Author's note: Welcome new readers, shout out to my faithful followers, and thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! Enjoy this next chapter!

A couple of weeks had passed and Serena, Amy, Lita, Mina, and Rae were at Lita's apartment having lunch together. They decided a while ago they were going to have a Girls' Day and the time had come since they all were finally free on the same day. "These chicken wraps are delicious, Lita," Amy praised.

Lita grinned. "Believe it or not this is actually one of my older recipes."

"Still delicious as usual," Rae commented. "What's next after lunch?"

"We ought to commemorate our first ever Girls' Day with some healthy retail therapy at the mall," Mina suggested. "We've definitely earned it. Like I always say: treat yourself before you cheat yourself."

"I believe the phrase is 'check yourself before you wreck yourself,'" Amy corrected.

Mina shrugged. "Same thing."

"Before we go and do anything I think Serena needs to fill us in on certain details," Rae said mischievously. The girls looked at Serena expectantly while she looked confused. "Don't look at me like that. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Actually I don't," Serena said apologetically.

"We're dying to know what Darien was talking to you about after we went to the Crown yesterday," Mina clarified.

"When he was all 'Serena, can I speak to you privately please?'" Lita added trying to imitate Darien's voice.

Serena laughed. "That's not exactly what happened and it wasn't a big deal. We were just making plans to hang out tomorrow night."

"Hang out as in 'let's work on the project together' or hang out as in 'let's go out on a date?'" Mina asked. "This is vital information."

"Well…"

Flashback

Serena, Darien, Amy, Lita, Andrew, Mina, Rae, and Chad had just finished celebrating their SAT scores at The Crown and were on their way out the door. Serena was about to step out until Darien called for her. "Serena, can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Serena replied as he held the door open for her. They stopped near the entrance in clear sight of their other friends, but far enough away from them that they couldn't hear their conversation. "Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. Are we still getting together Sunday night?"

"Yeah… that was your idea, remember?"

He laughed nervously. "Of course I remember." He started rubbing the back of his neck and shifted his feet. It was like he couldn't stand still for some reason and it was very strange because Serena was used to him being so composed all the time. He finally stopped moving and focused on her. "I know we usually have dinner at your house with your family before we do homework and that's great, but I was hoping we could do something a little different."

"Like what?"

"I was thinking we could go out together and have some fun… just the two of us. I just thought it'd be nice for us to take a break and enjoy each other's company, especially since we did so well on the SATs and we're ahead on our homework." He paused as though he were collecting his thoughts. "Would you like to go out with me Sunday night?"

Serena smiled. "I'd love to."

Darien smiled back at her. "Great. This will be my treat so you won't have to worry about anything."

End flashback

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Rae exclaimed.

"He asked you out on a date!" Lita said excitedly. "FINALLY!"

"Now we HAVE to go to the mall," Mina added. "We have to find you a new dress, new shoes, new accessories, new everything so you can blow Darien away! Let's go girls! We're on a mission!" She stood up quickly while Rae and Lita followed close behind.

Amy stood up, but noticed that Serena wasn't moving. "Serena, are you coming?"

Serena snapped out of her gaze. "Huh? Oh… yeah I'm coming." She still didn't move.

Amy smiled at her politely before sitting back down. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I guess it just hit me that this is actually happening. Darien asked me out on a date! I mean he didn't exactly say that we were going on a date, but we're going on a date. I'm trying to process it and I guess it's making me a little nervous."

Amy laughed lightly. "You have no reason to be nervous. You two are clearly attracted to each other so logically a date is the next step. If he's finally gained the courage to ask you out then you should feel honored. This just means he wants to give you more love and attention so I think you should enjoy yourself because you deserve to be showered with happiness since you do so much for other people. All you have to worry about is relaxing, being honest, and being yourself."

Serena hugged her. "Thank you, Amy."

"And for the record, I think you and Darien are going to be a very cute couple."

Mina poked her head into the kitchen. "Are you slowpokes coming or what?"

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Lita came back in her apartment exhausted but satisfied with the day she spent with the girls. She set her shopping bags by the door and kicked her shoes off before plopping down on the sofa to relax. She was happy that the shopping excursion had been such a huge success and was so excited that Serena had the perfect outfit for her date with Darien tomorrow night. She was especially excited because she already knew about Darien's plans to ask Serena out. She remembered the day he told her.

Flashback

The oven had just started beeping signaling to Lita that her chicken was finally ready. Just as she was about to take it out she heard knocking. "Coming," she called. She carefully took the chicken out of the oven then went to answer the door. She was surprised to see Darien standing there. "Hey Darien," she greeted as she let him inside. "What's up?"

