A.N: Thanks for the review guys! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. And yes, Serena's daddy will be a little overprotective. We'll see how that plays later on.
I'm gonna say Raye's eyes are gray. How about that? Is that cool with everyone? I mean.. I looked at her picture on google and everything, but I still can't tell! Some pictures her eyes are black, in some her eyes are gray, and in others, her eyes are violet. So I'll just pick gray. Unless someone really does know the 'real' color of her eye.
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Chapter 21: Carriages and Canals
The two couples, Darien and Serena, and Raye and Andrew, went to a sushi bar downtown called the Tokyo Bar. It had a Chinese setting to it, little lanterns floated from the ceiling, all dimly lit. The tables were low on the ground, and they had little cushions that you kneeled on.
A Chinese waitress came towards them. "Welcome to the Tokyo Bar! Seating for four?"
Darien nodded, the waitress led them to a table.
"Here are your menu's. What would you like to drink?" the waitress asked, holding out a small notepad.
Serena was the first to answer. "I'd like a Pepsi."
Darien ordered Coke, Andrew ordered Dr. Pepper, and Raye also ordered a Dr. Pepper.
The two couples sat down next to each other, smiling.
"Sushi, I love Sushi," Raye said, opening up the menu.
"Me too, I like the hot California rolls," Andrew said as he looked down at the menu.
Serena smiled at the two of them. They are too cute, she kept thinking. Darien gently elbowed her, and looked down at the menu. Serena frowned at him, and then smiled. She picked up her menu and looked at the platters. There were a lot!
Everyone decided on 2 different platters. Each had two or three samples of each kind of sushi.
When the platter was delivered, it came in a platter shaped like a boat.
"Oh, how adorable!" Raye squealed excitedly. Andrew smiled at her, picking up his chopsticks.
"Mmmm let's eat!" Serena said, picking up a sushi and dipping it in her soy sauce.
As everyone ate, they talked and got to know each other a little more.
"So where do you live Raye?" Andrew asked as he stuffed some Sushi in his mouth, looking towards her.
"I live close by the University actually. I live with my parents," Raye answered, looking back towards Andrew.
Andrew nodded. "I live here as well, but it's about an hour drive from the University."
As Andrew and Raye talked, Serena leaned in towards Darien.
"Do you think Andrew likes her?" she whispered conspicuously.
Darien looked down at Serena's sparkling eyes, smiling. "Yes, he likes her," Darien nodded.
"How can you tell?" Serena asked, looking back towards Andrew.
"He's my best friend, I can tell," Darien said dipping another sushi in soy sauce.
"Thanks for getting him to do this," Serena said, laying down her chopsticks.
"You're welcome. I practically forced him too. He wasn't all that excited until he saw Raye," Darien said, looking at his best friend, who was in deep conversation with Raye at the time.
Serena looked at Raye. Raye was genuinely smiling and laughing. She looked happy. "You know, she got out of a long relationship. Her guy of three years cheated on her," Serena said, looking kind of sad.
"Oh, I didn't know that," Darien said, taking a drink.
"Yeah. If they don't go out, at least she'll have a new friend," Serena said, smiling.
Darien looked at Serena. "You have a good heart, Serena," he whispered.
Serena looked up at him, smiling softly. He looked so cute. She wanted to kiss him right then and there, but she couldn't. So instead, she grabbed his hand, and entwined her fingers through his. Darien stroked the backside of Serena's hand with his thumb, smiling at her.
Andrew suddenly turned his head towards Darien, and grinned at him. "Are we ready for dessert, or should we go to the second part of our date?"
"We could go now, and we'll just get dessert while we walk around. There are little stands everywhere," Serena pointed out.
Andrew nodded. "Good idea, let's go." Andrew stood up, and held out his hand to help Raye. She smiled up at him and took his hand, Andrew pulling her up. She lost her balance when he pulled her up, and stumbled into Andrew. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling, and she wrapped her arm around him as well. Her face was pressed against his chest. "Whoa, you alright?"
Raye blushed, and immediately parted from him, looking at the ground shyly. "Yeah. Thanks," she said quietly.
Andrew grinned, looking at her face. "Anytime at all," he said. His comment made Raye blush even more.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Darien asked, looking at Andrew.
"Well, I was thinking we'd split up with our date and walk around for awhile and just meet back at your car in like an hour or so," Andrew said, sticking his hands in his pocket.
