Sweet Surrender
Part 10/?
By Elisabeth James
Tenshialexiel221@yahoo.com
Hi everybody! Lookie what I have here! Chapter 10!
Minna sent me such nice feedback last time, I hope that I
get a lot for this chapter too! If you're looking at my e-
mail address above and saying, "That's different!"
You're right! I started college the 15th and I needed a
new way to keep in touch. My liz221 addy isn't gone, I
just can't check it like I used to ^^ So please send all
love to my new yahoo.com one!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon!
~* Part 10: Déjà vu *~
Her body felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of
lightning, every nerve ending seemed to stand on end as
her lips brushed against his. For an indeterminable
moment Serena felt his hesitation, his uneasiness rolled
over of her in waves, feeding her guilt. Her heart seemed
to drop all the way to her feet when she felt his hands
gently pushing away.
She jerked her mouth from his, and held back a
humiliated cry. Her face felt as if it was on fire and hot
tears welled up in her eyes. But she refused to cry in
front of him, she wasn't 17 anymore. She had pride and
it demanded that she hide her pain from him, that he
never see how much he still meant to her
"I'm sorry." Serena whispered brokenly, "I
shouldn't have done that." She turned her gaze to the
sidewalk, tried to ignore the ache inside of her. She
wasn't sure what she had expected to happen when she
had kissed him. Certainly not the sparks that flew
between them, she could still feel the electricity crackling
around them. With a half smile she could remember
thinking that the atmosphere was always filled with
excitement and tension when he was near her. It rocked
her that he had retained that power, and she wondered if
he would ever lose it.
Darien sighed deeply, "No, you shouldn't have.
I'm engaged now; I'm going to be married in eight
months." He took her hands in his, rubbed his thumbs
over her knuckles in a soothing motion, "I'm in love with
Rachael now."
Serena managed a brave nod, "It was a… lapse of
judgment. I thought I had you out of my system, only to
see you tonight and find that a part of me never let you
go."
None of her had ever let him go, she felt as if her
skin was permanently branded by his soul- shattering
touches. In their four years apart, Serena had never been
with anyone else. She couldn't remember a time when
she didn't walk across the campus and not have at least
one admirer trailing after her, begging her for date. Once
and awhile she even took them up on the offer and
enjoyed their company but none of them were Darien.
None of them could even begin to measure up to the
standards he had set for her. They lacked his quirky
smile, his midnight eyes, and the burning passion that
brought her to her knees just at the thought of it.
Her earnest confession nearly brought forth one of
his own but he kept his mouth shut until the urge had
passed. In the moonlight she was a picture of ethereal
beauty and staring into her eyes made him remember why
he had fallen in love with her in the first place. Warmth
sparkled in her lovely blue orbs, innocence echoed not far
behind. Even now, she was the same unaffected girl she
had always been to him. But older and wiser, she
guarded her heart with much more care now from what
his sister had told him. Except around him it seemed.
"Darien?" she watched his attention snap back to
hers, "You had a very strange look on your face, are you
all right?"
He wasn't immune to the look of concern she was
giving him. The barriers he had tried to construct against
her charm fell with crash. "I was just reminiscing. You
haven't changed at all Sere."
Serena narrowed her eyes, not sure if it was a
compliment or an insult. She thought she had changed a
great deal, matured and grown as a woman and as a
human being. A ping of sadness flew through her at the
fact that he still saw as the naïve 17 year old girl she once
was.
"I didn't mean it like that." He continued,
analyzing her look of unhappiness correctly, "You're still
the beautiful young woman I remember from three years
ago. I know that you've changed but in all the ways that
truly matter you've remained the same." He found
himself thinking that he should have let her kiss him
when he had the chance.
He was blessed with a tender smile at his remark.
How could he have ever thought that this visit would
have no consequences when he still dreamed of her
drugging kisses most nights? He had felt a strong
unwavering need to see her before he tied his life to
Rachael's. As he watched her now, he was wondering if
that wasn't a huge mistake.
"You guys?" Mehg's voice made them both snap
their attention to the door of the restaurant. "The drinks
are here, and the waiter wants to take our order. Are you
staying or leaving Serena?" there was a silent apology in
her eyes that Serena couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"I guess I'll stay." She felt better now; things
were more out in the open, lifting a heavy burden from
her heart. She stood up and brushed herself off. Darien
followed suit and they both went back inside to their
table.
The serious ambiance from before had lifted and
the three fell into playful banter while they caught up
with what was going on in each other's lives. Serena
couldn't help but feel envious that Mehg and Darien were
able to pick up exactly where they had left off, but she
had never experienced the bond that brothers and sisters
seemed to share.
There had been countless business magazine
covers that he had graced over the last three years, all of
them stamped with his granite profile, his ruthless
features. She had always looked at them and wondered if
the Darien she had loved still existed within him or if he
had been taken over by the merciless corporate raider
everyone swore he had become. As he sat next to her,
laughing at his sister's tale about her battle with her
chemistry professor, she didn't understand how anyone
could call him a cold-blooded, heartless man.
He turned to her suddenly, his eyes gazing
quizzically into hers. She hadn't realized that she had
been staring. "Sorry, I guess I have something else on
my mind." She told him semi-honestly. "I practically
lived Mehg's feud with her. I get sick of hearing about
it."
Mehg laughed and took a sip of her beer, "Well,
it's the only exciting thing to happen to me so far. I don't
have trips to Chicago to focus on like you."
Darien looked thoughtful for a moment, "When do you
leave for Chicago Serena?" he had been waiting for a
moment like this and he silently thanked his sister for
providing it so flawlessly. He had been calculating a plan
since they had gotten back to the table. He needed to
purge his system of the enchanting woman sitting beside
him; this relapse of feelings had to be a temporary thing.
