"Need some company?" asked a gentle voice from behind her. Serena jumped
and slowly turned her head. Standing behind her was Darien, a warm smile
on his face. She didn't know why, but just seeing his smile made her
smile. Serena gathered all the courage she had and nodded. Darien's smile
widened as he sat down next to her.
"I had to get some fresh air," Darien said, looking up at the sky. His eyes opened wide in awe as he looked at the beautiful sky. It wasn't very often that he saw the sky so clear. Serena diverted her eyes to him, and almost melted. His firm face almost glowed in the moonlight, and his raven- black hair shined brilliantly in the light of the stars.
Darien turned his head to face Serena, who quickly diverted her eyes elsewhere. There was no way she could let Darien catch her staring at him. Darien held back a gasp as he looked at her. In the light of the moon, she looked angelic. Despite the darkness of the night, her eyes still looked brilliant. Her golden hair swayed gently in the breeze as she stared off into space. All Darien wanted to do was hold her, and never let her go. He knew however that he couldn't do that, regardless of how tempted he was.
"So, why were you sitting out here all by yourself?" Darien asked, trying to start some conversation. Serena simply shrugged, still not looking in his direction.
"I guess I just needed to get some air, too," Serena lied. Darien smiled and took a deep breath. He looked up at the sky once again, staring at the stars, trying to make out some constellations. Right then, a streak of light flew across the sky.
"Wow," Serena gasped, her face in awe. She had never seen a shooting star before.
"Did you make a wish?" Darien asked, still looking up at the sky. He looked down at Serena, who nodded. Darien smiled, "What did you wish for?" Serena looked at him at last, grinning slyly.
"It's a secret," Serena said, a large grin on her face. Darien smiled in return, holding back his laughter. She was just far too cute. "How about you?" Serena asked, wondering what Darien wished for.
"Mine's a secret too," Darien said, just above a whisper. Serena's grin turned into a gentle smile. She looked up at the sky again and closed her eyes.
'Please,' Serena thought, 'let my wish come true.' Darien watched her, wondering what she was thinking. He wondered if her thoughts were at all on him. He laughed at himself for wondering such a stupid thing. Deep down inside, however, he still had hope.
"What's on your mind?" Darien asked, curious to what she would say. Serena held back a gasp and turn her head to face Darien.
"I was just hoping that my wish will come true," Serena said in a low voice. Darien nodded, still curious of what she could possibly have wished for. Serena looked at him, a serious look across her face. "Thanks," Serena said, smiling. Darien looked at her, confused.
"Thanks for what?" Darien asked. He had no idea what she could have possibly been thankful for. Serena's smile widened as she continued looking at him.
"Thanks for keeping me company," Serena said, her face turning serious again. Darien simply smiled and nodded. 'Whoa,' Serena thought. 'What is coming over me? Why aren't I that nervous right now?' Usually, Serena would have been so nervous that she would be unable to even talk. Yet, she felt comfortable next to Darien. 'Maybe it's because he reminds me so much of him,' Serena thought, still trying to come up with a reason for her lack of nervousness.
"So, are you sure you don't mind me staying at your place for a while?" Darien asked, realizing that he never got her opinion on the matter. Serena, hearing his question, was knocked out of her thoughts. She didn't know what to say. The truth was, she couldn't imagine how it would be like with Darien living in her house. Besides her father, she had never been under the same roof with a man for a long period of time.
"I.I don't mind," Serena said, feeling herself get nervous again. Darien smiled, making Serena's nervousness rise. Suddenly, she remembered the kiss from earlier that evening. She swallowed, feeling her palms get sweaty once again. She remembered how close she was to actually kissing him. She felt her heartbeat quicken, as well as her breathing.
"Serena, are you okay?" Darien asked, noticing how she was suddenly behaving. "Serena, talk to me," Darien said, nervous himself. Serena stared at him, her eyes wide. Everything around her seemed to be spinning. She had to get away from him.
"I.I'm sorry," Serena said quickly, standing up. "I.I have to.to go inside." With that, she ran through the front door, leaving Darien outside on the front step, dumbfounded. Quickly, he stood up and went into the house after her.
Serena ran through the dining room and into the bathroom. Everybody who was sitting at the table instantly halted their conversation and looked at her, a mixture of confusion and nervousness across their faces.
"I'll go see if she's okay," Mina said, standing up and running after her. Jill quickly followed her lead and chased after Serena as well. A few seconds later, Darien entered the room. Everyone's attention quickly shifted to him. Serena's father's eyes narrowed as he looked at him, wondering if he did something to hurt his daughter.
Quickly, Elaine stood up and walked over to him, worried. She only hoped that Serena was okay.
"What's wrong?" Elaine asked. Darien simply shook his head. Truthfully, he had no idea what just happened. To him, Serena just ran away for no reason.
"I don't know," Darien said. "We were just out there talking, then out of nowhere, she started acting really strange. Did she come through here by any chance?" Quickly, Elaine's worry went away, and Lita, Amy, and Raye sighed in relief. Elaine knew very well how nervous her daughter could get, and she knew that at times she would panic under certain conditions.
