A.N: Thank you for the reviews!
BIG NEWS! I'm leaving in 7 days for almost a whole month… so my story will be on hiatus until then… I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me….
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Chapter 4: Photo Shoot
Sunday was Darien's day off because it was supposed to be 'family day' for the Bryant's. He didn't mind the least bit. He took the advantage to go visit his mother. He didn't think it was healthy that she stayed home all the time.
Paula Shields was in her late forties and had been living on her own since her husband had been killed in the car accident. She was left to raise Darien by herself, and through the ordeal, she proved to be a strong woman.
She was in her gardening apparel when she saw Darien's car pull up in her driveway. She smiled as she saw him get out of his car and walk up to her to give her a hug.
"Sweetheart," she squealed, squeezing her son tightly. "Why aren't you working today? I thought the President hired you for a twenty-four hour job."
Darien pulled away and looked at her through loving eyes. She was a petite, fragile lady with dark brown hair. She was starting to form wrinkles, but it seemed to make her look lovelier. Her hair, Darien noticed, was graying slightly and it was a little messy since she'd been in the sun gardening all day. "I have Sunday's off," he informed her happily, walking into the house with her.
She immediately ran into the kitchen to make drinks as Darien sat down at the dinner table, looking around to see if anything had changed; nothing did.
"The White House must be lovely," she said, looking over her shoulder as she reached for some cups.
Darien nodded as he got up again to help his mother. "It's pretty big," he said with a grin.
She saw Darien get up and shoved him to sit back down. "Don't you dare help me," she threatened with motherly affection.
Darien laughed and sat back down as she finished making the drinks and set it in front of him. As he picked it up, he noticed a name tag lying on the table and frowned. "Mom… are you working?" he asked sounding shocked.
His mother shrugged her shoulders as she sat down across from him. "What do you expect me to do, Darien? Sit around all day? I need things to do! I'm not old," she said haughtily, taking a sip of tea.
Darien shook his head, looking cynical. "I told you that you didn't have to work anymore, mom. I make a lot of money," he said, looking concerned.
Paula smiled at him, her eyes twinkling as she set her cup gently down on the table. "I know, honey," she replied, reaching out her hand and putting it over Darien's. "And I appreciate everything you're doing for me, but I can take care of myself," she assured him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
"I just don't want you to work too hard," he explained.
She shook her head," Nonsense," she said with a smile," Don't worry about me, Darien. I know what I handle and what I can't. You're young, worry about yourself, first. Like… finding yourself a wife and giving me grandchildren," she added, glancing away and looking innocent.
Darien chuckled at his mother's forwardness. He was so blessed he still had her in his life. "I'm twenty-three, mom. I don't plan on getting married for awhile," he told her with a cheeky grin.
She instantly frowned at this news. "Well, the sooner I get grandchildren, the quicker I'll quit working," she said, tapping her finger on the table to make her point. "I married your father when I was young… what's the problem?"
Darien rolled his eyes," There's no problem… I just don't want anyone right now. I'm focused on my job. I don't want anything to distract me."
"Sweetheart, you need distraction sometimes," she lectured. She didn't see why her son couldn't get a girlfriend! He was handsome, just like his father, and yet he was still single. Sometimes she wished he wasn't so wrapped up in his work.
"And that's why I have you," he teased, making her frown again. Darien laughed at her facial expression. "I'm joking mom."
She smiled again as she got up. She walked over towards him and held his face in her small hands. "You worry me sometimes," she confessed. "You're too worried about your work to do anything about your social life and I'm afraid you might regret it one day."
"I have a social life," he argued back, his mouth squashed because of her hands.
She just let go of his face and gave him a doubtful look.
"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "What's this look you're giving me?"
She smiled again as she shook her head. "I don't believe you," she simply answered, standing in front of him with her arms crossed. "Normal twenty-three year old men would be in the bar or whatever it is they do, with their friends… or girlfriends. Not visiting their mothers."
Darien scowled at this. "I was checking-up on you! You don't want me to visit you anymore?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Oh, stop being difficult. You know what I mean," she said in an exasperated voice.
He did, but he didn't care. Women, right now, were the farthest thing in his mind. He was only concerned about his mother, and his job. He didn't have a social life because he'd wake-up early to go to work, then come home late. He drowned himself in his job, wanting to be ranked higher and noticed. Now he was there and he was only steps away and no one was going to distract him.