Darien was determined to prove this theory the only way
he knew how, by spending as much time as possible with
her. He couldn't afford to lose his head over her again.
"The last week of Spring Break." Her eyes
narrowed, she might have known little about the enigma
of a man next to her but he was plotting something, she
could see it in his clear blue eyes.
He ate a few French fries and took a long gulp of
the alcohol in front of him. If this didn't go according to
how he wanted it to, then there was a good possibility
that he was destroying his future with Rachael. But he
had to take the risk, he couldn't marry another woman
when he was still so unsure about how he felt about
Serena. "I have a small getaway planned for two weeks
from now. A business partner and I were going to spend
a week at my luxury cabin on Lake Michigan. I can tell
that Mehg is incredibly stressed from school," there was
no mistaking the smirk that crossed his face as he
watched Mehg take the bait. "It'll probably be
unbelievably boring, just fishing and industry talk but I
thought that-"
"I would LOVE to go!" Mehg squealed, cutting
her brother off. But she couldn't ignore the expression of
naked pain that flashed across Serena's face that she
didn't bother to hide.
Serena watched as Mehg's features fought off the
glow of excitement they had acquired so quickly. Mehg
had promised to help her prepare for her first big show
and she knew that her friend had just remembered that
promise. "Go Mehg, enjoy your Spring Break. You
deserve it." She said softly.
This is precisely how Darien had expected Serena
to react but it still startled him when it played out how he
had imagined it. She hadn't invited herself along like
most women would have done; she instead had accepted
her fate with quiet disappointment and was trying to force
herself to move forward. "Serena, you're more than
welcome to accompany her." He informed her, as if he
was bestowing some great honor into her. She couldn't
help but feel like some sort of charity case he had taken
in from the cold. What made her sick was that it was the
truth. In a backwards way, it was the Harrisons who paid
for her schooling. She had never resented the fact that
Mehg got to play fairy Godmother, bestowing gifts to the
people she loved but it bothered her how they all seemed
to be able to give and give and never ask for anything in
return.
"Well…" she trailed off, knowing that the
invitation was made out of politeness only and not meant
to be accepted. She choked back a sharp gasp as Darien's
hand settled down on top of hers. There was a warm,
inviting glow shining in his eyes, a hint of a smile playing
across his lips.
"Please come, I didn't mean to sound so cold
before. I want you there, really I do." She knew that her
mouth was opening and closing like a fish and that she
looked ridiculous.
"Will Rachael be there?" Mehg asked sweetly
with a slight hint of a violent undertone.
Without taking his eyes from Serena's he replied,
"No, it would be just the four of us."
Serena felt Mehg kick her underneath the table
and she winced, the pain brought back to reality. "It
sounds wonderful."
When Darien dropped them off at the dorm an
hour and a half later Mehg was bursting with excitement
from the developments of the evening. She unlocked the
door and bounced exuberantly around the room.
"He wants you! He wants you!" she playful
teased over and over as she grabbed Serena's hands.
Unable to contain her own happiness, she allowed herself
to be swept up in Mehg's celebration. Serena didn't have
the heart to tell Mehg about what had happened outside at
the restaurant and how the rejection had left her soul
aching pitifully inside her body. "Don't you worry; I'll
distract the other guy. You and Darien won't even know
he exists." She gave her an exaggerated wink and Serena
dissolved into giggles as she collapsed into her bed.
"You've begun to plan our wedding again haven't
you?" Serena asked between fits of laughter. That sent
both girls into gales of mirth once more.
Mehg brushed a few wayward tears from her eyes as she
tried to compose herself, "I guess some love never dies."
Serena sobered immediately, her face frozen in a mask of
pain. Their love had died, it had died four long years
before at her very hands and he had shown her tonight
that there was no chance of resurrecting it. "Serena?
What's wrong?" Mehg only reply was a smothered sob as
Serena buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to
say that, honest. I'm so sorry."
"I tried to kiss him tonight, outside the
restaurant." Mehg forced a look of surprise onto her
features; she had witnessed everything from the door.
"He pushed me away and told me that he was with
Rachael now. He doesn't want me Mehg, I don't know
why he invited me but he doesn't want me."
"Screw that!" Mehg exploded, "He's a damn liar
and you're an idiot if you believe him. You haunted him
for months after you left! I know he's never gotten over
you, he told me so himself." Serena froze at this
revelation; Mehg had never told her any of this before.
"I don't know what he's got planned for this vacation but
if you let him, he will come back to you."
It seemed almost cruel of her friend to try and
make her believe; when in love second chances were hard
to come by. If she had haunted him, why was he
marrying Rachael, why was he playing this game by
inviting her along to this secluded cabin? It had be some
sort of sick joke; there was no other logical explanation.
A twisted retaliation for her attempted kiss in the parking
lot. "I… I don't want him back." Her pride demanded
that she save face. God! The man probably planned on
this happening! He acted so kind and diplomatic, so
forgiving. Her memories seemed blurred somehow,
swirled together with the magazine articles she had read
about the enigmatic man who was one step away from
controlling one of the world's most powerful
conglomerates. She had spent years telling herself that
the Darien she had fallen in love with had to have been a
fake, or else he didn't exist anymore. Part of her wanted
to be the only woman to see that beautiful side of him,
that she had been the one who killed it in him. She had
tried to banish the recollections of his soft touch, his
gentle kisses, and the way he had made love to her,
Everything that had made her feel unworthy of him, like
she didn't deserve to have him by her side. She had been
too naïve to handle the relationship at 17 and now at 21
she longed for it once more. To find out that she had
possessed in her youth what she wanted most in
adulthood almost broke her heart for the second time.
"Serena… You tried to kiss him tonight; doesn't
that say something to you?"
"It was stupid!" she took a deep breath, "A total
mistake on my part."
