A/N: Idk why but I just spent like 3 days writing nonstop to finish this :/ It might also be because it's 6am, but I don't totally hate it.

I know this is annoying but if you want to listen to a version of the song Darren sings, I like this one /tSyBw0I9nmA

Chapter 7: Just friends

Darren quickly ran a hand though his hair several times, and the ringlets turned messier.

"Dude, you really need a haircut." Brian observed with certain disgust in his voice, before going back to his book.

It was weird seeing Brian studying like if his life depended on it. But he understood the reason, actually; this was supposed to be his, Joe and Jeff's last year. He'd be in the same position the next year, too. It's not like if he didn't touch his notes in the entire class term, but he could get by studying intensively one week before the exam- so far.

"Finally." Darren sighed, standing up, when there was a knock on his door.

Rachel was so out of breath when he opened the door that her greeting was barely audible, and she entered into the apartment, a guy following her. He was a slim, tall, 20-something guy (Probably not older than him), with chocolate hair and a slight stubble through the line of his jaw. A pair of sunglasses hung from the V-neck of his white shirt, and he sort of smelled like caffeine.

"This is Joey." Rachel introduced him, and Darren shook his hand. "He's going to help you with the gambling business. He's graduating as an accountant in a few months, so seize him as long as you can."

This explained his looks and the dark circles under his eyes.

She sat down next to Brian at the table and pulled of his earlobe to bother his study session. Darren offered Joey a drink.

"The big opening is this Saturday." He informed.

"How many people there are going to be?" Joey glanced at Rachel. "I might need help."

"A lot, probably." Darren said, proud. "All of my guys are in- well, except Joe and Rick, but Rick said he'll be there anyway, because he's mechanic and wants to get costumers. Only ourselves, we will attract a big crowd already. Jeff has a few friends that run races in Detroit and they might want to come too."

"I have a few friends, too." Rachel said, and then a grin was drawn on her red lips. "And I'm sure your friends from NYU won't miss it if they find out, neither."

The sarcasm of that phrase was obvious.

"However," Darren continued, trying to ignore the memories the only mention of that place brought him, "I'll be there to help you, and so will Rick and Brian. Right?"

Brian was way too focused on his book to even notice the people around him.

"Like if you'll miss the chance to show off!" Rachel said to Darren. "Are you saying you won't compete?"

"Yeah, but just at the end." Darren shrugged, as if winning a race was a doodle.

"Then I'm in, too." She snapped. "Just so you can have some real competition."

Darren shook his head, laughing. "Great. And thanks for dragging Joey into this. You're a life saver." He put a hand on her shoulder, softly shaking it.

Rachel was the kind of person who always knew someone who could help you out, or in the absence she knew someone who knew someone. If you needed a hand there was probably no one better than her.

Joey made an effort to smile at this compliment, as he flipped the hair that apparently used to be a fringe but now was only an annoyance. He was only trying to make some money, and maybe get to know fun people and get free alcohol.

Things seemed to be in control so far.

Darren couldn't help but to think about it: This was a great chance to have Lauren around again. He first thought about sending her a text, but he realized this wouldn't be enough. He knew her well enough to know that as long as she could avoid any distractions, she would. So he waited patiently until that Thursday, after they got out of a class they had together.

She was always one of the last people to get out of the classroom, whether because she wanted to avoid the mess of people running across the room, or because she was finishing writing her notes.

That day, she was wearing skinny jeans, a pink tank top under a light jacket and a messy ponytail, and he felt his lips tightening while he indulged to stare at her figure before she realized he was there. She frowned when she spotted him leaning against the door frame, waiting for her, but she was quick hiding it.

"Looking for something?" Lauren asked with a grin as she passed by the door and kept walking though the hall of the university.

"Just you." He simply responded, walking next to her.

"Something tells me you're not going to ask me a question about the class."

He felt she was more easygoing after the night they spent in the hospital. It couldn't simply not affect them; he had seen a part of her that was vulnerable, and it was like if he silently agreed to keep it a secret. There was a bond between them, though fragile, but noticeable.

"Look, I know you probably restrict your agenda to spend only one day at week with me, but there's motorcycle races this Saturday and it's kinda huge. It's really close to the campus. And I'd give you a ride home afterwards, so you don't have to worry about that."

Darren preferred to elide the fact that he was the one who arranged everything; but Lauren already knew it. She overheard Caroline and Julia talking about it, and pretended she wasn't listening. This didn't make the event far much attractive, though. But she didn't know how to explain this without coming out as rude.

"What would I do in a place like that?"

"Um, I don't know, watch me?" Darren suggested, like if that was obvious. He was very good. She'd fall for him as soon as she saw him winning and people gathered around him.