After a long pause, and patted him on his shoulder. "Go out, Darien. Have some fun. You missed out on your childhood, I don't want to you to miss out on the rest of your life. I'll be fine. If I need anything, I'll call," she said, ushering him out with her words.
He reluctantly got up and walked to the door. Before he left, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
"I love you sweetheart. Be safe," she said with a wave and closed the door.
My own mother kicks me out of the house, he thought as he trudged to his car. As he drove off, he remembered he hadn't visited his father's grave in awhile, so he decided to stop by.
When he reached his father's tomb, he saw that there were fresh flowers right next to it. He knew his mother still visited the grave often. Darien sat down in front of the engraved tomb. "Hey dad…."
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This was the first time in a long time that the Bryant's got to spend time with each other. Ken had promised Serena he'd try harder to do things with them, so he kept his word, even though he felt the weight of the world waiting for him.
They all sat next to a blazing fire as they played monopoly, laughing and pointing fingers at each other. Ken had forgotten how much he'd missed spending time with his family until he saw Sam, Serena, and Irene all laughing together. His kids really had grown up a lot… he felt like he hardly knew them anymore.
The living room they were sitting in was one of many living rooms the White House offered. With its marbled floor and decorative wallpaper and old-fashioned furniture, it sent off a homey feel.
They had gotten to spend most of the day together as a family before one phone call disrupted everything. When Ken heard his phone ring, he knew it was urgent because he had told everyone in his office and Cabinet to only call if it was urgent or an emergency. As the phone rang, he looked up to see Serena's reaction. To his surprise, she smiled and gave him a reassuring nod. He smiled and apologized before answering, leaving his family to attend to his Presidential duties.
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Today had been a good day for Serena. She finally got to spend almost the entire day with her whole family. When her dad received a phone call, she understood and let him go without an argument.
Irene, Sam, and her wrapped up the game and they dispersed to their own room since it was late anyways. It was almost ten and she had school the next morning, then afterwards she had a photo shoot with Teen Vogue.
As she walked to her room, she saw Darien. He was wearing a white pin-stripped buttoned up shirt and black slacks. He didn't button his shirt all the way up so she got a little glimpse of his chest. He looked sexy, but still professional. His hair was tousled about; looking like the wind had gotten a hold of it and played with it. His hands were in his pockets as he walked and he seemed oblivious to the fact that Serena was watching him.
When he walked past her, she heard herself say," Hey Darien," without meaning too. Something took over her and she immediately regretted it.
Darien turned around, looking a little startled, but when he saw her his face softened. "Hey, Serena," he greeted back, stopping where he was.
She didn't know what to do now… what to say. "H-how was your day?" she stammered, saying the first thing that popped in her head.
Darien smiled, looking amused. "It was fine. And yours?" he asked back.
His smile did a number of things to Serena. It made her heart flutter, her stomach flip, and her pulse quicken. "Great," she answered, looking down at her feet.
There was an awkward silence and then Serena abruptly said," Well… nice seeing you," and she zipped past him, leaving him confused.
Darien frowned as he began walking again, Serena way ahead of him. Women, he thought, shaking his head. Exactly why he wasn't interested right now.
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What the hell was that? Serena scolded as she ran into her room. I was just standing there, watching him, and before I know it I lunge out and talk to him, making myself look like an idiot! She gave a frustrated sigh and sat down on her couch, turning on her t.v.
Sure he's gorgeous, she thought as she skimmed through the channel, looking for nothing in particular. But I'm only eighteen, whereas he's twenty-three! Plus, I'm supposed to get rid of him. AND I have a boyfriend!
Recently, every time she thought about Darien, she'd end up reminding herself the same things over and over again.
It's not like I like him.. she reassured herself. I mean, I hardly know him!
She fought with herself back and forth before she finally yelled," Damnit! I have GOT to get this plan in motion and fast!"
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Darien had to wake up early because he had to go to school with Serena. High School, he thought as he remembered back when he was still in school. Stupid drama, giggling girls, and perverted guys, he thought further as he got up and got ready.
He was dressed in a nice white-shirt, jeans, and a black blazer. He put in his ear peice as he headed towards Serena's room. When he entered, she was sitting on her bed, reading some book again, but she was all dressed. Her hair was like always, in that meatball shape. She layered her tank-tops; a bright blue underneath, and a black one on top. She wore regular jeans that fit her curves perfectly, and plain chucks. When she noticed Darien, she put her book down and grabbed her messenger bag.
