Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed and badgered me into writing more stories. I know I haven't written in a while and I promise that I'll update this story and "She's Back" more often! I needed a break from writing, and now I feel refreshed and ready to start again! Thanks to those who tirelessly badgered and begged me write again. I feel so loved. :) Please review, you all give me inspiration and motivation to write! :)
As you can see, I've changed my name: the other one got old after a while and this is my new one! For those who are new, I use to be Lady Nakosha (and obviously now I'm Lady Amethyst), but I haven't changed my profile yet, so that's where you'll find my other stories right now.
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Little Family Get Together
Chapter Three
Written by Lady Amethyst
Rating: PG-13 -- May change in the future.
===========================
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY
===========================
"So, Serena, where do you live?" Darien asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets and forced himself to not reach out and brush the stray hairs away from her face.
"I live quite a while away from here."
"Exactly...?"
"Planning on coming to my home, Darien?" Serena teased gently.
Darien smiled. That didn't sound so bad... "Um, no. I was just curious."
"Ah, of course."
"So...what do you do for a living?" Darien asked, unable to come up with anything better.
"I've had a variety of jobs." Serena answered quietly, but it seemed as if her voice had somehow magnified around Darien and he was sinking into her sweet, honey voice...
"That's good. What kinds?" Darien said as he kicked a broken branch out of his path.
Serena smiled, causing Darien to lose his footing and stumble a few feet forward as he tried to control and catch his balance. His cheeks heated up to a classic, bright red. Serena laughed good-naturedly. Her laugh was feathery and breathless, yet it was throaty and sexy at the same time. Darien unconsiously smiled, he would smile forever if she would never stop laughing and smiling! "I've worked for lots of architecture development companies-- I designed their drafts, the building models for them, but after a while I got tired of that whole routine." She rolled her eyes. "So I went and started a business with a associate of mine. It was great, for a while, but after a while, things got...tense and intense between us, so he left and I took over the business on my own. And here I am."
"That's not a variety of jobs!" Darien exclaimed. He felt another smile tug at the corners of his mouth as she scowled in an adorable, charming way.
"I know it isn't, Dare." Serena said, oblivious to how Darien smiled despite himself, secretly pleased that she had made up a nickname up for him and how easily and wonderfully it rolled off her tongue. "But to me, those jobs I had were very different. Very different." She added, emphasizing her last words.
Something about the way she said it chilled Darien...the way the light in her eyes dimmed and how her smile slightly faded from her face, as if she was thinking back to something almost...wistfully.
"I overheard you talking to Auntie Lynn about your career." She grinned. "You want to be a doctor?"
"Yeah, I'm studying for my PhD in the medical field."
"How many more years do you have until you graduate?"
"About two left." Darien said. He looked ahead of them and noticed that the trail had disappeared into the large grove of wet sand mixed with dirt.
"What's that?" Darien asked stupidly.
"Last time I checked, it was called a lake. Amazing discovery, isn't it?" Serena said sarcastically.
Darien broke out of his daze. "Well, it's really pretty." He remarked, still entranced by its pure bluish-green color, somehow the same color had been captured and radiated from a pair of eyes beside him...
"I used to come up here a lot when I was younger," Serena murmured as she stepped closer to the edges of the water. "It was really something when the sun set and the sun rays reflected off the surface of the water."
Darien restrained himself from telling her that *she* was something. "Maybe you should look into being a writer, you know, since you describe things so well." Darien suggested as he followed where Serena had stepped and landed by her side.
Serena giggled, causing Mamoru's insides to melt. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not much of a writer."
"Oh how can you say that? You've never even tried it before!"
Serena shrugged listlessly. "Well, it doesn't matter now because I've already got a job and I plan to stick with it until it gets too dull."
"Oh. You don't stay interested in things for very long, do you?" Darien uttered. His breath caught in his throat when she turned her eyes and navy clashed with sky blue. His mind instantly went blank and he couldn't remember what else he was going to say. She stepped closer and traced the chiseled lines of his face.
"If something is worth being intersted in," Serena began as she pushed her hair behind her ears shakily, "then I will stay interested in it for a long time."
