Heya all, I'm back.
I realise this took a little longer than the other couple of chapters, but I've been a little blocked – nose wise. Had the flu for a while but it's all better now. now, all I've got is a headache, so all is good. Before I continue, I must say a big humungous thank you to my friend Amy – for anyone who cares, that's who my Mina is based on (I'm telling ya, she's like that all the way!) – who not only reviewed, but helped me with this next chapter.
Thank you bubs!
Insert Disclaimer here: Don't own em, couldn't afford them, etc, etc
Cupid Must Be Crazy
Chapter Three K I S S I N G
One thing Serena could definitely say about her dearest friends; if she had her way before the night was through, none of them would live to see their next birthday. Raye was exempted only because of her absence. Nevertheless, Serena felt confident that she'd find a suitable reason to eliminate her soon enough – she was due back in a week, after all.
They were all toast.
Burnt toast.
The encounter at the arcade had left the girls in a somewhat peculiar mood. Mina was congratulating herself on her matchmaking attempts. After the initial introductions had been made, the actress had taken it upon herself to present the Darien Radcliffe with a napkin, quickly scribbling the poor girl's name and mobile number on the back. Amy and Lita, having witnessed the more than obvious set up, were still laughing about it three hours later.
They both knew that Serena had yet to recover from Mina's previous matchmaking endeavours.
The last few attempts had put her slightly on edge.
The last cute, but apparently unstable, guy had tenaciously insisted on getting the name of her shampoo and shade of nail polish. To top that off, he then asked for the name and number of her manicurist. Before that, she'd dated a complete fruit loop who had spent the entire night making polite conversation with the potted plant situated near their table.
So naturally Serena was a smidge bit apprehensive when it came to matters such as those.
That could go a long way to explain Mina's deception …
Serena however, wasn't entirely aware of the full scope of the present situation.
While Mina had been busy scribbling on the napkin, Serena had been helping Lizzie clean up the mess that had once been her cold beverage. The one on the floor, that is. Damned if she was going to deal with the one on his pants.
She knew without a doubt that something questionable was going on – she just wasn't sure what it was. No, her apprehension came from the fact that her friends had, not only been witness to the encounter, but also happily extrapolated as much entertainment from the event as was humanly possible.
Not to worry. With the alarming incidence of experiences like this with her friends, she'd more than likely have her chance for proper retribution soon.
All she had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity …
This was but a fleeting thought in Serena's mind. She'd had more pressing thoughts in her head for the last few hours, all having to do with what she would have liked to do to Darien. Mentally slapping herself upside the head, she steered her thought processes from dangerous territory into safer waters. For the life of her she couldn't quite figure out what had gotten into her.
It's the pants, her mind supplied her. I'm telling you it's the pants. And that chest, and …
Something else was niggling at the back of her mind. For some odd reason, Darien Radcliffe seemed awfully familiar. She couldn't for the life of her imagine why. She was pretty sure she hadn't met him before.
But the thought didn't go away.
Back to the pants, Sere, the pants, she could practically see the little devil persona jumping up and down on her left shoulder. She was definitely losing her mind, no doubt about that.
She'd just met the guy, for goodness sake, and was already fantasising about … well you get the idea. As fun as this train of thought was, she had to break free from this dreamy trance that she was only just aware she'd been in since the girls had left the arcade.
It wasn't as though she'd ever be seeing him again.
"Do you think she's still alive?" Mina leaned across the chaise, speedily waving her hand in front of Serena's face. She leaned back, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "I knew I was right in giving Darien her phone number."
Amy looked up from the heavy medical volume resting in her lap, balancing closer to the edge of the loveseat, waiting for a reaction from Serena. In the kitchenette, Lita dropped the wooden spoon in surprise. It landed on the Formica countertop with a clatter. She abandoned the concoction on the stove for a moment, peeking her head around the doorway, also awaiting the blonde's reaction to that news.