"Something smells amazing," Darien commented as he walked into the kitchen.

"It's my garlic roasted chicken," she said proudly. "I found a new recipe and I wanted to try it out. Where's Serena?"

"She's babysitting. I actually came to ask for some cooking advice. I'd like to try some new recipes myself because it gets boring eating the same old thing every day."

Lita put a hand on her hip. "Why the sudden interest?"

Darien shrugged. "I didn't think about until recently. But if you're not interested then I guess I can always ask someone else." He started to leave until Lita stepped in his path towering over him.

"First of all, you're not gonna find anyone more skilled at cooking than me outside that door so leaving is pointless. Secondly, I'm not letting you leave until you tell me the real reason you came here."

"But…"

"Would you like an appointment with Thunder or Lightning?" She held her fists up menacingly.

Darien held his hands up. "OK, OK. There's no need for all that." He sighed and put his hands down. "If I tell you, you have to swear you won't tell a soul, ok?"

Lita held two fingers up together. "Scouts' honor. Now what's going on?"

Darien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm gonna take Serena out on a date. I want to make her a picnic and cook all the food myself to add a personal touch so it can be a special experience for her."

Lita smiled and held both hands to her mouth when he mentioned the word date. "Aww," she cooed when he finished his explanation. "I knew it!"

"How did you know?"

Lita gave him a look. "Please, Darien. It's SO obvious you like her. Why didn't you just say so?"

"I don't know. I guess I was kind of embarrassed and I guess I didn't want you to ruin the surprise for her. I haven't exactly asked her yet."

"What?!"

"I've been waiting for the right moment and wanted to make sure I had a plan in motion before I did anything. So do you think you can help me?"

"There's no thinking about it! Of course I'll help you. I know all of Serena's favorite dishes and I can show you how to make each one. Come on!" She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her kitchen. "You can be the first to taste test my chicken."

Lita smiled at the memory. Even though he never told her when he was planning his date for Serena, she was excited that she was the first to know. Serena had done so much for her since she first transferred to the school and deserved to be taken care of for once. She had her doubts at first, but she was sure by now that Darien would provide more than enough happiness for her. She decided to give him a call to make sure he was doing ok. She dialed his number.

"Hey Lita," Darien answered.

"How are you doing, Romeo?"

Darien chuckled. "I take it Serena told you I'm taking her out tomorrow?"

"Only after Mina and Rae interrogated her. It's about time!"

"I know, I know. Better late than never, right?"

"Yeah. Did you decide what you're making yet?"

"I'm going with the pasta and bread sticks. It seems like a really easy recipe and it's the most portable."

"She'll love it. I actually have a legit picnic basket so if you want me to come over and drop it off tomorrow I can. It comes with plates, silverware, glasses, and napkins."

"That would be great. If you could bring it over around 3pm I'd really appreciate it."

"Sure. I want this to go well for Serena as much as you do because she's one of my dearest friends and she deserves the best. So you better get it right or you'll be hearing from Thunder and Lightning."

"No pressure or anything, right?"

Lita smiled. "I'm half kidding. Serena means a lot to me and I know she's in good hands with you. Is there anything else you need?"

"I can't think of anything. Thank you so much for all your help, Lita. You're a good friend."

"Eh… you're not so bad yourself. If you suddenly think of anything you need just text me, ok?"

"OK. See you tomorrow."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

On Sunday evening Darien had arrived at Serena's house and was now sitting in the living room trying to heed Irene's advice to relax as he waited for Serena to come downstairs. He took a deep breath in an attempt to slow his quickened heartbeat as he fidgeted with the rose he was holding. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Lord, please give me peace," he prayed. Darien stood up and gave himself a once over in the mirror hoping that walking around a little bit would calm him down even more. He told Serena to dress casually and took his own advice, but he didn't want to dress down too much since this was such a special occasion so he settled for something a little nicer. He wore dark jeans, his olive green sports jacket, a black shirt, and black casual dress shoes. He had his hair trimmed and opted for a fresh layer of deodorant instead of cologne for fear of putting too much on at once. No matter what this was still an evening he and Serena got to hang out together and even though it was a date he wanted it to be as relaxing as possible.

"Hi, Darien."