God, he's so handsome..., Serena thought hazily as she leaned closer, her lips aching to touch his perfectly shaped ones...her heart was beating against her ribcage and thundering loudly in her ears, she was sure he could feel her heart a million miles away...
Darien could feel himself falling headfirst into her sapphire eyes, he knew he was going to kiss her, and technically this wasn't right, but he couldn't find the will power inside of him to resist her and pull away. It wasn't until now when he realized how much he wanted to kiss her...
Finally after a thousand years, it seemed, their lips touched and a rush of passion and ecstasy pulsed through their blood. He pulled her closer to him and pressed her against the nearest tree in thirsty need, his fingers tangled in her glossy blond tresses and his mouth hungrily searched hers. Her smell played hell on his senses, a mixture of strawberries and vanilla swirled deliciously around him--it only made him want her more.
Reaching beneath her blouse, his hand stroked her bare skin, it was soft as satin and he was sure he never in his life felt anything so silky before--what was she doing to him?
"Darien..." she sighed from beneath his lips, "Darien..." she repeated as if his name was a mantra. His body reacted to her husky, tender voice. It was hoarse with emotion and broke with desire.
With his mouth still on hers and her arms wrapped around his neck, as if she was clinging onto him and he was keeping her from melting into a puddle on the ground, Darien expertly began unbuttoning the top half of her shirt. His fingers accidently grazed the soft flesh of her breast, causing his breath to quicken and desire hit him full force, his manhood hardened beneath the thin fabric of his boxers.
Serena felt him harden and felt warmth pool between her own legs as well. He was so hot! How was he managing to do this to her when no other could? "Please...lets...just..." Serena murmured, trying to get the words out, but her mouth was clamped beneath his and her words slurred together, as if she was drunk with passion and love...
Darien was prepared to tumble into the bushes and do it right there, give himself freely on the spot, but one thing was stopping him, he wondered what on earth was keeping him from making love to such a beautiful and perfect creature that *wanted* him too. What kind of sane man would not take her and--
--Denise. The name hit him brought him crashing back to reality. What was he doing!? He was getting married in less than a few months to this girl's sister!
Reluctantly, he kissed her for a moment longer, and almost lost his resolve, but he broke away. His determination almost broke when he saw the soft look in her eyes and how her lips were swollen and impossibly red from being bruised from his kisses. Her cheeks were flushed a pleasing scarlet red and her top blouse was almost undone, revealing her flawless breasts that slightly hung out.
"What's wrong?" She asked him, her forehead creased with confusion. "Did you not like it? Was is not good--"
She thought she wasn't good enough? Was she that oblivious to her own talent and beauty? "No, no, no, you were absolutely perfect." Darien told her as he squeezed her hand in reassurance. He quickly dropped it, touching her would lead to him getting closer and him getting closer would tempt him...and you could see where this would go. "It's just..." he paused, and finally croaked: "Denise."
Serena's face grew somber. "Oh," she uttered softly. "My sister. You're getting married to her."
"Yeah, I am, last time I checked, anyway." Darien said, almost sadly.
Serena looked up at him sharply. "Do you love my sister? Or am I just some kind of side show...am I just some kind of toy to please your sick, sexual urges?" Hurt formed in her eyes and she looked away, her arms crossed tightly and stiffly over her chest.
Darien studied her for a moment, until he finally realized what she had said. "No! No! Of course not! I--I--wouldn't do THAT to anyone--you have to...oh my..."
"You avoided answering my first question."
Darien gulped. He had been dreading answering this himself, because currently he had no idea what he felt. "Oh yeah? What was the question?"
"Do you love my sister?"
Darien was silent for more than a few minutes. He answered truthfully: "I don't know."
Darien turned his head quickly when a branch snapped behind them. Denise!
"Oh God," Darien muttered as Denise tripped over a branch and ran in the other direction, her sobs reaching Darien's ears, managing to make him feel as if he sunk to the lowest form of life: a super scum bag.
"Denise, wait--I didn't--I--"
Denise didn't slow down; she hurried up the steep hill and vanished inside the backdoors.
Darien's hand dropped to his side uselessly, his heart felt heavy with guilt and misery.
But he hated to admit that it felt heavier at the fact that Serena gave him one last helpless look before she, too, followed Denise inside.
