Darien's name wasn't beside hers.

"Darien didn't sign?" Andrew asked, frowning.

Serena shrugged. "He never has time for those things with work."

"I do." Andrew's feelings were hurt, but he put the card down, and dug through the tissue paper once more. He lifted a black t-shirt out, and read the text on the front aloud, " If this shirt doesn't smell bad, I'm not gaming hard enough!"

Beaming proudly, Serena exclaimed, "I figured the son of an Arcade owner could appreciate the humor in that."

Andrew never played video games anymore, but he could recall the days in middle school where he wouldn't shouldn't shower more than once a week. He laughed anyways.

Carrie arrived with the wine. She dutifully poured the purple liquid into each flute glass, before retreating to serve a couple a few feet away.

Andrew lifted his glass, and Serena lifted hers. The tension of attraction seemed only to grow between them as they stared at one another. Andrew noted how he could feel the her hand move the table, if only slightly. He nearly felt the warmth of her fingertips against his when she reached for a napkin. His heart fluttered.

Breaking the trance, Andrew suggested, "To a new friendship!"

Serena felt her heart sink, but she obliged, "To a new friendship!"

They clinked their glasses, and Serena changed the conversation. "You know, there's something else besides a nerdy t-shirt in there!"

"There is?" Andrew asked, his eyes widening at her. He joked, "And here I thought for sure that was the only thing I would get from a married woman!"

Serena felt sick at the mention of Darien. This was nothing. They were doing nothing wrong. Sure, she was skipping out on school work and taking care of her kid to hang out with a guy, but they were just friends. Andrew made that clear before. Not that she was planning anything anyways…

But deep down, she knew she wanted more.

…

"They didn't start actually dating until Serena turned seventeen, but they were always on and off." Sammy stated matter of fact.

Mika rolled her eyes. "Were they not sure if they loved each other or something?"

"Nah, that wasn't it at all."

They had long finished the tub of ice cream, and the container had ended up in the trash can next to the bookshelf. Numerous medical and pharmaceutical textbooks lined each shelf. It was as if Sammy had never heard of reading the occasional fiction novel, Mika thought to herself.

"Then what was the problem?"

Sammy sighed, realizing Darien had never really been fair to Serena to begin with. "Darien would have things come up all the time. At first, he was busy with his college exams, and another time he needed space to focus on his studies. Hell, he even moved to America for a couple of years to study at Harvard!"

Mika slapped her hand to her mouth. Serena had waited a long time for Darien to get his act together, hadn't she? She couldn't imagine being in love with a guy since she was fourteen, only to find out that said guy was in love with his career more than her.

"I don't even think they became a couple until Serena turned twenty three," added Sammy offhandedly. "He was always there for holidays, and any big events like graduations or birthday parties."

"Sammy, that's…" Mika was lost for words. To be haunted by your crush for so long, and never given the opportunity to get over them, it sounded terrible. "That's disgusting!"

Sammy shook his head in annoyance. Mika didn't know Darien had been an orphan. "He had no family of his own. His parents died when he was little. We were his family."

"Which gives him the right to treat the only girl he's ever loved like garbage?" Mika protested.

"Well, no...but…"

"It sounds like Serena has every right to leave, and I haven't heard her reason yet."

And although Sammy hated to admit it, Mika was right.

…

"Can I ask you something, Darien?" Ikuko asked when her son-in-law finished explaining everything to her. She felt sad when he told her about the two of them sleeping in separate bedrooms, about the fighting, how he abandoned her and Rini at a hotel by herself for a couple of days. It was wrong.

Darien shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Mom always had a way of asking the questions that made you feel like you should be ashamed of yourself. He braced himself for the question.

"You've spent all this time focusing on your career, and Serena's goals have always taken the backseat. Don't you think she deserves the chance to achieve what she wants to after cheering you on all these years?"

And that's it for chapter 10! Let me know what you think! -Natasha