Serena awoke late in the afternoon to find herself alone in the bed. Her hang over had subsided somewhat and with a heavy sigh she sat up and looked around to realize that it had all been a dream. The oddest thing was that she wasn't sure if she had really wished that that were so. It had been one of the most pleasurable nights she had in so long.
She quickly
dismissed all thoughts of the night being real as she got up from her bed to
see that she was naked. At once her demeanor changed, as she became overwhelmed
with the prospects of her dream being real. But
if my dream was real, then where is he? Well, perhaps I was so drunk last night
that I went to sleep naked without thinking. Satisfied with the explanation
that her mind had derived at, she went over to her suitcase and picked some
clothing for her to wear for the day. She went over to the bed and laid out her
white cotton shirt with long sleeves that came to her midriff. The front of the
shirt was two separate layers of white that crossed over each other. The skirt
was of a long taupe flowing cotton material and had a long slit down each side
that began at mid thigh. After laying out her clothing she went over to the
bathroom and began to ready the bath. When that had been completed, she stepped
in the bath with a sigh as she let the heat off the bath soothe her. She deeply
submerged and allowed her hair to get wet as she thought back to her vivid
dream. Even though she could only remember minute details, she was surprised at
the fact that in her dream she didn't realize she had been sleeping with Dr.
Michaels until it was too late. Man, I
must have been knocked up in that dream to not know the difference. Well, I did learn that dreams are the
suppressed desires of the id or the inner being. Perhaps I dreamt about Dr.
Michaels because it would be the best way to get back at Jedite. Hmph, that
would show him. She sighed, content with her reasoning.
"Time to get
out the tub." She said to herself as she arose from the tub and stepped on
the plush rug. She picked up a towel from the rack near tub just as she noticed
something shiny on the floor near the Jacuzzi. "I wonder what that
is..." She wondered aloud as she stepped toward the Jacuzzi while drying
her body off. When she bent over for clarity on what it was, he lips parted so
that she could scream, but all sound died in her throat as she looked at the
empty condom wrapper.
"Ok." She
said to herself calmly as she approached the door to the living quarters fully
clothed. "This isn't happening...I didn't have sex with another man...nor
did I see an empty condom wrapper on the ground by the tub...because there is
no man here." She paused as she breathed deeply. "If there was
someone here, then perhaps I could say that I did...but I'm alone, so...so I
didn't." She continuously told herself as she walked into the room to see
if anything had changed.
Just as she was
about to release a sigh of release, a hand covered her mouth quickly and held
her firmly yet gently.
"Don't...scream."
A deep voice said into her ears. "I'm going to let you go...nice and
easy...just don't scream." The voice warned her gently. She nodded her
head rapidly just as the man who held her let her go slowly. She turned around
slowly to face him, her fear of the inevitable not going unchecked. She only
took a moment to register his deep blue eyes and dark ravenous bangs before she
screamed and his hand immediately sought out her lips once more. "Cripes
woman! Have you got a pair of lungs on you!" He muttered in alarm. She bit
down on his hand causing him to let go immediately as she dashed across the
room, not even understanding why she ran. She turned around just as he grabbed
at her by the waist, brought her to the couch, and forced her to sit down.
"We need to talk." He said to her as he sat down on the other side of
the couch, not even daring to sit next to her.
"Why couldn't
you just be a dream?" She cried out after a moment of silence. "Why
are you even here?"
"Look, why I'm
here is not really important right now." He said as he looked away from
her face, almost as if he was hiding something.
"How in this
world could I have ever mistaken you for my damn husband?" She nearly
screamed, as sobs began to take over.
"Look, it's not
your fault...we were both drunk and I don't know what was going on in our minds
when we did what we did...I don't remember seventy percent of what happened
last night but right now" He paused as he rubbed his hands over his thighs
in frustration. "But that's not why I'm concerned right now..."
"What's wrong
now? What could possibly make this more of a nightmare than it already
is?" She asked as combed her fingers through her hair, her body shaking
slightly. She felt that at any moment she would lose control that she was
struggling to keep and just go insane. Here she was, just committed the act
that she had accused her husband of committing all along.
"Well..."
He began as he leaned over the chair where he sat and didn't even ford a glance
in her direction. "I was doing a little...'inventory check'." He began.