"Don't worry," Elaine said, "she's fine. Just she realized she had something she forgot to do." Elaine was thankful that Darien couldn't see through her lie. She couldn't tell him the truth though. She knew that if she did, it would definitely effect Darien's decision to stay at the house, and she didn't want that.
"Why don't you just sit down and wait for her to come back," Elaine said. Darien took a deep breath and nodded. Still however, he knew that there was something else the matter with her. He decided to let it go for the time being, though. He sat down in his chair, hoping that Serena would be back soon.
Meanwhile, Jill and Mina were outside the bathroom door, gently knocking on it. They were both extremely worried about her, and only hoped that she was okay, and that Darien did nothing to hurt her. If that were the case, he would have to answer to Jill, and she could get extremely scary when angry.
"Open the door," Mina said. "Me and your sister are really worried about you. Come out of there." They got no answer. Jill sighed and knocked on the door again. Still there was no answer.
"Serena, everyone's really worried about you," Jill said. "Just let us come in, please?" After a few seconds, they heard the sound of the door unlocking. The door opened slowly. Mina and Jill both gasped at the sight before them. Serena was standing at the door, tears running down her face, causing her makeup to run along with them.
"Oh Serena," Jill said, tears in her eyes. She quickly wrapped her arms around her sister. She felt so bad for her. She swore right then to make Darien pay for hurting her. Never in Jill's life had she seen Serena so hurt. As a matter of fact, it had been several years since she had seen Serena cry so much. Jill wanted nothing more than to fall to her knees and cry herself, but she had to stay strong for Serena.
"Tell us what happened," Mina said. Serena, however, was sobbing so hard, she didn't even hear what Mina said. Mina swallowed and looked around. "Maybe we should get inside," she said. Jill looked up at her and nodded in agreement.
"Can you get up?" Jill asked Serena. She swallowed her tears and looked up into Jill's eyes. Jill held back a gasp. Serena's usually happy eyes were now filled with sorrow. Slowly, Serena nodded, and Jill smiled at her. Her smile however, was forced. Slowly, Jill stood up, bringing Serena with her. They walked into the bathroom, followed by Mina, who closed and locked the door behind her.
"Now," Mina said gently, walking up to Serena and playing her hand on her friend's shoulder, "tell me what's wrong? Your sisters will make it all better for you." Mina smiled and gave a wink, making Serena laugh through her tears. "Made you laugh," Mina said, laughing herself. Serena laughed again, wiping her face with a tissue.
"It's really stupid," Serena said, forcing a laugh. She knew that she really had no reason to be crying. All she was doing was make people worry about her. Mina smiled reassuringly.
"I doubt that," Mina said. "Just tell us. You know you can trust us." Serena nodded. Mina was right. Serena knew that she could trust her friends and her sister, and she knew they would be on her side no matter what. Serena took a deep breath and nodded.
"Well, I was talking with Darien outside," Serena said. "Everything seemed so perfect. For once in my life, I wasn't nervous at all. I actually thought for a little while that maybe, just maybe, he was the one. I couldn't believe how comfortable I was with him. It was like a dream come true." Mina and Jill nodded. They were indeed surprised at the fact that Serena wasn't nervous at all around him. In all their years knowing Serena, they had never seen her not nervous around a guy whom she liked, except one, but they were both children at the time.
"Then what happened?" Jill asked. She knew that something had to happen to make Serena cry so much. She only hope it wasn't anything too devastating.
"Well," Serena began, "he brought up staying at my house. I just started to get a bit nervous. I mean, I've never LIVED with a guy before, you know? I just got really scared and panicked. Then I started thinking about how during dinner we almost.well I just started panicking. I'm so stupid getting all worked up over such stupid things." Jill smiled. Now she understood Serena's problem.
"I'm so stupid," Serena said with a laugh. "I made everybody really nervous and stuff, and the entire time it was just because I'm nervous. I probably ruined dad's party." A single tear ran down her face as she spoke. "Darien probably thinks I'm some sort of freak," Serena continued. Jill shook her head and smiled. She placed her hands on Serena's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
"That's not true," Jill said. "I'm sure Darien's really worried about you, too. Also, you didn't ruin dad's party at all. If you don't want to ruin it, then go back into the dining room. Everything will be okay. Don't worry about Darien staying here. Just think of it as a good experience. Hey, and you never know, maybe he is the guy for you." Mina nodded in agreement. Serena swallowed and nodded.
"You're right," Serena said, wiping away the rest of her tears. "I'm so sorry for making you guys worry. I'll go back." Jill smiled and took her hands off her shoulders.
"That's the spirit," Mina said, smiling. "But, umm just one thing." Serena looked at her questionably. "Your makeup," Mina said. "It all ran off." Serena gasped, quickly turning around and looking into the mirror.
"I look hideous," Serena said, her other problems suddenly forgotten about. Jill and Mina giggled, both placing one of their hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry," Mina said, "we'll fix you up. Afterwards, you'll go back into there and blow Darien away." Serena's eyes narrowed. She turned to Mina, who faked an innocent look.
"I have no intentions of 'blowing Darien away'," Serena said. Mina and Jill both giggled. Mina reached into her pocketbook and pulled out some makeup.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mina said, gathering her needed materials. "We'll make you look great in no time." Jill nodded in agreement, also reaching into her pocketbook. Elaine, who had been standing outside the bathroom, simply laughed. She was happy to hear that Serena was better now. She only hoped that they were ready before dessert.