Mehg studied her friend's frail features; she
appeared to have aged five years in only a few hours.
Darien had always had that effect on her and for the first
time Mehg really began to wonder how good Darien was
for her friend. Serena had constantly seemed to immune
to all the other guys who pursued her; she never let
anyone too close. Whether this was out of fear or just
plain disinterest, Mehg wasn't sure of the true reason.
She had watched her brother conquer the business
world, like a whirlwind he seemed to sweep through,
uprooting everything in his path. In many ways Darien
was a total mystery to her, they had never had a normal
relationship, he had never confided in her. The only
thing he had ever told her that was truly personal was
about how much Serena had hurt him when she had
ended things with him. And she still couldn't for the life
of her figure out why he was engaged to Rachael. The
pieces of the puzzle refused to come together in Mehg's
mind. "Look, think of it this way. You come with us to
the cabin and enjoy a relaxing week off before your
hectic schedule picks up again. You can just ignore
Darien."
Serena nodded, she had already reached the same
conclusion but she was happy that Mehg was on the same
page with her. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see what
happens."
Spring Break greeted the campus like a breath of
fresh air, everyone was grateful for the much needed
vacation. Even Serena found herself looking forward to
the tranquility of Lake Michigan, despite the fact that the
peacefulness was accompanied by the one person who
could destroy it for her.
She tried to block that from her mind as she threw
two weeks worth of clothes into her gigantic suitcase.
She was hopping a plane right from the cabin to O'Hare
and would need to have everything she needed with her
before she left for Michigan. A few things were being
held at shops around town, waiting for her arrival but the
majority of her things were traveling with her.
Mehg had decided that they needed a junk food
stock pile for the car ride there since Darien had decided
it would be more fun to see the countryside by road then
by plane. Serena found his decision quite odd but
considering the amount of time Darien probably spent up
in the air, it wasn't hard to fathom.
She jumped on top of her suitcase and pulled the
zipper as far as she could around before it stuck. God,
how she despised packing. She enjoyed having roots
somewhere and even if the situation called for her to be
gone for only two weeks she couldn't help but be
reminded of all those times her mother had moved her
around, trying to find a solid job to support them.
She tossed one last pair of shoes into the
overflowing suitcase and slammed the lid shut. "Stupid
thing, close!" With a sigh, Serena heaved herself on top
of it and felt around the side for the latches to close it.
She popped one into place and was in the process of
getting the other one when Mehg flounced back into the
room, Darien in tow.
"You're still not done packing?" Mehg
admonished, tsk tsking her friend as she walked across
the room to grab her own suitcase.
"I am too done Mehg; I just can't get it closed!"
Darien grinned at the petite girl bouncing up and down,
trying to secure her bulging luggage. He took Mehg's
bags from her and set them by the door, he crossed the
room to help Serena.
"Sit still a moment." She blushed as he moved her
leg aside, his hands lingering for a moment longer than
they should have. He pounded the clasp with his fist and
it clicked into place. Serena slid off the suitcase and
grabbed the handle before Darien could offer assistance.
She would be cordial only, aloof and withdrawn. She
couldn't risk it again; it would be better this way, no
more messy emotions to cloud her judgment. "Serena, let
me help you with that, it looks heavy."
It was heavy; the weight on her arm caused her to
stoop over like a deformed hunchback. "I can handle it,
really. It's not that heavy."
Mehg raised her eyebrows in question but didn't
say a word. Her friend had promised to keep herself out
of the situation between her brother and her. But she
couldn't contain her smile as Darien jerked the suitcase
from Serena's hand, grabbed Mehg's bags and
disappeared down the hallway.
"I think you had better switch tactics babe."
Serena shot her friend a scowl and followed Mehg from
the room.
The trip up to the cabin wasn't a bad one at all,
the scenery was beautiful and Serena keep her attention
focused on the trees that seemed to whip past the Land
Rover because Darien drove with a lead foot. Mehg had
decided to provide the entertainment by singing Phantom
of the Opera tunes all the way across the Illinois border,
insisting that Serena and Darien join in when they knew
the words. Finally, after their third rousing go at
"Masquerade" Darien turned off the highway onto a
pretty little road lined with tall, green trees.
Serena had expected the cabin to be a small, well
kept wooden structure that Darien used to escape from
the world, what she got instead was a sprawling mansion
complete with a swimming pool, basketball court and a
huge stone barbeque. Mehg climbed out of the car, a
huge grin stretched from ear to ear, "It seems like forever
since I was last up here. I forgot how beautiful it is, the
air is so clean."
Darien was busy unloading the trunk and didn't
notice Serena's awestruck face. She really should have
known better after all, the Harrisons had never owed
anything small in their lives. She followed Darien and
Mehg into the house, taking in the grandiose kitchen and
immaculately kept living room with a massive limestone
fireplace. Would her own work ever allow her to live in
this kind of beautiful setting? She could only dream…
Mehg went automatically to the room she had
always had and Darien lead Serena down the hall to her
own room. "This is your room, the bathroom is two
doors down to your right, and Mehg's is right at the top
of the stairs."
"Where's your room?" the sentence slipped out,
leaving Serena mentally banging her head against the
wall.
Darien pointed to the door right next to hers, "It's
right here, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me.
Or Antonio, he'll be here later tonight."
Serena nodded and let herself into her room, not
looking back at Darien. She shut the door behind her and
locked it. She pulled her suitcase over to the dresser and
started to unpack, she had to give herself something to do
to take her mind off the enigmatic figure that would be
sleeping right next door to her.
She had just hung the last dress she had brought in
her closet when someone started knocking on her door.
She backed out her closet and reached for the knob when
the door opened on its own.
"Come swimming with me!" Mehg stood in the
doorway, dripping, already in her bathing suit, a towel
slung around her hips.
