Wow, it has been a very busy week. And I should be in bed. But what am I doing? Writing this for all of you to read. But hey, I updated again! Hooray! Now some answers:
Brucasforever – No, Darien thought it was a dream, but the day is really repeating itself.
Krn5rul3 – You'll find out eventually. )
To everyone else that reviewed, thank you so much for your lovely comments! I'm glad you like it. Now, on with the chapter!
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Darien had already stopped by his new, and already favorite, clothing store and was now proceeding to buy the same little bear and beautiful long stemmed roses as he had the day before. Placing the little bear into its usual position, he smiled to himself. This is perfect, he thought, she's going to love the roses and the bear… just like yesterday. She's going to want to spend the day with me.
He paid the man his due change and walked out of the door, hope rising in his chest. He would be at the arcade in only a matter of moments and she would be there… at the same machine, playing the same game. Waiting for him. Well, not really waiting for him… he could only dream that she would wait for him someday. That she would get the same light and dizzy feeling that he got when he thought of her. How he had changed… when he had started this never-ending day he had only thought fleetingly of Serena, but now she was a constant thought in his mind. Always there and always smiling – a constant reminder of what he needed in life.
The whoosh of the arcade doors brought him back to reality, and although it was much later in the day when he had entered last time he was still greeted with a flurry of whispers and pointed fingers. The girls giggled to each other, whispering about which should go over to him first… of course, he wouldn't be giving them that chance.
There she is…
Serena sat as she had for the past few days, hunched over the same videogame and pounding madly at the buttons, trying to keep her little heroine alive. She didn't notice the sudden interest that had entered the arcade… she didn't notice as Darien walked up to stand by her side. She did, however, notice when Darien set down a fuzzy little bear adorned with a beautiful bunch of roses. Her blue orbs left the game, her interest now somewhere else, and flew up to meet the dark and mysterious gaze of Darien.
Tuxedo mask… was the first thing that had flew through her mind when she met his gaze. She couldn't help it, really… she had always noticed a definite resemblance in both her love and her dislike. But the thought of Tuxedo Mask faded and she stared at him… Darien, just Darien. Probably here to gloat about his date tonight… ready to show off the beautiful bouquet of flowers, another set of flowers not intended for her.
"Good morning, Serena," he whispered, leaning closer. He smelled like warm cinnamon… spicy, warm cinnamon. She could feel the warmth of his breath, she could see the depths of his eyes and she felt her knees begin to quiver. Serena? He used her name… that wasn't anything like the Darien she knew. Was he trying to catch her off guard? Was this just another sly trick of his? He smiled at her, holding the bear out to her to take, "I'm sorry… would you prefer Meatball Head? Whatever you like more, just… let me know."
He came closer with these words, taking both of her hands in his strong, yet soft ones. He closed her hands around the little bear, letting her know that this gift that she had admired more than seconds ago was actually intended for her. She stared down at it with wide and confused eyes before shaking her head slowly and turning her gaze up to him, "Darien?"
"I know, Serena… I know you don't believe me and maybe you don't even want to believe me," He began, answering her as if he had read her mind. She kept her mouth closed, waiting… no, wanting him to continue, "But I really don't care… I want to be friends with you, Serena. I don't want to fight with you anymore. Believe me or don't on that, but do believe me on this," He tucked two fingers beneath her chin, lifting her gaze to him, "I will not give up."
He released her chin, running his fingers through one of her long ponytails before turning around and heading out the door of the arcade. The girls stared at him longingly as he left, envious over the lucky blonde of his affections. She stared off into the distance, blankly at the door that he had left through. She felt the tickles of the fur on the bear against her warm hands, his words running through her head. She had hoped… desperately hoped for a romantic day today. Dreamed that a man would come and sweep her off her feet… she just hadn't imagined that Darien would be the one to do such. And yet he had…
All of this ran through Serena's head in a matter of seconds before she ran out the door. She was about to turn in the direction she assumed he would be walking in, only to be caught in a pair of strong arms. Cinnamon wrapped around her senses like the warm arms surrounding her waist. Her delicate hands had settled upon a chest… his chest. Her gaze moved up, met with Darien's for the second time in barely ten minutes. "Looking for me?"