Darien turned to face the source of the voice he grew to love and was in awe at the sight. Serena was wearing a floral print sundress that hugged all of her curves in all the right places with an unbuttoned white cardigan that matched her white t-strap sandals. She was also wearing a heart shaped necklace and matching heart shaped earrings. Her golden blonde hair flowed freely similar to the way she wore it when he first saw her at the church only this time she left her buns in and added a few curls. When he came out of his stupor and stepped closer to her he could see she was wearing just a little bit of makeup that really brought out her cerulean eyes. "You look beautiful," he finally said to her. "This is for you," he added handing her the rose he was holding.

"Thank you so much." She closed her eyes and smelled it. "It's lovely."

After a few moments of silence Darien looked past her to Irene who was grinning proudly. "I'll have her home by 10pm."

"I trust you, Darien. Have fun."

Darien smiled back and led Serena out the door. As soon as they got to the sidewalk he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Serena smiled and looped her arm through his. "We shall." They walked amiably down the sidewalk enjoying each other's company. "Are you finally going to tell me what you have planned for tonight?"

"You'll find out soon enough," he replied. They walked a little further making small talk before Darien stopped them and pulled something from his pocket. "Do you trust me?"

Serena looked at him unsurely for a moment. "Yes… why?"

"Well we're almost there and I need you to close your eyes. I just want you to be surprised." Serena closed her eyes before Darien carefully tied a blindfold over her eyes. He looped her arm through his. "Just follow me and I'll lead you in the right direction."

Serena allowed Darien to lead her and she wondered what he was up to. She felt the ground change texture and could tell that they were walking through grass thanks to the sandals she was wearing. They stopped walking and she felt Darien's presence behind her as he loosened her arm from his own. "I'm about to take the blindfold off. Can you keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them?" She nodded. Darien carefully untied the blindfold and as instructed Serena kept her eyes closed. She heard some soft classical music start to play before she felt his presence near her. "Ok, you can open your eyes now."

Serena opened her eyes as she gasped. A picnic was set up for the two of them by the rose bushes in the prayer garden she introduced him to many months ago. Plates, silverware, napkins, and glasses were set up on a large checkered blanket illuminated by lanterns on each corner. Darien took her hand and led her to the blanket where they both took a seat. Upon closer inspection a bowl of pasta salad and a plate of breadsticks were in the middle of the blanket in front of a clear bottled container of what looked like pink lemonade. "This is amazing, Darien! Did you do all this yourself?"

"I had a little help, but this was all my idea," he replied as he uncovered the pasta salad. "I told you I'd take care of everything and I'm a man of my word." He made her a full plate of food and handed it to her. "Our main course for this evening is grilled chicken pasta salad and garlic bread sticks." He opened the bottled container and poured the drink into her glass then filled his own. "Our beverage for this evening is strawberry lemonade."

Serena tried the chicken pasta and was surprised by how well the flavors blended together. "This is delicious," she said before taking another bite. "You have to tell me the recipe."

"It's very simple," he said as he made his own plate. "You take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, 2 tablespoons of these, ½ a cup of those and mix it all together." Serena nudged him in the arm while he laughed. "I got the recipe from Lita and she told me to guard it with my life."

Serena smiled. "Of course she did. Do you have any more surprises planned for tonight?"

Darien grinned at her mischievously. "You're just going to have to wait and see."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

With dinner long gone and the lanterns turned off, Darien and Serena were now taking turns admiring the stars finding different constellations using the portable telescope he brought with him. "Look at that one," Darien said as he pointed to another star leaning lazily against a tree.

Serena looked at the star he pointed to through the telescope and smiled. "It's beautiful," she commented. "Seeing all these stars so clearly makes me feel like God is smiling down over us."

Darien smiled and looked back up at the sky. "You know, the North Star reminds me of you."

Serena looked at him quizzically away from the telescope. "How so?"

"It shines brightly and it guides people who are lost. Your personality shines brightly and I'd still be lost if it wasn't for you guiding me in the right direction. I'm forever grateful to you for that."

Serena smiled then looked through the telescope at the North Star again. "You know you can make a wish on the brightest star in the sky, right?"

Darien looked at her skeptically. "I thought that only worked on shooting stars."

"Haven't you ever heard of 'Star Light, Star Bright' before?"

"I'm not sure if you got the memo, but we're a little old for nursery rhymes."

"You're never too old to make a wish. Let's make a memory and make a wish together. Please?"

Darien sighed. "Why not?"

Serena grinned and scooted closer to where he was sitting against the tree. She unexpectedly took his hand. "We have to close our eyes and say it together."

Darien humored her by closing his eyes and started reciting the rhyme with her. "Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." He pretended to make a wish then opened his eyes around the same time Serena did. "So what did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you or it won't come true."