Elaine walked back into the kitchen and sat back down next to her husband. Serena's friends and Darien all watched her, their face full of worry.
"Is she okay?" Darien asked urgently. Elaine simply smiled and nodded. Right then, several sighs of relief were heard from around the room. Ever since Serena ran into the bathroom, the room had been full of tension.
"I'm sorry for making you guys wait," said a voice from the other side of the room. Everybody at the table turned their heads as Jill walked into the room. "We just had to fix up a few things," she said. Mina then walked into the room, a large grin across her face. She looked to her friends and winked to them. They all giggled in return. They were happy to see that everything was okay.
Jill and Mina both sat down at the table, and were both instantly bombarded with questions. Soon after, Serena entered the room. Everybody stopped what they were doing and turned to her. She swallowed and forced a smile.
"Sorry to make you guys wait," Serena said. Everybody at the table only smiled in return. Darien however, eyes her suspiciously. He knew hat something had to have happened in the bathroom, and he swore to figure out what. "So, umm.when's dessert?" Serena asked. Right then, the table filled with laughter, causing Serena to blush. Even Darien smiled at the statement.
Serena turned her head, then stopped as her eyes made contact with Darien's. She swallowed, feeling herself get nervous again. She felt as though Darien was staring straight into her soul. Serena took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the table. Once she got to her seat, she pulled out her chair and sat down. Serena looked straight ahead. She knew that if she were to turn to Darien, she would catch his gaze again, and she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.
"Hey, are you okay?" Darien asked. Serena swallowed and turned to him. To her surprise, his staring gaze was gone, and was returned with a look of worry. Serena swallowed and nodded nervously. Darien was not convinced, however. "Are you sure?" Darien asked, already knowing what her answer was going to be.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Serena lied. Darien decided to not bother with it any further. It was obvious that she was hiding something, but it was also obvious that there was little to no chance of her telling him anything. Darien simply nodded, forcing a smile. Serena gave a small smile in return before turning away from him.
Meanwhile, Jill and Mina were all explaining the story to the rest of the girls, who all sighed in relief after hearing why Serena was so upset. Now, everything made total sense.
"Okay guys," said the always-friendly voice of Elaine. Everybody walked out to see Elaine walked into the room, followed by Mrs. Shields, and Jim's wife. They all walked in bearing all different cakes. Serena instantly forgot about her problems as she watched in awe at the site of the cakes being placed on the table. Darien looked at her, a warm smile across his face.
'She's so cute,' Darien said, happy to see her genuinely happy. Even after the short time of him knowing her, he already couldn't imagine her with a large smile on her face. Just the thought of her made his smile widen. After several more trips, the three women finally had all the food out on the table. Across the table there was: Cheese cake, chocolate cake, all different types of cookies, all types of pies, jell-o, and rice pudding, amongst other things.
Serena felt like she was in heaven. She wanted nothing more than to claim all the desserts to herself, and eat them forever. Darien continued watching her, trying to stop himself from kissing her right then and there. She was just too cute.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Elaine asked. "Dig in, guys!" Nobody wasted any time doing just that, especially Serena. On her plate she put a piece of chocolate cake and several cookies, with every intent to get more once she ate it. Darien took a piece of chocolate cake himself, his eyes still focused on Serena, who seemed to be oblivious to the world around her. All she cared about right then was her dessert, and nothing else.
Everybody at the table ate in silence. Serena stole a few glances at Darien as she ate. Darien, who had at last stopped focusing on the girl next to her, still stole a few glances as he ate. Lita, who was watching this, only laughed to herself. She knew that if the two of them would only stop being so shy with each other, they would probably be a couple already.
Darien glanced over at Serena, while at that exact time, she stole a glance at him. Their eyes met once again. Serena swallowed as she stared into his eyes. Darien swallowed as well, as he began moving his face closer to hers. Lita, who was still watching, held back a squeal as she got the attention of the others.
Serena was frozen. She couldn't move, no matter how much she tried. She watched, trembling, as Darien's face slowly inched closer and closer. Soon, they were only inches apart. Serena's friends and Jill all watched in anticipation. They only hoped that nothing would interfere this time around.
Darien swallowed once again, staring into her wide, unblinking eyes. He stopped inching his face forward and simply stared into her eyes. Serena felt her breathing stopped. Once again, she felt like she was in a sort of trance.
"You have something on your face," Darien said, just above a whisper. Serena swallowed as Darien reached forward and wiped a piece of chocolate away with his thumb. "There," he said in his still low voice, "it's gone." Serena nodded quickly, blinking.
"Thanks," Serena whispered, blushing. Her friends, who watched the entire scene, sighed, hearts in their eyes. Jill simply smiled, holding back a giggle. The rest of the night was uneventful. Soon after dessert, everybody began to leave.
The last people to leave were Mr. Shields and his wife, and Serena's friends, who were busy with their own conversations. Usually, they and Serena were unable to be seperated, but that night, they wanted to stay out from between Serena and Darien. Mr. Shields spent most of his time talking about work, and some future projects. Serena found out that Darien actually owned his own newspaper company that was in competition with his father's. She wondered if that fact caused any tension between the two outside of work. She found it strange that the two seemed to get along fine.