"It looks like you've already been there and
back." Serena took two pairs of shoes from her bag and
put them in the closet.
"I was out there with Darien but he's being mean,
I need you for backup." She walked over to Serena's
open drawers and pulled out her two piece, "Put it on and
let's go!"
Serena sighed, she was almost done unpacking
and this whole week was about relaxing. "I'll meet you
down there in five minutes."
"Is she coming down?" Darien asked as he slicked
the wet hair out of his eyes. Mehg nodded and did a
cannonball into the pool.
"I made sure she brought her two piece suit too!"
Mehg exclaimed when she surfaced. Darien smiled,
happy with the outcome. He had sent Mehg to get
Serena, he didn't want to girl to hole up in her room for
the entire vacation.
Darien felt strangely revitalized for being away
from work only a very short time; the stress of the past
year seemed to melt away, leaving a person that had been
buried for a very long time. Even Mehg had taken notice
of his unearthed pleasant attitude and the two had been
splashing and dunking each other since they had climbed
into the pool an hour before.
"Why would I care if she brought her two piece?"
Darien asked; a devilish grin upon his lips.
"Because… Serena!" Mehg cut herself off as her
best friend pushed the sliding glass door open and let
herself out onto the patio. Darien spun around, unable to
take his eyes from Serena's bikini clad form. She had the
nerve to blush when she felt Darien's gaze on her, Mehg
had taken the liberty of removing all of her normal
bathing suits, leaving her with the one she had bought
herself as joke last summer. She crossed her arms over
her breasts and sat down in a patio chair. Darien's
eyebrows arched in surprise as he was finally able to start
thinking again and he once again began to terrorize
Mehg.
"You're not getting in?" Mehg cried, "I need your
help!" she didn't notice as Darien dove under water and
grabbed her foot, jerking her under the surface. She
emerged seconds later and tried to take the offensive but
no matter what she did Darien managed to turn the tables
on her and dunk her.
Serena watched from a distance, not wanting to
interfere with the fun that was taking place. She was an
outsider, no matter how long they had been friends and
the situation with Darien was tense enough already. She
studied the exotic flowers that wound their way up the
thigh-high fence that surrounded the pool. Perhaps she
could get some work done up here, the sunlight coming
through the trees created the perfect ambiance for the
woodland painting she had always wanted to do.
Darien and Mehg shared a look in the pool as
Serena continued to stare off into space, trying to figure
out how to capture the beauty of this place on canvas.
Darien moved to the stairs first and held up a finger to
warn Mehg to keep quiet. He crept stealthily out of the
water, careful not to let his feet slap against the
pavement. Mehg held a hand to her mouth, barely
restraining the laughter bubbling up from inside of her.
Without a word Darien heaved the daydreaming girl from
her chair.
"What are you doing?!" Serena squawked, as
Darien's strong tanned arms tightened around her. His
slick chest rose and fell in front of her eyes and she
fought to keep her gaze from traveling lower.
"You're going to join us in the pool Serena, Mehg
and I insist." With that he dumped her unceremoniously
into the water. She landed with a muffled thud, a dull
pain shot through her body as she sputtered her way up to
the surface. She heard the two of them laughing at her as
she coughed uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath.
"Was… that… really necessary?" she asked after
a few moments. The water was surprisingly warm and
soothing but she still found herself attempting to cover
herself up. This suit wasn't made for any kind of activity
other than sunbathing.
Darien jumped back in, soaking her once more
with the splash from his cannonball. He surfaced with a
boyish smirk that made her heart speed up, "I think it
was, it's your vacation, you should be enjoying yourself."
"Really?" Serena arched a perfectly plucked brow
at him, just daring him to come after her. She glanced at
her friend, silently communicating their attack strategy
across the pool. Mehg nodded slightly and the two of
them launched themselves at the unsuspecting male.
Darien was barely a match for the combined strength of
them and their sneak attack and he went down with little
struggle.
It went on like that for 15 minutes, girls against
guy until all of them were laughing so hard they couldn't
move anymore. Serena turned to give Mehg a high five
after their last successful dunk and before she could step
away, Darien's strong arms were wrapped around her
stomach, lifting her up out of the water.
"Darien, don't!" she tangled her arms around his,
determined not to let go. He tried to wrestle free of her
iron-tight grasp, shifting her around in his arms. He
finally jerked his arms away and was ready to dunk her
when she wrapped her legs around his stomach. She
couldn't stop laughing; her blue eyes sparkled with life as
she dared him to free himself.
Darien immediately stilled, the proximity of her
body, the softness of her skin brushing against his was
driving him wild. Her hands came to rest on his
shoulders, she could feel the bunched muscles beneath
her fingertips and her smile froze. "I'm sorry, I wasn't
thinking…"
He looked at her angelic face, staring uncertainly
back into his. He never would have believed that Serena
would attempt to seduce him but that's what she was
doing none the less and he felt like an ass for taking
advantage of the situation any further.
"I should go and start dinner, I know I'm getting
hungry." He gently pried her legs from his waist and
removed her hands from his shoulders. Serena could
only watch in silence as he climbed from the pool,
grabbed his towel and went back into the house.
He walked into the kitchen, making sure he was
completely out of their view and closed his eyes. He was
an engaged man, he cared about Rachael and he was
betraying her trust by even entertaining thoughts of
Serena. But he couldn't help himself.
Rachael would be the perfect wife, she
complimented him flawlessly… But she had never filled
him with the need to be by her side every waking
moment, she didn't set him on fire with her kisses or melt
him with her gentle caresses. And he had never looked
into her eyes only to find love shining back at him. He
shook his head, he had gone down the road before and it
had broken his heart, she had broken his heart.
He knew it was wrong to even consider it…
But then why did it feel so right?
~* To Be Continued… *~
tenshialexiel221@yahoo.com!
