Symbiosis Chapter 2
By: Eileen Blazer
AN:First of all, someone expressed concern over the title of my story.
I realize that scientifically speaking, symbiosis isn't neccessarily
beneficial; that's called mutualism. The person advised me to research
before titling things inappropriately and I thank them for being so very
alert and drawing my attention to that possible misunderstanding. HOWEVER,
my definition comes straight out of Webster's Dictionary. Look it up
there if my use of the word bothers you.
Second of all, this is short and meant to be sort of a transition chapter.
I hope its all right.
And finally, thank everyone who reads this and responds. *_* As always,
I can be reached at Eileenblzr@yahoo.com Now on with the story
************************************
The doorman left them when they reached the door, and Darien reached for the key.
He checked his pocket but it wasn't there. "Hmmm, I must have put it in the
bags." Squatting down, Darien began taking things out of the grocery bag.
"How is it that the great and powerful Darien can remember that I failed my
Biology exam five months ago but looses his own keys?" Serena mused aloud,
grinning when he glaced up at her and frowned.
"I didn't loose them, they're right here."
She took a step closer and peered into the grocery bag he was searching
through. There were carrots, peas, and tons of lettice but no keys.
"Riiight. Hey Darien I hope you don't think that I'm gonna eat that junk for the next week."
"Aha! They *are* here!" He exclaimed, suddenly pulling a key chain out as
though it were a bunny coming out of a hat. Dangling it in Serena's face,
Darien let his customary cocky grin curve his lips before turning to the door.
"And it's not junk, its called vegetables and they're good for you." The door
swung open and he walked inside.
Serena stuck her head through and looked around. Contrary to popular belief,
this young single male's apartment was immaculate. She gasped in shock at the
museum-like feel of the room.
Do you plan on coming in or will you be camping out in the hall?" Came
Darien's voice from what she guessed to be the kitchen. Mildly insulted by
his tone, she spun around with a 'hmmp' and stuck her nose in the air.
"I thought we were pretending to be a newlyweds." She answered.
"Yeah? So?" He appeared before her with a dishtowel in hand. "Can newlyweds
not enter the same room?"
"Darien! You have to carry me over the threshold! It's tradition!"
He stared at her, momentarily stunned, and wondered whether he should lift
her up or drive her straight to the asylum. How could she actually stand
here and insist such a thing? Darien watched her standing there, arms crossed, blonde hair still frizzy from the wind, and decided it really wouldn't be
a punishment to have to carry her into his home.
Walking over to her, he placed an arm around her waist and used the other
to pick her legs up off the ground. She gasped at the sudden close contact and
again at his warmth. A light blush painted her cheeks.
Staring into her blue eyes from only an inch away, he cocked his head to the
side. "Happy?" Serena nodded, somewhat dazed.
He just lifted her up. Why was she so shaken? Somehow they made inside and
Darien kicked the door shut. It slammed it a finality. This was it. There
was no turning back now. Not that either one realized it, as they were still
caught it an awkward embrace.
Finally Serena came back down to earth and manage to get down. As he stepped
away, she grinned.
"Darien, what's this?" She opened her hands to reveal a little black box.
"Can I see what's inside?" Darien reached into his own pocket and sure enough,
she'd taken it from him.
"Go ahead, if you to ruin the surprise." Her eyes narrowed. She knew those
tricks; her mother was a master of reverse psychology. Suddenly deterimined,
she pulled open the box.
A tiny gold ring lay inside, like a pearl within an oyster. Expressions
fell from her and a whispered 'oh my god' was the only thing she managed
to say or do. It was beautiful. Serena imagined that only a princess
could wear such an exquisite piece of jewlery.
"Is this for your girlfriend?" Darien rolled his eyes.
"No, it's for you. Don't tell me you forgot that married couples wear wedding
bands."
"But this is..." She looked up, smiling. "Oh, Darien it's beautiful."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah well, I was gonna give it to you over
dinner but now that you've seen it there's no need to waste time on
that, right?" Pulling out a paper and pad from his desk, Darien turned
to a fresh page. "Now it's time to set a few rules for this little
experiment."
"Like no passing off vegetables for real food."
"No, I mean like no breaking valuable vases during a clutz attack."
"And no being a total jerk when the mood arises."
"And not acting like a crybaby all the time."
"And not insulting your wife!"
"I'm not married!" He shouted, then realized his mistake. Running a hand
through his hair, he sighed before collapsing on the couch. This was
going to be harder than he thought. "I mean, you right. Sorry."
"Thank you. Now can we have some dinner? I'm starved."
"That all depends. Are you going to eat enough for the average person or the average elephant?"
"Darien!"Serena yelled. He winced. Ooops.
"Gees Meatball Head, I was only joking." Uh-oh again. Why bother trying
to speak?
"That's it! I'm leaving!" He caught her wrist as she tried to storm
past him.
"Yeah? Where are you gonna go? You live here for the next seven days,
remember?" With a defeated sigh, she slinked back.
"That doesn't mean I'll like it."
Sometime after dinner, Serena and Darien sat around a coffee table in
silence. She yawned unintentionally and Darien's eyes drifted to the
clock. It read 11:45. How could time have possibly passed that quickly?
"I think we'd better get some sleep. I still have to work tomorrow."
Raising himself, he extended a hand towards Serena. "C'mon. Let's go
to bed. I'll show you where the bedroom is."
BED! Serena felt her whole body freeze. *THE* BEDROOM? As in singular? One?
Uno?
