Tristen couldn't help but blush as he made his way up to Serenity's
hospital room. He realized that it was really early in the morning, but he
hadn't been able to think about anything else but seeing her from the
moment they had met.
When Joey's mom had introduced them, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. He'd seen her picture in Joey's wallet before, but even that had not prepared him for the real thing. She was so much cuter in real life, with a soft, sweet feminine voice and he could never forget the smell of her shampoo from when she had leaned in close to him the day before. He could still remember the feeling of her hands in his, petal soft and soothing. Her eyes too...they were of the softest brown, like chocolate you couldn't help but melt into.
He couldn't believe he was thinking all these thoughts about his best buddy's sister, a girl he barely knew and had just met. Something about her, though, just made those feelings surface within him.
Very few girls his age ever showed any interest in him. They were too wrapped up in their social standing and in going out and having a good time to notice a quiet, serious boy like him. He didn't think he was that bad of a guy, he was actually pretty cool if you took the time to get to know him.
Serenity had actually given him the time of day and had been sincere about enjoying his company. This was something he wasn't used to and it made him want to get to know her better.
As he finally approached her door, he could se his hand shaking as he went to knock. What is that all about, he wondered. I have no reason to be nervous, he told himself, I'm just visiting a friend. Building up his willpower, he finally knocked.
"Come in." came the soft voice of Joey's sister.
He strode into the room to face Serenity and gasped. It hadn't occured to him that her head would be in bandages to protect her newly worked on eyes from damage and it surprised him.
"Who's there? Please tell me." she said.
"Hi Serenity. It's me, Tristen. You probably don't remember me, but i'm a friend of your brother." he said.
Serenity smiled. "Of course I remember you, Tristen. It's so nice of you to visit me. Thank you. Please sit down. You'll pardon me if I can't see you for awhile." she said.
He sat down on the bed beside her. "How did the surgery go?" he asked.
"Good. They said it wasn't as bad as they thought. I'll have to wear the bandages for awhile, but in a couple weeks, when I'm ready, they said I can take them off on my own." she said.
"Wow. You must have incredible willpower. I could have never gone through such an ordeal." he told her.
"It wasn't easy, I'll admit that, but I knew I had people that loved me and were concerned about me, so I knew I would be okay....so Tristen, what time is it anyway?" she asked.
"It's six o'clock in the morning. I hope I haven't come too early. The nurse said you were awake." he said.
"No. It's okay. I'm a early riser anyway. I'm looking forward to being able to see the sunrise and even the sunsets like you described again like I did when I was a little girl," she said.
"Joey said you always had vision problems." he told her.
"Yes. He worries about me constantly. It means so much to me that he cares so much and that he has found something he is good at. Do you play Duel Monsters too?" she asked.
"Me? No, not anymore, not since I taught your brother how to play." he teased.
She caught on quickly, smiling at him. "You taught Joey how to play? That's fascinating...you must share all your secrets with me! I'd like to learn how to play too. I have a few cards myself, but have only dabbled in it really." she said.
Over the course of the next couple hours, before Joey's mother came by to visit, Serenity and Tristen spent that time laughing and talking amongst themselves, talking about how gulliable Joey was sometimes, the game of Duel Monsters, and what shared interests they had. They both loved children and the outdoors and he found her sense of humor to be intoxicating.
"You have a great laugh, Serenity. It really makes your face light up." he told her.
She smacked him in the arm playfully. "Stop! You're making me blush!" she told him.
"Hey, you've got pretty good aim for someone who can't see...I'm going to take off those bandages. I think you're faking, you big faker!" he teased.
He grabbed his wrists before he could do so, the pair play wrestling for a moment, laughing as they did so. "I may not be able to see, but I can still kick your butt...don't tempt me!" she said.
"You're all talk." he teased.
She laughed again. "Stop it, Tristen. It hurts from laughing too much. I can't stand it." she said, coughing.
He instantly handed her a glass of water from the night stand, her drinking it quickly.
"Thanks. That was so thoughtful. I should ring the nurse, I'm hungry. It should be close to breakfast time." she said.
"Hey. Let me make up to you for my rough treatment by buying you breakfast, if you will trust me to lead you to the lunchroom." he said.
Serenity nodded, swinging her legs off the bed and putting on her slippers. "With an offer like that, how could I refuse?" she giggled.
"Master Seto, I wanted to inform you of the meeting you had scheduled with your maintance department." Bostick said.
"What? Oh yes thank you, Bostick. I will be along shortly." Seto said.