"And during this check...I discovered...certain items that should have
been missing...but were not." He said nervously as he raked his fingers
through his ravenous bangs.
"Excuse
me...just tell me straight out what the hell you're talking about...right now,
I'm not in the mood for charades."
"Well, here,
read it for yourself." He said as threw a string of condoms her way.
"Trojan
condoms." She replied as she looked at it and drew a blank.
"The top right
hand corner." He replied irritatingly.
"Ten in...a...pack." She read carefully. "What are you
getting at?" She said in an agitated manner.
"How many are
you holding?" He said to her as if expecting her to draw out a long
conclusion based upon an erroneous clue.
"Seven... so
what...I don't see why this is more important than the fuckin' fact that we
just committed adultery!" She was getting angrier by the second at the way
he managed to evade her questioning.
"For your
information!" He began yelling at her, his patience run thin because of
the position they were in. "I found four condoms on the floor, one in the
foyer, one by the couch, one by the table, and one in the bathroom! I left them
there so you could see for yourself!" He continued. "The one by the
foyer I'm pretty darn sure is mine!" He continued. "Which leaves
three condoms used from this pack...and for your information this last part I
am about to tell you concerns you very much!" He continued. "I found
not a one empty condom wrapper by the bed, and it is clearly evident that we
made-had sex there!" He finished, almost slipping and calling the word for
what they had done love.
"You're
lying!" She said in an indignant tone with tears nearly brimming her eyes.
"I don't believe you!" She said as she stood up.
"Look..."
He began, softening to her visage. "I would have no reason to lie about
something like that...but if you really don't believe me, check for
yourself."
"Fine! I
will." He watched as she shakingly went to the places he mentioned and
looked for the evidence that something had taken place there. By the time she
had come back, she was racked with sobs at the implications of what one night
full of mistakes had brought her.
"Look, if it's
any consolation...I'm really sorry about this." He said to her. "I
wish I could take it all back...but I can't. And all I can feel right now...is
like throwing up over this whole scenario." He told her. "I wish that
I could turn back the hands of time and stop myself from having that first
drink...but I can't, and what's done is done." He continued. "I know
how you feel, whether you believe me or not. And I want you to know that I
would never, ever cheat on my wife if I...knew, truly knew, what I was
doing." He paused. "I would rather tare my heart out of my chest than
to allow myself to consciously commit such a betraying act to her." He
finished.
"Right
now." She began to say with tear filled eyes. "If I could pray to God
and promise him one thing...I would promise him that I would never drink for
the rest of my life if he could just draw back the hands of time and take away
one night." She began. "But it's too late and I know that what is
done can not be undone." She leaned back down on the couch and started to
cry into the pals of her hands. "But if anything...if there is anything I
wish in this world, is that we didn't create anything in this mistake...I
couldn't bare to know that...that the one thing I have always wanted in this
world was created in such a way." She continued to cry.
"Look...Serena."
He paused as he sat back down on the couch, saying her name for the first time.
"The only thing we can do is close this chapter of our life and never let
it out...I know that I should not lie to my wife, but sometimes the truth is so
much more harsh." He continued. "Promise me two things though...before
we leave things as they are and never speak of them again."
"What?"
She cried.
"If you decide
to tell them, we don't do it at separate times...and...and if you are...with
child...that you will let me know."
"I don't think
I could do that...I..."
"Please...I
mean, I won't say anything about it and I won't try to claim him or her as my
own...I just...I just want to watch...even if from a distance." For a
moment she was touched before she shook her head and cleared her mind of such
thoughts.
"No...I
can't." She began. "If we...If I am...then I'm going to just...to
pass it off as my husband's."
"Serena, you
can't do this!"
"It's my body
right? I can do whatever I want with it right? For all you know I could just
abort your baby and..."
"NO!"
"Excuse
me?"
"Look I...I'll
stay away from you, anything you want...just don't...don't do that,
PLEASE!"
"You want to
make promises? You want to make me happy?" She paused. "Well you can
start by getting out!" She could feel a bitter taste rise in her throat as
she spoke the words; she needed some time to think.
"But..."
"Just get out
Darien...it's over, just get out." She replied with finality as she stood
and walked to the door, opening it for him. With a solemn look he walked
towards the door, made one small glance her way, before walking out of her
life.