Noise. Excitement. Flashing lights. The New York City Night Life. The
limo pulled up to the restaurant doors and stopped. Not waiting for the
driver, Serenity opened the door and got out, Mina following. Seeing the
reactions of the crowd waiting to welcome them to the restaurant, Mina
grinned. Yup, Serenity had done it again. Her dress was bright blue and was
nothing if not short and noticeable.
Seeing their fans, Serenity and Mina stopped for a few minutes to sign autographs. It was something they liked to do because it ensured that people stayed interested in them by following where they went. Fans also responded warmly to a few minutes of attention from the sisters. Michael hated it. Another perk. Speaking of Michael...
"There you are, and almost on time! Why don't we go inside now."
Serenity grinned. He was nothing if not subtle. "All right, just a minute!" Finishing her trademark signature, she nodded towards Mina and the two girls headed for the door. She had thought about taking her sweet time, just to tick off Michael, but he'd glared at her right as the thought had entered her head. It was as though he had read her mind. Whoa. Creepy. 'Don't go there,' she told herself quickly.
She looked up to see a hand waving in front of her face. Behind the hand was Mina, giving her a really weird look. Serenity blinked and followed her sister through the restaurant's double doors, trying to ignore Mina's unsuppressed giggles.
Following the waiter, Mina and Serenity threaded gracefully through the tables as they looked for the people they were going to meet. As they neared the seats by the window, a tall man stood up and nodded. His hair was so pale it was almost white and it hung straight, just past his shoulders. His eyes gleamed a steal blue and held a raw energy that commanded the attention of everyone around him. Seeing Serenity, he took her hand in his and brought her to him in a tight embrace. He then sat down in his seat and she pulled out the chair next to him.
Across the table, a tall blonde man with lively green eyes had pulled out a set for Mina, who gracefully accepted, then sat down in his own. The young man then looked around the table, trying to think of an icebreaker that would distract Diamond and Serenity from their own little world. He uncomfortable cleared his throat. Nothing doing. It would take an atomic blast to keep those two from laughing and talking quietly together, to the exclusion of those around them. Andrew smiled. As much as Mina detested the guy, it was obvious that Serenity loved him and was very much looking forward to getting married next week.
Andrew glanced around. With the exception of Diamond and Serenity, there was a fairly heavy silence hanging over the table. It was Mina who decided to break the ice. "Serenity," she tapped her enraptured sister's shoulder, "Serenity." As her sister looked up, Mina continued, "Can you help refresh my memory, I haven't been here in a while. What dishes can you recommend?"
Serenity blinked. 'That little devil,' she thought, 'she knows that I can stand neither to eat nor to pronounce French food and the only reason she hasn't been here in a while is because I haven't been here in a while.' Out loud she said, "I haven't been here in a while myself. What would you suggest, hon?" She smiled at Diamond and squeezed his hand.
He smiled back and was about to comment when he looked up and noticed the waiter. "Is there anything I can help you with?" the waiter asked, looking around the table.
Serenity nodded. "Can you serve me some white wine, please?" She saw Mina looking at her and added, "Make that two." While the waiter asked everyone's orders, Serenity took the napkin ring and started fiddling with it in her lap. She found out that if she hit it the right way, it made a soft noise exactly in tune with the note F. Hitting it again, she smiled. The song she had written for their wedding was in the key of F. As she was about to hit it a third time, a strong hand gripped hers and pulled the napkin ring from her fingers. Serenity looked up as Diamond set the ring on the table. She smiled. "Did you know that if you hit that the right way, it plays the note F?" Diamond scowled. "No, I didn't know that," he said through gritted teeth, "and I would appreciate it if you refrained from finding that out in the future."
Serenity appeared hurt, but simply looked down and said, "I'll stop if it bothers you." She looked down again as Diamond nodded and she began nervously twisting her engagement ring around her finger. She knew that this, too, probably irritated Diamond but she continued. She was far too nervous to stop and at least this way, she didn't make noise.
