Serena's Point of View

Darien had been out for most of the day, doing goodness knows what.

Sammy and mom were sitting on the couch watching Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker as the clock struck 5:30 PM. I was getting anxious. I hadn't seen or heard from Darien since he got dressed this morning and took off. And I was starting to get worried.

Why do I care so much about Darien Shields? It's not like I can expect that he's my one; my one and only. I haven't finished high school, for crying out loud!

I slumped down into the end seat on the couch next to Sammy. "Don't worry, Buns." He wrapped his arm around my waist. "I'm sure he'll be here soon." I smiled so that he would think that his input made a difference. He had really put in an effort tonight. Even did a clean shave and ironed his dress shirt.

Mom had too. I looked over at her as she started to berate the television show for their dismissal decision. "Brittany should have gone home tonight. Marianne has worked so hard and is so much better than her! Who cares that she's 68?" She fixed her pearls that had begun to slide around the neck, showing the clasp. Mom's hair was curled and pinned up. It obviously took her hours to do. And she was wearing her purple party dress that fell just below the knees and up to the collarbone. I honestly don't recall her wearing it except for family photos. "Stupid show." She clicked off the television.

Just then, I heard the familiar sound of a truck pulling into the driveway. "Darien!" I stood up frantically. Realizing how loud an exclamation I made, I turned to the couch again to see Sammy's mouth agape and mom trying to hide her smile. "Heh… Let's go out to the driveway. I'm starving."

Darien was waiting for us when we reached him. I felt tempted to give him a big hug, but my common sense told me to resist. "Ms. Tsukino, would you like to ride passenger?" Darien offered to my mother. She accepted and so Sammy and I rode in the backseat. All the way there they were chatting about all sorts of topics. I was paying attention to "Blue Eyes" on the radio by the Cary Brothers when I noticed that Darien had been eyeing me in his rearview mirror the entire time. I tried to hide it, but my cheeks turned bright red.

We turned into the parking lot for Haveania Port; the nicest seafood restaurant I had ever had the privilege of attending. And had only attended once.

Once we were seated, Darien got right to it. "We'll take four iced teas, two with lemon, and four slices of your apple pie to start with."

"Right away, Sir." The waiter said before leaving the table. A moment later I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Darien, will you please tell us what this is all about. I'm getting anxious." I demanded. Mom looked over at me sternly. Darien started to chuckle.

"Serena, you need to learn a bit of patience, eh? Ah, here comes our pie now." The waiter set down our drinks and pies. "No, she'll have one of the teas with lemon." How did he know that I liked lemon in my tea? "Shall I say the blessing?" Mom and Sammy nodded and Darien said grace.

Dear Lord,

We thank you for this wonderful that you have blessed us with and the food we are to have soon. We pray that you will continue to look over the health and safety of us all in the coming week.

In Jesus' name,

"Amen." We said in unison. We all took a bite of the pie and, although it was good, being from a nice restaurant, it didn't taste like it should. I scrunched up my face.

"Don't like it?" Darien asked.

"No. Oh, no. It's quite lovely." I lied.

"Don't do that. Be honest. It's not the same, is it?" Dairen smiled.

"Well, honestly, no."

"That's exactly what I thought you'd say." Darien cleared his throat and stood up. "I have some great news for you all. As you may or may not know, my adoptive parents are both bankers and have agreed to give me a loan. Serena told me that her dream was to reopen the orchard and I'd like to make that a reality. Now, being that the property is old, the buildings are rotted and you are in need to major startup funds, I can only help you with one condition from my parents. I will have to be co-signed as a partner."

I looked at my mother, who seemed to be a mix of shocked and joyed. Sammy was nodding his head.

"I know that you would all like to think this over, but…" Darien looked over at me. "I greatly hope that you will consider my offer."

The rest of the night was a blur. Mom, Sammy and Darien were all talking logistics, updates and old stories. I just sat there staring at my halibut and creamed corn.

Was Darien really trying to open the orchard for me? Was this some secret ploy to get our land? Can I trust him? Oh, man, I want to kiss him. No. Stop it. He's just a boy. A grown… handsome… boy. A man.

I shook my head of the thoughts and realized that we were in the truck passing Millie's. Mom and Sammy were in the backseat sleeping and I was in the front with Darien.

"You back yet?" Darien teased. "You've been in a trance all night."

"I have not." I said without much thought. I mean, I guess I had been.

"Whatever you say. Hey, you okay about all this?" I stopped paying attention to Darien and began to daydream out the window again. I guess he was okay with it because he didn't say another word until we pulled into the driveway. "We're here." He announced. Mom and Sammy groggily stepped out of the truck and made way for the house. Darien stayed with me. "Serena, I'm sorry if I upset you. You've barely said two words to me. Are you mad?"

I looked over at him. Why did he have to be so perfect?

"Hmm?" He said, raising his eyebrows.

"I said why do you have to be so perfect?" Wait. Did I just tell him that?

"Oh, why thank you." Darien smirked faintly. I felt like I had just offended him. He didn't look too happy. Maybe he was just nervous… so I went for it.

His lips were slightly wet and a little meek at first, but he quickly caught on and returned the kiss. He reached his hand to my jawline to bring me closer to him. "Serena…" He moaned in between kisses.

I had never truly made out with a guy before. I've been kissed maybe three or four times, but they were just pecks. "I... I never expected that this… could feel so good." Darien pulled away, smiled and ran his fingers through my loose hair.

"The best things happen when you least expect it."

Sorry for the late update (from my last update when I said it would be soon) but I'm back! This story probably has two or three more chapters and WILL be finished by the end of summer. Check out my other fanfics, PM me with special story requests or even just to chat!

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