Lauren laughed, but she stopped when she noticed he wasn't joking.

"You're serious." She said, kind of sarcastically; like if she couldn't believe it. "Thanks for inviting me, but it's kinda not my thing. Good luck though. I'm sure there will be a dozen of other girls cheering for you." It had always been evident, and still that first ever allusion of groupies sounded with a dash of jealousy. She wasn't jealous. It just came out like that.

And of course there will be other girls. There always were. But he didn't want that dozen, he wanted her. Why was that so hard to understand? What was keeping her from giving him a single shot? He had been doing everything right. He was going slow, he was appropriate, and he did every single fucking thing she asked him to. Since Jim's party, he hadn't made a thing to come across as an asshole. But as soon as he suggested something that differed slightly from her life, she completely shut him out. It started to upset him.

"The forced politeness is unnecessary." Darren cut. "Save it for someone who doesn't give a fuck."

Despite his tone wasn't loud, the manner of that phrase shocked her so much she stopped walking. Darren disappeared at the end of the hall, and she could only observe it in silence. He didn't look angry, but more like disappointed. And he didn't turn back his head not even once.

Lauren felt a strange discomfort during the entire next period; and she failed to determine exactly why.

The word triumph bounced in his head the entire night. He tried to feel a little less arrogant, just in the case this could ruin it; but everything was perfect. The word spread, the place was full of people and hubbub, drinks ran from hand to hand and there were even a few corners with a very distinctive smell. Darren had put a table under the bridge to arrange the gamble, and he and Joey were working at full speed to keep up with the exalted people who wanted to bet on their favorite. Yes, everything was perfect.

Well, almost.

It was almost a fact that she wouldn't show up, and he still glanced at the little groups of people that walked hurriedly under the bridge, fearing a race would start and someone could hit them. It was in vain; she wasn't there and she wasn't going to be.

"Dude, do you want me to cover you?" Rick asked to Darren. Darren nodded almost instantly; he could use some spare time. The people were crazy there. Joey was actually the one who was counting all the numbers, but unfortunately, no one could replace him.

"Please." He answered, and then couldn't help but to laugh as he heard someone bet on Brian- that was a risky choice.

When Rick took his place, he walked a little away from the long line following the table. He observed the place. The bridge was full of people, because you could watch most of the circuit from up there. But there were also a lot of people nearby. Not everyone went particularly to watch the race, he knew that; it was also a social meeting.

Most of the people in there were there for a reason. A boy or girl who could afford to go to a club uptown every weekend wasn't likely to be there. They were mostly outcasts, and he liked that.

The length and difficulty for every race depended on the circuit you choose; which was stated clearly before it started. You could make up an infinity of combinations, but the hardest one, and Darren's favorite was always saved for the end. It included passing through the bridge, down an alley, taking an avenue and having to jump across three ramps. The finish line was the same place where you started. If you made it alright, you could finish it in about twenty five minutes. But it wasn't for everybody, and newbies knew clearly that they couldn't just try to go through it that simple.

Darren didn't spot anyone from NYU that he knew, which was perfect.

He thanked Rick when there were enough people to start the first race, promising he'd repay him some of his work.

"You should compete the next time." Darren suggested. "With the newbies or something. The easy one."

"I would, but-" He shook his head, glancing at Rachel who was a few feet away, smoking a cigarette, like if he cut a thought from his mind. "I don't want to make a fool of myself."

"So you're great manipulating bikes but it scares you to ride them?" Darren messed with him, grinning. Rick frowned shortly and pressed his lips together. "I could give you some tips or something."

Yes, Rick formed part of the group now; but if he really wanted to linger for a long time, he'd have to get some balls. Darren was willing to help but he couldn't do the entire job for him.

"That'd be great, but-" He did that thing again, stopping himself and glancing at Rachel.

"You want to impress Rachel? Staring at her in silence is not the way." He said as they walked from the middle of the path. He made a thumbs up to Brian, who was in the first series, about to start.

"I don't stand a chance with her anyway."

"Don't worry, I'll be like your mentor." Darren made a wink. Easier way to get to ride bikes than to Rachel, though. He decided to make him know that she had a boyfriend sometime later. "You'll be winning in three weeks."

Jim announced the initiation with the shot of an air gun; and he couldn't follow the figures in the bikes for a long time. The sound of their motors was covered by the screaming of people.

It was an environment full of energy and fun. It was refreshing.

A new guy from Detroit, probably friend of Jeff won the first race. Jeff won the second, and the third and fourth were people Darren didn't know. Then the grand finale was announced, and he leaded his bike from the parking lot to the start, next to Rachel. There were two more guys competing, but he didn't know them either.