Eventually however, even they had to leave. It was now about midnight, and everybody was fairly tired. Elaine and her husband walked with Mr. Shields and his wife to the front door, along with Serena and Darien, who trailed behind. Ever since the incident with the chocolate on Serena's face, her and Darien hadn't spoken much, unless commenting on the food, and work.
"Thanks for everything," Mr. Shields said to Elaine. "The food was excellent, and you have a beautiful family." Elaine smiled sweetly and nodded. Serena grinned, seeing whom Darien got his charm from.
"It was a pleasure having you over," Elaine said, leaning forward and giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You can come by any time," she said, giving him another smile. Mr. Shields then turned to Elaine's husband as Elaine and Mrs. Shields said their goodbyes.
"I was just about to say that I'd see you at work tomorrow," Mr. Shields said, laughing. Ken laughed back, getting the joke. He still couldn't believe that he was finally retired.
"I'll still see you around," Ken said. "You have my number, so give me a call some time. A new gold course just opened a few towns over, and I've only heard god things about it." Mr. Shields nodded, being a big fan of golfing.
"Then I'll give you a call soon," Mr. Shields said. "Be good to that fantastic wife of your, okay?" Ken laughed at his ex-boss's joke. They shook hands before Mr. Shields turned his attention to Serena and Darien. Serena gulped, wondering what he had to say to her. She only hoped that it wasn't work-related.
"You be good too," he said, giving her a friendly smile. "I'll be seeing you in two weeks. Enjoy your time and relax until then." Serena nodded, smiling. Mr. Shields nodded back, then turned to Darien, his jolly face turning serious. "Don't cause any trouble," he said, giving him a piercing look in the eyes. Darien simply nodded, his face equally as serious.
"I'll be seeing you soon, too," Mr. Shields said before turning his attention away from him. Serena's eyes narrowed, feeling the tension between the two. She wondered if they always had such a relationship. Mr. Shields and his wife said their last farewells before walking out the front door. Darien took a deep breath and sighed. Serena turned to him, noticing his tension.
"Are you two always like that?" Serena asked. Darien nodded turning away from the door to face her. He shook his head, pushing his hair back with his hand.
"He's always like that," Darien said, annoyed. "Even when we're outside of work, he still talks to me like I'm his competitor. It just gets really annoying. Sometimes I wished I didn't even own the stupid company." Serena nodded, and decided to change the topic. It was obvious that his father was the last thing Darien wanted to talk about.
"So what time do you usually get to bed?" Serena asked. Darien shrugged. He never really had a certain 'time' that he went to bed.
"Whenever," Darien replied, shrugging his shoulders. Serena nodded, surprised that she suddenly felt comfortable talking to him again. She wondered why there were certain times she could talk to him and other times she couldn't. Deciding she probably wasn't going to figure it out, she shook the thought away.
"Darien," said Elaine, closing the door and turning to him, "I'll show you to your room." Darien smiled and nodded, following Elaine out of the room. Ken gave Serena a knowing smile and followed them. As quickly as they left the room, Serena's friends and Jill came in, all giggling. Hearing them, Serena turned to face them, her eyes narrowed.
"Wow, so how was your night with Darien?" Raye teased. Serena simply rolled her eyes. "You guys had some pretty close calls over there," Raye continued. The others giggled at Raye's comment.
"You guys should mind your own business," Serena said, obviously annoyed at the fact that the girls were watching her the whole time. They only giggled in return, making Serena sigh in defeat. She knew that there was no way from stopping them all when it came to any sort of gossip.
"Well, we're probably gonna call it a night," Lita said. The others nodded in agreement. Serena yawned making the others laugh.
"We definitely have to hang out some time," Mina said. Once again, the others nodded in agreement, including Serena. "But tomorrow I think we'll just leave you to get used to your new housemate," Mina said. The others, besides Serena, giggled. Serena laughed back sarcastically.
"But I guess we'll be seeing you later," Amy, who had been fairly quiet all night said. Serena nodded, and they all joined for a group hug. They stayed in that position for several minutes before breaking it. They all giggled, including Serena.
"Later," they all said simultaneously as they walked out the door. Serena watched as they all walked to Mina's car before closing the door. She sighed and leaned against the door, sliding to the ground. Jill sat down next to her.
"You definitely had a busy night," Jill said. Serena nodded in agreement, her eyes lids feeling heavy on her. Jill simply smiled and stood up. "Come on," Jill said, "it's time for you to get some sleep." Serena mumbled something as Jill grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Slowly, Jill walked Serena up to her room. While walking, Jill was deep in thought over the events that had transpired over the past few hours. Serena barely survived the night. She only hoped that she could survive her whole vacation.
Finally, they made it to Serena's room. She pulled herself away from her sister and walked slowly to her bed before collapsing into it. Jill smiled and picked up a blanket, placing it over her sister. After she was tucked in, Jill knelt down and gave Serena a soft kiss on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Serena," Jill whispered before walking to the door. She turned around and gave Serena one last look before turning off the light and walking out of the room.