Mina, who had been watching the whole time, glared. She hated to see Serenity being walked upon as though she were a doormat. The worst was that if she tried to do anything about it, Serenity would only get mad at her. 'What does she see in him anyways?' she wondered. Sure, he had been nice at first but Mina had seen through him after two weeks. Sere still hadn't noticed and it had been two years. 'Why hasn't he moved on yet? It's obvious he doesn't care about her, why doesn't he just find someone else?' Mina knew the answer to that, too. Diamond just loved breaking girl's hearts and Serenity was next on the list. It was rather sadistic, really. I mean, it's one thing to act it out in a movie or sing about it in a song, but it's completely another to carry that over into real life. It may be just a game to him, but Serenity was truly in love. Diamond was the first person that Serenity had sincerely cared for in that way since...
Andrew gently squeezed Mina's hand. "Hey... are you okay?" Hearing the concern in his voice, Mina looked up. She wanted to say she was fine but she knew he'd see past the lie in her voice to the truth in her eyes. "Not really, I'll tell you about it later."
Andrew nodded, his thankfulness for her honesty and trust was shining in his smile. Mina gave a tiny grin back. She'd been dating Andrew for 4 years now and each day only caused her to love him more. His passion for music matched and sometimes even exceeded her won and he cared to Serenity at least as much as he did for his own little sister. He'd actually dated Serenity for a while, but when he met Mina, it had been love at first sight for both of them. Serenity had still been going out with him when they'd met, but she had broken up with him at once. Though it hadn't been an easy thing for her to do, she had done it anyway. She'd seen how Andrew had looked at Mina and vice versa, but both of them had cared too much about Serenity to act on their feelings. The night that they'd met, Serenity asked Andrew to drop Mina off early, as soon as the dinner was over. She'd then taken Andrew to the park a few blocks down from her old apartment and had a long talk with him about his feeling for her and Mina. When Serenity got back home, she had the same talk with Mina. Serenity had seen immediately that the feelings that Andrew and Mina shared wouldn't just go away. She knew after talking to Andrew that his feelings for her paled in comparison to how he felt about Mina, even after just one night. Serenity also saw the look in Mina's eyes every time she'd looked at Andrew, and how badly she tried to hide it.
Serenity had locked herself in her room for most of the night, and Mina even thought she heard crying. Yet when morning came, Serenity's eyes were dry and she even acted cheerful. She called Andrew immediately and broken up with him but asked him to come over so the three of them could talk.
When he got there, she'd told both of them that she wanted nothing more than for Andrew to date her sister and the two of them to be happy. However, they might want to wait for a little while before they went public so that the image of all three could be preserved.
They had waited a month to start 'officially' dating, to let Serenity and Andrew's break up sink in, but even so the world had been shocked. The press had tried for a while to create tension and turmoil between the two sisters but they soon gave up. Every time they'd asked Serenity how she felt about her sister 'stealing' her ex-boyfriend, she'd simply smiled and said, "My two best friends in the world are dating and they're in love. What could make me happier than that?" With such a positive response, the media had soon died down, especially when Andrew and Mina showed no sign of breaking up any time soon. Now it was a well-known and accepted fact that they were together and many people would be more surprised if they broke up than if they got married.
"Mina! Andrew!" Diamond spoke harshly, looking annoyed, "the food is here!" Andrew and Mina had been staring into each other's eyes for the past 15 minutes or so. Sensing the barely concealed rage beneath Diamond's gaze, Mina looked over to where serenity was sitting, still staring timidly at her lap. As the waiter set her food down, Serenity looked meekly up, and gave a small smile of thanks.
Reaching over to get her fork, Serenity felt a cold hand cover hers. "Just try to get through tonight," Diamond whispered in her ear. She nodded and looked up to see Michael, who was pointedly looking anywhere but at them. Feeling Mina's searching stare, she glanced down again at her food. She grimaced as she saw what it was. "Urg! Fish eggs. How do people live like this?" she asked under her breath.