He glanced to the crowd as the rest got ready; but he didn't find the face he was looking for.

Caroline was near with a few of his friends. Darren greeted her with his head, and Caroline walked a few steps closer, smiling.

"There wasn't any luck, right?" He joked, and she knew what he was referring to.

"I really tried to bring her, but she's working on an essay due this Monday. Sorry." Caroline explained.

"Right." Darren said. Such a liar. "Well, tell her that I lost, so she can feel guilty about it. Even though I'll win."

Caroline laughed. "You didn't even compete yet."

He smirked cockily as he started his motorbike.

"Please."

A girl called Caroline's name and she walked away. Darren speeded up the motor as Jim counted back the numbers to start the race. He could feel his heart beating intensively as the moment was closer.

The adrenaline took over his body after the shoot. He didn't even need to think, he was so trained that he acted following his instinct and it always protected him. Rachel wasn't joking the other day, she was pretty good, too, and she was an interesting competition. They happened to be near most of the race, but Darren lost her behind him after the second ramp. Only when he was back at the start he saw her arriving like twenty seconds later. No surprise there, neither.

The night was an overall success. They hadn't planned to make another event until at least a month later, but people had been so excited about it that they promised to repeat it the next weekend. Darren, Rick, Brian, Jeff, Rachel, Jim and Joey stayed up sharing a few drinks to celebrate.

It was at least 5am when Darren got in bed. He fell asleep as soon as his face planked against the pillow. He couldn't tell what time he got up, but he was sure it wasn't lunch time when he cooked a plate of rice with cheese.

The anger of that other day was just a distant memory by the evening; and he didn't want to lose the Sunday- he knew he'd have to wait a week to be alone with Lauren again.

She was surprised when he showed up at her dorm; eyes wide and the guitar case hanging from his shoulder as if he hadn't stayed up all night.

"I thought you wouldn't come." She commented. She didn't even pick a movie.

"I thought the same, too, but then I said: what would you do without me on a Sunday evening?"

She giggled shortly, "Why the guitar?" she asked while she walked to her bedroom to quickly choose a movie.

"Since you didn't want to hear my music I thought I'd bring it to you." He said, resting on the couch and throwing his head back.

Lauren grinned slightly. Well, she couldn't say no to that.

"Did you finish your essay?"

Lauren was too busy putting the movie on to realize the meaning of that question.

"Which essa-?" She stopped herself. Too late. "Oh." She had given herself away.

"Lauren, trust me, I'd rather hear that you hate me to guts and don't wanna see me, than your lies."

She looked down for a second, trying to figure out if that comment made her feel more insulted or guiltier.

"I'm not a liar. Don't say that again." Her tone was deeply severe. "Can we please just watch the fucking movie?"

It was the first time Darren ever heard her cursing, though it would not be the last. He sighed quietly, his arm stretching through the arm of the couch; and as he couldn't answer he had no choice but to stare at the screen while You've got mail started.

Long story short, it was some sort of Pride and Prejudice remake with two librarians that met online; they could never be together despite they were perfect for each other, because their stores were endgame competitors. Darren thought it was a brilliant dialogue; and held back the comment that Lauren was basically Meg Ryan's character because he knew she'd have a list of reasons why that wasn't true.

There was this part at the end when Tom Hanks told her not to cry, and she goes: "I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly." After this phrase, Lauren finally looked at him and talked, and he wondered if it was possible that they had spent the entire movie in silence.

"You know, the difference between these movies and my Shakespeare's analysis is that the couples in films are never married." She commented, her elbow was placed on the top of the couch and her face rested against her hand. "Like, what happens then?" She made a pause, and he had the impression she was recalling an old memory. "My mom always said that passion only lasts for a while, and if you're lucky you can only end up with someone you trust." Then again, she got divorced, so that wasn't a good standard. "Is it childish that I actually expect for something more?"

There was a moment of silence. Darren didn't know what to say- it took him by surprise. Sometimes he forgot that Lauren had an unique perspective about everything; he wondered if they sat down to share them with each other (One hundred percent honest, and with no second intentions) they might couldn't coincide on a single one. Lauren stared at him (Probably too lost in her thoughts to notice), then she shook her head.

"I didn't know the race was that important for you." Her voice was now much more casual. "I guess I could stop by, just a while, the next time."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I can go to support you… as a friend." Lauren replied. After all, he saved her from that guy at a party the other day, he drove her all the way to Detroit, he brought his guitar, he watched 3 movies he probably didn't like just because she said so; and it wasn't like if she didn't enjoy his presence- sometimes.