Darien nodded," Alrighty then. See you in about an hour. I'll just call you or something," Darien said, grabbing Serena's hand. "And I'll pay our bill," he added.
Darien led Serena off to the resgister.
Andrew glanced at Raye, who was looking a little afraid. "So, do you want to go?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yes, let's go," she said, looking up at him, smiling.
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Darien walked hand in hand with Serena downtown. The lights outside were gorgeous. It was somewhat chilly outside, so Serena walked close to Darien, enjoying the autumn night.
"I love it when I get to be with you," Serena said, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked.
"Good, so do I," Darien said, smiling down at Serena.
"I told my dad that you agreed to come over for Thanksgiving," Serena said, looking up at him. Darien's face looked a little afraid.
"You did… did you?" Darien asked, looking straight ahead.
"You aren't scared to meet my family, are you?" Serena asked, smiling.
Darien glanced at her quickly. "Well… erm…. Well yeah, I am actually. I've never met any of my girlfriends parents before… and I mean.. I'm your first boyfriend, which puts a lot of pressure on me."
Serena grinned up at him. He was so cute when he looked worried. She gave his hand a squeeze. "Don't worry Darien, they'll like you. If I like you, they'll like you. Or at least my mom will… " Serena joked.
Darien looked down at her, looking terrified. "Your mom will? What about your dad?"
"My dad's a little overprotected of me, but he knows I'm old enough now to take care of myself," Serena said honestly.
"He's not the kind of dad that wants to kill any guy who comes into contact with you, is he?" Darien asked, looking down at Serena.
She giggled. "He can be," she teased. Darien's face turned pale. "Darien! Don't worry, he won't do anything. He might ask a lot of questions, but he's not gonna hurt you or anything," Serena said reassuringly.
Darien nodded. He looked down at Serena, who was smiling up at him. He smiled back, and wrapped one of his arm around her waist. He looked up ahead, and saw a horse with a white carriage, and a man sitting on the front.
"Hey, you want to ride in that carriage?" Darien asked, pointing towards the horse.
Serena's eye widened, and she nodded furiously. "I would LOVE to!" she shrieked excitedly.
Darien smiled, and led her to the horse.
The driver sat in front. He wore a tall black hat, and his horse was as white as snow. The open carriage was white and laced with gold. Small details and art danced around it, making the carriage look like it came out of a fairytale. A red blanket lie inside the carriage, looking warm and inviting.
The driver smiled as Darien and Serena came up to him. "Would you like a ride? 10 dollars for 30 minutes around town," he said.
Darien nodded, opening his wallet. "Here you go," Darien said, handing him a ten dollar bill. Darien helped Serena in, and climbed in after her. He put the red blanket over them, and put his arm around Serena.
This is so romantic, Serena thought as she rested her head near his chest, smiling up at him.
"Off we go!" The driver yelled.
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Andrew and Raye walked to the downtown canal, admiring the lights.
Andrew bought two tickets to ride on the canal. The canal took you around downtown in a little trolley boat. The canal looped under bridges, and went between man-made isles, giving a romantic atmosphere. On the canal ride, you could see the outdoor Christmas lights, already shining around tree's and buildings.
Andrew let Raye step onto the boat first; then he stepped in, taking a seat next to her.
"This is so sweet," Raye said, smiling up at him. She looked around, taking everything in. I'm on a date with an incredibly sweet and good-looking guy, she thought as she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
Andrew sat down, but he left a little space between them, afraid that if he sat too close she wouldn't like it. He glanced at her. She had her arm wrapped around each other.
"You cold?" he asked, looking concerned. He automatically moved closer to her, and put an arm around her, pulling her into him.
At first she tensed up when he wrapped his arm around her, but she relaxed when she leaned into him, resting her head near his neck.
"Better?" he asked, looking down at her. She smiled up at him, and nodded.
"Much better," she said quietly, breathing in.
"Tell me a little more about yourself," Andrew said as the boat gave a jerk.
"What do you want to know?" she asked, moving her head so she could look at him.
"Anything. Like your favorite color, hobbies… anything," he said looking into her dark eyes.
"My favorite color is red and black, I like to read, meditate, help people, and sing," she said. "Tell me about you."
"Well, I was born and raised here, and Darien's my best friend. He lost his family when he was small, so he's lived with us since the 10th grade. I like to read, surf, play the guitar, and other stuff," he said.
"That's cute how you and Darien are best friends," Raye said as she watched the scenery move by slowly.