Well, the party's over, but the vacation had just begun. Can Serena survive being under the same roof with Darien for two whole weeks? What kind of situations will she get herself into now? We'll begin finding out the answers to these questions and more next time. And remember, please R&R Until then, Ja-ne.
"I had to get some fresh air," Darien said, looking up at the sky. His eyes opened wide in awe as he looked at the beautiful sky. It wasn't very often that he saw the sky so clear. Serena diverted her eyes to him, and almost melted. His firm face almost glowed in the moonlight, and his raven- black hair shined brilliantly in the light of the stars.
Darien turned his head to face Serena, who quickly diverted her eyes elsewhere. There was no way she could let Darien catch her staring at him. Darien held back a gasp as he looked at her. In the light of the moon, she looked angelic. Despite the darkness of the night, her eyes still looked brilliant. Her golden hair swayed gently in the breeze as she stared off into space. All Darien wanted to do was hold her, and never let her go. He knew however that he couldn't do that, regardless of how tempted he was.
"So, why were you sitting out here all by yourself?" Darien asked, trying to start some conversation. Serena simply shrugged, still not looking in his direction.
"I guess I just needed to get some air, too," Serena lied. Darien smiled and took a deep breath. He looked up at the sky once again, staring at the stars, trying to make out some constellations. Right then, a streak of light flew across the sky.
"Wow," Serena gasped, her face in awe. She had never seen a shooting star before.
"Did you make a wish?" Darien asked, still looking up at the sky. He looked down at Serena, who nodded. Darien smiled, "What did you wish for?" Serena looked at him at last, grinning slyly.
"It's a secret," Serena said, a large grin on her face. Darien smiled in return, holding back his laughter. She was just far too cute. "How about you?" Serena asked, wondering what Darien wished for.
"Mine's a secret too," Darien said, just above a whisper. Serena's grin turned into a gentle smile. She looked up at the sky again and closed her eyes.
'Please,' Serena thought, 'let my wish come true.' Darien watched her, wondering what she was thinking. He wondered if her thoughts were at all on him. He laughed at himself for wondering such a stupid thing. Deep down inside, however, he still had hope.
"What's on your mind?" Darien asked, curious to what she would say. Serena held back a gasp and turn her head to face Darien.
"I was just hoping that my wish will come true," Serena said in a low voice. Darien nodded, still curious of what she could possibly have wished for. Serena looked at him, a serious look across her face. "Thanks," Serena said, smiling. Darien looked at her, confused.
"Thanks for what?" Darien asked. He had no idea what she could have possibly been thankful for. Serena's smile widened as she continued looking at him.
"Thanks for keeping me company," Serena said, her face turning serious again. Darien simply smiled and nodded. 'Whoa,' Serena thought. 'What is coming over me? Why aren't I that nervous right now?' Usually, Serena would have been so nervous that she would be unable to even talk. Yet, she felt comfortable next to Darien. 'Maybe it's because he reminds me so much of him,' Serena thought, still trying to come up with a reason for her lack of nervousness.
"So, are you sure you don't mind me staying at your place for a while?" Darien asked, realizing that he never got her opinion on the matter. Serena, hearing his question, was knocked out of her thoughts. She didn't know what to say. The truth was, she couldn't imagine how it would be like with Darien living in her house. Besides her father, she had never been under the same roof with a man for a long period of time.
"I.I don't mind," Serena said, feeling herself get nervous again. Darien smiled, making Serena's nervousness rise. Suddenly, she remembered the kiss from earlier that evening. She swallowed, feeling her palms get sweaty once again. She remembered how close she was to actually kissing him. She felt her heartbeat quicken, as well as her breathing.
"Serena, are you okay?" Darien asked, noticing how she was suddenly behaving. "Serena, talk to me," Darien said, nervous himself. Serena stared at him, her eyes wide. Everything around her seemed to be spinning. She had to get away from him.
"I.I'm sorry," Serena said quickly, standing up. "I.I have to.to go inside." With that, she ran through the front door, leaving Darien outside on the front step, dumbfounded. Quickly, he stood up and went into the house after her.
Serena ran through the dining room and into the bathroom. Everybody who was sitting at the table instantly halted their conversation and looked at her, a mixture of confusion and nervousness across their faces.
"I'll go see if she's okay," Mina said, standing up and running after her. Jill quickly followed her lead and chased after Serena as well. A few seconds later, Darien entered the room. Everyone's attention quickly shifted to him. Serena's father's eyes narrowed as he looked at him, wondering if he did something to hurt his daughter.
Quickly, Elaine stood up and walked over to him, worried. She only hoped that Serena was okay.
"What's wrong?" Elaine asked. Darien simply shook his head. Truthfully, he had no idea what just happened. To him, Serena just ran away for no reason.
"I don't know," Darien said. "We were just out there talking, then out of nowhere, she started acting really strange. Did she come through here by any chance?" Quickly, Elaine's worry went away, and Lita, Amy, and Raye sighed in relief. Elaine knew very well how nervous her daughter could get, and she knew that at times she would panic under certain conditions.
"Don't worry," Elaine said, "she's fine. Just she realized she had something she forgot to do." Elaine was thankful that Darien couldn't see through her lie. She couldn't tell him the truth though. She knew that if she did, it would definitely effect Darien's decision to stay at the house, and she didn't want that.