"Y… yes," she whispered, her mind lost in his deep blue eyes. Why was she being enchanted so easily by him? She felt as though this had happened before… She had spoken romantically to him before, had her heart flutter with thoughts of him before. But she couldn't recall an actual occasion in which that had happened. Get a hold of yourself, Serena! She snapped herself out of the daze, "Yes, yes I was looking for you. How would you like to become…"
"Friends?" Darien asked with a chuckle that shook Serena's heart to the core with feelings she couldn't even begin to identify. Her legs were shaking again. She nodded in response to his question and he smiled… knowingly, "Well, there are a number of ways, I'm sure. But it is such a romantic day and it would be silly to spend it doing anything normal. You need something special today. Tell me, have you ever been to a fancy restaurant?"
"Well, no…" Serena began, knowing any place that she might mention was probably on no level of the sophisticated restaurants he was thinking of. Not only were the places far too expensive for her allowance, her parents went there on dates… no kids allowed. "My parents have, but of course that was for just them."
"Well, how would you like to go to… Che Piare?" Serena's eyes grew wide at the suggestion, a smile almost instantly plastered upon her lips. Not even her parents had gone to that restaurant! It was the most talked about… The most difficult restaurant to get into. Darien didn't need her answer, he simply laughed in response, "I'll take that as a yes… How about we meet here at… five?"
"That would be wonderful!" Serena practically squealed, almost completely unaware of the fact that she had just agreed to go on a date with Darien. "Oh, thank you so much, Darien! I'll be there on time, I promise!" Serena squeezed him tightly before escaping his embrace, racing down the street towards her home. Darien watched her with a smile… he hadn't expected her to be this excited.
He had planned this ahead of time, of course… his suit was waiting for him at home, freshly purchased. The reservations were set, although he had to pay an arm and a leg to get them for tonight. Honestly, most of him hoped the day would repeat one more time after this just so that his bank account would fill back up once again. The man at the front desk had squeezed him for all he had, but whether he got the money back or not… she was worth it.
Serena. His Serena.
Darien began his walk to his apartment, humming softly to himself the whole way there. Tonight was going to be absolutely perfect. He was going on a date with Serena… a real, dressed to the nines, date with Serena. Nothing could possibly go wrong tonight, she was so happy and he would be careful to make this the most romantic night of her life.
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"Or so you think, dear Darien," the red haired woman whispered from behind the glass pane. She had been watching him for a while now… and the blonde woman was nowhere to be found. Of course she had been envious… no, furious that this mission had been assigned to anyone but her. And of course if the blonde messed up in an irreparable way, the mission would be passed onto her. Exactly what she wanted.
And so, she had planned… she had plotted. She had followed Darien as well as Serena, taking note of every thought, every hope and every dream that went through their silly little heads. And then she formed a plan that was perfect, completely unstoppable. The blonde trusted her far too much, believing she was nothing more than an aspiring understudy. How wrong she was.
And so, the beautiful red haired woman stepped out of the glass pane and onto the streets of Darien's world.
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"Serena, what are you doing?" Luna muttered, watching as Serena ran into the room, fishing around in her drawers.
"Ah, found it!" Serena held up the Luna pen, and although she was expecting Luna to scream, she spoke the transformation quickly enough to avoid the full blow of the lecture, "Luna pen, dress me up to the nines, make me the most beautiful woman he has ever seen!"
"He? Who in the world…?" Luna started, watching as Serena's long pigtails curled themselves and yet kept their bun forms on the top. Her body was encased in a long pure white dress that flowed around her body, perfect in everyway. Long white gloves formed around her arms, covering her from fingertip to elbow. Her feet were dressed in strapped sandals, elegant but not distracting enough to take attention away from her polished toenails. And then in hit, like a final wave… her body sparkled as though it was covered in glitter and little white daisies clung randomly to strands of her hair. Luna had to admit, she was breathtaking.
"Gotta run, Luna!" Serena giggled, dodging out of the room before Luna could ask her again about the mystery man.
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Darien was almost at their meeting space when he bumped into a woman. He stumbled back a couple of feet, looking to the woman he had nearly knocked to the ground. She was dusting off her silk white dress that was dull in comparison to her radiant red hair that tumbled in curls down past her shoulders. Her light blue eyes turned up to meet his and a soft smile danced along her ruby red lips. Darien felt something inside him spin… his emotions? His stomach?