Mokuba looked over at his brother, who was sitting at his desk, working at his laptop computer. He didn't want to say anything but he couldn't help but notice that the doument Seto was working on was the same one he had started on early on that morning. His usually productive brother hadn't gotten any work done at all all day. Now that he took a good look at him, he could definitely tell that his brother was distracted and he knew exactly what was distracting him.
"Big brother?" Mokuba asked.
Seto shook himself out of his thoughts and looked over at him. "Yes, Mokuba?" he asked.
"Maybe we should reschedule your meeting for another day and go out and do something." he said.
"Reschedule the meeting? What meeting?" Seto asked.
Mokuba shook his head. "Oh man, you've got it bad....thank goodness the company can run itself. I'd hate to see how you'd act if she was actually here." he said.
"Who are you talking about?" Seto asked.
"Serenity, of course. Who else?" he said.
Seto smiled at the mention of her name. "Oh yes, Serenity. I really should call her at the hospital. I'm sure she's had her surgery by now." he said.
"You're only going to call? Why haven't you gone to see her yet?" Mokuba asked.
Seto frowned at him. "I already told you why. That's an intimate family situation; she and I haven't been seeing each other long enough for me to be a part of that." Seto said.
"Sounds like an excuse to me." Mokuba said.
Seto snorted. "Think what you want. I've already made plans for when we reunite anyway." he told him.
Mokuba smiled. "Really?" he asked.
"Yes. I've already made arrangements for us to spend a week at my time share in Las Vegas. I thought it would be a nice getaway for both of us, me from here and her from the trauma of her operation." Seto said.
"Sounds pretty serious. Are you sure you're ready for that, big brother?" Mokuba asked.
Set smiled, his thoughts only on the woman that had charmed his heart and consumed his whole being. "Mokuba...I have never been so sure of anything in my life." he said.
Tristen couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed another person's companionship so much. Not only was Serenity attractive, but she was also funny, intelligent and a great conversationist. Being a volunteer teacher had exposed her to the trials and tribulations of many of her student's heavy family issues and she had opinions about all of them, good, bad and otherwise. He hung on her every word, wondering what she would say next, hoping he could keep up with her.
It was not easy, considering that all he wanted to do was stare at her the whole time. He was stunned by how wholesome and down to earth she was, how her face would break out in giggles whenever she was trying to take a bite from her food when he would accidently make her laugh and how her fingers would accidently brush against his, causing a tingling sensation within him. I could easily fall for this woman, Tristen thought, she is everything I have ever wanted in a girl. He wondered what she thought of him too, if she saw him in the same light he did her.
"Serenity?" he asked.
She looked up at him as he walked her back to her room. "Yes, Tristen?" she asked.
"I was just curious. You didn't mind having breakfast with me, did you?" he asked.
"What a strange question! Why would I have gone with you if I hadn't wanted to?" she asked.
He searched for an answer, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Um, I'm not sure. I guess that was a silly question. I'm sorry." he said.
She smiled at him as they arrived at her door and walked inside with him. "No, it wan't silly, just unexpected. I guess I would have asked that too if I had just met someone too. I had a nice time. you were so sweet to treat me to a meal. I have had a wonderful morning. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun." she said.
He smiled at her. "My thoughts exactly." he said.
They sat down on the bed together, silent for a moment, searching for the right thing to say to each other. "I can see why Joey fought so hard for you at Duelist Kingdom. I would have too if it had been me." he said.
Serenity blushed. "You say such sweet things...Tristen, how would you feel if I wanted to see how you looked?" she asked.
He cocked his head at her. "How would you do that?" he asked.
She blushed again. "Well, it's an exercise I teach some of my students at the learning center to help them get comfortable with each other. I have them feel each other's faces to make out in their minds what their friends look like." she said.
Tristen's eyes widened. "You want to do that to me?" he asked.
"I would like to try unless it would make you feel uneasy around me." she said.
Tristen swallowed hard; he wanted her to touch him, yet he was afraid of her doing so also. "I guess that would be okay." he said.
He sat as still as a stone as she reached out with both hands to reach out to him, her palms coming in contact with his face first. He barely breathed as her hands glided slowly over his cheeks, forehead, eyelids and nose. He couldn't believe the way she was making him feel; no woman had ever touched him in such a way and he was almost overcome by the tenderness of her touch. It brought out feelings in him he had never ever felt before.
"Serenity..." he whispered.
At his words, her fingers began to shake, lingering right below his nose, just about to touch his lips. He grabbed her hands just before she could do so, unable to speak for a second.
"Serenity...I..." he began.
They both jumped as the phone beside her rang. Out of reflex, he answered it instead of her.
"Hello? Serenity Wheeler's room?" he asked.