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Part 10/?
By Elisabeth James
Tenshialexiel221@yahoo.com
Hi everybody! Lookie what I have here! Chapter 10!
Minna sent me such nice feedback last time, I hope that I
get a lot for this chapter too! If you're looking at my e-
mail address above and saying, "That's different!"
You're right! I started college the 15th and I needed a
new way to keep in touch. My liz221 addy isn't gone, I
just can't check it like I used to ^^ So please send all
love to my new yahoo.com one!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon!
~* Part 10: Déjà vu *~
Her body felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of
lightning, every nerve ending seemed to stand on end as
her lips brushed against his. For an indeterminable
moment Serena felt his hesitation, his uneasiness rolled
over of her in waves, feeding her guilt. Her heart seemed
to drop all the way to her feet when she felt his hands
gently pushing away.
She jerked her mouth from his, and held back a
humiliated cry. Her face felt as if it was on fire and hot
tears welled up in her eyes. But she refused to cry in
front of him, she wasn't 17 anymore. She had pride and
it demanded that she hide her pain from him, that he
never see how much he still meant to her
"I'm sorry." Serena whispered brokenly, "I
shouldn't have done that." She turned her gaze to the
sidewalk, tried to ignore the ache inside of her. She
wasn't sure what she had expected to happen when she
had kissed him. Certainly not the sparks that flew
between them, she could still feel the electricity crackling
around them. With a half smile she could remember
thinking that the atmosphere was always filled with
excitement and tension when he was near her. It rocked
her that he had retained that power, and she wondered if
he would ever lose it.
Darien sighed deeply, "No, you shouldn't have.
I'm engaged now; I'm going to be married in eight
months." He took her hands in his, rubbed his thumbs
over her knuckles in a soothing motion, "I'm in love with
Rachael now."
Serena managed a brave nod, "It was a… lapse of
judgment. I thought I had you out of my system, only to
see you tonight and find that a part of me never let you
go."
None of her had ever let him go, she felt as if her
skin was permanently branded by his soul- shattering
touches. In their four years apart, Serena had never been
with anyone else. She couldn't remember a time when
she didn't walk across the campus and not have at least
one admirer trailing after her, begging her for date. Once
and awhile she even took them up on the offer and
enjoyed their company but none of them were Darien.
None of them could even begin to measure up to the
standards he had set for her. They lacked his quirky
smile, his midnight eyes, and the burning passion that
brought her to her knees just at the thought of it.
Her earnest confession nearly brought forth one of
his own but he kept his mouth shut until the urge had
passed. In the moonlight she was a picture of ethereal
beauty and staring into her eyes made him remember why
he had fallen in love with her in the first place. Warmth
sparkled in her lovely blue orbs, innocence echoed not far
behind. Even now, she was the same unaffected girl she
had always been to him. But older and wiser, she
guarded her heart with much more care now from what
his sister had told him. Except around him it seemed.
"Darien?" she watched his attention snap back to
hers, "You had a very strange look on your face, are you
all right?"
He wasn't immune to the look of concern she was
giving him. The barriers he had tried to construct against
her charm fell with crash. "I was just reminiscing. You
haven't changed at all Sere."
Serena narrowed her eyes, not sure if it was a
compliment or an insult. She thought she had changed a
great deal, matured and grown as a woman and as a
human being. A ping of sadness flew through her at the
fact that he still saw as the naïve 17 year old girl she once
was.
"I didn't mean it like that." He continued,
analyzing her look of unhappiness correctly, "You're still
the beautiful young woman I remember from three years
ago. I know that you've changed but in all the ways that
truly matter you've remained the same." He found
himself thinking that he should have let her kiss him
when he had the chance.
He was blessed with a tender smile at his remark.
How could he have ever thought that this visit would
have no consequences when he still dreamed of her
drugging kisses most nights? He had felt a strong
unwavering need to see her before he tied his life to
Rachael's. As he watched her now, he was wondering if
that wasn't a huge mistake.
"You guys?" Mehg's voice made them both snap
their attention to the door of the restaurant. "The drinks
are here, and the waiter wants to take our order. Are you
staying or leaving Serena?" there was a silent apology in
her eyes that Serena couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"I guess I'll stay." She felt better now; things
were more out in the open, lifting a heavy burden from
her heart. She stood up and brushed herself off. Darien
followed suit and they both went back inside to their
table.
The serious ambiance from before had lifted and
the three fell into playful banter while they caught up
with what was going on in each other's lives. Serena
couldn't help but feel envious that Mehg and Darien were
able to pick up exactly where they had left off, but she
had never experienced the bond that brothers and sisters
seemed to share.
There had been countless business magazine
covers that he had graced over the last three years, all of
them stamped with his granite profile, his ruthless
features. She had always looked at them and wondered if
the Darien she had loved still existed within him or if he
had been taken over by the merciless corporate raider
everyone swore he had become. As he sat next to her,
laughing at his sister's tale about her battle with her
chemistry professor, she didn't understand how anyone
could call him a cold-blooded, heartless man.
He turned to her suddenly, his eyes gazing
quizzically into hers. She hadn't realized that she had
been staring. "Sorry, I guess I have something else on
my mind." She told him semi-honestly. "I practically
lived Mehg's feud with her. I get sick of hearing about
it."
Mehg laughed and took a sip of her beer, "Well,
it's the only exciting thing to happen to me so far. I don't
have trips to Chicago to focus on like you."
Darien looked thoughtful for a moment, "When do you
leave for Chicago Serena?" he had been waiting for a
moment like this and he silently thanked his sister for
providing it so flawlessly. He had been calculating a plan
since they had gotten back to the table. He needed to
purge his system of the enchanting woman sitting beside
him; this relapse of feelings had to be a temporary thing.