"Just friends?" Darren raised an eyebrow.

"Just friends." She determined.

He could work it out. And he knew how.

"So…" He stood up. "Remember that movie you made me watch, which I kinda hated?" Lauren rolled her eyes. "The guy plays this song that I thought I could try on my guitar." He took the instrument from its case. "It's not that hard, but I only practiced it once, so it's still a bit lame."

It was a pretty cheesy and needy song; too much of everything for him, but if she hadn't listened to his own songs, he probably wouldn't want to hear them live neither. So it was all he could use to get by.

Darren walked back to his seat on the couch; and first played a few chords before starting singing.

I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad,

Carry you around when your arthritis is bad,

All I wanna do is grow old with you.

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches,

Build you a fire if the furnace break,

Oh, it could be so nice, growing old with you.

Lauren, who was observing since the other side of the couch, noticed the effect of his voice at the very first second he started singing. It was soft, yet powerful; and it was like nothing she heard before, even though his fingers were still a little behind with the guitar.

His voice sort of sounded like steamy tea and fire sparks; only raspy in the precise moments.

I'll miss you, kiss you;

Give you my coat when you are cold.

Need you, feed you, even let you hold the remote control.

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink,

Put you to bed if you've had too much to drink,

I could be the man who grows old with you.

I wanna grow old with you.

She couldn't help but to laugh off the irony of the situation. Darren was the least proper person to sing words like those; even so he could deal with it as if he truly felt it by heart.

The last strums of the guitar ended five seconds after he stopped singing. Lauren had to admit it: he had an amazing voice. He was just overall very good. But she knew that was the reaction he was waiting for, and just for fun she wouldn't concede him this.

"So?" Darren asked, and his eyebrows went up for a second.

Lauren smirked, slightly tilting her head.

"I bet everyone must tell you that you're the best. Caroline will kill me if she finds out you sang in this room while she was gone. And she'd have said that, too."

"What does that mean?" He asked, putting the guitar on its case, like if he suddenly didn't want to play anymore. "I'm not?"

Lauren giggled. "You're okay."

Darren had grabbed his guitar case, and put its strap around his shoulder. He sighed, walked to the door and opened it. Then he said, turning around and looking at Lauren.

"What do I have to do to be good enough for you?"

She grinned, going to the door too. Darren was behind the door frame, on the stairs; and she stopped on the last tile of her house, her tiptoes above the frame.

She had sensed that question for a while. He was frustrated, and she didn't understand it at first. It wasn't that she didn't want anything to do with him; well, except maybe when they first met. It's just that she had gotten used to ignore most people, especially guys. Her career had always been her priority, and she was only then starting to understand that it was healthy to balance it all out.

Yes, Darren was still partly dangerous and she wouldn't trust him with everything. Darren wasn't like the good guys from the movies she loved. But this didn't mean she couldn't hang out with him.

"Your ego needs a brake every once in a while." She teased him.

His lips drew a smile, as he slowly shook his head.

"You are so like the girl from You've got mail." He finally said. "Pissed off, determined and always with a witty comeback on your tongue."

She laughed and looked at him in the eye, and the arousal in his chest couldn't allow him to think straight. He had been staring at her lips for a long moment. He wanted to kiss her so badly. It just seemed like the perfect timing.

He couldn't miss the chance, and for a second he thought nothing could go wrong whilst his face moved closer to her, and his lips searched hers. For a very short period of time, he honestly thought they'd kiss.

But a twinge travelled across his throat as her hand placed on his chest, firmly but not violently, stopping him from kissing her. Although, she didn't move her face; so his nose was grazing hers, on the slinky verge of touch.

She let out the breath she had been holding; Darren wondered for how long. He could almost feel its warmness on his mouth. Their proximity was so powerful they felt their muscles would go numb.

Lauren was looking down; but she still didn't move and he couldn't simply ignore that since it seemed an eternity before she whispered:

"Just friends." Her voice came out weak. "Remember?"

It seemed as if nothing had ever been as hard as giving a step back; and he only did it because being that close to her any longer without being able to kiss her would kill him. He was certain about this.

That strange, sort of magnetic connection was broke all of sudden as they split up. And they remained there, standing up, looking at each other as their breaths were still heavy and their minds quite stunned. Lauren's hand slowly fell back to its place.

"Yeah, see you later." He said with a thin voice. The pupils of his eyes were dilated.

He turned around and walked downstairs while she could do nothing besides staying still.

She only closed the door after she heard the distant motor of his bike. She knew it was foolish to wonder, yet she couldn't help but to ask to herself: What would've happened if she hadn't stopped him?

A/N: Reviews make me insanely happy. Pls, make me happy.