"Yeah we're cute, aren't we?" Andrew joked. "No, he's like my brother."
Raye giggled a little, and snuggled closer to Andrew. "I'm actually really glad Serena set me up on a date with you," she said honestly.
"I'm glad too," Andrew replied, smiling at her. "At first I was about to not go, but Darien has ways of convincing me. Then I saw you and I was all for it," he said grinning.
Raye smiled widely at him. He's so cute, she thought, looking up at him.
"So, how many lucky guys have you been out with?" Andrew asked.
"Um, I've actually only been with one guy. His name was Collin and we were together for three years. Then I find out one day that he'd cheated on me, so I ended it," she said quietly.
Andrew frowned. "I'm sorry… I didn't know. He must have been stupid to cheat on you then," he said.
Raye smiled. "Yeah. Turns out he cheated on me with one of my really good friends. Her name was Jessica."
"How'd you find out, if you don't mind me asking."
"Well, he's 2 years older than me, and he had an apartment, so I went over there one day to surprise him, and Jessica answered his door. She was wearing one of his shirts, and her hair was all messed up and stuff. I knew they weren't in there baking cookies or anything. So I went in there, and he's in his room. I flipped," Raye finished, thinking back on that day.
"I'm sorry," Andrew whispered, looking down at Raye's head. He couldn't understand why any guy would cheat on her. She was gorgeous.
"When I went into his room, I went ballistic. Throwing things, ripping things," Raye said. "I guess I didn't give him what he needed, otherwise he wouldn't have cheated on me, you know?"
"You can't blame yourself when a guy isn't faithful to you, Raye," Andrew said. "It's not your fault."
"Yeah. I've never done anything with him, maybe that's why. She let him have what I didn't let him have," Raye said.
"Then the guy's a pervert. You can't be with someone because you want sex," Andrew said, shaking his head.
Raye looked up into his eyes, smiling. "You're really sweet, you know that?"
Andrew smiled at her. "I just think Collin's a complete douche for leaving a girl like you."
Raye blushed, and turned her head away, smiling. She hadn't felt like this in almost a year. No guy after Collin had given her butterflies or made her blush before.
"If it's alright, I'd like to get to know you more and take you out on another date. This time, with just us two," Andrew said.
Raye's eyes twinkled with joy as she smiled. "I would love to go on another date with you," she answered.
Andrew held Raye in his arms through the whole canal ride, never once letting her go.
It's strange how two people could fall for each other so quickly.
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Darien and Serena rode in their fairytale carriage, cuddling with each other in the carriage, a red blanket wrapped around them.
"How do you think Andrew and Raye are getting along?" Serena asked as looked up at Darien.
"I think they're getting along great," Darien said smiling. "I haven't seen him this interested in a girl in a long time."
"Matchmaking should be a career," Serena said, laughing.
Darien smiled down at her. She looked so adorable. Her long beautiful hair was down, making her face look soft. Her nose and cheeks were pink because of the cold weather, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. He loved being around her.
"What are you staring at?" Serena asked, tilting her head to the side, looking up into his face.
"You," he said, grinning.
She smiled at him, and brought her hands to his face, cupping it gently. "I like you a lot," she whispered, bringing her face closer to his.
"I do too," he whispered back, closing the distance between their lips. Every time they kissed or touched, he felt fifty different feelings run through him. He felt like fireworks were erupting in the background, sparks flying everywhere. His stomach would do flips, and his heart would beat 100 mph.
Her lips were soft, and he felt her tongue play along his bottom lip. She gently sucked on his bottom lip, making him open his mouth. Their tongues touched each other and explored one another's mouth, tasting everything. Serena brought her hands up to his hair and she ran her fingers through his locks, while Darien pulled her closer to him. Their kiss wasn't rushed. They took their time, and kissed each other gently, taking in everything.
The carriage slowed down to a stop, and the driver turned back, looking at the couple in his carriage, kissing each other. He smiled to himself, shaking his head. He waited for a few minutes, but they still hadn't parted. He chuckled to himself, and cleared his throat.
Darien and Serena parted quickly, feeling embarrassed at their display of affection in front of a strange man.
He smiled sweetly at them, and nodded. "Have a good night," he said as they climbed out of the carriage.
"Thank you," Serena said, smiling back at him.
Darien took her hand, and they started to walk back towards his car.
"Kids," the driver said to himself, shaking his head and smiling as he watched the two walk off hand in hand.