Surely there was some mistake.
By: Eileen Blazer
AN:First of all, someone expressed concern over the title of my story.
I realize that scientifically speaking, symbiosis isn't neccessarily
beneficial; that's called mutualism. The person advised me to research
before titling things inappropriately and I thank them for being so very
alert and drawing my attention to that possible misunderstanding. HOWEVER,
my definition comes straight out of Webster's Dictionary. Look it up
there if my use of the word bothers you.
Second of all, this is short and meant to be sort of a transition chapter.
I hope its all right.
And finally, thank everyone who reads this and responds. *_* As always,
I can be reached at Eileenblzr@yahoo.com Now on with the story
************************************
The doorman left them when they reached the door, and Darien reached for the key.
He checked his pocket but it wasn't there. "Hmmm, I must have put it in the
bags." Squatting down, Darien began taking things out of the grocery bag.
"How is it that the great and powerful Darien can remember that I failed my
Biology exam five months ago but looses his own keys?" Serena mused aloud,
grinning when he glaced up at her and frowned.
"I didn't loose them, they're right here."
She took a step closer and peered into the grocery bag he was searching
through. There were carrots, peas, and tons of lettice but no keys.
"Riiight. Hey Darien I hope you don't think that I'm gonna eat that junk for the next week."
"Aha! They *are* here!" He exclaimed, suddenly pulling a key chain out as
though it were a bunny coming out of a hat. Dangling it in Serena's face,
Darien let his customary cocky grin curve his lips before turning to the door.
"And it's not junk, its called vegetables and they're good for you." The door
swung open and he walked inside.
Serena stuck her head through and looked around. Contrary to popular belief,
this young single male's apartment was immaculate. She gasped in shock at the
museum-like feel of the room.
Do you plan on coming in or will you be camping out in the hall?" Came
Darien's voice from what she guessed to be the kitchen. Mildly insulted by
his tone, she spun around with a 'hmmp' and stuck her nose in the air.
"I thought we were pretending to be a newlyweds." She answered.
"Yeah? So?" He appeared before her with a dishtowel in hand. "Can newlyweds
not enter the same room?"
"Darien! You have to carry me over the threshold! It's tradition!"
He stared at her, momentarily stunned, and wondered whether he should lift
her up or drive her straight to the asylum. How could she actually stand
here and insist such a thing? Darien watched her standing there, arms crossed, blonde hair still frizzy from the wind, and decided it really wouldn't be
a punishment to have to carry her into his home.
Walking over to her, he placed an arm around her waist and used the other
to pick her legs up off the ground. She gasped at the sudden close contact and
again at his warmth. A light blush painted her cheeks.
Staring into her blue eyes from only an inch away, he cocked his head to the
side. "Happy?" Serena nodded, somewhat dazed.
He just lifted her up. Why was she so shaken? Somehow they made inside and
Darien kicked the door shut. It slammed it a finality. This was it. There
was no turning back now. Not that either one realized it, as they were still
caught it an awkward embrace.
Finally Serena came back down to earth and manage to get down. As he stepped
away, she grinned.
"Darien, what's this?" She opened her hands to reveal a little black box.
"Can I see what's inside?" Darien reached into his own pocket and sure enough,
she'd taken it from him.
"Go ahead, if you to ruin the surprise." Her eyes narrowed. She knew those
tricks; her mother was a master of reverse psychology. Suddenly deterimined,
she pulled open the box.
A tiny gold ring lay inside, like a pearl within an oyster. Expressions
fell from her and a whispered 'oh my god' was the only thing she managed
to say or do. It was beautiful. Serena imagined that only a princess
could wear such an exquisite piece of jewlery.
"Is this for your girlfriend?" Darien rolled his eyes.
"No, it's for you. Don't tell me you forgot that married couples wear wedding
bands."
"But this is..." She looked up, smiling. "Oh, Darien it's beautiful."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah well, I was gonna give it to you over
dinner but now that you've seen it there's no need to waste time on
that, right?" Pulling out a paper and pad from his desk, Darien turned
to a fresh page. "Now it's time to set a few rules for this little
experiment."
"Like no passing off vegetables for real food."
"No, I mean like no breaking valuable vases during a clutz attack."
"And no being a total jerk when the mood arises."
"And not acting like a crybaby all the time."
"And not insulting your wife!"
"I'm not married!" He shouted, then realized his mistake. Running a hand
through his hair, he sighed before collapsing on the couch. This was
going to be harder than he thought. "I mean, you right. Sorry."
"Thank you. Now can we have some dinner? I'm starved."
"That all depends. Are you going to eat enough for the average person or the average elephant?"
"Darien!"Serena yelled. He winced. Ooops.
"Gees Meatball Head, I was only joking." Uh-oh again. Why bother trying
to speak?
"That's it! I'm leaving!" He caught her wrist as she tried to storm
past him.
"Yeah? Where are you gonna go? You live here for the next seven days,
remember?" With a defeated sigh, she slinked back.
"That doesn't mean I'll like it."
Sometime after dinner, Serena and Darien sat around a coffee table in
silence. She yawned unintentionally and Darien's eyes drifted to the
clock. It read 11:45. How could time have possibly passed that quickly?
"I think we'd better get some sleep. I still have to work tomorrow."
Raising himself, he extended a hand towards Serena. "C'mon. Let's go
to bed. I'll show you where the bedroom is."
BED! Serena felt her whole body freeze. *THE* BEDROOM? As in singular? One?
Uno?
Surely there was some mistake.