Heya peeps, thanks all for reviewing. It was so cool (and inspiring) to read all your lovely reviews – really; you guys are angels. I'll try my hardest not to disappoint.
And today, on The Young and the Restless … oops, wrong show.
Cupid Must Be Crazy
Chapter Two Chance Encounter
The early morning light delicately pierced the sky, a whirling kaleidoscope of soft colours moving across what looked to turn into a gorgeously cloudless day. The grass was fresh with the morning dew, which sparkled, in the muted sunlight.
It was beautiful …
Breathtaking …
Awe-inspiring …
Serena couldn't care less.
Due to her impromptu and unwarranted expulsion from the apartment she shared with Mina, the other two girls had taken it upon themselves to call an emergency sleepover at Lita's spacious penthouse apartment.
So as a result, Serena had awoken at six o'clock that so said gorgeous morning, stumbled bleary eyed out of the penthouse and made her sleepy way from one end of New York to the other. Luckily for her, Amy and Serena shared the same relative size, so clothes weren't a problem.
Looking down at the sensible bootleg jeans (that had to be folded over due to Serena's diminutive frame) and white tailored blouse, Serena rethought that sentiment. She loved her friends to death, but their choice of clothes oftentimes left something to be desired.
Like taste.
The elevator doors swished open.
When she reached the relative safety of the front door, Serena hesitantly turned the key in the lock. She didn't know what she'd find when she opened that door. She really wasn't in any frame of mind to endure a replay of last night's disturbing display. In her honest opinion, once was way more than enough.
After all, there was only so much you wanted to see of your friends.
For safety's sake, she kept her eyes half closed as she gingerly pushed open the door. She was treating the wooden barrier like it was the only thing that stood between her and an invading race of aliens out to take over the earth and annihilate humankind.
Yeah, aliens called Mina and Andrew, her sleepy mind supplied.
Obviously, she already had enough issues on her plate. Sometimes it seemed as though her sanity was taking a permanent holiday in the Bahamas and wasn't planning on returning. She supposed that's what you got when you stuck around with friends like hers.
Mentally leaping back to the situation at hand, she softly closed the door behind her, not wanting to wake anyone up. Tiptoeing silently past the living room, she started slightly in surprise.
Somehow, those two had managed to all but trash the place. Serena wondered briefly where exactly the living room had gotten to. It certainly wasn't where she'd left it the night before! The cream cushions from the chaise were spread haphazardly around the room. She caught sight of a sheer orange bra hanging off a nearby lamp.
It wasn't hers.
And she was pretty sure it didn't belong to Andrew – or else there was much more weirdness going on that she didn't know about.
"Whoa," she murmured upon seeing the mess that were her notes spread in a jumbled heap on the floor. By some sheer miracle her laptop had survived hurricane Mina and Andrew; it stood alone atop the coffee table detached from the whirlwind of clutter strewn around it.
A small 'eep' escaped the blond as she noted the time. She had less than an hour to shower, dress and coif for work. Not to mention the tiny little problem that was presented when she suddenly remembered the reason for her early morning dash across the city.
It certainly hadn't been for the exercise.
Her mostly unfinished article still graced the computer screen.
She had a deadline.
With blinding speed, Serena dashed into the kitchen and threw open the fridge. So engrossed was she in the contents of the refrigerator, that she didn't notice a sleepy Mina wander across the doorway and into the bathroom.
She had a psychotic sub editor who didn't think too highly of her.
Picking out a carton of juice, Serena straightened and closed the white door.
She had a naked man in her kitchen.
The orange juice splattered to the floor.
"MINA!"
The world was definitely coming to an end.
Serena sighed.
Nah, she wasn't that lucky.
As she'd predicted earlier that morning, her luck had been changing. Unfortunately it was heading in the opposite direction. Far, far away.
As she sat in the Crown Arcade sipping idly at a triple chocolate shake, her jumbled thoughts raced through the events of the day.
Ann was scary when she was angry. The flaming redhead had paced – it was never good when she paced. She'd yelled. She'd demanded justice and retribution! It was all Serena could do not to tell her to lay back and relax. She really didn't think it would be beneficial at that present moment.
So she'd sat back, twirling her crescent moon shaped pendant in her fingers.
Then Ann had yelled some more. Something about not paying attention or some such rubbish.
Finally she'd let her go with a death stare and two hour extension on her article. Not wanting to piss the woman off any more, Serena had raced through the article, coming up with something that passed the dark scrutiny of the editor.