"Serenity," hissed that voice in her ear, "Can you at least pretend like you appreciate the food?"
Serenity stopped grimacing and looked blankly ahead, concealing any emotion from her face. 'How do people live like this?' she thought to herself miserably.
Seeing their fans, Serenity and Mina stopped for a few minutes to sign autographs. It was something they liked to do because it ensured that people stayed interested in them by following where they went. Fans also responded warmly to a few minutes of attention from the sisters. Michael hated it. Another perk. Speaking of Michael...
"There you are, and almost on time! Why don't we go inside now."
Serenity grinned. He was nothing if not subtle. "All right, just a minute!" Finishing her trademark signature, she nodded towards Mina and the two girls headed for the door. She had thought about taking her sweet time, just to tick off Michael, but he'd glared at her right as the thought had entered her head. It was as though he had read her mind. Whoa. Creepy. 'Don't go there,' she told herself quickly.
She looked up to see a hand waving in front of her face. Behind the hand was Mina, giving her a really weird look. Serenity blinked and followed her sister through the restaurant's double doors, trying to ignore Mina's unsuppressed giggles.
Following the waiter, Mina and Serenity threaded gracefully through the tables as they looked for the people they were going to meet. As they neared the seats by the window, a tall man stood up and nodded. His hair was so pale it was almost white and it hung straight, just past his shoulders. His eyes gleamed a steal blue and held a raw energy that commanded the attention of everyone around him. Seeing Serenity, he took her hand in his and brought her to him in a tight embrace. He then sat down in his seat and she pulled out the chair next to him.
Across the table, a tall blonde man with lively green eyes had pulled out a set for Mina, who gracefully accepted, then sat down in his own. The young man then looked around the table, trying to think of an icebreaker that would distract Diamond and Serenity from their own little world. He uncomfortable cleared his throat. Nothing doing. It would take an atomic blast to keep those two from laughing and talking quietly together, to the exclusion of those around them. Andrew smiled. As much as Mina detested the guy, it was obvious that Serenity loved him and was very much looking forward to getting married next week.
Andrew glanced around. With the exception of Diamond and Serenity, there was a fairly heavy silence hanging over the table. It was Mina who decided to break the ice. "Serenity," she tapped her enraptured sister's shoulder, "Serenity." As her sister looked up, Mina continued, "Can you help refresh my memory, I haven't been here in a while. What dishes can you recommend?"
Serenity blinked. 'That little devil,' she thought, 'she knows that I can stand neither to eat nor to pronounce French food and the only reason she hasn't been here in a while is because I haven't been here in a while.' Out loud she said, "I haven't been here in a while myself. What would you suggest, hon?" She smiled at Diamond and squeezed his hand.
He smiled back and was about to comment when he looked up and noticed the waiter. "Is there anything I can help you with?" the waiter asked, looking around the table.
Serenity nodded. "Can you serve me some white wine, please?" She saw Mina looking at her and added, "Make that two." While the waiter asked everyone's orders, Serenity took the napkin ring and started fiddling with it in her lap. She found out that if she hit it the right way, it made a soft noise exactly in tune with the note F. Hitting it again, she smiled. The song she had written for their wedding was in the key of F. As she was about to hit it a third time, a strong hand gripped hers and pulled the napkin ring from her fingers. Serenity looked up as Diamond set the ring on the table. She smiled. "Did you know that if you hit that the right way, it plays the note F?" Diamond scowled. "No, I didn't know that," he said through gritted teeth, "and I would appreciate it if you refrained from finding that out in the future."
Serenity appeared hurt, but simply looked down and said, "I'll stop if it bothers you." She looked down again as Diamond nodded and she began nervously twisting her engagement ring around her finger. She knew that this, too, probably irritated Diamond but she continued. She was far too nervous to stop and at least this way, she didn't make noise.