"Morning!" she said brightly as she headed out the door. "Breakfast, then school," she told him as he followed.
They started the mornings like how they always did. The Secret Services had breakfast at one end of the table, while the Bryant's had breakfast at the other end. The children ate quickly and rushed out the door to school, while Ken and Irene hurried off to do whatever they had scheduled for the day.
When Darien, Andrew, Serena, and Sam all arrived, they split up to go their separate ways. Andrew followed Sam as he united with some kids his age, and Darien followed Serena as she walked up to a guy and kissed him before they walked off, hand-in-hand.
Darien figured the guy was her boyfriend, named Ethan. He looked him up and down as he followed behind. He was good looking enough, but something about him irked Darien, but he couldn't put his finger on it. As Darien trailed behind, he started noticing teenage girls staring at him and then excitedly whispering to a girl next to him. Darien smiled to himself, rolling his eyes as he thought, High School…
During her classes, Darien would stand behind in the back of the class. He thought he'd be invisible since Serena had new bodyguards all the time, but he was wrong. Girls stared at him… a lot of them. When class started, some girls would steal glances at him, trying to look casual by stretching their arms and bending back, pretending to yawn as they quickly looked at him. Darien found this more amusing then anything. When the teacher caught some of them, she would look at Darien with a disapproving eye. Right… Like I'm doing anything, he thought inwardly. He wasn't actually in high school and he was in trouble with the teachers!
When the bell rang, Serena waited for him, her face looking solemn. "What are you doing? You're distracting the class," she whispered to him, walking through the hallway to get to her locker.
Darien scrunched his eyebrows together. "I didn't do anything! I was just standing there and your stupid peers kept looking at me!"
Serena frowned. She knew he wasn't lying because as they were walking down the hallway, girls were staring. They weren't staring at her either; they were fully gawking at Darien. "Fine," she whispered again," Try not to look so… cute next time then," she said as she started turning red.
Darien looked at her and smiled. "You think I look cute?" he asked, fully enjoying this.
Serena rolled her eyes at him. "The other girls obviously do," she told him, clutching her books to her chest as she turned the corner.
"I can't help how I look. This is how I dress and this is how I'm going to keep dressing," he told her.
Serena glared at him as she approached her locker. Darien saw Ethan leaning against her locker, waiting for her so he decided to give them a little space. As Serena talked to Ethan and opened her locker, Darien noticed that Ethan was looking at him. Darien stared back. When Ethan saw this he glanced away. That's what I thought, Darien said in his head.
Just as this thought ran in his head, a girl bumped into Darien, dropping her things. Darien immediately bent over and helped her, apologizing at the same time. When the girl looked up, she said," Darien! I forgot you'd be here! Serena has a freakin' new bodyguard every week," she started to ramble as she took a book away from Darien.
Darien smiled and handed her back her things. "Hey, Raye. Nice to see you again," he greeted politely.
"You too! Sorry about running into you! I saw Ethan and Serena and I didn't pay attention to anything else. I hate them together," she kept talking, forcing Darien to listen as he occasionally glanced towards Serena.
"Oh! The bell's gonna ring, I'll see you at lunch," she said and shuffled away from him.
Girls are SO weird in high school, Darien thought again as Ethan and Serena got finished with their make-out session and she headed to her next class.
As they walked, Darien whispered," You guys better use protection next time. You don't know what kind of diseases you'll pick up nowadays."
Serena stopped in her tracks and looked up at Darien with a furious glare. "I cannot believe…you are SUCH a jackass!" and she went into class.
Darien smiled as he followed, making his way into the back as girls started noticing him again, ogling him.
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At lunch, Darien spotted Andrew sitting at his own table, so he decided to join. Andrew scooted over to make room for Darien. They didn't eat, they just watched and guarded.
"How's the first day coming along?" Andrew asked as he kept an eye out for Sam and his surroundings.
Darien looked over at Serena's 'popular' table and scanned around the cafeteria for anything out of the ordinary. "Oh, it's just peachy," he answered sarcastically, making Andrew grin.
"You like how the girls stare at you in class? It was insane when I first came here, but it eventually died out. Now it looks like you're the girl's new target," Andrew said with a smirk
Darien smiled as his eyes roamed around the room. "You look like you have a fan club over there. There are several girls who won't look anywhere but at you," Darien pointed out, tilting his head to the side, giving Andrew a clue.