===========================
Denise slammed the door upstairs and buried her face into her pillows, muffling her sobs to some extent. Why was she even surprised at seeing her sister had gotten through Darien and made him fall in love with her?
Why had Denise been so stupid and let her sister meet Darien? Denise had known that her sister wouldn't be able to resist her flirtatious urges and leave Darien's heart alone and let his heart belong to Denise.
Why did Denise have to be burdened with such a sister?
===========================
Serena hurried inside and cursed her luck. Just have it that Serena would meet a great guy and he would once again belong to Denise! Surprise, surprise that Serena would also get one taste of the man and Denise would catch them and again Denise is the poor, innocent victim in the situation!
Serena pounded on the door loudly. "Open the door, Denise."
Serena could hear Denise titter cruelly. "Even when you're the person at fault you can still be bossy and always in control, Serena."
"You know you're making a big deal out of nothing." Serena told her tensely. Serena checked her watch, she was ready to bolt if her sister wouldn't grow up and learn to take a bit of pain once in a while. Serena groaned as memories flooded in her mind. Serena had learned at an early age to learn how to deal with pain and she hadn't had the luxury of having people comfort and coo over her like they did for Denise.
Denise slowly opened the door. As much as she wanted to hate her sister forever; she didn't have a single hateful bone in her body, and the same went for Serena. "Serena," Denise pleaded, "please don't take him from me. I really love him and I think he might feel the same way. We're getting married! Married, Serena! You can't do this to me!" Denise protested. She began crying as she showed Serena the engagement ring on her finger.
"He gave this to me a few weeks before we got the call about the reunion." Denise told her as she fingered the ring. "It was such a romantic night, no guy had ever done what he's done for me."
Denise grasped her sister's hands and looked into her eyes. "Please, Serena, just let me have him for once."
Tears escaped from between her closed eyes and she nodded. Serena cursed her heart! Damn it for falling in love with a taken man! Damn it for getting hopeful that he would chose her over her sister! Damn him for breaking her heart indirectly! Damn her sister for finding him first! "I--I--" Serena stammered, watching as her sister became desperate for Serena's blessing!
"Please, Serena, I am pleading you to--"
Looked like she was going to have to add mending her broken heart and a giant bucket of chocolate ice cream to her list of things to do tonight... "Of course, love. I wouldn't take him away from you if he begged and stripped for me."
Denise laughed and hugged her sister--everything was finally right in the world! "Thank you so much, sweetie. Thank you so much!"
"I'm too nice for my own good sometimes." Serena grumbled good naturally.
"You'll find your perfect guy, Sere." Denise told her sister seriously.
Serena felt tears prick at her eyes. "Not soon enough." Serena whispered before her sister enveloped her again into another hug.
===========================
Begrudgingly, Darien trudged up the hill, he wasn't looking forward to the scene Denise was going to make. And in front of the family, no less.
Pulling the sliding glass doors open, he spotted Denise in the corner having a heated conversation with another family member he couldn't recognize. "Denise, honey." Darien said slowly as he walked up to them. Denise turned towards him and glared at him with steely, cold eyes.
"Darien, *honey*." She said before she excused herself and dragged Darien over to the opposite corner, out of ear shot from any nosy relatives.
"You're the one who proposed to me." Denise told him accusingly. "You're unsure now about your love me after you've met my sweet sister? Usually everyone feels that way, Darien. Welcome to the ex-boyfriend club."
"We're breaking up?" Darien asked incredeously. "But--but--"
Denise frowned. "I don't know. I have to decide. But I'll tell you one thing, Darien." Denise's voice became gentle, "I'm still sure of my feelings towards you: I still love you. But I'm not sure if I want to be in a relationship with someone whose heart is torn between my sister and I."
"I understand." Darien said simply. "Are you...moving out?"
"I don't know."
"Oh."
"I hope we don't break up, Darien." Denise finally spoke. "I really want things to work out between us, but sometimes love is not enough to hold two people together. Especially if the other person isn't sure they don't love their spouse anymore."
Darien nodded mutely. What could he say? She was closer to the truth than he was!
Denise's eyes were large with emotion and glassy with sadness. "I hope this isn't the end of us." She choked out before she walked off in the other direction quickly, leaving him alone to his thoughts.
