Runaway
Chapter Five
All a Bad Dream
When Serena awoke, she was lying in a strange bed in an unfamiliar room. She
screamed when she saw the dark figure in the corner. The silhouette started
and flipped on the lights. It was...
"Darien?" she asked incredulously, sitting up in the bed. She looked down and
gasped, flushing a pale pink that contrasted with her short, dark hair. The
reason she blushed was because not only had her clothes been exchanged for a
large, black men's shirt, but she had absolutely no recollection of doing it
herself.
Serena looked up at Darien with a trace of the pink still staining her cheeks.
"Did you-was it you who-" she asked, acutely aware that her face was burning
hotly.
Darien smirked slightly. "Yes, I undressed you," he said calmly. "It's not
anything I haven't seen before." Serena willed herself to stop blushing, but
it was to no avail. Maybe it gave him some perverted sense of pleasure to
remind her of how intimately close they'd been last year.
*Why are you turning red?* she finally asked herself. *He's right, it's not
like he hasn't seen you...less than decent before.* In fact, Serena had a
vague recollection of once making breakfast at his apartment in her bra and
panties. *Ugh,* her mind grunted. *With him?*
Slowly but surely, Serena became aware of a hand waving in her face.
"Serena? Serena! Are you in there, Bunny?" Abruptly, the small, black-haired
girl crashed back down to earth. *Don't cry!* Serena begged herself. To her
complete and utter horror, she felt her eyes filling with tears, and she
looked to the bed sheets to conceal them.
"Don't call me that," she choked out angrily. She heard his sharp intake of
breath and without meaning to, she lifted her head. Darien's sapphire eyes
widened when he saw the shimmering depths of the pools in her eye. Quickly,
she looked back down-but it was too late. His gentle but firm was on her chin,
forcing her to lift her bowed head. Darien carefully placed a hand on either
side of her face and made her look at him.
"Serena," he murmured, staring into her moonlight blue eyes. "Once, you loved
me..."
"No!" she whispered, paralyzed by his eyes, which remained locked on hers.
"Please, no..."
"Tell me, Bunny," he continued mercilessly. "Was it really only a year since
you last said I love you?"
Serena's tears had dried, but a solitary crystal slipped unnoticed down her
porcelain cheek. She tried to open her mouth to speak in her defense, but she
found herself still immobilized by his penetrating gaze. Finally he broke eye
contact long enough to reach in and wipe the tear off her face. Just in the
short time Darien looked away, Serena regained her control and pulled herself
together. Putting up her best, coldest front, she looked Darien in the eye
and scowled. "I'm leaving," she said with as much dignity as she could when
she was climbing out of an extremely high bed wearing only an oversized shirt.
The bed almost came up to her chest and she was having a hard time getting out
of it, especially while trying to maintain her self-respect. When she finally
got out, the small black-haired girl got her foot caught in the blankets at
the foot of the bed and went tumbling to the floor. She wasn't hurt, other
than her wounded pride. Darien sent a smirk down in her direction.
"Sorry, princess," he drawled lazily. "But you're not going anywhere without
your clothes, are you, cutie?"
Desperately, Serena stood up and sent a searching gaze for her pink belly
shirt, black miniskirt, and pink tights. She didn't like what she saw, which
was absolutely nothing. Finally, she spotted her outfit on top of a tall
cabinet that was at least 2 feet taller than her. Franticly, she started
jumping as high as she could, trying to reach them without success.
Eventually, she gave up and turned to Darien with a pleading look. Her pout
apparently had no effect on him, because he guided her to a chair and gently
pushed her into it.
"Come on, Bunny," he pleaded. "Let's talk."
"*I said, don't call me that!*" Serena screamed. She had a headache, she was
trapped in her ex-boyfriend's apartment with no clothes, and she was wearing
a huge black T-shirt. She wasn't in the mood for sentiment and games. Darien
retreated slightly, then pulled her out of the chair and hugged her.
"Oh, Serena," he murmured into her hair. "I've missed you so much..." she
stiffened and tried to struggle out of his grasp. When it became clear that
he wasn't going to release her, she went limp and stood motionlessly in his
arms. Finally, he let go and held her at arm's length, just looking into her
moonlight colored eyes.
"Serena--Bunny," he began, drawing in a deep breath. "Will you ever forgive
me?"
Serena tried to hold in her gasp, but it was hopeless.
"This isn't really happening," she said shakily. "I mean, no. You are *not*
standing in front of me, asking me to forgive you after everything you've
done. I am *not* in your apartment, in your bedroom, half-naked in your shirt.
And you are *not* here in New York! This is all a bad dream! Yes, a very *bad*
dream." Serena finished hysterically. Darien chuckled in her face.
"Don't make laugh, Serena." He said bitingly. "You loved me then, you love me
now. Why don't you stop lying to yourself and just admit it? A year can't change
what we had--what we *have*."
"A year can't." She replied steadily. "A lifetime can." And with that, she
turned and walked out of his apartment, no longer caring about her lack of
clothes.