"Why don't you just sit down and wait for her to come back," Elaine said. Darien took a deep breath and nodded. Still however, he knew that there was something else the matter with her. He decided to let it go for the time being, though. He sat down in his chair, hoping that Serena would be back soon.
Meanwhile, Jill and Mina were outside the bathroom door, gently knocking on it. They were both extremely worried about her, and only hoped that she was okay, and that Darien did nothing to hurt her. If that were the case, he would have to answer to Jill, and she could get extremely scary when angry.
"Open the door," Mina said. "Me and your sister are really worried about you. Come out of there." They got no answer. Jill sighed and knocked on the door again. Still there was no answer.
"Serena, everyone's really worried about you," Jill said. "Just let us come in, please?" After a few seconds, they heard the sound of the door unlocking. The door opened slowly. Mina and Jill both gasped at the sight before them. Serena was standing at the door, tears running down her face, causing her makeup to run along with them.
"Oh Serena," Jill said, tears in her eyes. She quickly wrapped her arms around her sister. She felt so bad for her. She swore right then to make Darien pay for hurting her. Never in Jill's life had she seen Serena so hurt. As a matter of fact, it had been several years since she had seen Serena cry so much. Jill wanted nothing more than to fall to her knees and cry herself, but she had to stay strong for Serena.
"Tell us what happened," Mina said. Serena, however, was sobbing so hard, she didn't even hear what Mina said. Mina swallowed and looked around. "Maybe we should get inside," she said. Jill looked up at her and nodded in agreement.
"Can you get up?" Jill asked Serena. She swallowed her tears and looked up into Jill's eyes. Jill held back a gasp. Serena's usually happy eyes were now filled with sorrow. Slowly, Serena nodded, and Jill smiled at her. Her smile however, was forced. Slowly, Jill stood up, bringing Serena with her. They walked into the bathroom, followed by Mina, who closed and locked the door behind her.
"Now," Mina said gently, walking up to Serena and playing her hand on her friend's shoulder, "tell me what's wrong? Your sisters will make it all better for you." Mina smiled and gave a wink, making Serena laugh through her tears. "Made you laugh," Mina said, laughing herself. Serena laughed again, wiping her face with a tissue.
"It's really stupid," Serena said, forcing a laugh. She knew that she really had no reason to be crying. All she was doing was make people worry about her. Mina smiled reassuringly.
"I doubt that," Mina said. "Just tell us. You know you can trust us." Serena nodded. Mina was right. Serena knew that she could trust her friends and her sister, and she knew they would be on her side no matter what. Serena took a deep breath and nodded.
"Well, I was talking with Darien outside," Serena said. "Everything seemed so perfect. For once in my life, I wasn't nervous at all. I actually thought for a little while that maybe, just maybe, he was the one. I couldn't believe how comfortable I was with him. It was like a dream come true." Mina and Jill nodded. They were indeed surprised at the fact that Serena wasn't nervous at all around him. In all their years knowing Serena, they had never seen her not nervous around a guy whom she liked, except one, but they were both children at the time.
"Then what happened?" Jill asked. She knew that something had to happen to make Serena cry so much. She only hope it wasn't anything too devastating.
"Well," Serena began, "he brought up staying at my house. I just started to get a bit nervous. I mean, I've never LIVED with a guy before, you know? I just got really scared and panicked. Then I started thinking about how during dinner we almost.well I just started panicking. I'm so stupid getting all worked up over such stupid things." Jill smiled. Now she understood Serena's problem.
"I'm so stupid," Serena said with a laugh. "I made everybody really nervous and stuff, and the entire time it was just because I'm nervous. I probably ruined dad's party." A single tear ran down her face as she spoke. "Darien probably thinks I'm some sort of freak," Serena continued. Jill shook her head and smiled. She placed her hands on Serena's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
"That's not true," Jill said. "I'm sure Darien's really worried about you, too. Also, you didn't ruin dad's party at all. If you don't want to ruin it, then go back into the dining room. Everything will be okay. Don't worry about Darien staying here. Just think of it as a good experience. Hey, and you never know, maybe he is the guy for you." Mina nodded in agreement. Serena swallowed and nodded.
"You're right," Serena said, wiping away the rest of her tears. "I'm so sorry for making you guys worry. I'll go back." Jill smiled and took her hands off her shoulders.
"That's the spirit," Mina said, smiling. "But, umm just one thing." Serena looked at her questionably. "Your makeup," Mina said. "It all ran off." Serena gasped, quickly turning around and looking into the mirror.
"I look hideous," Serena said, her other problems suddenly forgotten about. Jill and Mina giggled, both placing one of their hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry," Mina said, "we'll fix you up. Afterwards, you'll go back into there and blow Darien away." Serena's eyes narrowed. She turned to Mina, who faked an innocent look.
"I have no intentions of 'blowing Darien away'," Serena said. Mina and Jill both giggled. Mina reached into her pocketbook and pulled out some makeup.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mina said, gathering her needed materials. "We'll make you look great in no time." Jill nodded in agreement, also reaching into her pocketbook. Elaine, who had been standing outside the bathroom, simply laughed. She was happy to hear that Serena was better now. She only hoped that they were ready before dessert.