He caught Serena's glance, but she looked away, her cheeks were a pinkish hue, Darien noticed with a spark of triumph. His heart pulled him to talk to her...but his mind knew better. Never again would he let his body act over his mind! Look where it had gotten him...
Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Denise leaning against the porch railing, alone. On his other side, Serena was standing next to another woman, giggling and laughing as if she had not a single care in the world. They were so alike, yet so different in so many ways...
Looking over at Denise, he sighed. He better go and talk to her...
Stealing one last glance at Serena, Darien decided it was best that it be his last, as well. His relationship with Denise depended on it!
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From the corner of her eye, Serena saw Darien glance helplessly at her before he turned towards the direction and began sauntering towards her. Sadness overwhelmed her heart, she wished that he had chosen her, but she knew better than that...
"...Don't you agree? Isn't that just ridiculous?"
Serena turned quickly towards the voice. "Yes, of course. Unbelievable." Serena said automatically, not missing a beat.
"So...Serena, darling, what do you think of Denise's new boyfriend?"
Serena rose her brows. "And why would it concern me?"
The voice, Aunt Josie, smirked. "Because everything that deals with your sister usually concerns you one way or another."
Serena smiled. "I don't understand exactly what you mean by that, Aunt Joie. Please elabroate on that, will you?"
The woman became uncomfortable and fidgeted with her fingers. She hadn't expected Serena to actually ask her to say more on the subject... "Um, well, I think you know very well what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't."
Aunt Josie hoisted the edges of her floor length dress up and swept in the other direction, whispers of confusion and gossip flew around her. Ah, the beauty of family.
"Oh, I understand." Serena muttered under her breath, "You wanted me to feel stupid and flustered. I think you've forgotten who exactly I am and what happens when people ask me questions like that."
"Feisty one, aren't you?"
Serena spun around and was met by a pair of sparkling, midnight blue eyes. Her heart lept when she thought it was Darien, but it stopped mid leap when she realized he wasn't Darien. "Um...I don't know what you're talking about."
He grinned. "Oh really? Well, I suppose you don't. Seiya (AN: Sorry, I don't know his english name...or is this is the english one?). Seiya Kou. And you are Serena, yes?"
"Yes, I am." Serena said, licking her lips. She wondered if he was single...he didn't have the same handsome features as Darien, but still, he wasn't exactly lacking there either...
"My"--Serena almost groaned when she thought he was going to say he was also taken; what was she? a magnet for taken men?--"mother told me about you. I was finally in town for one of the famous reunions that my father always used to scorn and moan about days before we had to leave."
"Have I met you before?" Serena searched her mind for ever meeting this blue eyed, dark haired man before. The only image that came up was a man (AN: Try Darien...) who resembled him in some ways, but his eyes held more mystery and depth that attracted Serena and pulled her in...
"No, I was adopted into the family at the age of fifteen. I decided never to come to one of these because I was a teenager and of course a teenager will do anything to be against their parent's wishes."
Serena smiled genuinely. Now he was speaking her language! Serena groaned, "Oh, I know. Just ask my parents and they can recount horror story after horror story about my teenage years."
"I bet they can. My parents can also do the same, except I think mine may be worse."
"No way!" Serena argued playfully, "No one can possibly surpass my record of being the worst child on the planet!" Serena was surprised and delighted at the same time to find someone who would distract her from her currently mending heart. He was funny, handsome, and single! Unlike someone she knew who was engaged to her sister. How lucky was she to find him before her boyfriend-clingy sister?
"I think you might have just met your match."
Serena shot him a mischevious smile. "I think I may have too."
===========================
The moment he had heard her say that catty remark under her breath, Seiya had been drawn in like a moth to a flame. She was interesting, she was spunky, intellectual, beautiful, witty, funny, elegant in taste of insults, everything he could hope for in a woman.
She was *most definitely* a woman according to Seiya's standards, and he's been told several times on many occasions how high his standards were and how no one would be able to even come close to them.
She had not only come close, but she had kicked his standards in the balls and flew past them with flying colors. She was amazing and he wanted her more than anything. And Seiya Kou had a reputation of getting everything that he wanted. But Serena didn't seem like the kind of girl who would let him get her easily; she was the hard-to-get kind of gal.