Darien was determined to prove this theory the only way
he knew how, by spending as much time as possible with
her. He couldn't afford to lose his head over her again.
"The last week of Spring Break." Her eyes
narrowed, she might have known little about the enigma
of a man next to her but he was plotting something, she
could see it in his clear blue eyes.
He ate a few French fries and took a long gulp of
the alcohol in front of him. If this didn't go according to
how he wanted it to, then there was a good possibility
that he was destroying his future with Rachael. But he
had to take the risk, he couldn't marry another woman
when he was still so unsure about how he felt about
Serena. "I have a small getaway planned for two weeks
from now. A business partner and I were going to spend
a week at my luxury cabin on Lake Michigan. I can tell
that Mehg is incredibly stressed from school," there was
no mistaking the smirk that crossed his face as he
watched Mehg take the bait. "It'll probably be
unbelievably boring, just fishing and industry talk but I
thought that-"
"I would LOVE to go!" Mehg squealed, cutting
her brother off. But she couldn't ignore the expression of
naked pain that flashed across Serena's face that she
didn't bother to hide.
Serena watched as Mehg's features fought off the
glow of excitement they had acquired so quickly. Mehg
had promised to help her prepare for her first big show
and she knew that her friend had just remembered that
promise. "Go Mehg, enjoy your Spring Break. You
deserve it." She said softly.
This is precisely how Darien had expected Serena
to react but it still startled him when it played out how he
had imagined it. She hadn't invited herself along like
most women would have done; she instead had accepted
her fate with quiet disappointment and was trying to force
herself to move forward. "Serena, you're more than
welcome to accompany her." He informed her, as if he
was bestowing some great honor into her. She couldn't
help but feel like some sort of charity case he had taken
in from the cold. What made her sick was that it was the
truth. In a backwards way, it was the Harrisons who paid
for her schooling. She had never resented the fact that
Mehg got to play fairy Godmother, bestowing gifts to the
people she loved but it bothered her how they all seemed
to be able to give and give and never ask for anything in
return.
"Well…" she trailed off, knowing that the
invitation was made out of politeness only and not meant
to be accepted. She choked back a sharp gasp as Darien's
hand settled down on top of hers. There was a warm,
inviting glow shining in his eyes, a hint of a smile playing
across his lips.
"Please come, I didn't mean to sound so cold
before. I want you there, really I do." She knew that her
mouth was opening and closing like a fish and that she
looked ridiculous.
"Will Rachael be there?" Mehg asked sweetly
with a slight hint of a violent undertone.
Without taking his eyes from Serena's he replied,
"No, it would be just the four of us."
Serena felt Mehg kick her underneath the table
and she winced, the pain brought back to reality. "It
sounds wonderful."
When Darien dropped them off at the dorm an
hour and a half later Mehg was bursting with excitement
from the developments of the evening. She unlocked the
door and bounced exuberantly around the room.
"He wants you! He wants you!" she playful
teased over and over as she grabbed Serena's hands.
Unable to contain her own happiness, she allowed herself
to be swept up in Mehg's celebration. Serena didn't have
the heart to tell Mehg about what had happened outside at
the restaurant and how the rejection had left her soul
aching pitifully inside her body. "Don't you worry; I'll
distract the other guy. You and Darien won't even know
he exists." She gave her an exaggerated wink and Serena
dissolved into giggles as she collapsed into her bed.
"You've begun to plan our wedding again haven't
you?" Serena asked between fits of laughter. That sent
both girls into gales of mirth once more.
Mehg brushed a few wayward tears from her eyes as she
tried to compose herself, "I guess some love never dies."
Serena sobered immediately, her face frozen in a mask of
pain. Their love had died, it had died four long years
before at her very hands and he had shown her tonight
that there was no chance of resurrecting it. "Serena?
What's wrong?" Mehg only reply was a smothered sob as
Serena buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to
say that, honest. I'm so sorry."
"I tried to kiss him tonight, outside the
restaurant." Mehg forced a look of surprise onto her
features; she had witnessed everything from the door.
"He pushed me away and told me that he was with
Rachael now. He doesn't want me Mehg, I don't know
why he invited me but he doesn't want me."
"Screw that!" Mehg exploded, "He's a damn liar
and you're an idiot if you believe him. You haunted him
for months after you left! I know he's never gotten over
you, he told me so himself." Serena froze at this
revelation; Mehg had never told her any of this before.
"I don't know what he's got planned for this vacation but
if you let him, he will come back to you."
It seemed almost cruel of her friend to try and
make her believe; when in love second chances were hard
to come by. If she had haunted him, why was he
marrying Rachael, why was he playing this game by
inviting her along to this secluded cabin? It had be some
sort of sick joke; there was no other logical explanation.
A twisted retaliation for her attempted kiss in the parking
lot. "I… I don't want him back." Her pride demanded
that she save face. God! The man probably planned on
this happening! He acted so kind and diplomatic, so
forgiving. Her memories seemed blurred somehow,
swirled together with the magazine articles she had read
about the enigmatic man who was one step away from
controlling one of the world's most powerful
conglomerates. She had spent years telling herself that
the Darien she had fallen in love with had to have been a
fake, or else he didn't exist anymore. Part of her wanted
to be the only woman to see that beautiful side of him,
that she had been the one who killed it in him. She had
tried to banish the recollections of his soft touch, his
gentle kisses, and the way he had made love to her,
Everything that had made her feel unworthy of him, like
she didn't deserve to have him by her side. She had been
too naïve to handle the relationship at 17 and now at 21
she longed for it once more. To find out that she had
possessed in her youth what she wanted most in
adulthood almost broke her heart for the second time.
"Serena… You tried to kiss him tonight; doesn't
that say something to you?"
"It was stupid!" she took a deep breath, "A total
mistake on my part."