Serena looked up, her eyes losing the faraway haze that had been there up til now. "Would you people please stop talking about me like I'm not here?" She shifted her position on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her lithe frame. When she noted their significant looks, she shrugged. "What?"
Mina grinned widely. "You've been salivating over the hottie at the arcade for the last three hours," she happily informed her friend.
"I have not!" Serena declared, somewhat indignantly. She hadn't been salivating – she'd been having lewd fantasies about what she'd do to him should the day come when they'd be alone in her apartment. Or his, whichever came first. "I've just been a little preoccupied."
Even Amy had to laugh at that one. She'd all but cast aside her textbook for the conversation that had suddenly sprung up around her. "A little? Your head has been in the clouds since we left the arcade. And you were blabbering on about his pants."
Serena was slightly aghast. She hadn't realised she'd said any of that aloud.
Mina cleared her throat. "What about his pants, Serena?"
"Serena and Darien, sitting in a tree," Lita sang out loudly from the kitchen; the other two girls soon joined her in singing. "K I S S I N G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a great big carriage!"
Serena promptly tossed a pillow at Mina's head, knocking the orange bow in her hair askew. Suddenly, her eyes widened in alarm as her brain finally registered what Mina had said just before she had broken out of her self-induced stupor. "You gave him what?!" she shrieked in astonishment.
"Cookies!" Lita zipped into the living room carrying a plate of chewy chocolate biscuits.
On the chaise, Mina bit her lip managing to look fairly innocent.
Amy had finally completely abandoned her medical text, and was draped inelegantly over the loveseat laughing uproariously at the look on Serena's face. The laughter only intensified further as Serena lunged at Mina, effectively knocking the girl over on the chaise. Serena sort of bounced off Mina and catapulted to the floor, landing with a thud on the cream coloured carpet in front of the television.
Amy just expressed her undying amusement even louder.
"Ooh, I'm gonna kill you," Serena promised from her prone position on the floor. Happily, she'd landed on her derrière and so hadn't caused too much damage to any other extremity. She glared at Mina, rubbing the offended area. She abruptly pounced forward again, intent on inflicting some serious bodily harm to her friend. "Get over here so I can murder you!"
Giggling uproariously, Mina leapt off the back of the couch and raced around the coffee table. "Maybe later?" She taunted mischievously.
The plate of cookies balancing precariously in her grip, Lita skidded to a stop before Serena could knock her over in her haste to get her hands on a chortling Mina. She felt the rush of air behind her as Mina raced through the living room and into the kitchen.
"Watch the dinner!" Lita yelped, fearing for the sauce that was simmering on the stove.
Fortunately for the dinner, Mina hurried back out almost immediately upon realising that, short of climbing into the fridge or the oven, there were minimal places to hide in the kitchen. Besides, it appeared that a roasting chicken currently occupied the oven. Instead, she made her way hastily up the hall and barricaded herself in the bathroom.
Lita whirled around at the muted thump from the other side of the room. Amy had deigned to fall off the loveseat from laughter. She was clutching her sides in pain, tears falling down her face. A smile broke out on Lita's face as she took in the sheer absurdity of the situation.
She could only imagine what the neighbours were thinking.
Luckily they weren't her neighbours.
"Get back here you freak!" Serena was yelling, standing outside the bathroom door, hands planted firmly on her hips. "If I get taken to court I have justifiable cause for homicide, I hope you realise that!"
"Nah nah nah nah nah," Mina teased from within the safe confines of the bathroom.
"Argh!" Serena threw her hands up in exasperation. By this point, Mina's name was at the very top of her hit list. In triplicate. Slow and painful – there would be no quick end for her. Perhaps she'd have her listen to one of Melvin's talks on the scientific impossibilities presented on Star Trek? Or maybe send her on a three-month holiday with Ann to a secluded cabin in the woods? How about taking away all her makeup and hair care products? Nah, that would kill her too quickly.
The possibilities were endless.