But no matter, Seiya Kou was always up for a good challenge.
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Finished! What do you think? Want more? Want me to stop? Tell me!
As you can see, I've changed my name: the other one got old after a while and this is my new one! For those who are new, I use to be Lady Nakosha (and obviously now I'm Lady Amethyst), but I haven't changed my profile yet, so that's where you'll find my other stories right now.
===========================
Little Family Get Together
Chapter Three
Written by Lady Amethyst
Rating: PG-13 -- May change in the future.
===========================
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY
===========================
"So, Serena, where do you live?" Darien asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets and forced himself to not reach out and brush the stray hairs away from her face.
"I live quite a while away from here."
"Exactly...?"
"Planning on coming to my home, Darien?" Serena teased gently.
Darien smiled. That didn't sound so bad... "Um, no. I was just curious."
"Ah, of course."
"So...what do you do for a living?" Darien asked, unable to come up with anything better.
"I've had a variety of jobs." Serena answered quietly, but it seemed as if her voice had somehow magnified around Darien and he was sinking into her sweet, honey voice...
"That's good. What kinds?" Darien said as he kicked a broken branch out of his path.
Serena smiled, causing Darien to lose his footing and stumble a few feet forward as he tried to control and catch his balance. His cheeks heated up to a classic, bright red. Serena laughed good-naturedly. Her laugh was feathery and breathless, yet it was throaty and sexy at the same time. Darien unconsiously smiled, he would smile forever if she would never stop laughing and smiling! "I've worked for lots of architecture development companies-- I designed their drafts, the building models for them, but after a while I got tired of that whole routine." She rolled her eyes. "So I went and started a business with a associate of mine. It was great, for a while, but after a while, things got...tense and intense between us, so he left and I took over the business on my own. And here I am."
"That's not a variety of jobs!" Darien exclaimed. He felt another smile tug at the corners of his mouth as she scowled in an adorable, charming way.
"I know it isn't, Dare." Serena said, oblivious to how Darien smiled despite himself, secretly pleased that she had made up a nickname up for him and how easily and wonderfully it rolled off her tongue. "But to me, those jobs I had were very different. Very different." She added, emphasizing her last words.
Something about the way she said it chilled Darien...the way the light in her eyes dimmed and how her smile slightly faded from her face, as if she was thinking back to something almost...wistfully.
"I overheard you talking to Auntie Lynn about your career." She grinned. "You want to be a doctor?"
"Yeah, I'm studying for my PhD in the medical field."
"How many more years do you have until you graduate?"
"About two left." Darien said. He looked ahead of them and noticed that the trail had disappeared into the large grove of wet sand mixed with dirt.
"What's that?" Darien asked stupidly.
"Last time I checked, it was called a lake. Amazing discovery, isn't it?" Serena said sarcastically.
Darien broke out of his daze. "Well, it's really pretty." He remarked, still entranced by its pure bluish-green color, somehow the same color had been captured and radiated from a pair of eyes beside him...
"I used to come up here a lot when I was younger," Serena murmured as she stepped closer to the edges of the water. "It was really something when the sun set and the sun rays reflected off the surface of the water."
Darien restrained himself from telling her that *she* was something. "Maybe you should look into being a writer, you know, since you describe things so well." Darien suggested as he followed where Serena had stepped and landed by her side.
Serena giggled, causing Mamoru's insides to melt. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not much of a writer."
"Oh how can you say that? You've never even tried it before!"
Serena shrugged listlessly. "Well, it doesn't matter now because I've already got a job and I plan to stick with it until it gets too dull."
"Oh. You don't stay interested in things for very long, do you?" Darien uttered. His breath caught in his throat when she turned her eyes and navy clashed with sky blue. His mind instantly went blank and he couldn't remember what else he was going to say. She stepped closer and traced the chiseled lines of his face.
"If something is worth being intersted in," Serena began as she pushed her hair behind her ears shakily, "then I will stay interested in it for a long time."
God, he's so handsome..., Serena thought hazily as she leaned closer, her lips aching to touch his perfectly shaped ones...her heart was beating against her ribcage and thundering loudly in her ears, she was sure he could feel her heart a million miles away...