For the umpteenth time she thanked her lucky stars for her eloquence and the natural ability to come up with impressively long words. In other words, the required reporter skills that allowed her to bullshit her way through any article and still sound intelligent.
Then came the phone call from Raye. Due to an extraordinarily large workload, she'd be gone another week.
Serena begged and pleaded. "Please transfer me to Uganda!"
Raye said no.
Then there was the flooding in the fifth floor New York Times office bathrooms, the clawing cat that accosted her in the elevator and the merry trip down the stairs - literally. Naturally, she was carrying half the paper in the known world when that happened. The near death experience at the corner of Broadway and Ninth hadn't been that much fun either.
Serena settled back against the seat, running a hand through her blond hair. Turning her head, she studied her reflection in the glass windows looking out over the street. Her honey blond hair was pulled back, held up at the back by a glittery pink hair clip; sapphire blue eyes peeked out from beneath fluffy bangs. The unseasonably warm day left a rosy hue on her cheeks.
"Geesh, it's hot," Lita slipped into the booth, immediately shrugging out of her denim jacket.
Underneath she wore a bottle green sleeveless turtleneck. Leaning her elbows on the tabletop, she glanced briefly at the menu then at Serena. "Did you meet your deadline?"
Serena shook her head, no.
Lita quickly ordered a serving of fries and a decaf cappuccino.
"Ouch. Did Ann have a hissy?" At the wry smile she got in response, Lita smirked. "That explains the shake."
Serena looked down at the frothy concoction in the tall glass. Lita was right, it had been a long time since she'd had to resort to a triple choc. Shrugging she eyed her friend. "Needed a pick me up."
Lita was sympathetic. "That bad huh?"
"Like you wouldn't believe." Serena paused for a moment, shuddering at the unbidden thought that popped into her head. "I saw Andrew this morning."
Lita was unsure as to what her tone of voice implied. "And?"
"I saw all of Andrew," she reiterated, emphasising the all.
Lita nearly skittered out of the booth from shock as what Serena was saying sunk in. Then she burst into laughter, tears forming at the corner of her eye. "That's priceless!" she cackled, immediately gathering the attention of the entire arcade. "You saw him naked?"
Of course, when Lita deigned to utter that one, that silence had descended over the arcade. Dear reader, you all know that silence – the one that suddenly springs up out of nowhere and usually ends with some overloud comment such as this. Lita however, was completely oblivious to the stares.
Amy appeared at the table a mere second later, taking a seat beside Serena. "Lita!" she admonished the taller girl. "This is a family establishment!"
"Huh?"
Waving her hand dismissively, Amy turned to Serena. "How much seeing are we talking about?"
"The whole package." It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that Serena realised exactly what she'd actually said. Serena glared at her more than diverted friends. "You know what I mean."
Lita and Amy were having a hard time controlling their giggles. Their booth was beginning to get odd stares from the general public. The giggling was contagious and Serena couldn't help joining in.
She could only imagine what they looked like to the rest of the arcade patrons.
Three twenty something women falling in hysterical giggles in a corner booth of the Crown Arcade. The Crown was a favourite teen hang out in the upper end of New York. The girls had been meeting there after high school for as long as they could remember – the ritual stood even now.
Six years ago at graduation they said a tearful goodbye to their after school refuge – three weeks later they had a 'reunion' of sorts. There they unanimously agreed to meet at the arcade whenever they could.
It had been a short break.
For the arcade.
The girls had been somewhat shocking – and strange – when they were still in high school. Now that they were out and 'mature' they were, if it was possible, worse – and stranger still. Most people mature when they get older.
Then again, each of the girls had always been 'individuals'. They didn't follow the crowd.
Together, they were ridiculously backward.
Serena was the slightly ditzy one, lovable but insane. Honey blond hair, soft blue eyes. Her appearance was overall angelic – she didn't act it though. She managed to get into trouble more often than any of the other girls put together. Some thought her strong willed. Others preferred the phrase 'stubborn as a pig'. Despite this, the first thing one noticed about Serena was her sparkle – it was as though the entire universe lit up inside when she was around.
Amy was the intelligent one. Short dark hair tinged with blue and large navy blue eyes, she was generally a soft-spoken girl. If one of them managed to get into trouble – which was remarkably often – Amy would be the one to get them out. She'd known of more secret places within the school, not to mention passwords into the computer system, than anyone else did. She was in her final year of Medical School. Nonetheless, the smarts didn't stop her being as bad as the others.