"What the hell?!! Tristen?? What the hell are you doing in my sister's hospital room?" Joey shouted over the line.
"Joey! Hey buddy! So nice of you to call. I just happened to be in the area and I thought I would come by here and invite your lovely sister to breakfast with me." he said.
"You what?! Let me talk to Serenity." he said.
"Sure, no problem." Tristen said.
He handed the phone to her. "Joey? Good morning, big brother! You're up early this morning." she told him.
"What are you doing over there? I call to check on how you're doing and you and my best buddy are having a meal together? You just had surgery...what are you thinking?" he asked.
"Oh Joey, you are so sweet to worry about me so much! Tristen and I have talking about you all morning. Why didn't you tell me about him sooner? I didn't know he had taught you how to play Duel Monsters." she told him.
"What?! He told you that?" he asked her.
She smiled as Tristen smiled at her, stifling a laugh at their shared joke. "Oh yes, he told me how he taught you all about how to defeat your opponent using the right combinations and such. I can't believe you never defeate dhim; yet managed to win second place at Duelist Kingdom. I guess that suggestion of his to use me as imspiration was a good one after all." she told him.
She had to stifle a giggle as she could tell that her brother was getting very aggravated at the situation, frustrated and angry that his friend would tell such lies about him. She was knew it was a lie, but she loved to rile him up sometimes just to get his reaction.
"Why, that little...he's got a lot of nerve! How dare he tell you such things? How dare he be there with you! Wait until I see him again...I'm going to..." he exclaimed, nearly at the end of his rope.
"I have to go, Joey. Mom is going to be here soon and we haven't had a chance to talk since the surgery. I hope you will come by soon, big brother. I love you! Here, let me let you talk to Tristen again...bye!" she told him.
He held back his aggression until his friend took the phone again. "Tristen...you bastard..." Joey said, shaking in his anger.
"Calm down, buddy. You're much too young to blow a gasket at such a young age. Maybe you should practice some for Battle City. Just don't forget that three card combination I taught you. See you later, buddy." Tristen said.
"Tristen!!!!" he heard Joey shout just as he hung up the phone.
Once he did so, he and Serenity looked at each other and broke out in uncontrollable laughter. "Oh my God, that was so mean! I can't believe we just did that to him. I don't know what came over me. That was hilarious!" she told him.
"You are really something else, Serenity. You and me...we could really turn out to be really good friends." he told her.
She smiled and reached out to touch his hands. "I think so too, Tristen." she said.
When Joey's mom had introduced them, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. He'd seen her picture in Joey's wallet before, but even that had not prepared him for the real thing. She was so much cuter in real life, with a soft, sweet feminine voice and he could never forget the smell of her shampoo from when she had leaned in close to him the day before. He could still remember the feeling of her hands in his, petal soft and soothing. Her eyes too...they were of the softest brown, like chocolate you couldn't help but melt into.
He couldn't believe he was thinking all these thoughts about his best buddy's sister, a girl he barely knew and had just met. Something about her, though, just made those feelings surface within him.
Very few girls his age ever showed any interest in him. They were too wrapped up in their social standing and in going out and having a good time to notice a quiet, serious boy like him. He didn't think he was that bad of a guy, he was actually pretty cool if you took the time to get to know him.
Serenity had actually given him the time of day and had been sincere about enjoying his company. This was something he wasn't used to and it made him want to get to know her better.
As he finally approached her door, he could se his hand shaking as he went to knock. What is that all about, he wondered. I have no reason to be nervous, he told himself, I'm just visiting a friend. Building up his willpower, he finally knocked.
"Come in." came the soft voice of Joey's sister.
He strode into the room to face Serenity and gasped. It hadn't occured to him that her head would be in bandages to protect her newly worked on eyes from damage and it surprised him.
"Who's there? Please tell me." she said.
"Hi Serenity. It's me, Tristen. You probably don't remember me, but i'm a friend of your brother." he said.
Serenity smiled. "Of course I remember you, Tristen. It's so nice of you to visit me. Thank you. Please sit down. You'll pardon me if I can't see you for awhile." she said.
He sat down on the bed beside her. "How did the surgery go?" he asked.
"Good. They said it wasn't as bad as they thought. I'll have to wear the bandages for awhile, but in a couple weeks, when I'm ready, they said I can take them off on my own." she said.
"Wow. You must have incredible willpower. I could have never gone through such an ordeal." he told her.
"It wasn't easy, I'll admit that, but I knew I had people that loved me and were concerned about me, so I knew I would be okay....so Tristen, what time is it anyway?" she asked.
"It's six o'clock in the morning. I hope I haven't come too early. The nurse said you were awake." he said.