Andrew just shrugged. "What can you do when you're as sexy as me?" He joked.
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Serena noticed Darien suddenly laughing at something Andrew had just said. She was sitting next to Ethan as they ate whatever the cafeteria or student store had that day. She noticed that practically half the girls in the cafeteria had their gazes on Andrew and Darien, who were lost in their own conversation now.
Mina took a seat across from Serena. "Looks like Darien's doing well on his first day, huh?" Mina asked as she opened her can of Pepsi.
Lita and Raye soon joined afterward, talking amongst themselves.
"Yes. He keeps making a scene in my classes! It's so distracting," Serena complained as she picked up a fry.
Ethan scooted closer to Serena and wrapped an arm around her waist. He leaned in and whispered," When are you getting rid of him? I don't like him."
Serena turned to look with questioning eyes. "Why?"
"Because," he answered simply with a shrug of the shoulders.
"Because," Mina started," He's intimidated AND threatened by Darien."
Ethan glared at Mina with dangerous eyes before he spat," I am NOT intimidated OR threatened by anyone."
Mina just rolled her eyes and turned her attention towards her other friends.
"Cool down there, tough guy," Serena said, gently stroking his arm. "It's all right. He won't be with me for long."
Ethan smiled and nodded. "Good."
After a long pause, and angry glances towards Darien, Ethan asked Serena if she could go to a party with him this weekend.
Serena bit her lip as she thought about it. "I'm not sure, Ethan… I'd have to call my manager and ask if I have Saturday off. I might have something planned already."
Ethan quickly released his grip around Serena's waist, his eyes turning cold. "You never do anything with me. You spent last Saturday with your friends, you can't spend one with your boyfriend?" he asked, looking mad.
"Don't start, Ethan," Serena said with a sigh. "You know I have a schedule and you know how busy I am."
Ethan started to get up to leave. "So busy you don't have time for your boyfriend! You better figure something out soon, Serena, or else we are over," and he left.
At this point, Serena didn't become upset anymore. This happened regularly between the two of them, it was just something that they did. They argued, they fought, then they made-up.
When Raye noticed this, she leaned over and said," Seriously, Serena. He's a bastard, just break up with him already!"
Serena just gave her a look, and then turned away, her eyes landing on Darien again. As she stared at him subconsciously, she saw Darien's gaze lift to hers. When their gazes met, Darien's eyes seemed to ask," Are you okay?" Serena gave a small reassuring smile and turned her head away.
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The day went by quickly, and soon, high school was done for the day. Serena, however, had lots of things she had to do. She had a photo shoot today at Teen Vogue, so right after school, she scurried off to the limo and headed out with Darien.
Darien decided to sit in the front with the driver, so Serena sat in the back by herself, which she didn't mind. She took this time to take a little nap.
The drive was a good hour away. When they reached the studio, Darien opened the door to let Serena out, but she never climbed out so he peeked in. He saw she had fallen asleep and was curled up on the seat.
He shook his head and climbed in to wake her. As he looked at her, he smiled. She looked adorable. Some of her hair had fallen to her face and Darien had the urge to move it, so he did. He lightly brushed away the strands of hair away from her face, then lightly stroked her soft cheek. "Hey," he whispered," Wake-up… we're here," he whispered in her ear.
Serena stirred when she felt something tickle her ear and touch her face. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, her eyelashes batting together as dark blue eyes greeted her. She lay still as she felt Darien's hand graze her cheek once more, then stopped as he took his hand away. He was so close to her, all she had to do was lift her face and their lips would meet. Once this thought crossed her mind, Darien moved away, smiling.
"Sorry I had to wake you, but you don't want to be late for your photo shoot," he told her as he jumped out of the car and waited for her.
She finally got up and rubbed her sleepy eyes as she stumbled out of the car. She couldn't get the image of how close he had been to her, out of her mind.
When she stepped out of the car, Amy Anderson, her manager was waiting for her.
Amy was very young, only about twenty-one, but she handled one of the top Hollywood agencies. She was very hardworking and always stressed for time. She handled everything that Serena and Sam had to do. She got them noticed and created their image.
"Hi, Amy," Serena said groggily as she followed Amy, Darien following behind.
Amy took Serena's arms and led her into the building. "You are ten minutes late, Serena," she started complaining.