Darien could feel himself falling headfirst into her sapphire eyes, he knew he was going to kiss her, and technically this wasn't right, but he couldn't find the will power inside of him to resist her and pull away. It wasn't until now when he realized how much he wanted to kiss her...
Finally after a thousand years, it seemed, their lips touched and a rush of passion and ecstasy pulsed through their blood. He pulled her closer to him and pressed her against the nearest tree in thirsty need, his fingers tangled in her glossy blond tresses and his mouth hungrily searched hers. Her smell played hell on his senses, a mixture of strawberries and vanilla swirled deliciously around him--it only made him want her more.
Reaching beneath her blouse, his hand stroked her bare skin, it was soft as satin and he was sure he never in his life felt anything so silky before--what was she doing to him?
"Darien..." she sighed from beneath his lips, "Darien..." she repeated as if his name was a mantra. His body reacted to her husky, tender voice. It was hoarse with emotion and broke with desire.
With his mouth still on hers and her arms wrapped around his neck, as if she was clinging onto him and he was keeping her from melting into a puddle on the ground, Darien expertly began unbuttoning the top half of her shirt. His fingers accidently grazed the soft flesh of her breast, causing his breath to quicken and desire hit him full force, his manhood hardened beneath the thin fabric of his boxers.
Serena felt him harden and felt warmth pool between her own legs as well. He was so hot! How was he managing to do this to her when no other could? "Please...lets...just..." Serena murmured, trying to get the words out, but her mouth was clamped beneath his and her words slurred together, as if she was drunk with passion and love...
Darien was prepared to tumble into the bushes and do it right there, give himself freely on the spot, but one thing was stopping him, he wondered what on earth was keeping him from making love to such a beautiful and perfect creature that *wanted* him too. What kind of sane man would not take her and--
--Denise. The name hit him brought him crashing back to reality. What was he doing!? He was getting married in less than a few months to this girl's sister!
Reluctantly, he kissed her for a moment longer, and almost lost his resolve, but he broke away. His determination almost broke when he saw the soft look in her eyes and how her lips were swollen and impossibly red from being bruised from his kisses. Her cheeks were flushed a pleasing scarlet red and her top blouse was almost undone, revealing her flawless breasts that slightly hung out.
"What's wrong?" She asked him, her forehead creased with confusion. "Did you not like it? Was is not good--"
She thought she wasn't good enough? Was she that oblivious to her own talent and beauty? "No, no, no, you were absolutely perfect." Darien told her as he squeezed her hand in reassurance. He quickly dropped it, touching her would lead to him getting closer and him getting closer would tempt him...and you could see where this would go. "It's just..." he paused, and finally croaked: "Denise."
Serena's face grew somber. "Oh," she uttered softly. "My sister. You're getting married to her."
"Yeah, I am, last time I checked, anyway." Darien said, almost sadly.
Serena looked up at him sharply. "Do you love my sister? Or am I just some kind of side show...am I just some kind of toy to please your sick, sexual urges?" Hurt formed in her eyes and she looked away, her arms crossed tightly and stiffly over her chest.
Darien studied her for a moment, until he finally realized what she had said. "No! No! Of course not! I--I--wouldn't do THAT to anyone--you have to...oh my..."
"You avoided answering my first question."
Darien gulped. He had been dreading answering this himself, because currently he had no idea what he felt. "Oh yeah? What was the question?"
"Do you love my sister?"
Darien was silent for more than a few minutes. He answered truthfully: "I don't know."
Darien turned his head quickly when a branch snapped behind them. Denise!
"Oh God," Darien muttered as Denise tripped over a branch and ran in the other direction, her sobs reaching Darien's ears, managing to make him feel as if he sunk to the lowest form of life: a super scum bag.
"Denise, wait--I didn't--I--"
Denise didn't slow down; she hurried up the steep hill and vanished inside the backdoors.
Darien's hand dropped to his side uselessly, his heart felt heavy with guilt and misery.
But he hated to admit that it felt heavier at the fact that Serena gave him one last helpless look before she, too, followed Denise inside.
===========================
Denise slammed the door upstairs and buried her face into her pillows, muffling her sobs to some extent. Why was she even surprised at seeing her sister had gotten through Darien and made him fall in love with her?