Chapter Five
All a Bad Dream
When Serena awoke, she was lying in a strange bed in an unfamiliar room. She
screamed when she saw the dark figure in the corner. The silhouette started
and flipped on the lights. It was...
"Darien?" she asked incredulously, sitting up in the bed. She looked down and
gasped, flushing a pale pink that contrasted with her short, dark hair. The
reason she blushed was because not only had her clothes been exchanged for a
large, black men's shirt, but she had absolutely no recollection of doing it
herself.
Serena looked up at Darien with a trace of the pink still staining her cheeks.
"Did you-was it you who-" she asked, acutely aware that her face was burning
hotly.
Darien smirked slightly. "Yes, I undressed you," he said calmly. "It's not
anything I haven't seen before." Serena willed herself to stop blushing, but
it was to no avail. Maybe it gave him some perverted sense of pleasure to
remind her of how intimately close they'd been last year.
*Why are you turning red?* she finally asked herself. *He's right, it's not
like he hasn't seen you...less than decent before.* In fact, Serena had a
vague recollection of once making breakfast at his apartment in her bra and
panties. *Ugh,* her mind grunted. *With him?*
Slowly but surely, Serena became aware of a hand waving in her face.
"Serena? Serena! Are you in there, Bunny?" Abruptly, the small, black-haired
girl crashed back down to earth. *Don't cry!* Serena begged herself. To her
complete and utter horror, she felt her eyes filling with tears, and she
looked to the bed sheets to conceal them.
"Don't call me that," she choked out angrily. She heard his sharp intake of
breath and without meaning to, she lifted her head. Darien's sapphire eyes
widened when he saw the shimmering depths of the pools in her eye. Quickly,
she looked back down-but it was too late. His gentle but firm was on her chin,
forcing her to lift her bowed head. Darien carefully placed a hand on either
side of her face and made her look at him.
"Serena," he murmured, staring into her moonlight blue eyes. "Once, you loved
me..."
"No!" she whispered, paralyzed by his eyes, which remained locked on hers.
"Please, no..."
"Tell me, Bunny," he continued mercilessly. "Was it really only a year since
you last said I love you?"
Serena's tears had dried, but a solitary crystal slipped unnoticed down her
porcelain cheek. She tried to open her mouth to speak in her defense, but she
found herself still immobilized by his penetrating gaze. Finally he broke eye
contact long enough to reach in and wipe the tear off her face. Just in the
short time Darien looked away, Serena regained her control and pulled herself
together. Putting up her best, coldest front, she looked Darien in the eye
and scowled. "I'm leaving," she said with as much dignity as she could when
she was climbing out of an extremely high bed wearing only an oversized shirt.
The bed almost came up to her chest and she was having a hard time getting out
of it, especially while trying to maintain her self-respect. When she finally
got out, the small black-haired girl got her foot caught in the blankets at
the foot of the bed and went tumbling to the floor. She wasn't hurt, other
than her wounded pride. Darien sent a smirk down in her direction.
"Sorry, princess," he drawled lazily. "But you're not going anywhere without
your clothes, are you, cutie?"
Desperately, Serena stood up and sent a searching gaze for her pink belly
shirt, black miniskirt, and pink tights. She didn't like what she saw, which
was absolutely nothing. Finally, she spotted her outfit on top of a tall
cabinet that was at least 2 feet taller than her. Franticly, she started
jumping as high as she could, trying to reach them without success.
Eventually, she gave up and turned to Darien with a pleading look. Her pout
apparently had no effect on him, because he guided her to a chair and gently
pushed her into it.
"Come on, Bunny," he pleaded. "Let's talk."
"*I said, don't call me that!*" Serena screamed. She had a headache, she was
trapped in her ex-boyfriend's apartment with no clothes, and she was wearing
a huge black T-shirt. She wasn't in the mood for sentiment and games. Darien
retreated slightly, then pulled her out of the chair and hugged her.
"Oh, Serena," he murmured into her hair. "I've missed you so much..." she
stiffened and tried to struggle out of his grasp. When it became clear that
he wasn't going to release her, she went limp and stood motionlessly in his
arms. Finally, he let go and held her at arm's length, just looking into her
moonlight colored eyes.
"Serena--Bunny," he began, drawing in a deep breath. "Will you ever forgive
me?"
Serena tried to hold in her gasp, but it was hopeless.
"This isn't really happening," she said shakily. "I mean, no. You are *not*
standing in front of me, asking me to forgive you after everything you've
done. I am *not* in your apartment, in your bedroom, half-naked in your shirt.
And you are *not* here in New York! This is all a bad dream! Yes, a very *bad*
dream." Serena finished hysterically. Darien chuckled in her face.
"Don't make laugh, Serena." He said bitingly. "You loved me then, you love me
now. Why don't you stop lying to yourself and just admit it? A year can't change
what we had--what we *have*."
"A year can't." She replied steadily. "A lifetime can." And with that, she
turned and walked out of his apartment, no longer caring about her lack of
clothes.