Boy crazy Lita loved the outdoors. Brown hair normally pulled back into a ponytail, green eyes, and a slender frame. The girl was in no way shy around the male species. They didn't seem to have any complaints about that fact. Despite her age, the girl was one of the most renowned chefs in the city, owning a five star restaurant opposite Central Park.
Mina, melodramatic and loud. Those were the only two words that illustrated the girl's personality in a nutshell. That, and she was blond in every sense of the word. Golden hair fell to her shoulders in waves, blue eyes sparkled mischievously. The girl liked to speak her mind, and often. She was also the most energetic person on the face of the planet. She'd always known she wanted to be in the limelight – being an actress was just the next logical step. Not that Mina could ever be accused of being at all logical.
As loud as Mina was, Raye beat her out flat in that department. The raven-haired girl was not happy unless she was expressing her opinions. Often and loudly. She also had a wicked temper – hot and fast. Most times it was over before it had even begun. The girl was incapable of holding a grudge, especially when it came to her friends.
The giggling didn't stop until Mina breezed into the arcade, catching the eye of every hormone driven adolescent boy present. Twenty pairs of eyes followed her as she gracefully made her way to the booth to join the girls. The sight of one of the biggest stars of today wondering into a video game arcade wasn't all that odd since she did it almost everyday. Despite this, she still drew a massive amount of attention.
Then again, maybe said attention had something to do with the black leather mini and yellow halter.
She plonked down beside Lita, briskly ordering a Coke.
"Hey Mina," Lita smiled mischievously. "Have fun last night?"
Mina smiled a ten-megawatt smile. "Always do."
Amy rolled her eyes. Lita and Serena laughed.
"Have you guys been discussing my sex life again?" Mina took a sip of her Coke, eying her friends impishly over the rim of her glass. "Honestly, are you people that deprived?"
"Yes," the girls chorused loudly.
More stares from the arcade patrons followed that declaration. Hmm, that was happening a lot today.
Half an hour of giggling and unintelligible conversation later, Serena thought it high time she got another shake. The waitress had again disappeared into thin air and so she climbed over Mina and made her way to the counter. The girl at the counter smiled as she approached.
"Hey Serena," Lizzie Ryan greeted her warmly. She gestured at the empty glass in Serena's hand and grinned. "Another one?"
"Thanks Lizzie," Serena slipped into a stool and rested her elbows atop the counter. "How's school going?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes skyward. "Shockingly boring and pointless." She held out her hands, palms upwards. "I mean, who cares about the turmoil at the beginning of the century?"
"I see your point." Serena laughed at the distasteful expression on the young teen's face. Lizzie was adorably cute when she wanted to be. And she was sharp as a tack. Despite her dislike for school, her grades were top notch. She was the type of effortless natural intellect that didn't do a damn thing but always got the best marks.
She could probably give Amy a good run for her money any day.
Handing Lizzie a handful of coins, Serena took the proffered glass and started off the stool.
Serena had always been a little bit of a klutz. If any one were going to crash headlong into walls and poles, it would have most likely been her head impression that would have been left. She hadn't actually had a major mishap in quite a while.
She knew it was way too good to last.
The stool was the kind one found in bars and circling kitchen counters. Since she was so busy concentrating on the chocolate shake she would soon devour, she wasn't really paying attention to said stool. And the position of the bottom rung. Incidentally, she just happened to have her foot on the wrong side of it.
As a result, when she moved away, the stool tipped slightly. It wasn't much, but it was of ample leverage to pull Serena off balance enough to trip over her own foot. The shake slipped out of her fingers, and she toppled to the floor. With a dexterity that amazed her, not to mention everyone watching, she managed to whirl around before she fell.
"This isn't how I normally meet girls, but …" the voice was soft and deep, cutting through her senses like a diamond bladed scalpel.
It took Serena a moment to realise that she hadn't had an intimate encounter with the linoleum like she'd been expecting. Somehow, she'd been caught, mid flight. She raised her eyes slowly.
Whoo boy.
Those were the first words that entered her mind. They didn't leave her mind until several hours later.
Blue eyes stared down at her. Not just blue – sapphire, amethyst, lapis lazuli – every single blue seemed to be encased within those depths. He, for it was a he, had dark hair that stuck out in every possible direction, falling endearingly over his forehead.
Gods, he was cute.
Serena found herself resting on, what she had to honestly admit, was a marvellously muscled chest.
Oh crap.