Why had Denise been so stupid and let her sister meet Darien? Denise had known that her sister wouldn't be able to resist her flirtatious urges and leave Darien's heart alone and let his heart belong to Denise.
Why did Denise have to be burdened with such a sister?
===========================
Serena hurried inside and cursed her luck. Just have it that Serena would meet a great guy and he would once again belong to Denise! Surprise, surprise that Serena would also get one taste of the man and Denise would catch them and again Denise is the poor, innocent victim in the situation!
Serena pounded on the door loudly. "Open the door, Denise."
Serena could hear Denise titter cruelly. "Even when you're the person at fault you can still be bossy and always in control, Serena."
"You know you're making a big deal out of nothing." Serena told her tensely. Serena checked her watch, she was ready to bolt if her sister wouldn't grow up and learn to take a bit of pain once in a while. Serena groaned as memories flooded in her mind. Serena had learned at an early age to learn how to deal with pain and she hadn't had the luxury of having people comfort and coo over her like they did for Denise.
Denise slowly opened the door. As much as she wanted to hate her sister forever; she didn't have a single hateful bone in her body, and the same went for Serena. "Serena," Denise pleaded, "please don't take him from me. I really love him and I think he might feel the same way. We're getting married! Married, Serena! You can't do this to me!" Denise protested. She began crying as she showed Serena the engagement ring on her finger.
"He gave this to me a few weeks before we got the call about the reunion." Denise told her as she fingered the ring. "It was such a romantic night, no guy had ever done what he's done for me."
Denise grasped her sister's hands and looked into her eyes. "Please, Serena, just let me have him for once."
Tears escaped from between her closed eyes and she nodded. Serena cursed her heart! Damn it for falling in love with a taken man! Damn it for getting hopeful that he would chose her over her sister! Damn him for breaking her heart indirectly! Damn her sister for finding him first! "I--I--" Serena stammered, watching as her sister became desperate for Serena's blessing!
"Please, Serena, I am pleading you to--"
Looked like she was going to have to add mending her broken heart and a giant bucket of chocolate ice cream to her list of things to do tonight... "Of course, love. I wouldn't take him away from you if he begged and stripped for me."
Denise laughed and hugged her sister--everything was finally right in the world! "Thank you so much, sweetie. Thank you so much!"
"I'm too nice for my own good sometimes." Serena grumbled good naturally.
"You'll find your perfect guy, Sere." Denise told her sister seriously.
Serena felt tears prick at her eyes. "Not soon enough." Serena whispered before her sister enveloped her again into another hug.
===========================
Begrudgingly, Darien trudged up the hill, he wasn't looking forward to the scene Denise was going to make. And in front of the family, no less.
Pulling the sliding glass doors open, he spotted Denise in the corner having a heated conversation with another family member he couldn't recognize. "Denise, honey." Darien said slowly as he walked up to them. Denise turned towards him and glared at him with steely, cold eyes.
"Darien, *honey*." She said before she excused herself and dragged Darien over to the opposite corner, out of ear shot from any nosy relatives.
"You're the one who proposed to me." Denise told him accusingly. "You're unsure now about your love me after you've met my sweet sister? Usually everyone feels that way, Darien. Welcome to the ex-boyfriend club."
"We're breaking up?" Darien asked incredeously. "But--but--"
Denise frowned. "I don't know. I have to decide. But I'll tell you one thing, Darien." Denise's voice became gentle, "I'm still sure of my feelings towards you: I still love you. But I'm not sure if I want to be in a relationship with someone whose heart is torn between my sister and I."
"I understand." Darien said simply. "Are you...moving out?"
"I don't know."
"Oh."
"I hope we don't break up, Darien." Denise finally spoke. "I really want things to work out between us, but sometimes love is not enough to hold two people together. Especially if the other person isn't sure they don't love their spouse anymore."
Darien nodded mutely. What could he say? She was closer to the truth than he was!
Denise's eyes were large with emotion and glassy with sadness. "I hope this isn't the end of us." She choked out before she walked off in the other direction quickly, leaving him alone to his thoughts.
He caught Serena's glance, but she looked away, her cheeks were a pinkish hue, Darien noticed with a spark of triumph. His heart pulled him to talk to her...but his mind knew better. Never again would he let his body act over his mind! Look where it had gotten him...
Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Denise leaning against the porch railing, alone. On his other side, Serena was standing next to another woman, giggling and laughing as if she had not a single care in the world. They were so alike, yet so different in so many ways...
Looking over at Denise, he sighed. He better go and talk to her...
Stealing one last glance at Serena, Darien decided it was best that it be his last, as well. His relationship with Denise depended on it!
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From the corner of her eye, Serena saw Darien glance helplessly at her before he turned towards the direction and began sauntering towards her. Sadness overwhelmed her heart, she wished that he had chosen her, but she knew better than that...
"...Don't you agree? Isn't that just ridiculous?"
Serena turned quickly towards the voice. "Yes, of course. Unbelievable." Serena said automatically, not missing a beat.
"So...Serena, darling, what do you think of Denise's new boyfriend?"
Serena rose her brows. "And why would it concern me?"
The voice, Aunt Josie, smirked. "Because everything that deals with your sister usually concerns you one way or another."
Serena smiled. "I don't understand exactly what you mean by that, Aunt Joie. Please elabroate on that, will you?"
The woman became uncomfortable and fidgeted with her fingers. She hadn't expected Serena to actually ask her to say more on the subject... "Um, well, I think you know very well what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't."
Aunt Josie hoisted the edges of her floor length dress up and swept in the other direction, whispers of confusion and gossip flew around her. Ah, the beauty of family.
"Oh, I understand." Serena muttered under her breath, "You wanted me to feel stupid and flustered. I think you've forgotten who exactly I am and what happens when people ask me questions like that."
"Feisty one, aren't you?"
Serena spun around and was met by a pair of sparkling, midnight blue eyes. Her heart lept when she thought it was Darien, but it stopped mid leap when she realized he wasn't Darien. "Um...I don't know what you're talking about."
He grinned. "Oh really? Well, I suppose you don't. Seiya (AN: Sorry, I don't know his english name...or is this is the english one?). Seiya Kou. And you are Serena, yes?"
"Yes, I am." Serena said, licking her lips. She wondered if he was single...he didn't have the same handsome features as Darien, but still, he wasn't exactly lacking there either...
"My"--Serena almost groaned when she thought he was going to say he was also taken; what was she? a magnet for taken men?--"mother told me about you. I was finally in town for one of the famous reunions that my father always used to scorn and moan about days before we had to leave."
"Have I met you before?" Serena searched her mind for ever meeting this blue eyed, dark haired man before. The only image that came up was a man (AN: Try Darien...) who resembled him in some ways, but his eyes held more mystery and depth that attracted Serena and pulled her in...
"No, I was adopted into the family at the age of fifteen. I decided never to come to one of these because I was a teenager and of course a teenager will do anything to be against their parent's wishes."
Serena smiled genuinely. Now he was speaking her language! Serena groaned, "Oh, I know. Just ask my parents and they can recount horror story after horror story about my teenage years."
"I bet they can. My parents can also do the same, except I think mine may be worse."
"No way!" Serena argued playfully, "No one can possibly surpass my record of being the worst child on the planet!" Serena was surprised and delighted at the same time to find someone who would distract her from her currently mending heart. He was funny, handsome, and single! Unlike someone she knew who was engaged to her sister. How lucky was she to find him before her boyfriend-clingy sister?
"I think you might have just met your match."
Serena shot him a mischevious smile. "I think I may have too."
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The moment he had heard her say that catty remark under her breath, Seiya had been drawn in like a moth to a flame. She was interesting, she was spunky, intellectual, beautiful, witty, funny, elegant in taste of insults, everything he could hope for in a woman.
She was *most definitely* a woman according to Seiya's standards, and he's been told several times on many occasions how high his standards were and how no one would be able to even come close to them.
She had not only come close, but she had kicked his standards in the balls and flew past them with flying colors. She was amazing and he wanted her more than anything. And Seiya Kou had a reputation of getting everything that he wanted. But Serena didn't seem like the kind of girl who would let him get her easily; she was the hard-to-get kind of gal.
But no matter, Seiya Kou was always up for a good challenge.
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Finished! What do you think? Want more? Want me to stop? Tell me!