"No. It's okay. I'm a early riser anyway. I'm looking forward to being able to see the sunrise and even the sunsets like you described again like I did when I was a little girl," she said.
"Joey said you always had vision problems." he told her.
"Yes. He worries about me constantly. It means so much to me that he cares so much and that he has found something he is good at. Do you play Duel Monsters too?" she asked.
"Me? No, not anymore, not since I taught your brother how to play." he teased.
She caught on quickly, smiling at him. "You taught Joey how to play? That's fascinating...you must share all your secrets with me! I'd like to learn how to play too. I have a few cards myself, but have only dabbled in it really." she said.
Over the course of the next couple hours, before Joey's mother came by to visit, Serenity and Tristen spent that time laughing and talking amongst themselves, talking about how gulliable Joey was sometimes, the game of Duel Monsters, and what shared interests they had. They both loved children and the outdoors and he found her sense of humor to be intoxicating.
"You have a great laugh, Serenity. It really makes your face light up." he told her.
She smacked him in the arm playfully. "Stop! You're making me blush!" she told him.
"Hey, you've got pretty good aim for someone who can't see...I'm going to take off those bandages. I think you're faking, you big faker!" he teased.
He grabbed his wrists before he could do so, the pair play wrestling for a moment, laughing as they did so. "I may not be able to see, but I can still kick your butt...don't tempt me!" she said.
"You're all talk." he teased.
She laughed again. "Stop it, Tristen. It hurts from laughing too much. I can't stand it." she said, coughing.
He instantly handed her a glass of water from the night stand, her drinking it quickly.
"Thanks. That was so thoughtful. I should ring the nurse, I'm hungry. It should be close to breakfast time." she said.
"Hey. Let me make up to you for my rough treatment by buying you breakfast, if you will trust me to lead you to the lunchroom." he said.
Serenity nodded, swinging her legs off the bed and putting on her slippers. "With an offer like that, how could I refuse?" she giggled.
"Master Seto, I wanted to inform you of the meeting you had scheduled with your maintance department." Bostick said.
"What? Oh yes thank you, Bostick. I will be along shortly." Seto said.
Mokuba looked over at his brother, who was sitting at his desk, working at his laptop computer. He didn't want to say anything but he couldn't help but notice that the doument Seto was working on was the same one he had started on early on that morning. His usually productive brother hadn't gotten any work done at all all day. Now that he took a good look at him, he could definitely tell that his brother was distracted and he knew exactly what was distracting him.
"Big brother?" Mokuba asked.
Seto shook himself out of his thoughts and looked over at him. "Yes, Mokuba?" he asked.
"Maybe we should reschedule your meeting for another day and go out and do something." he said.
"Reschedule the meeting? What meeting?" Seto asked.
Mokuba shook his head. "Oh man, you've got it bad....thank goodness the company can run itself. I'd hate to see how you'd act if she was actually here." he said.
"Who are you talking about?" Seto asked.
"Serenity, of course. Who else?" he said.
Seto smiled at the mention of her name. "Oh yes, Serenity. I really should call her at the hospital. I'm sure she's had her surgery by now." he said.
"You're only going to call? Why haven't you gone to see her yet?" Mokuba asked.
Seto frowned at him. "I already told you why. That's an intimate family situation; she and I haven't been seeing each other long enough for me to be a part of that." Seto said.
"Sounds like an excuse to me." Mokuba said.
Seto snorted. "Think what you want. I've already made plans for when we reunite anyway." he told him.
Mokuba smiled. "Really?" he asked.
"Yes. I've already made arrangements for us to spend a week at my time share in Las Vegas. I thought it would be a nice getaway for both of us, me from here and her from the trauma of her operation." Seto said.
"Sounds pretty serious. Are you sure you're ready for that, big brother?" Mokuba asked.
Set smiled, his thoughts only on the woman that had charmed his heart and consumed his whole being. "Mokuba...I have never been so sure of anything in my life." he said.
Tristen couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed another person's companionship so much. Not only was Serenity attractive, but she was also funny, intelligent and a great conversationist. Being a volunteer teacher had exposed her to the trials and tribulations of many of her student's heavy family issues and she had opinions about all of them, good, bad and otherwise. He hung on her every word, wondering what she would say next, hoping he could keep up with her.
It was not easy, considering that all he wanted to do was stare at her the whole time. He was stunned by how wholesome and down to earth she was, how her face would break out in giggles whenever she was trying to take a bite from her food when he would accidently make her laugh and how her fingers would accidently brush against his, causing a tingling sensation within him. I could easily fall for this woman, Tristen thought, she is everything I have ever wanted in a girl. He wondered what she thought of him too, if she saw him in the same light he did her.