Amy, who had somewhat recovered from her hysterics, was munching on a cookie and watching the exchange with the utmost amusement. Lita happily joined her, perched on the armrest of the loveseat.
Serena was now banging one furled fist against the door, shouting out random death threats to anyone who would listen. Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Mina was hooting with laughter.
The excitement was cut short by a curt knock at the front door.
Since the two girls of the house were to some extent indisposed at the moment, what with the yelling and the laughing, Amy thought it would be better for all concerned if she answered the door. It was probably just the neighbours complaining about the noise anyway.
Still nibbling on the cookie, Amy threw open the door, a ready apologetic smile on her face.
"Hey Amy," Andrew smiled winningly down at the shorthaired girl, and stepped into the apartment. "How are you today?"
Amy, still recovering from yesterday's moment of gross overshare, let out a small 'eep' of surprise. Her face blanched and then reddened slightly. Amy was a mostly modest girl; the events of the previous day had left her a little mentally and emotionally scarred. It might be a while before she looked at Andrew in the same way. Regaining her senses to a certain extent, she quickly ushered Andrew into the apartment.
"Heya Andrew," Lita waved from her perched position on the loveseat, eyes never leaving the display in the hallway.
Andrew looked first at Amy, then at Lita, and then turned his attention to the cacophonous noise that was coming from the general direction of the bathroom. He then turned back to the other two girls in the living room, giving them an arch look. "What's Mina done now?"
"Gave some guy Serena's phone number," Lita supplied cheerily.
Andrew was a little confused as to why exactly that was a bad thing. "So?"
"Serena just met him today," Amy, having recovered from her initial embarrassed surprise, reached for another cookie. "They had a bit of a run in. Literally."
"Uh huh," Andrew still wasn't sure this explained the infuriated blond hammering on the bathroom door, but he let it go. He knew the girls well enough to know that logic wasn't a big deal with them – they did tend to overdramatise just a bit on the odd occasion.
Lita smiled. Then a fleeting look of horror crossed her face. So immersed had she been in the drama that was playing out before her, she'd completely forgotten the pot simmering on the stove. "My sauce!"
With a startled look, Andrew stepped back and out of the way as Lita whipped past him and hurried into the kitchen. Fortunately, Andrew was somewhat used to the girls' behaviour and adapted accordingly.
Serena was still yelling. "Mina, if you don't get out here right now, I'm gonna donate all your clothes to charity!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Mina's voice screeched incredulously from inside the bathroom.
"Mina honey," Andrew called loudly up the hallway. He had a guaranteed way to get the girl out of the bathroom. "We have reservations!"
In a little less than two seconds flat, the door to the bathroom door flung open and Mina vaulted across the hall and into Andrew's arms. "Andy!"
Andrew was pleasantly surprised to find himself with a sudden armful of Mina, and he hugged her close. "Sweetie, I think you should apologise to Serena because she's probably going to want to kill you before we leave," he told her suavely, indicating the blond smushed up against the bathroom door. Mina's impromptu exit had caused said door to fling wide open, effectively smashing Serena up against the wall outside.
Rubbing her abused nose, Serena shot her so-called best friend a glare. "Owie!"
Mina shrugged innocently. "What?"
"Mina," Andrew, who had been looking at his watch, glanced up. "I wasn't kidding about those reservations."
Mina's eyes widened. "And you expect me to be ready now?!" she asked incredulously, gesturing down at her less than fashionable attire. "Are you insane?"
Having calmed down somewhat, Serena studied her friend's clothes with something akin to amusement. She didn't see a single problem with what Mina was wearing; Guess jeans and a Gucci halter didn't really seem all that bad as far as lounging outfits were concerned.
Despite her protests, Mina hurried into her room, emerging ten minutes later, groomed to perfection. Wearing the traditional little black dress and heels that all but put her on level with Mount Olympus, the suddenly stunning actress flounced out the door, arm slipped into that of Andrew's. With a final wave goodbye, the front door slammed shut.