Those were the next words that entered her mind as she noted exactly where her shake had landed. The clothes he wore had been expensive, that much was clear when one looked at them. Had been being the operative term since the sharply pressed pants now bore an interesting pattern of chocolaty brown that had once been her shake.
"Sere," Mina's voice was awfully close. "You haven't introduced your new friend."
Behind her, her so-called friends were calmly watching the display with a great deal of amusement.
Amy smirked. "That's just rude."
Serena made a mental note to strangle Mina, closely followed by Amy.
"Not to mention mean."
Serena added Lita to her mental hit list.
Suddenly becoming aware that herself and the mystery man were the centre of attention, Serena pulled away regretfully. Behind her, she could practically sense the amusement of her friends, not to mention their less than discreet curiosity. She was surprised they hadn't already pounced and started the third degree.
She wasn't looking forward to that at all. The girls could be relentless when they wanted information. Especially when it came to members of the opposite sex. The hotness of this one would only add fuel to the fire – relentlessness wouldn't be an issue. Keeping those vultures away from her guy would more than likely prove to be the bigger problem.
Upon realising exactly what was running through her mind, Serena seriously considered booking herself into the nearest mental institution. She didn't even know this guy's name and already he was hers? Where had that come from?
Meanwhile, Mystery Guy was looking at her strangely.
"Are you alright?" He asked, tilting his head to the side to get a better look at her. Maybe she'd hit her head on something before he caught her?
"Fabulous," Serena congratulated herself on the firmness of her voice. Somebody up there liked her after all. She looked up apologetically, and held out her hands in supplication, wincing as she saw the full extent of the damage to his pants. "Sorry about that."
He looked down at his black slacks, almost in surprise. He'd been so caught up in the situation that he had barely registered the fact that he was quite literally wearing the remains of what appeared to be a chocolate shake. What surprised him the most was, he didn't particularly care.
The girl was just too cute to get mad at.
Serena continued. "Thanks for um …" she paused, searching for the right words. "Helping me?"
He smiled. When he smiled, a dimple appeared in his left cheek and his eyes lit up.
"Anytime."
Mina could barely restrain the laughter from bubbling up. Her attempt to control the laughter sounded more like she was choking on her own tongue. Finally, she gave up and giggled. Lita caught on and began cackling anew. Amy had slightly more restraint than the other two and kept her outward display of amusement to a minimum.
Serena wondered vaguely where she'd managed to get friends like these. And when she'd be able to put them back.
Their expiration date had come and was long gone.
The guy arched an eyebrow in the hysterical girl's direction and looked at Serena with barely veiled amusement. "Friends of yours?"
Serena responded with an arched eyebrow in their direction. "Never seen them before in my life."
The guy laughed, then he held out his hand. "Darien Radcliffe."
Serena smiled brightly. "Pleased to meet you Darien."
Maybe her luck was changing.
This is not going to be like all the other S/D fics out there. I refuse to make this story static and stable; therefore look forward to many twists and turns. These two are not gonna have it easy … now I just gotta figure out what said twists and turns are …
I realise this chapter is a little slower than the first, and in my opinion, nowhere near as interesting, but bear with me a while and it'll get better. I promise! I don't wanna turn into one of those writers who doesn't finish things – I am intent on being able to finally get to the day when I can write an Epilogue (or at least type, 'the end')!
I'd love to write all my reviewers an individual email each, but unfortunately, time constraints mean that I can't do that. So, I'll do the next best thing …
Crystal Serenity – thank you, you're a sweetie. And it's nice to know that I don't suck! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last (a girl can dream, can't she?)
Kismet* – I know what you mean. I don't do much else either – and a good deal of my nights (when I'm not at uni) are taken over by fan fiction. Maybe there's a twelve-step program we can join? I wouldn't want to risk your dissatisfaction, so I'll gladly continue this dribble for as long as it pleases you :)
~*Kstar*~ – Next chapter up and ready for your dis/approval.
FieryDreamWaters – thank you, glad you think so. You are also a sweetie in my books. I'm holding you up to that reviewing promise.
Silvery Moonlight – cute? Really? Thanks!
Aylee the Dragon – the summary actually came from a friend. She read the beginning and I told her about the basic plot. So of course, she manages to come up with something like that … bloody hell, most of this stuff is from personal experience! Isn't that traumatic?
Diana – thanks for your review, it really boosted my spirits. You think it's that good? Then I suppose the show must go on, huh? I hate people that don't finish what they start too. Isn't it a real kick in the pants when you read something, it sounds promising, and then you realise it hasn't been updated since the turn of the century?