"Serenity?" he asked.
She looked up at him as he walked her back to her room. "Yes, Tristen?" she asked.
"I was just curious. You didn't mind having breakfast with me, did you?" he asked.
"What a strange question! Why would I have gone with you if I hadn't wanted to?" she asked.
He searched for an answer, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Um, I'm not sure. I guess that was a silly question. I'm sorry." he said.
She smiled at him as they arrived at her door and walked inside with him. "No, it wan't silly, just unexpected. I guess I would have asked that too if I had just met someone too. I had a nice time. you were so sweet to treat me to a meal. I have had a wonderful morning. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun." she said.
He smiled at her. "My thoughts exactly." he said.
They sat down on the bed together, silent for a moment, searching for the right thing to say to each other. "I can see why Joey fought so hard for you at Duelist Kingdom. I would have too if it had been me." he said.
Serenity blushed. "You say such sweet things...Tristen, how would you feel if I wanted to see how you looked?" she asked.
He cocked his head at her. "How would you do that?" he asked.
She blushed again. "Well, it's an exercise I teach some of my students at the learning center to help them get comfortable with each other. I have them feel each other's faces to make out in their minds what their friends look like." she said.
Tristen's eyes widened. "You want to do that to me?" he asked.
"I would like to try unless it would make you feel uneasy around me." she said.
Tristen swallowed hard; he wanted her to touch him, yet he was afraid of her doing so also. "I guess that would be okay." he said.
He sat as still as a stone as she reached out with both hands to reach out to him, her palms coming in contact with his face first. He barely breathed as her hands glided slowly over his cheeks, forehead, eyelids and nose. He couldn't believe the way she was making him feel; no woman had ever touched him in such a way and he was almost overcome by the tenderness of her touch. It brought out feelings in him he had never ever felt before.
"Serenity..." he whispered.
At his words, her fingers began to shake, lingering right below his nose, just about to touch his lips. He grabbed her hands just before she could do so, unable to speak for a second.
"Serenity...I..." he began.
They both jumped as the phone beside her rang. Out of reflex, he answered it instead of her.
"Hello? Serenity Wheeler's room?" he asked.
"What the hell?!! Tristen?? What the hell are you doing in my sister's hospital room?" Joey shouted over the line.
"Joey! Hey buddy! So nice of you to call. I just happened to be in the area and I thought I would come by here and invite your lovely sister to breakfast with me." he said.
"You what?! Let me talk to Serenity." he said.
"Sure, no problem." Tristen said.
He handed the phone to her. "Joey? Good morning, big brother! You're up early this morning." she told him.
"What are you doing over there? I call to check on how you're doing and you and my best buddy are having a meal together? You just had surgery...what are you thinking?" he asked.
"Oh Joey, you are so sweet to worry about me so much! Tristen and I have talking about you all morning. Why didn't you tell me about him sooner? I didn't know he had taught you how to play Duel Monsters." she told him.
"What?! He told you that?" he asked her.
She smiled as Tristen smiled at her, stifling a laugh at their shared joke. "Oh yes, he told me how he taught you all about how to defeat your opponent using the right combinations and such. I can't believe you never defeate dhim; yet managed to win second place at Duelist Kingdom. I guess that suggestion of his to use me as imspiration was a good one after all." she told him.
She had to stifle a giggle as she could tell that her brother was getting very aggravated at the situation, frustrated and angry that his friend would tell such lies about him. She was knew it was a lie, but she loved to rile him up sometimes just to get his reaction.
"Why, that little...he's got a lot of nerve! How dare he tell you such things? How dare he be there with you! Wait until I see him again...I'm going to..." he exclaimed, nearly at the end of his rope.
"I have to go, Joey. Mom is going to be here soon and we haven't had a chance to talk since the surgery. I hope you will come by soon, big brother. I love you! Here, let me let you talk to Tristen again...bye!" she told him.
He held back his aggression until his friend took the phone again. "Tristen...you bastard..." Joey said, shaking in his anger.
"Calm down, buddy. You're much too young to blow a gasket at such a young age. Maybe you should practice some for Battle City. Just don't forget that three card combination I taught you. See you later, buddy." Tristen said.
"Tristen!!!!" he heard Joey shout just as he hung up the phone.
Once he did so, he and Serenity looked at each other and broke out in uncontrollable laughter. "Oh my God, that was so mean! I can't believe we just did that to him. I don't know what came over me. That was hilarious!" she told him.
"You are really something else, Serenity. You and me...we could really turn out to be really good friends." he told her.
She smiled and reached out to touch his hands. "I think so too, Tristen." she said.