Elaine walked back into the kitchen and sat back down next to her husband. Serena's friends and Darien all watched her, their face full of worry.
"Is she okay?" Darien asked urgently. Elaine simply smiled and nodded. Right then, several sighs of relief were heard from around the room. Ever since Serena ran into the bathroom, the room had been full of tension.
"I'm sorry for making you guys wait," said a voice from the other side of the room. Everybody at the table turned their heads as Jill walked into the room. "We just had to fix up a few things," she said. Mina then walked into the room, a large grin across her face. She looked to her friends and winked to them. They all giggled in return. They were happy to see that everything was okay.
Jill and Mina both sat down at the table, and were both instantly bombarded with questions. Soon after, Serena entered the room. Everybody stopped what they were doing and turned to her. She swallowed and forced a smile.
"Sorry to make you guys wait," Serena said. Everybody at the table only smiled in return. Darien however, eyes her suspiciously. He knew hat something had to have happened in the bathroom, and he swore to figure out what. "So, umm.when's dessert?" Serena asked. Right then, the table filled with laughter, causing Serena to blush. Even Darien smiled at the statement.
Serena turned her head, then stopped as her eyes made contact with Darien's. She swallowed, feeling herself get nervous again. She felt as though Darien was staring straight into her soul. Serena took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the table. Once she got to her seat, she pulled out her chair and sat down. Serena looked straight ahead. She knew that if she were to turn to Darien, she would catch his gaze again, and she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.
"Hey, are you okay?" Darien asked. Serena swallowed and turned to him. To her surprise, his staring gaze was gone, and was returned with a look of worry. Serena swallowed and nodded nervously. Darien was not convinced, however. "Are you sure?" Darien asked, already knowing what her answer was going to be.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Serena lied. Darien decided to not bother with it any further. It was obvious that she was hiding something, but it was also obvious that there was little to no chance of her telling him anything. Darien simply nodded, forcing a smile. Serena gave a small smile in return before turning away from him.
Meanwhile, Jill and Mina were all explaining the story to the rest of the girls, who all sighed in relief after hearing why Serena was so upset. Now, everything made total sense.
"Okay guys," said the always-friendly voice of Elaine. Everybody walked out to see Elaine walked into the room, followed by Mrs. Shields, and Jim's wife. They all walked in bearing all different cakes. Serena instantly forgot about her problems as she watched in awe at the site of the cakes being placed on the table. Darien looked at her, a warm smile across his face.
'She's so cute,' Darien said, happy to see her genuinely happy. Even after the short time of him knowing her, he already couldn't imagine her with a large smile on her face. Just the thought of her made his smile widen. After several more trips, the three women finally had all the food out on the table. Across the table there was: Cheese cake, chocolate cake, all different types of cookies, all types of pies, jell-o, and rice pudding, amongst other things.
Serena felt like she was in heaven. She wanted nothing more than to claim all the desserts to herself, and eat them forever. Darien continued watching her, trying to stop himself from kissing her right then and there. She was just too cute.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Elaine asked. "Dig in, guys!" Nobody wasted any time doing just that, especially Serena. On her plate she put a piece of chocolate cake and several cookies, with every intent to get more once she ate it. Darien took a piece of chocolate cake himself, his eyes still focused on Serena, who seemed to be oblivious to the world around her. All she cared about right then was her dessert, and nothing else.
Everybody at the table ate in silence. Serena stole a few glances at Darien as she ate. Darien, who had at last stopped focusing on the girl next to her, still stole a few glances as he ate. Lita, who was watching this, only laughed to herself. She knew that if the two of them would only stop being so shy with each other, they would probably be a couple already.
Darien glanced over at Serena, while at that exact time, she stole a glance at him. Their eyes met once again. Serena swallowed as she stared into his eyes. Darien swallowed as well, as he began moving his face closer to hers. Lita, who was still watching, held back a squeal as she got the attention of the others.
Serena was frozen. She couldn't move, no matter how much she tried. She watched, trembling, as Darien's face slowly inched closer and closer. Soon, they were only inches apart. Serena's friends and Jill all watched in anticipation. They only hoped that nothing would interfere this time around.
Darien swallowed once again, staring into her wide, unblinking eyes. He stopped inching his face forward and simply stared into her eyes. Serena felt her breathing stopped. Once again, she felt like she was in a sort of trance.
"You have something on your face," Darien said, just above a whisper. Serena swallowed as Darien reached forward and wiped a piece of chocolate away with his thumb. "There," he said in his still low voice, "it's gone." Serena nodded quickly, blinking.
"Thanks," Serena whispered, blushing. Her friends, who watched the entire scene, sighed, hearts in their eyes. Jill simply smiled, holding back a giggle. The rest of the night was uneventful. Soon after dessert, everybody began to leave.
The last people to leave were Mr. Shields and his wife, and Serena's friends, who were busy with their own conversations. Usually, they and Serena were unable to be seperated, but that night, they wanted to stay out from between Serena and Darien. Mr. Shields spent most of his time talking about work, and some future projects. Serena found out that Darien actually owned his own newspaper company that was in competition with his father's. She wondered if that fact caused any tension between the two outside of work. She found it strange that the two seemed to get along fine.