Darien shook his head then looked back up at the stars. He was fully aware that he was still holding Serena's hand and the fact that she didn't pull away gave him the extra boost of courage he needed for the next step he was about to take. "I have something I want to say," he finally said.

Serena looked away from the stars and gazed at him intently. "What is it?"

He smiled at her as he looked into her eyes. He was sure he could let himself get lost in her eyes for all of eternity, but he had a purpose and was set on making sure she understood what he was about to say. He caressed her hand he was still holding before continuing. "A year ago if someone told me that I'd be sitting out here right now stargazing with you I would have laughed at them and told them they were out of their mind. Nowadays I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without your friendship. You've become such an important part of my life and I treasure your friendship deeply, Serena. But now I wish to have more because I've grown to care about you so much and I can't deny my feelings for you anymore. If it's all right with you, I'd like to have more nights like this where it's just the two of us spending time together."

Serena looked down at their hands. Part of her knew this was coming, but she still couldn't believe it was really happening. The guy she slowly grew to care for had finally expressed his true feelings for her. She was elated, excited, amazed, and stunned at the same time. She came out of her thoughts when she felt him slightly shaking and she knew she needed to put him out of his misery because he was probably scared out of his mind. She caressed his hand until he stopped shaking and looked back up at him with a smile.

"I know we've had our differences and just like you I can no longer imagine my life without you in it. I'm so grateful we ended up getting partnered for our Sociology project because without it I don't think I ever would have gotten the chance to know what a wonderful person you are underneath that tough exterior. You've built a special place in my heart I didn't expect to have and I don't think I could get rid of it if I tried. I care deeply about you, Darien, and I want more for us too."

"So is that a yes to my original proposition?"

"Would that make you my boyfriend?"

Darien shrugged. "I'm afraid that's part of the deal. Take it or leave it."

Serena smiled. "I'll take it." A shiver went down her spine causing her body to shake as she rubbed her arms up and down.

Darien repositioned himself against the tree. "Come here," he instructed as he held his arms open for her. Serena shifted closer to him as he gently positioned her so she was sitting in front of him. He took off his jacket and draped it over her the two of them before he pulled her back so she was leaning against his chest. While she got comfortable he wrapped his arms around her shoulders underneath the jacket. "Is that better?"

Serena relaxed against him and held onto his hands. "Much better." They continued stargazing until she suddenly looked up at him. "Can I let you in on a secret?" Darien gazed down lovingly at her in response. "The wish I made tonight came true."

Darien smiled. "Mine did too."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Darien had his hand interlocked with Serena's as he walked her home. She had his jacket draped around her shoulders while he carried the picnic basket in his other hand. "… I know it was shallow, but that was the moment I knew something had changed," he was telling her. "You just looked so pretty it shocked me and then when I heard you sing it was all over. You had me completely mesmerized."

Serena giggled. "Well you're not the only one who was shallow. My moment happened on that day you taught me karate. When you walked back into the den in your workout clothes and I noticed muscles I hadn't seen before I had to turn away because I was blushing so hard." Darien laughed at her. "But I think you officially had me on that day I saw you playing with Baby Jordan. Guys playing with babies are my weakness."

They approached her house and walked up the steps before facing each other on the porch. Darien set the picnic basket down and took both her hands into his own. "I guess this is the part where I say good night to my girlfriend."

Serena smiled as she gently swung their hands. "Thank you for taking me out tonight, Darien. I really enjoyed myself."

Darien smiled at her and started staring at her small lips. If this was another time with anyone else nothing would have stopped him from kissing her senseless in that very moment. But things were much different… he was different now and Serena was too special to rush things so he opted to kiss her gently on the cheek. "I'll call you when I get home, ok?"

Serena nodded. He gave her hands a final squeeze before letting go and picking up the picnic basket. She watched him get into his car and waved as he drove away. When he was out of sight she unlocked the door and went inside her house. She heard feet shuffling as she closed the door behind her and then walked into the den where her family was waiting. Sammy was holding his Nintendo DS upside down while her mother was leaning over her father's shoulder as he read the newspaper on the sofa. Serena smiled. "Did you guys have fun spying on me and Darien?"

"We weren't spying," Sammy said.

Serena came next to him and took the DS from him. She flipped it right side up and turned it on before handing it back to him. She then stood over her parents' shoulders and glanced at what they were reading. "I didn't realize the comics made news headlines these days."

Irene sighed. "You caught us. We're just so excited for you, sweetie."

Ken smiled knowingly as he put the newspaper down. "Judging from that jacket you're wearing I can assume your little date was a success?"

Serena's eyes widened. "Oh no, I forgot to give it back."

