- Serena woke up in a warm bed with heavy sheets and a cold facecloth on her forehead. She looked around and realized she was most definitely not at home, and that the last place she could remember being was Dariens car. Where was Darien? She thought.

"Darien?" She said, sitting up.

"Lay down," A gentle voice said from beside her. Darien leaned over her with a clean facecloth in his hand. "You have a fever."

Serena flushed. "Where am I?" She said, looking down.

"Lay down," he repeated more forcefully. "My place, I didn't know where you lived so I thought it would be best to just bring you here. You passed out in my car, and I didn't want to take you to the hospital."

"Why not?" She asked, putting her heavy head down on the fluffy pillow. She had the overwhelming desire to close her eyes, but kept them open. Her heart pounded in her chest.

This is so weird, she thought. Darien, the guy who hates me, who just also happens to be the sexiest, hottest guy I know, carried me into his apartment and is taking care of me. She moaned at the idea of how hideous she must look right now.

"Because I know you hate them, and you'd probably hate me even more then you do if you knew I brought you to a hospital." He said matter of factly, a lock of thick black hair falling into his blue eyes.

Serena looked at him in shock. "I don't hate you."

"Yes you do," Darien said. "I treat you like shit, why wouldn't you hate me?"

"Your not treating me like shit right now," Serena observed.

"That's because I really don't want you to die under my supervision." He said.

Serena panicked. "Am I dying???" she said, sitting back up.

Darien chuckled. "No, you just have a cold. Maybe a virus. But you just need rest, your exhausted."

"My parents must be flipping out, I have to call them." She said, swinging her legs over the bed.

Darien took her wrist. "They aren't. I had Rei call them, they think your sleeping over her house."

Serena looked at him suspiciously. "You called Rei? How did you know her number?"

Darien shrugged. "She gave it to me."

Serena gasped in a disgusted tone. "When?!" She shrieked.

"I don't know, a while ago?" Darien said, his long fingers taking the cloth off her forehead and replacing it with a colder once.

"She didn't tell me that." She said icily. "I cant believe she'd do something like that to me." She mumbled.

"To you?" Darien said, raising an eyebrow.

Serena rolled over and looked at the wall. "Never mind."

"No, no, I want to hear this," Darien said, sitting on the bed next to her.

Serena pulled the covers over her head. "No! Its nothing!" She meeped.

Darien smiled and tried to pull the covers away from her. "Tell me, Meatball head," he teased. The urge to touch her was so overwhelming to him. He was so concerned for her when he was trying to wake her, he could scarcly think to touch her soft skin in anything then a parental way, but now with her awake and smiling, he wondered what she would feel like under his touch. He tickled her.

She shrieked and kicked away the blankets, laughing and screaming at the same time. "Its nothing!" She yelped.

"Liar!" He said, holding her wrists together with one strong hand and she kicked and squirmed as he tickled her side.

"No! Stop! Don't! NO!" She laughed. "Please, I'm going to pee everywhere!"

"Good!" He said, becoming even more brutal.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you, just stop! Please!" She gasped.

He stopped, still holding her wrists. He smiled down at her as she caught her breath.

"Ok, I like you, ok?" She breathed. "I think your cute, ok? But that's it!" She seemed upset, almost, with her admission, he noticed.

The smile left his lips.

She likes me? He thought wildly. His heart pounded. Darien, don't even think about it, she's just a girl, she's only 15, your 18. All the girls think your cute, its no big deal. Yeah, but shes the only one that matters, the other side of his brain thought.

He released her wrists and she took them back quickly, looking around. "I'm going home, thanks for your help Darien." She grumbled.

"Going home?" He said, his words slurring. "Why?"

"Because I feel fine, thanks." She said, putting on her shoes.

Damn, she's gorgeous, he thought as she pulled up her knee socks over her perfect calves. "But- but your parents think your staying over Rei's house," he said, searching for a reason for her to stay.

"I'll tell them I changed my mind." She said impatiently. She put on her other shoe and turned to face him. He was sitting on the bed, his midnight hair hanging in his midnight eyes, a almost wounded look on his face. He's almost painful to look at, Serena thought. His smooth jawline, fine skin, full lips, he has the face and body that just begs to be touched. To be kissed. She shook the thought from her mind as she turned to walk out the door. She looked into the big living room, with its white leather couches and big potted plants, black geometric paintings hanging on the walls. It seemed like something from a movie, it was so. sterile. No pictures of family, no feminine touch. No pink, she thought disdainfully. The room almost made her sad.

Darien's soft hand touched her shoulder. "Don't go," he whispered.

Serena slowly turned to look at him, in his white tee-shirt and cargo pants. His eyes, those dangerous eyes, fixed on hers. She blushed.

"Why do you want me to stay?" She whispered back.

He glanced at her lips. Slowly, he leaned his head towards hers, their breath mingling. His hand shook slightly as it reached out to touch her cheek. Why am I feeling so scared? He thought. You've kissed dozens of women before and never doubted yourself, so why is she making you feel all nutty inside?

Serena shuddered at his closeness. Oh my god, is he going to kiss me? She thought.

And almost as though he could read her mind, his lips dipped toward hers, and they touched, gently, almost as if telling secrets of a past long ago. He cupped her face, his hand shaking still, and chills going up and down his spine as he relished in her sweet taste and innocence.