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Darien watched as Serena posed in 'fashionable' clothes. Her hair was big and curly, and her make-up was heavy. She was dressed in some kind of dress that showed off her figure quite nicely.
The workers turned on a fan as she stood in front of a white screen. The fan blew her hair about and made her dress come up slightly, revealing more of her legs.
Lights quickly shot nonstop as she posed randomly and danced around, smiling and laughing.
Darien could hear the photographer shout encouraging words, like," Great! Oh… do that again! You look wonderful!"
It was already six and she wasn't even halfway through with the photo shoot. Darien went to the crew table and grabbed some food as he kept a watchful eye out on everything.
When Darien looked towards Serena again, she was lying down on the ground as someone went to her and put her hair the 'right way', spreading it around her face in curls. She looked gorgeous… and extremely tempting as she lay sprawled out on the ground with her luscious hair all around her. Darien groaned as he turned his gaze elsewhere.
Earlier when he had woken her up, he felt himself wanting to lean in and kiss her, but he turned away before he did something stupid. Something that could get him fired. Already, she was a distraction from his job… and she was his job…
He figured he was just feeling these things because it had been awhile since he'd been this close to any sort of woman at all.
As he took a bite out of a sandwich and let his mind block out any sexual, distracting thoughts, Serena came up next to him and grabbed something to munch on.
She grabbed a celery stick and bit it as she turned around to look at Darien. She was wearing a red dress that showed off a lot of skin, but covered up enough to still make it look conservative and sexy, all at the same time. She had on a bright red lipstick to match.
"Bored?" she asked with a smile as she took another bite.
Darien just nodded as he reached for a cup of water. Of course he was bored… he was standing around and looking out for nothing in particular…
The photographer came up to Serena, looking worried. "Our male model just called in… apparently he has gone down with a stomach virus and won't be able to make it," the man said, looking ashamed.
Serena was supposed to take some pictures with a male model for Teen Vogue, along with for some kind of clothing store.
"It's okay," she said with a shrug. Good! I get to go home early!
The photographer turned to Darien and looked him up and down. Darien was completely oblivious to this because he was chewing on his food very unattractively.
"You," the photographer said as he spun Darien around," could replace him!"
Darien almost choked on his sandwich as he tried to swallow. "E-excuse me?"
The photographer grinned and nodded. "You are perfect! Tall, dark, and very handsome… we'll pay you of course," he tried to bribe Darien who was looking unsure and confused.
"Urm… I don't do pictures," Darien said as he placed his sandwich on the table and looked at the photographer with serious eyes.
"No, no!" the photographer said loudly, waving a hand around," you get one thousand dollars for every picture printed."
One thousand with every print? His mind screamed. Take it! Darien smiled at this. "Okay… all right. I don't see why not? I mean… I'll just be standing around in clothes," he shrugged.
Serena, however, did not like this at all. "No… no, no, no no," Serena said shaking her head. "He cannot do this.."
"Why not?" the photographer asked, looking distraught.
"Yeah! Why not?" Darien chimed in. This is a LOT of money we're talking about here!
Serena searched her thoughts for an answer. "B-because…. " was all she managed.
The photographer brushed Serena off and grabbed a hold of Darien, leading him away to go get changed.
Fifteen minutes later, Darien came out dressed in some kind of preppy clothes. His hair was gelled and in all sorts of direction. He even had makeup applied to his face! The shirt he was wearing wasn't buttoned up. He was wearing jeans along with the nonbuttoned, button-up shirt. I don't get it…he thought as he stepped out, feeling a little awkward. The point of having a button-up shirt is to button it up...so why am I not allowed to button it up? He had the perfect body for this kind of shoot though. He had perfectly crafted eight pack abs, and a muscle line that went down from his hips and disappeared into the jeans. His skin was evenly tanned… he was exactly like a male model, possibly better.
Serena came out dressed in different clothes now. She had on a mini-skirt and a tight fitting tee with the store logo on it. Her hair was straight now, and her makeup was less heavy. When she saw Darien's open shirt, her jaw almost dropped. She could suddenly hear her heart beat in her ear as she approached him, her eyes glued to his body.
"Hi," Darien greeted with a sexy smile. "Sorry about the… open shirt thing. They wouldn't let me button it up," he explained, looking a little shy.
Serena tore her gaze away from his chest and abs and looked away, nodding. "It's fine," she managed to squeak out.