Mina, who had been watching the whole time, glared. She hated to see Serenity being walked upon as though she were a doormat. The worst was that if she tried to do anything about it, Serenity would only get mad at her. 'What does she see in him anyways?' she wondered. Sure, he had been nice at first but Mina had seen through him after two weeks. Sere still hadn't noticed and it had been two years. 'Why hasn't he moved on yet? It's obvious he doesn't care about her, why doesn't he just find someone else?' Mina knew the answer to that, too. Diamond just loved breaking girl's hearts and Serenity was next on the list. It was rather sadistic, really. I mean, it's one thing to act it out in a movie or sing about it in a song, but it's completely another to carry that over into real life. It may be just a game to him, but Serenity was truly in love. Diamond was the first person that Serenity had sincerely cared for in that way since...
Andrew gently squeezed Mina's hand. "Hey... are you okay?" Hearing the concern in his voice, Mina looked up. She wanted to say she was fine but she knew he'd see past the lie in her voice to the truth in her eyes. "Not really, I'll tell you about it later."
Andrew nodded, his thankfulness for her honesty and trust was shining in his smile. Mina gave a tiny grin back. She'd been dating Andrew for 4 years now and each day only caused her to love him more. His passion for music matched and sometimes even exceeded her won and he cared to Serenity at least as much as he did for his own little sister. He'd actually dated Serenity for a while, but when he met Mina, it had been love at first sight for both of them. Serenity had still been going out with him when they'd met, but she had broken up with him at once. Though it hadn't been an easy thing for her to do, she had done it anyway. She'd seen how Andrew had looked at Mina and vice versa, but both of them had cared too much about Serenity to act on their feelings. The night that they'd met, Serenity asked Andrew to drop Mina off early, as soon as the dinner was over. She'd then taken Andrew to the park a few blocks down from her old apartment and had a long talk with him about his feeling for her and Mina. When Serenity got back home, she had the same talk with Mina. Serenity had seen immediately that the feelings that Andrew and Mina shared wouldn't just go away. She knew after talking to Andrew that his feelings for her paled in comparison to how he felt about Mina, even after just one night. Serenity also saw the look in Mina's eyes every time she'd looked at Andrew, and how badly she tried to hide it.
Serenity had locked herself in her room for most of the night, and Mina even thought she heard crying. Yet when morning came, Serenity's eyes were dry and she even acted cheerful. She called Andrew immediately and broken up with him but asked him to come over so the three of them could talk.
When he got there, she'd told both of them that she wanted nothing more than for Andrew to date her sister and the two of them to be happy. However, they might want to wait for a little while before they went public so that the image of all three could be preserved.
They had waited a month to start 'officially' dating, to let Serenity and Andrew's break up sink in, but even so the world had been shocked. The press had tried for a while to create tension and turmoil between the two sisters but they soon gave up. Every time they'd asked Serenity how she felt about her sister 'stealing' her ex-boyfriend, she'd simply smiled and said, "My two best friends in the world are dating and they're in love. What could make me happier than that?" With such a positive response, the media had soon died down, especially when Andrew and Mina showed no sign of breaking up any time soon. Now it was a well-known and accepted fact that they were together and many people would be more surprised if they broke up than if they got married.
"Mina! Andrew!" Diamond spoke harshly, looking annoyed, "the food is here!" Andrew and Mina had been staring into each other's eyes for the past 15 minutes or so. Sensing the barely concealed rage beneath Diamond's gaze, Mina looked over to where serenity was sitting, still staring timidly at her lap. As the waiter set her food down, Serenity looked meekly up, and gave a small smile of thanks.
Reaching over to get her fork, Serenity felt a cold hand cover hers. "Just try to get through tonight," Diamond whispered in her ear. She nodded and looked up to see Michael, who was pointedly looking anywhere but at them. Feeling Mina's searching stare, she glanced down again at her food. She grimaced as she saw what it was. "Urg! Fish eggs. How do people live like this?" she asked under her breath.
"Serenity," hissed that voice in her ear, "Can you at least pretend like you appreciate the food?"
Serenity stopped grimacing and looked blankly ahead, concealing any emotion from her face. 'How do people live like this?' she thought to herself miserably.