In the private courtyard of the coastal house, three individuals fell into an uncomfortable silence for the first time since they had known each other. The blonde nervously shifted her weight from one foot to another, pondering if another getaway was possible. The man on her right openly stared at his sister while an unrepentant smirk revealed his pearly white teeth, displaying no apparent trace of guilt for the curious situation. Lastly, the third presence and uncharacteristically defiant woman allowed her trained gaze to shift from one end to the other, seemingly incapable of deciding which party to confront first.
"Who is going to speak up?" she finally blurted out, leaving the confusing decision to the contrasting pair.
"What do you want to know Raye? It's rude to intrude in a conversation," he smoothly reprimanded his younger sibling.
"I want to know why you both left the dining table and are secretly meeting outside."
"There's no secret. I was about to ask Serena if she would become my girlfriend."
"What?" she plainly asked while she oddly noticed the petite figure sporting a deeper shade of red on her flushed cheeks, her soft blue eyes impossibly wide at the surprise mention.
"You heard me."
"When did this happen? You two conveniently left me in the dark. This is so upsetting," she rambled on, her anger gradually increasing at the arrogance of her brother and the conspicuous silence of her friend.
The fair haired woman slowly examined the unavoidable spectacle before her brilliant orbs, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events and her involvement in this non-fictional tale. She remained quiet, hearing the words spoken from his conceited mouth while the other proudly spoke with obvious hurt shining in the depth of her amethyst eyes. Tightly clenching her fists, she stepped forward, accepting her reality and the role of the unspoken stranger forgotten at once.
"Raye, I am not dating Darien," she firmly told her.
"Serena, this is between you and me only," he stated, conveniently ignoring the heated glare from the other bold woman.
"No Darien. Listen to me, we are not dating," she declared, gesturing wildly to emphasize the mockery of the situation. Despite his towering height, he took a wise step backwards at the sudden release of fury.
"No matter what just happened Raye, this is none of your business," he said, directing his frustration to his chosen and undeserving victim.
With disbelief etched on her beautiful features, the young woman harshly turned her back toward the uncertain couple. She directly walked toward the house, the soft click of her low burgundy heels against the marble floor gradually blending to a distant sound in the still background.
"Darien, you shouldn't treat Raye like that. She was only concerned," she warned him, breaking the tense silence.
"Why are you defending her?"
"Because she's my best friend."
"And what am I to you?" he passionately acknowledged, taking her by surprise.
"We're friends Darien," she lamely replied, unable to hold his intense gaze.
"You're wrong."
"Why didn't you call me?" She hesitantly asked him the burning question on her mind.
"I wanted to talk to you in person. I knew you would try to find an excuse to escape otherwise."
"That's not true. I'm sorry I left New York without a goodbye. But I'm not sure us is a good idea."
"I will not fight you tonight. I mean what I said: I will not give up easily. I know that there's something between us," he said with certainty as he gallantly offered his arm to her. They followed the cemented trail back to the dining party, concealing their obvious feelings for the evening due to his personal frustration at her blatant rejection and her aggravated confusion at his restless pursuit of her.
The rest of dinner and the subsequent dessert serving were only remembered in a blurry rendition of the actual evening. She excused herself shortly before ten, claiming a pressing deadline on the first work day of the week. Mrs. Hall embraced her with a concerned eye and sent her home with a packed container of leftovers. Her two children grudgingly said their goodbyes, their private encounter still fresh in their minds for different reasons. Last of all, she enveloped their dear cousin in a hug with a promise to visit her on the East coast sometimes within the next year.
Shortly after arriving to her empty apartment, she collapsed on the navy blue comforter of her bed, unwilling to think of the implications of the particularly eventful holiday trip. She buried her golden head into a fluffy pillow and wistfully thought to herself that tomorrow would bring another day and hopefully a resolution to her desperate troubles.
A ceramic mug of strong mocha coffee in her right hand, she smiled at her reflection while sipping the energizing liquid and flipping through the business section of the newspaper. Glancing at the antique grandfather clock in her living room, she noticed the lateness of the actual hour. She grabbed her brown leather briefcase and headed out to work on a clear Sunday morning. The deadline fabrication she remorselessly used as an excuse yesterday was merely half a lie as she was meeting the partner in charge for a full report at one o'clock the following day.
She was not flabbergasted to find a lone light shining through the deserted floor. Opening the door to their shared office, she offered a smile to her associate who was feverishly editing sketches on the drawing board.
"Good morning Lita. What time did you get here?"
"Too early," she grumbled quietly.
"But you didn't want to disappoint a certain Mr. Jones, I bet."
She grinned at the usual teasing. "Perhaps," she stated ambiguously. "But how was your Thanksgiving? You spent it again with the Halls?"
"Yes, there was some drama that I did not expect during the holidays."
"Drama?" she skeptically asked, her curiosity peaked. "What happened? Did it involve a tall and handsome man by any chance?"