Mehg studied her friend's frail features; she
appeared to have aged five years in only a few hours.
Darien had always had that effect on her and for the first
time Mehg really began to wonder how good Darien was
for her friend. Serena had constantly seemed to immune
to all the other guys who pursued her; she never let
anyone too close. Whether this was out of fear or just
plain disinterest, Mehg wasn't sure of the true reason.
She had watched her brother conquer the business
world, like a whirlwind he seemed to sweep through,
uprooting everything in his path. In many ways Darien
was a total mystery to her, they had never had a normal
relationship, he had never confided in her. The only
thing he had ever told her that was truly personal was
about how much Serena had hurt him when she had
ended things with him. And she still couldn't for the life
of her figure out why he was engaged to Rachael. The
pieces of the puzzle refused to come together in Mehg's
mind. "Look, think of it this way. You come with us to
the cabin and enjoy a relaxing week off before your
hectic schedule picks up again. You can just ignore
Darien."
Serena nodded, she had already reached the same
conclusion but she was happy that Mehg was on the same
page with her. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see what
happens."
Spring Break greeted the campus like a breath of
fresh air, everyone was grateful for the much needed
vacation. Even Serena found herself looking forward to
the tranquility of Lake Michigan, despite the fact that the
peacefulness was accompanied by the one person who
could destroy it for her.
She tried to block that from her mind as she threw
two weeks worth of clothes into her gigantic suitcase.
She was hopping a plane right from the cabin to O'Hare
and would need to have everything she needed with her
before she left for Michigan. A few things were being
held at shops around town, waiting for her arrival but the
majority of her things were traveling with her.
Mehg had decided that they needed a junk food
stock pile for the car ride there since Darien had decided
it would be more fun to see the countryside by road then
by plane. Serena found his decision quite odd but
considering the amount of time Darien probably spent up
in the air, it wasn't hard to fathom.
She jumped on top of her suitcase and pulled the
zipper as far as she could around before it stuck. God,
how she despised packing. She enjoyed having roots
somewhere and even if the situation called for her to be
gone for only two weeks she couldn't help but be
reminded of all those times her mother had moved her
around, trying to find a solid job to support them.
She tossed one last pair of shoes into the
overflowing suitcase and slammed the lid shut. "Stupid
thing, close!" With a sigh, Serena heaved herself on top
of it and felt around the side for the latches to close it.
She popped one into place and was in the process of
getting the other one when Mehg flounced back into the
room, Darien in tow.
"You're still not done packing?" Mehg
admonished, tsk tsking her friend as she walked across
the room to grab her own suitcase.
"I am too done Mehg; I just can't get it closed!"
Darien grinned at the petite girl bouncing up and down,
trying to secure her bulging luggage. He took Mehg's
bags from her and set them by the door, he crossed the
room to help Serena.
"Sit still a moment." She blushed as he moved her
leg aside, his hands lingering for a moment longer than
they should have. He pounded the clasp with his fist and
it clicked into place. Serena slid off the suitcase and
grabbed the handle before Darien could offer assistance.
She would be cordial only, aloof and withdrawn. She
couldn't risk it again; it would be better this way, no
more messy emotions to cloud her judgment. "Serena, let
me help you with that, it looks heavy."
It was heavy; the weight on her arm caused her to
stoop over like a deformed hunchback. "I can handle it,
really. It's not that heavy."
Mehg raised her eyebrows in question but didn't
say a word. Her friend had promised to keep herself out
of the situation between her brother and her. But she
couldn't contain her smile as Darien jerked the suitcase
from Serena's hand, grabbed Mehg's bags and
disappeared down the hallway.
"I think you had better switch tactics babe."
Serena shot her friend a scowl and followed Mehg from
the room.
The trip up to the cabin wasn't a bad one at all,
the scenery was beautiful and Serena keep her attention
focused on the trees that seemed to whip past the Land
Rover because Darien drove with a lead foot. Mehg had
decided to provide the entertainment by singing Phantom
of the Opera tunes all the way across the Illinois border,
insisting that Serena and Darien join in when they knew
the words. Finally, after their third rousing go at
"Masquerade" Darien turned off the highway onto a
pretty little road lined with tall, green trees.
Serena had expected the cabin to be a small, well
kept wooden structure that Darien used to escape from
the world, what she got instead was a sprawling mansion
complete with a swimming pool, basketball court and a
huge stone barbeque. Mehg climbed out of the car, a
huge grin stretched from ear to ear, "It seems like forever
since I was last up here. I forgot how beautiful it is, the
air is so clean."
Darien was busy unloading the trunk and didn't
notice Serena's awestruck face. She really should have
known better after all, the Harrisons had never owed
anything small in their lives. She followed Darien and
Mehg into the house, taking in the grandiose kitchen and
immaculately kept living room with a massive limestone
fireplace. Would her own work ever allow her to live in
this kind of beautiful setting? She could only dream…
Mehg went automatically to the room she had
always had and Darien lead Serena down the hall to her
own room. "This is your room, the bathroom is two
doors down to your right, and Mehg's is right at the top
of the stairs."
"Where's your room?" the sentence slipped out,
leaving Serena mentally banging her head against the
wall.
Darien pointed to the door right next to hers, "It's
right here, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me.
Or Antonio, he'll be here later tonight."
Serena nodded and let herself into her room, not
looking back at Darien. She shut the door behind her and
locked it. She pulled her suitcase over to the dresser and
started to unpack, she had to give herself something to do
to take her mind off the enigmatic figure that would be
sleeping right next door to her.
She had just hung the last dress she had brought in
her closet when someone started knocking on her door.
She backed out her closet and reached for the knob when
the door opened on its own.
"Come swimming with me!" Mehg stood in the
doorway, dripping, already in her bathing suit, a towel
slung around her hips.