Eventually however, even they had to leave. It was now about midnight, and everybody was fairly tired. Elaine and her husband walked with Mr. Shields and his wife to the front door, along with Serena and Darien, who trailed behind. Ever since the incident with the chocolate on Serena's face, her and Darien hadn't spoken much, unless commenting on the food, and work.
"Thanks for everything," Mr. Shields said to Elaine. "The food was excellent, and you have a beautiful family." Elaine smiled sweetly and nodded. Serena grinned, seeing whom Darien got his charm from.
"It was a pleasure having you over," Elaine said, leaning forward and giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You can come by any time," she said, giving him another smile. Mr. Shields then turned to Elaine's husband as Elaine and Mrs. Shields said their goodbyes.
"I was just about to say that I'd see you at work tomorrow," Mr. Shields said, laughing. Ken laughed back, getting the joke. He still couldn't believe that he was finally retired.
"I'll still see you around," Ken said. "You have my number, so give me a call some time. A new gold course just opened a few towns over, and I've only heard god things about it." Mr. Shields nodded, being a big fan of golfing.
"Then I'll give you a call soon," Mr. Shields said. "Be good to that fantastic wife of your, okay?" Ken laughed at his ex-boss's joke. They shook hands before Mr. Shields turned his attention to Serena and Darien. Serena gulped, wondering what he had to say to her. She only hoped that it wasn't work-related.
"You be good too," he said, giving her a friendly smile. "I'll be seeing you in two weeks. Enjoy your time and relax until then." Serena nodded, smiling. Mr. Shields nodded back, then turned to Darien, his jolly face turning serious. "Don't cause any trouble," he said, giving him a piercing look in the eyes. Darien simply nodded, his face equally as serious.
"I'll be seeing you soon, too," Mr. Shields said before turning his attention away from him. Serena's eyes narrowed, feeling the tension between the two. She wondered if they always had such a relationship. Mr. Shields and his wife said their last farewells before walking out the front door. Darien took a deep breath and sighed. Serena turned to him, noticing his tension.
"Are you two always like that?" Serena asked. Darien nodded turning away from the door to face her. He shook his head, pushing his hair back with his hand.
"He's always like that," Darien said, annoyed. "Even when we're outside of work, he still talks to me like I'm his competitor. It just gets really annoying. Sometimes I wished I didn't even own the stupid company." Serena nodded, and decided to change the topic. It was obvious that his father was the last thing Darien wanted to talk about.
"So what time do you usually get to bed?" Serena asked. Darien shrugged. He never really had a certain 'time' that he went to bed.
"Whenever," Darien replied, shrugging his shoulders. Serena nodded, surprised that she suddenly felt comfortable talking to him again. She wondered why there were certain times she could talk to him and other times she couldn't. Deciding she probably wasn't going to figure it out, she shook the thought away.
"Darien," said Elaine, closing the door and turning to him, "I'll show you to your room." Darien smiled and nodded, following Elaine out of the room. Ken gave Serena a knowing smile and followed them. As quickly as they left the room, Serena's friends and Jill came in, all giggling. Hearing them, Serena turned to face them, her eyes narrowed.
"Wow, so how was your night with Darien?" Raye teased. Serena simply rolled her eyes. "You guys had some pretty close calls over there," Raye continued. The others giggled at Raye's comment.
"You guys should mind your own business," Serena said, obviously annoyed at the fact that the girls were watching her the whole time. They only giggled in return, making Serena sigh in defeat. She knew that there was no way from stopping them all when it came to any sort of gossip.
"Well, we're probably gonna call it a night," Lita said. The others nodded in agreement. Serena yawned making the others laugh.
"We definitely have to hang out some time," Mina said. Once again, the others nodded in agreement, including Serena. "But tomorrow I think we'll just leave you to get used to your new housemate," Mina said. The others, besides Serena, giggled. Serena laughed back sarcastically.
"But I guess we'll be seeing you later," Amy, who had been fairly quiet all night said. Serena nodded, and they all joined for a group hug. They stayed in that position for several minutes before breaking it. They all giggled, including Serena.
"Later," they all said simultaneously as they walked out the door. Serena watched as they all walked to Mina's car before closing the door. She sighed and leaned against the door, sliding to the ground. Jill sat down next to her.
"You definitely had a busy night," Jill said. Serena nodded in agreement, her eyes lids feeling heavy on her. Jill simply smiled and stood up. "Come on," Jill said, "it's time for you to get some sleep." Serena mumbled something as Jill grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Slowly, Jill walked Serena up to her room. While walking, Jill was deep in thought over the events that had transpired over the past few hours. Serena barely survived the night. She only hoped that she could survive her whole vacation.
Finally, they made it to Serena's room. She pulled herself away from her sister and walked slowly to her bed before collapsing into it. Jill smiled and picked up a blanket, placing it over her sister. After she was tucked in, Jill knelt down and gave Serena a soft kiss on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Serena," Jill whispered before walking to the door. She turned around and gave Serena one last look before turning off the light and walking out of the room.
Well, the party's over, but the vacation had just begun. Can Serena survive being under the same roof with Darien for two whole weeks? What kind of situations will she get herself into now? We'll begin finding out the answers to these questions and more next time. And remember, please R&R Until then, Ja-ne.