Burying her blonde head in her hands, she mumbled with a clearly frustrated tone, "When did our love lives get so complicated?"
"What love life? I only wish that Ken would finally look at me with shining love in his beautiful brown eyes."
"When did you start calling him Ken?"
At her embarrassing slip, she countered, "Tell me about your Thanksgiving."
She cocked an eyebrow, "Tell me about Mr. Jones."
"I think he's ready to ask me out on a date. There have been those subtle hints while you were on the East coast. And I think I'm on the verge of saying yes if he asks. Would this be bad?"
Serena fervently shook her head and answered with enthusiasm, "I think it'd be wonderful Lita! Honestly, don't worry about what the others might say. Just be happy."
The afternoon rolled in calmly as she edited the last paragraph of the final report. Alone since the first time this morning, she stretched her arms longingly and examined her chaotic surroundings. The contemporary glass furniture of the office created an illusion of space while various sketches of projects on white walls added a splash of color to the otherwise bland room. The two large desks were flunked against the other on the left, each conveniently reflecting its owner. While Lita's table was the epitome of order with neat piles and small steel shelves to support the array of documents, hers was certainly a different story. Files were messily covering any open area and writing instruments were scattered under a mountain of rough drafts and graphic paper. She wisely retreated to the drawing table, unwilling to clean her mess at the moment while she studied the printed file prepared for her superior. The heavy door of her office flunk open at this precious instant and she looked up, surprised at the flustered visitor.
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you."
She critically scrutinized the small area for the second time today and vowed to clean up her irrefutable mess. "Let's go in the conference room," she said, slightly blushing at the disorder and directing her guest to the intended location.
"You could have called, you didn't need to come here," she started softly.
"I was afraid you wouldn't listen to me. I apologize for last night. I was just upset that you were hiding something from me."
"Raye," she interrupted her before she could go on.
"Let me finish. I want you to know that I don't have a problem with you dating my brother. Granted I did at first because I never expected it, but I saw the two of you together, and it makes sense. I'm actually shocked that it was the first time I noticed it."
"Raye, Darien and I are not dating."
"What are you talking about? Serena, you like him, I know it," she smartly replied as she observed the faint blush and revealing aqua eyes.
"I can't lie to you. I like Darien, I have for a long time, but it would never work. We're so different Raye," she deducted logically.
"Don't deny your feelings," she reassured and ordered her at once with a firm voice.
"How can you be sure? I don't want to hurt anyone."
Her friend scooted closer to her and patted her small back. "I'm serious Serena, you have my blessing," she coaxed her with a knowing wink.
The young woman laughed at the light-hearted tone and gave her a hug with promises to unravel any secret between them. With all the sincerity she felt in her heart, she told her, "I won't promise anything, but thank you."
Their genuine conversation continued for some time afterward as they relished on their close bond, the heavy worries of last night's tragedy lifted from their preoccupied minds. She waved goodbye to her friend an hour later, wishing her a safe drive back. Turning back to the conference room, she allowed her crystalline blue orbs to rest on the sparkling outline of the city while her thoughts turned toward a familiar image as it had done so countless of times these past weeks.
Late into the day, she turned off the floor lights and impatiently pressed the button to the elevators. Another long day of work was awaiting her and a restful night of sleep was the remedy to her exhaustion. The distant ring from her office interrupted her exit and she longingly wished that her assistant was no longer on maternity leave as she hurriedly trotted back to her cluttered desk in an effort to localize the offending and noisy object. After a few seconds of fruitless search, she brandished the white cordless phone from a thick pile of disorganized files.
"Good afternoon Serena, this is Andrew Forester. I'm glad I caught you. You weren't answering your home or cell phone."
She muttered a frank apology before he interjected, "Don't worry about it. How are you?"
"I'm good. How is the project going?" she breathlessly solicited from him, realizing that the first due date of many was quietly approaching.
"The first phase was done a few days ago actually. We're ahead of schedule."
"That's impressive Andrew," she congratulated him, sincerity and admiration laced in her cheerful voice.
"As great news as these are, the construction schedule is not the reason behind my phone call."
Her blond eyebrows knitted themselves together in speculation at his deliberate statement and she carefully listened to the flood of words as he extensively described the secretive purpose of his communication. A trembling hand flew from her rigid side and clamped over her mouth, preventing the foreseeable astounded gasp from her glossy lips. She took a deep breath and sealed her faith with the decisive reply.
"The answer is a definite yes."
From his victorious chuckle, she realized that he was expecting a positive response. She laughed quietly, the execution of six simple words driving her over the edge in boiling ecstasy. Dizzily swirling in her black fabric chair, she terminated the conversation with promises to meet him as soon as her plane landed for her second business trip in the vibrant city of New York. The weeks to come would certainly be impatiently spent with this newfound understanding in hand.