"Well," the woman drew out the word slowly, enjoying each letter as it rolled over her tongue. She stepped closer to him, placing her hands upon his chest, sending a chill through him that shot up through his spine. "What do we have here… I must say, if I had to bump into anyone, I'm glad I bumped into someone as gorgeous as you."
"Yea, I'm sure," Darien said, trying to offer her a smile… well, maybe half a smile… okay, he wasn't able to manage much of a smile at all. He placed his hands upon her shoulders and moved her away from him. She didn't put up much resistance and continued to stare at him contently, "I'd love to stay and chat… but I really must be on my way."
He began walking and the woman began to count, almost as if waiting for him to reach a certain spot on the street before she spoke once again, "I'm afraid I'm not finished speaking to you yet," she said with a wave of her hand. Darien stopped instantly, as if held in place by the motion. He turned around to face her only to find her disturbingly close to him. Her hands were on him once again, getting closer… tracing slow circles.
"I'm sorry, miss," he began, but she held a polished nail up to his lips, whispering a soft shush to him before lowering her hand back to his chest. He was prepared to just turn around and walk the rest of the way to meet his dear Serena… and then his eyes met hers. Something grabbed him inside, twisting him to her will. He felt his heart shift, his desires changing to the woman in front of him. And it hurt… it was all wrong and yet he couldn't stop it, "What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't," she spoke in seductive tones, luring him in closer to her body. His arms slid in around her waist, pulling her body close against his. She was warm and soft, but the feelings she sent through him were as cold as ice. He knew none of this was real… he didn't want any of this. He wanted Serena, but his body begged for this woman. His heart was twisting to this woman.
No… this is wrong. This is all wrong…
"Well, my mystery woman, I must say that you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid eyes upon," It was a lie, a complete and total lie. His lips formed the words, his tongue aided in the process. He spoke to her, he said these words and yet they weren't his at all. None of this was his doing. He wanted to get away… so desperately he wanted to get away and yet she kept dragging him back into her heart.
"Shut up and kiss me already," She hardly needed to ask. His lips flew to hers, crushing against hers as his entire mind, body and soul screamed against it. His body shook as his entire being tried to pull himself away from her, finding himself stuck closer and closer to her form. The more he struggled, the closer he pulled her to his body. It was so wrong… so cold… like ice.
And then the heat came rushing in.
She broke the spell on him and his eyes flew open to meet hers. Except they didn't meet hers… she was staring at something else. His eyes followed her gaze and he felt his entire body go completely numb. There stood Serena, more beautiful than he had ever seen here, shaking with the tears she was trying to hold back. "So, this is the girl you're stuck with tonight? Such a shame…"
He hardly heard the woman speak, although he knew Serena had heard every word because she no longer shook against the tears… she shook with them. The woman walked away, disappearing down the street as Serena fell to her knees, her shoulders wracked with sobs. She had put so much hope into tonight. So much excitement and he was stuck with her? Stuck going somewhere with her? He didn't want to be friends, he didn't want to even be around her. She had started to… to…
Love him…
"Serena, I…" Darien began, but was promptly interrupted as Andrew came rushing out of the arcade to find a tearful Serena upon the ground in front of Darien. Both were dressed in the best outfits he had ever seen them in and he could only imagine what had just happened. He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the crying girl, staring up at his friend with a completely lost expression.
"Tell me you didn't do this," Andrew spoke harshly, trying to keep Serena from completely pulling away to run. Darien stared back at Andrew with his mouth open, at a total loss for words. And that was all Andrew needed to hear. Silence from Darien was enough to tell him that his friend was the culprit for Serena's tears. He lowered his gaze to the crying girl, unable to look at his friend, "Get away from her."
Darien held his hand out, ready to speak… but he knew there was nothing he could do now. It was ruined… she was ruined by him. Was he that easily controlled by women? Sure, the woman was beautiful, but was he so easily controlled that he couldn't contain himself? Was he incapable of being loyal to Serena? He stared down at the crying girl and knew that wasn't the case. It wasn't his choice. And despite all that, Darien stilled turned around. Darien still ran back to his apartment. Darien still climbed into his bed, pulling the covers up over his head and wishing the day away.
Wishing the tears would finally cease.
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Behind the glass, the blonde held a hand to her mouth… shock filled in her eyes. She had seen it all and yet she was able to stop it from happening. She saw the woman she had trusted completely sabotage her mission, seen her break both Serena's heart and Darien's. Anger filled her as she whispered one word, "Cupid…"
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