The photographer came back into view, ushering the two of them to stand together in front of a backdrop. "You two look gorgeous… just gorgeous," the man said with twinkling eyes as he came to them and told them how to pose.
"Now… Darien, I want you to hold Serena," he started to explain, grabbing Darien's arms and slinging it around Serena's waist. Her back was to him.
Darien just followed instructions, not noticing how uncomfortable Serena felt… not that she didn't enjoy it, deep down. Serena's breathing began to get a little heavy and she suddenly felt very hot when she felt Darien pull her to him. She could feel his every move as she was forced to lean into him. Her face began to turn red.
The photographer took his place behind his large camera again and began taking pictures as Serena did her best to focus on the task at hand… but all she could do was focus on where Darien's hands were; around her waist.
Darien was too busy figuring out how he should look to actually think about the fact that Serena was in his arms, leaning into him.
After a couple of shots like this, the photographer told Darien to move his head and look at Serena and pretend to be very 'interested' in her. This was when Darien noticed just how truly close he was to her. Darien did as told and leaned his head in near Serena's neck, and gazing intently at her.
Serena gulped nervously when she felt the heat of his gaze burn her face. Gods he's gorgeous… and so close…
After several flashes went by, the photographer told Serena to turn around and face Darien. She did as told, though she felt kind of awkward. She turned around in his arms, now facing him. She felt her cheeks turn redder as she tried not to look at him.
The photographer looked at them for a second and studied their position. "Serena… place your arms around his neck and look up at him. Pretend you two are together," he instructed as he wobbled back to his camera.
Great, Darien thought as he saw her lift a shy eye up to his. She slowly brought her arms up and draped them around his neck, bringing herself closer to him. Awkward… he thought as he stared at her, unable to move. Extremely awkward… and my shirt is open, he thought. Oh god! What if her dad sees these pictures? Am I going to get fired? He thought again, beating himself up. I'm an idiot! The President's gonna think I took advantage of the situation!
Serena saw regret and doubt flash in Darien's eyes as she looked into them, then she saw panic. But through each emotion, he kept still and didn't let go of her. She suddenly realized how secure and safe she felt in his arms.
The photographer interrupted her thoughts when he told Darien to lean in and act like he was about to kiss her.
This set alarms off in Darien's mind. "I can't do that…" Darien suddenly said to the photographer, breaking his gaze from Serena's eyes and loosening his grip around her.
"Why not?" the photographer asked, looking annoyed.
"Because… it's the President's daughter," Darien answered. "He'll fire me if he sees these photos."
Amy nodded. She'd just returned from her quick break. "He's right, Mark," Amy said loudly. "This isn't the kind of pictures we signed up for. We are supposed to give fans an image of an "All-American girl", not… whatever this is," she said, waving her hand about and walking towards the photographer.
The photographer, Mark, was looking outraged now, his face turning red. "You signed a contract that said she would take pictures with a male model," he said angrily.
"Yes," Amy agreed. "But not like this… can you not do something else? Where Darien's actually covered up? And not all over Serena?"
When Amy said that, Darien blushed and quickly let go of Serena.
"And… DARIEN?" Amy suddenly realized that Darien was in the photo shoot. "What's going on? You're Serena's bodyguard, since when were you a male model too?"
Darien scratched his head, looking guilty. "The male model didn't show up, so the photographer asked me to do it…" he explained.
Amy turned back and looked at the Mark with furious eyes. "You didn't even ASK me? I'm Serena's MANAGER! Oh… forget it! This photo shoot is OVER, Mark! And that film BETTER be in my hands by the end of the day!" Amy stomped off, waving her arms above her head as she talked to herself.
Mark looked crestfallen as he walked away. "You may go now…" he said as he took his camera down.
Darien stood there, in his ,almost, half-naked glory and ran a hand through his gelled hair. "I'm sorry, Serena," he apologized, looking sad.
She'd been quiet through all of this, not really knowing what to say or do. She shrugged and gave him a smile. "It's okay. At least I got the Teen Vogue pictures done," she said.
Darien gave her a weak smile in response, then added," I was kind of greedy for the money, so I didn't think about anything else."
Serena just stood there, crossing her arms, letting an awkward silence settle over them.
"Well…" Darien said after awhile," I think I'd better go get dressed," he said as he started walking off. "And by the way," he said over his shoulder," You look nice."
Serena blushed at his words and turned around to go get changed also. As she walked away, one thought crossed her mind, and that was how right she felt when she was in his arms.