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CHAPTER 3

As he approached the café, Darien became aware of two things: One- his best friend was most definitely grinning like a fool in love and it could be seen even from afar, and two- that familiar hairstyle and particular honey-blonde head of hair seemed oddly familiar. As he approached the group, he noticed the nervous look that Malachite's girl- was Mina her name?- was aiming in the direction of the blonde in front of her. He heard Malachite announce his entrance, and the mysterious blonde slowly and reluctantly turned around. As his eyes sought her cerulean blues, there was a definite sensation that made Darien feel slightly exposed and rather unnerved. He know those eyes; they had haunted him for the past 12 years, showing him the joy and pure love that would never be directed at him, the trust that would never be given to him, for purity such as that found in Serena was a rare gem, and something that the likes of him would tarnish if it were ever to shine in his gloomy world.

Of course he remembered Serena. Though it had been years since he last saw her, how could anyone ever forget her exuberance, her caring nature and annoyingly endearing little habits? To Darien, she was a light that was sent to shine and brighten the world around her, but even her pure light would be swallowed up by his darkness- he was certain that his gloom would spread over anyone who got too close… Knowing this, he renewed his resolve from all of those years ago to keep her at arm's length, lest he ruin her joy and innocence. He set his old trademark mocking grin in place, walked directly up to her and leaned down until he was at face-level with her, being sure to maintain their eye-contact.

"Long time no see Meat Ball head. How's the sidewalk been treating you?" He patted her head as one would a child and went on to greet his friend and Mina, all the while feeling the fire at his back where Serena was more than likely glaring daggers at him. Mission accomplished.

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She was positively fuming! How dare him! Not even two seconds go by, after all those years, and all he has to do was open his mouth and set them back to their teenage years. Never mind that she was a grown woman now, more than capable of walking down the street with grace and dignity (the fact that she tripped down the three steps outside of her apartment complex on her way over was besides the point); the guy was still the same irritating jerk as he was all of those years ago, so of course that would explain her rapidly-beating heart and how much her body temperature had risen; it had absolutely nothing to do with his chiseled jaw and incredibly defined muscle- no way was she affected by that jerk.

Noticing that he had already settled into conversation with the others and was quickly approaching a seat, she made an effort to try and return from her musings to pay attention to the conversation. It was then she realized that the only seat available was the one next to her. Would it be rude to move over to the left? As he took his seat, his leg brushed against hers and lingered, and she felt that familiar jolt course through her. A little too late she realized that she had tensed up; not wanting him to notice how he affected her, she tried desperately to act natural, but it was too late.

He turned his head towards her and winked, leaning in closer so that only she could hear. "Relax Meatball Head, I don't bite". As he whispered in her ear, she felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine, and she wondered if he was as affected as she was, but as she turned towards him, she noticed that he was already deep in conversation with Malachite and that no one else had noticed their little exchange.

She did notice that their thighs were still touching, and though it was the merest whisper of a touch, she could feel the heat radiating from him. She reminded herself how unaffected he was, judging by his animated conversation with the group. Serena would be dammed if she'd show him he'd won by letting him know that he was affecting her, so she pressed her leg just a bit closer to him, to let him know just how unaffected she was, of course, and turned to Mina to immerse herself in conversation. Two could play at this game!

Turning fully to face Mina, thus pointedly and successfully ignoring him, she smiled brilliantly at her friend hoping she would get the hint. "So Mina, what's the latest on those Greski papers you were working on? I finished up with my report, so if you need any help, you know I'm your gal." There, she would show him that she was a competent and responsible adult and that would be that. They could get this day over with and he'd leave her life once again, tail between his legs knowing how much better she was now.

Mina gave her a confused look, not seeming to get the hint. "Serena, you know I hate talking about work on our days off, hun; the reports will be there when we get back, I'm sure." She immediately turned to Darien and smiled. "I hear rumors that you have plans to move to the big city, any truth to that?"

'That traitor' thought Serena, but she could not help but to lean a bit towards her nemesis with interest, awaiting his response.

He gave a nervous laugh that was almost indiscernible and covered it up with a chuckle, but Serena was close enough to him to tell the difference. "Well, you know how rumors go Mina. Nothing is set in stone, right? Let's not feed into the rumors just yet, but Malachite will be the first to know should anything become public knowledge."

"Well, that was a polite 'buzz off' if I've ever heard one; who knew the Neanderthal here had any manners?"

"Meatball Head, you wouldn't know manners if they hit you in the face, of course you'd find their use shocking".

She fumed at the repeated use of her dreaded nickname. "Well, at least I know the difference between a meatball and a pig-tail. These-" she grabbed a hold of one of her long tresses for emphasis "are called Pig Tails, stupid, Pig Tails!" She stuck out her tongue at him for good measure, effortlessly reverting back to her teenage antics; the man brought out the worst in her.

"Pig Tails, huh?" She felt a tug on her hair and turned her head slightly to see him pulling at her hair. What started as a childish tug evolved into a caress as he ran his hand down her silky hair, and Serena could feel the heat creeping up on her cheeks in what she prayed was NOT the beginnings of a blush. He let her go and Serena almost let out a sigh of relief, but then his hand traveled up to her bun and his hand lingered there in what felt strangely like a caress…of course there was no way that Darien would ever do such a thing, her imagination must be playing tricks on her!

Looking into his eyes for some type of clue, she found herself entranced in those deep blue eyes. As in the past, she could feel herself sinking into their depths, as if they could see into her soul; the feeling unnerved her, unfamiliar as it was, yet it drew her in. She found herself slowly leaning closer, her mind seeming to have gone on vacation for all the thought she was giving her actions.

The deep, midnight-blue eyes blinked in front of her and the spell was broken. Serena jumped back a bit, with his hand still attached to the hair atop her hear.

The glazed look in his eyes- was that a glazed look in his eyes? She was probably imagining things again- disappeared, and was replaced by a mocking glint. "These things atop your head still look like meatballs to me, Meatball Head". He gave her hair one last tug and turned back to their friends.

Belatedly remembering that they were in company, Serena turned around hoping that no one had noticed her momentary lapse in sanity, but she noticed that Mina and Malachite were enveloped in their own little world and were oblivious to their surroundings. Not that anything had happened, of course… nothing out of the ordinary. Darien had not caressed her, and she had felt nothing at all. The goose bumps on her arm were from the chilled June air and the heat on her cheeks was from rising heat and certainly not a blush. Nope.

As she stole a sideways glance at the man sitting next to her, she made sure that some of her hair veiled her face from his view. She noticed that his leg had remained next to hers through the entire exchange.

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A/N:

That's all for today! I tried to make the chapter a bit longer this time, I'll keep working on that. Hope you guys enjoyed. For those of you in the US, hope you had an enjoyable and safe Memorial day J

More to come soon. Please continue to review and comment. I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions. I am also looking for a Beta Reader, so if anyone is interested, please let me know.

Thank you again for reading!