"It looks like you've already been there and
back." Serena took two pairs of shoes from her bag and
put them in the closet.
"I was out there with Darien but he's being mean,
I need you for backup." She walked over to Serena's
open drawers and pulled out her two piece, "Put it on and
let's go!"
Serena sighed, she was almost done unpacking
and this whole week was about relaxing. "I'll meet you
down there in five minutes."
"Is she coming down?" Darien asked as he slicked
the wet hair out of his eyes. Mehg nodded and did a
cannonball into the pool.
"I made sure she brought her two piece suit too!"
Mehg exclaimed when she surfaced. Darien smiled,
happy with the outcome. He had sent Mehg to get
Serena, he didn't want to girl to hole up in her room for
the entire vacation.
Darien felt strangely revitalized for being away
from work only a very short time; the stress of the past
year seemed to melt away, leaving a person that had been
buried for a very long time. Even Mehg had taken notice
of his unearthed pleasant attitude and the two had been
splashing and dunking each other since they had climbed
into the pool an hour before.
"Why would I care if she brought her two piece?"
Darien asked; a devilish grin upon his lips.
"Because… Serena!" Mehg cut herself off as her
best friend pushed the sliding glass door open and let
herself out onto the patio. Darien spun around, unable to
take his eyes from Serena's bikini clad form. She had the
nerve to blush when she felt Darien's gaze on her, Mehg
had taken the liberty of removing all of her normal
bathing suits, leaving her with the one she had bought
herself as joke last summer. She crossed her arms over
her breasts and sat down in a patio chair. Darien's
eyebrows arched in surprise as he was finally able to start
thinking again and he once again began to terrorize
Mehg.
"You're not getting in?" Mehg cried, "I need your
help!" she didn't notice as Darien dove under water and
grabbed her foot, jerking her under the surface. She
emerged seconds later and tried to take the offensive but
no matter what she did Darien managed to turn the tables
on her and dunk her.
Serena watched from a distance, not wanting to
interfere with the fun that was taking place. She was an
outsider, no matter how long they had been friends and
the situation with Darien was tense enough already. She
studied the exotic flowers that wound their way up the
thigh-high fence that surrounded the pool. Perhaps she
could get some work done up here, the sunlight coming
through the trees created the perfect ambiance for the
woodland painting she had always wanted to do.
Darien and Mehg shared a look in the pool as
Serena continued to stare off into space, trying to figure
out how to capture the beauty of this place on canvas.
Darien moved to the stairs first and held up a finger to
warn Mehg to keep quiet. He crept stealthily out of the
water, careful not to let his feet slap against the
pavement. Mehg held a hand to her mouth, barely
restraining the laughter bubbling up from inside of her.
Without a word Darien heaved the daydreaming girl from
her chair.
"What are you doing?!" Serena squawked, as
Darien's strong tanned arms tightened around her. His
slick chest rose and fell in front of her eyes and she
fought to keep her gaze from traveling lower.
"You're going to join us in the pool Serena, Mehg
and I insist." With that he dumped her unceremoniously
into the water. She landed with a muffled thud, a dull
pain shot through her body as she sputtered her way up to
the surface. She heard the two of them laughing at her as
she coughed uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath.
"Was… that… really necessary?" she asked after
a few moments. The water was surprisingly warm and
soothing but she still found herself attempting to cover
herself up. This suit wasn't made for any kind of activity
other than sunbathing.
Darien jumped back in, soaking her once more
with the splash from his cannonball. He surfaced with a
boyish smirk that made her heart speed up, "I think it
was, it's your vacation, you should be enjoying yourself."
"Really?" Serena arched a perfectly plucked brow
at him, just daring him to come after her. She glanced at
her friend, silently communicating their attack strategy
across the pool. Mehg nodded slightly and the two of
them launched themselves at the unsuspecting male.
Darien was barely a match for the combined strength of
them and their sneak attack and he went down with little
struggle.
It went on like that for 15 minutes, girls against
guy until all of them were laughing so hard they couldn't
move anymore. Serena turned to give Mehg a high five
after their last successful dunk and before she could step
away, Darien's strong arms were wrapped around her
stomach, lifting her up out of the water.
"Darien, don't!" she tangled her arms around his,
determined not to let go. He tried to wrestle free of her
iron-tight grasp, shifting her around in his arms. He
finally jerked his arms away and was ready to dunk her
when she wrapped her legs around his stomach. She
couldn't stop laughing; her blue eyes sparkled with life as
she dared him to free himself.
Darien immediately stilled, the proximity of her
body, the softness of her skin brushing against his was
driving him wild. Her hands came to rest on his
shoulders, she could feel the bunched muscles beneath
her fingertips and her smile froze. "I'm sorry, I wasn't
thinking…"
He looked at her angelic face, staring uncertainly
back into his. He never would have believed that Serena
would attempt to seduce him but that's what she was
doing none the less and he felt like an ass for taking
advantage of the situation any further.
"I should go and start dinner, I know I'm getting
hungry." He gently pried her legs from his waist and
removed her hands from his shoulders. Serena could
only watch in silence as he climbed from the pool,
grabbed his towel and went back into the house.
He walked into the kitchen, making sure he was
completely out of their view and closed his eyes. He was
an engaged man, he cared about Rachael and he was
betraying her trust by even entertaining thoughts of
Serena. But he couldn't help himself.
Rachael would be the perfect wife, she
complimented him flawlessly… But she had never filled
him with the need to be by her side every waking
moment, she didn't set him on fire with her kisses or melt
him with her gentle caresses. And he had never looked
into her eyes only to find love shining back at him. He
shook his head, he had gone down the road before and it
had broken his heart, she had broken his heart.
He knew it was wrong to even consider it…
But then why did it feel so right?
~* To Be Continued… *~
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