Serena looked at the door for a long moment. "I'm still gonna kill her when she gets back."
Darien watched the water lap up against the sides of the pool.
In reality, he was too busy concentrating on the group of girls in string bikini's that sat by the water, to actually notice the water. It wasn't until they moved away, towels wrapped tightly around them, that he turned back to the newspaper he had cast aside minutes before.
He flipped idly through the pages of the New York Times, not really reading anything. His eyes skimmed over the political news; he barely glanced at the weather. He was focused solely on the entertainment section of the paper. However, even though his concentration should have been on the paper and the paper alone, he couldn't help but think back to the incident at the arcade.
For the first time in what seemed like years, he'd gone to a scene reminiscent of his childhood. His life in Boston had prepared him perfectly for the frigid temperatures of the Big Apple; the arcade reminded him of the times he had had in his hometown. It was a welcome respite from his everyday life – he needed it, especially considering the people he had to work with. They weren't the most stable bunch.
Speaking of unstable, his thoughts then turned to the reason his thoughts had turned in the first place.
Serena Halliday.
The name stuck in his memory and refused to evacuate. It was really rather annoying – especially considering the dry cleaning bill on his pants. Regardless of popular opinion pertaining to milkshakes, they were terrible to get out. Especially the triple chocolate that had somehow made it's merry way onto his trousers.
And yet, it still didn't annoy him as much as it should.
Serena.
She was pretty; he certainly had to admit that. Blond hair, blue eyes …
His mind was wandering into the land of the forbidden. What would have happened if she'd helped him clean his pants? Or better yet, helped him out of the pants … thoughts like this just had to stop – it just wasn't healthy or comfortable.
She was a friend of one of the biggest stars of today. He knew that for a fact – everyone knew the Mina Summers. Unless they'd been hiding under a rock for the past few years, they'd noticed her name and photo in basically every edition of every entertainment magazine in the country.
The newspaper suddenly grabbed his ever-sidetracked attention. He blinked a couple of times, unsure that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. The name jumped out at him:
Serena Halliday.
She was a reporter for the Times; in all his wildest thoughts, he hadn't seen this one coming at all.
This new tidbit of information added a whole new variable to the equation.
The name was familiar – more familiar than he had initially thought. It hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks. He hadn't believed in coincidences until that very moment.
But this was too good to be true – he could definitely have some fun with this.
Now the question remained. With what he now knew, now remembered, should he call her? Had she herself figured it out? Did she know who he was? The phone just sat there, nestled between a pile of books and a spiral notebook. It didn't help with the decision-making.
Finally, he reached out for the phone …
Okies people, I think I'll stop there.
If that chapter made no sense, please don't hesitate to mention it when you review; cause I know you will review! What is the big secret I have yet to tell? (Well, it wouldn't be all that big a secret if I told you, now would it?) What has Darien figured out? Will Serena ever figure it out? Will the X Files ever make sense? - sorry, I'm having issues :)
Crystal – thank you for the compliment. I hope I can live up to your expectations in later chapters.
~*Kstar*~ - fabulous about the twists. Got any ideas? I'm open to ideas people – I want input. I write what the public demands (yep, certainly having my share of issues here)
Kismet* - I admire honesty, thanks. Twasn't the most interesting by a long shot. Neither is this one, I must say. I think I'm having some writing problems, but I shall do all I can to rectify the situation, even if it means more writing and less of everything else! Who needs food and water and air???
Bunny14 – I will finish this story if it kills me. I can promise you that much – I've been eating, sleeping, breathing this story for the last week. I came up with several story ideas in the shower! Alright, enough oversharing …
Fewwh – I promise to finish! I really do!
Aylee the Dragon – they all made me laugh :) Especially the one with the monkeys. Not to worry, with my friends, that is not at all traumatising on any level. Thanks for the cookie too.
Alyssa – thanks :)
Crystal-Serenity – again, I'll be glad to bring out all those twists and turns … as soon as I figure out what they are!