{{{ Chapter Seven }}}
DING
The moment the elevator doors opened, a very harried Serena burst through, with Lita and Amy on her arms. "Mina! Raye! My office, now! Please." Not even pausing, Serena went straight through the office, reaching her door, she swung it open, leaving it that way so the others could come in.
Mina and Raye came quickly into the office, with questioning glances, they sat down.
"Okay… it's like this." Pausing Serena looked around at her friends faces. "Min, could you close the door please." As Mina got up to close the door, she continued. "You guys are my best friends… and yeah, I need opinons, of like… people who know me. Anyway, I want, no I need your guys help." She babbled.
"Okay, calm down Serena. Take your time." Raye said, shooting a questioning glance at Lita and Amy. At their shrugs, she realised they were as clueless as she and Mina were.
Laughing slightly, Serena sighed, relaxing a little. "You know, he always manages to do this to me. He's one of the only ones who can get me like this. All frustrated, and confused, excited and scared, all at once."
"He, he who?" Asked Mina.
"Sam?" Asked Raye.
"Darien." Guessed Amy and Lita at exactly the same time.
Sighing, Serena put her head in her hands, leaning on the desk, she began to lightly rub her temples.
"Yep, Darien." Answered Lita, seeing Serena's reaction. "Did he talk to you last night?"
"Last night? No. I was with Sam last night." Sighing again, she looked up. "Okay. So here's my problem. And yes, it's Dairen. You see, I've been going out with Sam now, for a year and a half. And I really like him, and he loves me, I know he does. And he's really nice…"
"But you don't love him?" Asked Amy quietly into the silence.
"I… I don't know. I would have said yes… but…"
"But not since Darien came back." Finished Lita.
"Yeah."
"So what's up Sere?" Asked Raye softly, she could see that Serena was upset.
"This… this is going to sound really bad."
"We're your best friends Sere. You can trust us."
Looking up, she smiled around at her friends. "I know guys." Taking a deep breath, she spilled it all out. "So last night, Sam and I went to the movies, and it was good. And then we went out for coffee. Then we went back to his place… and well… we… you know…"
"You slept together." Finished Mina with a grin at Serena's discomfort.
Blushing, she continued, "yeah. So well, that's the problem."
"I don't understand." Said Raye. "That's not the first time you've slept with him."
"Surely?" Asked Amy.
"No." She answered with a little giggle, sobbering up quickly as she rememebred her problem. "But it's the first time I've slept with him and wished it was someone else."
"Darien." Said Amy.
"Yeah." Replied Serena queitly.
"Hey, that's not so bad." Said Mina, hopping up to give her friend a hug. "Most people have done that at some time in their life. I have."
"Me too." Agreed Raye and Lita at the same time.
With a little giggle, Amy added, "I have to, once." At everyone's disbelieveing looks, she shrugged, refusing to give more details.
"So, it's not really bad."
"Not once it's not." Said Raye.
"You just have to work out why now. Why you were thinking of Darien, why you wanted it to be Darien." Added Lita.
"I don't know…"
"Are you sure you don't?" Asked Mina softly.
"Oh, I don't know…" Sighing, she looked around at her friends some more. "I… I broke up with Sam this morning."
"What?" They asked similtaniously.
"I… I… we broke up. I couldn't. He said he loved me… and I couldn't… I couldn't say I loved him. I said I wasn't sure of my love. He… he smiled at me sadly. And he said… he said, 'I know'. Just like that… like he knew I didn't love him." Pausing for a moment, she looked around at her friends faces.
At Raye's encouraging nod, she continued. "Sighing he said to me then, 'you're still not over him are you. The one who broke your heart.' I tried to deny it I did. He said he understood. Something about him knowing that I cared about him. But he knew I couldn't give him my whole heart. He said, I should sort out my feelings. And he kissed me, just once, slowly. Then he said he wouldn't call me anymore. But that hopefully we would see each other again sometime soon. Then he said goodbye, and he left. He said goodbye. Like he meant it." Pausing, she started sobbing. "I… I don't know what to do…"
As she finished, she burst into tears again. The four girls in the office immiediately got up, hurring over to her desk, they all joined in with a group hug. Soothing and reassuring Serena.
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After thanking them again for all their help, and for listening kindly without judgement, Serena decided that she needed to think on the matter a little more. She jokingly sent her friends on their ways, allowing Lita and Amy to go to work and Raye and Mina to head back to their own offices.
Sitting in her office, she whipsered the answer queitly to herself. "I love him. I always have, and I always will." Sighing, she let her head drift down to the table, her head in her arms, she wept queitly. Wept for her confusion, her past heartache, and her and her love's lost years.
Sniffling to herself, Serena thought, 'I wonder if I can forgive him? I think I already have, partially. If we can be together, would it work? Is it too late, did I wait too long? Is he gone from my life for good?' Sighing, she wept some more.
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Sitting in his office, half way across town, Darien sat back in his seat, unable to concentrate. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrare on the uncomfortable feeling invading him. Relaxing, he followed the feeling, leading him, not surprisingly to Serena. Feeeling gently along the lines of their bond, Darien was a little surprised to find it still there. Or perhaps more, that he was surprised to find it so strong. She had practically cut their bond to shreads years ago. 'But it seems that it's been getting stronger over the past few weeks.' He thoguht to himself. Smiling, he concentrated again, trying to feel anything through the bond itself.
Sadness, heartache, confussion, forgivness, regret, love?
'Regret, love, forgivness?' He thought to himself. 'Sere…' "I have to go now… Sere. Wait for me my love, I'm on my way." Getting up, he grabbed his car keys and his jacket. Walking out of his office, he called out quickly to Lizzy, "I'll be back later some time. I have something important to do."
"Goodluck," whispered Lizzy quielty in return.
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Sere. Wait for me my love, I'm on my way. Whispered queitly on the air.
Jerking her head up, she looked around. "He's not… surely he's not here." Looking around, she asssured herself that her thoughts hadn't brought him here. Sighing lightly in relief, she stopped when she realised that she had definitely heard something. If not with her ears, maybe with her heart, her soul. Closing her eyes, she gingerly reached out with her soul, feeling for their link. Somethig she hadn't done for years. Though she knew she had never been as good as Darien at feeling their bond, she found it none the less. A little surprsied at its strength. She was even more amazed when she realised it was growing, strengthening. Pulling herself back to realitly, she smiled slightly. 'Maybe we do have a chance still.' She was just beginning to relax when she rememebred what she had heard earlier…
'Sere. Wait for me my love, I'm on my way.'
"What? He's on is way? He's coming here?" She thought in amazement. Getting up quickly, she rushed to the other side of her office. "First things first," she muttered slightly, beginning to reapply her make up.
A few minutes later she was finished. 'Not perfect I know.' "You can never quite hide that fact that you've been crying." Sighing to herself, she went to sit down on her couch. 'I still have a few more minutes… even if he speeds the whole way here. I need to think this through some more. If I have to face him today, I have to be completely sure of my own feelings.'
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[The End… Maybe…]
[I'm thinking of a sequel… there is still so much more I could write… but nothing is coming at the moment…]
{{ Love Alicia }}