"You ought to keep it. Back in the day when a guy was dating a girl exclusively he'd give her his letterman jacket or something similar to let everyone know he was going steady with her." Ken laughed to himself. "I'm glad Darien can finally relax now that that's out of the way. Poor boy has been a nervous wreck ever since he asked permission to take you out."

"Yeah, you should have seen him when he was here the other day," Sammy laughed. "He looked like he was about to hyperventilate after pacing so much."

"Oh, you boys leave Darien alone," Irene chimed in. "You were the same exact way when you were planning your little outing for Mika and don't forget how nervous you were when you finally got the courage to ask me out, Kenneth. He just really wanted to make sure everything was perfect for you, sweetheart. I want to hear all about it."

"I don't," Sammy said as he got off the sofa. "I'm glad you had a good time and all, but I'd rather not stay for the girl talk."

"I'm right behind you, Sammy," Ken said as he stood up. He hugged Serena and gave her a kiss on the top of her forehead. "I'm very happy for you, honey." He and Sammy left the room and headed up the stairs.

Serena took a seat next to her mother. "Well we took a walk to the park except I didn't know we were going to the park because he wanted to surprise me so he blindfolded me right before we got there. When I opened my eyes he had a picnic set up in the rose garden at the park lit with lanterns on each corner. It was so sweet. He made all the food himself and it was so delicious."

"What did he make?"

"Grilled chicken pasta salad, garlic bread sticks, and strawberry lemonade. I tried to get the recipe, but he said Lita told him to guard it with his life." Irene laughed. "We talked and laughed while we ate and then we did some stargazing with the portable telescope he had with him. After we made a wish together, we shared our feelings for each other then relaxed a bit before he walked me home."

"Did he kiss you?"

"You, daddy, and Sammy should know since you all were spying."

"It was dark out there and we couldn't really see much"

Serena smirked. "I didn't think I was allowed to kiss and tell, but if you must know he kissed me on the cheek."

"Aww," Irene cooed. "I always knew you had a little crush on him and I certainly don't blame you."

"Mom!"

Irene laughed. "Just because I'm older doesn't mean I'm blind and oblivious. Darien is a very attractive young man."

Serena blushed. "He is, but that's not the only reason I like him. And I did not always have a crush on him."

"Oh I know, dear." She gave her a big hug. "Darien's really good for you. I'm glad he makes you happy."

"Me too." She checked the time. "I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Good night." As soon as she got upstairs her phone rang. She smiled when she saw who it was and answered. "Hi."

"Hey," Darien said. "I made it home safely. I would have called sooner, but Trista interrogated me as soon as I got in. I swear she was asking me 100 questions a minute."

Serena giggled. "Sounds like my family. I caught them just as they finished spying on us and I just got finished telling mom about our date."

"Should we go ahead and tell everyone else now or wait until tomorrow?"

"Part of me wants to leave them in suspense, but it kind of seems pointless since they all knew we were going out tonight. We may as well make it official."

"Good idea. Are you logging on Facebook?"

"Of course. You know nothing is actually official until it's on Facebook."

Darien laughed and it sounded like music in Serena's ear. "Ok, I'm on my profile. Relationship status: in a relationship with Serena Thomas as of tonight."

Serena smiled. "Confirmed." A new story popped up on the newsfeed. "Serena Thomas is now in a relationship with Darien Shields. I really like the sound of that."

"I do too. Surprise, surprise. Mina is the first like."

"7 likes: Andrew, Amy, Lita, Chad, Rae, and Sammy."

"And now your mom." They laughed. "You'd think they were all together on Facebook at the same time or something."

"Here come the comments. I'd better log out and save them for later." Serena shut down her computer and heard beeping noises on her phone. "Are you getting text messages too?"

"You know it. We can cut this short so we don't get overwhelmed. I'll pick you up for school in the morning, ok?"

"Sounds good. Thank you again for tonight, Darien. This was one of the best nights of my life and I'll never forget it."

"Me too. Good night, Serena."

"Good night, Darien. Sweet dreams." She hung up and immediately turned her phone off ignoring all the messages she had. Part of her felt like she was in a dream, but after pinching herself while washing her face and changing into her pajamas she knew one of her dreams had finally come true and she couldn't be happier. She laid down in bed and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Lord, for such a beautiful night," she prayed before drifting off to sleep unconsciously using Darien's jacket as a blanket.

A/N: YAY! Sorry it's taken so long to get another chapter up. School has ended for the semester and I've been dealing with a personal crisis, but hopefully your patience has been rewarded. Stay tuned for what comes next!