Chapter 3

Serena sat down and began to cry. Darien put a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Serena. Don't worry. We'll be out of here before you know it."

She started to whimper, and looked up at Darien with tears in her eyes. "Thanks…Darien," she whispered as Darien held her hand. The elevator began to move again, and Darien let go.

"Are you okay, Serena?" he asked.

"I'm good. Thanks, Darien," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The elevator doors opened, and they walked out.

"Here. Let me help you with your suitcase!" Darien offered.

"Oh no! It's okay. I'm fine, Darien! Don't worry about me." Serena said.

"No. I insist! Let me save you the trouble!" he said as he carried her pink suitcase.

Serena smiled. "Thanks, Darien. You're the best…"

She's beautiful when she smiles…. Darien thought to himself. "So, what room are you in, Serena?"

"Um." Serena looked at her room key, "Room 1418." They searched for the room.

"Looks like our rooms are right next to each other," Darien smiled. "So if you need anything, just knock."

"Thanks, Darien. That means a lot to me…." Serena opened her hotel room door, while Darien put her suit case next to her bed. "Thanks again, Darien. I owe you." Serena wrapped her arms around Darien's waist and hugged him. She could feel Darien's muscles through his UCLA sweatshirt. I never noticed how tall and muscular Darien was.

Darien was stunned, but still wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. "No problem. Anytime," and with that, Darien left and entered his hotel room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Serena got out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked into the bedroom. She noticed a door across the room. Fantastic! A closet! Serena opened the door and walked in. It's dark…. Oh! And it's a walk in closet! Serena looked around to find another bed. What's a bed doing here? Click! She turned around, and found that she was locked in. Oh no…. A tall, muscular body walked towards her. Serena's eyes bulged. OH…MY…GOSH! I'm in someone's room!

"S-Serena? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked.

"D-Darien?"

Darien turned on the lights to find Serena in a towel. Her hair was still wet. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh well…I thought that this was a closet…but apparently…the door led to your room. I'm sorry, Darien." Serena's eyes bulged when she discovered that Darien was ALSO in a towel. Oh my god…we're BOTH in towels…and I don't have my ROOM KEY! "Oh my gosh," Serena said out loud.

"What?" Darien said with curiosity.

"I…oh my god. I just realized that…I don't have my room key! And it's too late to get another one!" Serena started to panic.

"Don't worry, Serena. You can stay in my room…" Darien said hesitantly.

"No! I can't! I'll just leave and try to find my mom and my brother," Serena said as she walked towards the door.

Darien grabbed her hand. "It's okay. Just stay here. I'll go find some clothes for you." What am I thinking? She's practically naked! Darien rummaged through his suit case and found a sweatshirt and some basketball shorts. "Here. You can wear this tonight."

Serena smiled and grabbed the sweatshirt and shorts. "Thanks. Um…Darien? So…where am I going to sleep?" she asked questioningly.

"You can sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."

Serena protested. "Darien! I couldn't! I'll sleep on the floor and you can sleep on the bed!"

"It's okay, Serena! Don't worry."

"No! Absolutely not!" Serena thought for a moment. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…why don't you just sleep on the bed with me? I don't want you to be uncomfortable!"

Darien sighed. "Okay…." I can't believe I'm agreeing to this!

Serena went into the bathroom and changed into the clothes that Darien gave her. She came out and crawled into bed only to find Darien fast asleep. "Goodnight, Darien. Thanks for everything you've done for me." Serena kissed his cheek, and fell asleep.

Darien woke up in the middle of the night, and heard someone whispering his name. He looked beside him to find that it was Serena. "Serena?" he whispered. There was no answer. He stared at the clock. 5:30 AM? Crap! I guess I might as well get ready…. Darien stood up trying not to wake Serena up, grabbed his things, and headed towards the bathroom.

Serena woke up to the smell of roses, and remembered what happened last night. I have to call the front desk and ask for a duplicate key! Serena picked up the phone and called the front desk.

"Good morning! Jade Palace Hotel! How may I help you today?" a voice asked.

"Hi. Um, I got locked out of my hotel room…1418. Do you think you can bring a duplicate key to room 1416 for me please?" Serena asked.

"Sure! No problem! It will be there in about 10 minutes. Have a nice day!" and the woman hung up.

Darien came out of the bathroom wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. "Hey Serena! Did you have a good night's rest?" Darien smiled.

"I did. Thanks. I really appreciate you always helping me out, Dare."

Darien smiled at the nickname. "You're welcome, Sere."

Knock. Knock.

Serena opened the door. "Oh…hey Andrew! What are you doing here?"

Andrew was surprised to see Serena. "Hey Sere. I was just stopping by to see Darien. But, I guess I knocked on the wrong door…"

"No you didn't! This is Darien's room," Serena said casually.

Andrew just stared at her. Well, if this is Darien's room…what's Serena doing here?...in…Darien's basketball shorts and his sweatshirt. Why is her hair disheveled…? Andrew's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Sere. Am I…interrupting?"

"No! Not at all!" Serena said smiling, not realizing what Andrew was implying.

Andrew blushed. "Hey Sere! Who's at the door?" Darien shouted.

"Dare! It's Andrew! He stopped by to see you!" Serena said.

Darien smiled and walked to the door. "Hey, man! What's up?" Darien asked.

"Uh, Dare? Can I…see you in the hallway for a moment?" Andrew asked frantically.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right back, Sere!" Darien and Andrew stepped into the hallway and closed the door.

Why is Andrew acting so weird? Serena asked herself as she combed her hair.

"Dude! Darien! What were you doing with Serena! Are you crazy?" Andrew asked.

"Drew! What are you talking about? We didn't do anything! We just slept together." Darien said casually.

Andrew's eyes widened. "WHAAATTT!" he screamed.

"Shhhh! Drew! Stop being so loud!"

"STOP BEING LOUD! STOP BEING LOUD! DARIEEN! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! YOU CORRUPTED A YOUNG GIRL!"

Darien finally realized what Andrew was implying and shook his head. "You're sick, man. Serena and I slept in the same bed together…we didn't do ANYTHING! Calm down!" Darien began to tell him about what happened last night.

Serena listened to the whole conversation. She giggled. Geez! What kind of girl does Andrew think I am! Serena smiled.

Andrew finally calmed down. "Oh crap. Sorry, man! It was just that…from the looks of it…"

"Don't worry, man. It's understandable." Darien laughed. A man tapped Darien on the shoulder and gave him a room key. Darien looked at it questioningly, but noticed that it was Serena's room key. "Hey, man! I'll see you later at breakfast!" Darien opened the door and heard someone shout.

"OWW!" Serena yelped.

Darien looked behind the door. "I'm sorry, Serena. Hey! Were you eavesdropping on the conversation?"

Serena giggled. "I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! But it was kind of funny how Andrew came up with that idea."

Darien smiled. "I guess it was. Oh by the way, a man stopped by and gave me your room key. Here."

"Thanks. I guess I should go back to my room and change. Is it okay if I give you your clothes later?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Serena headed towards the door. "Bye Dare. Thanks again," she said as she walked to her room.