The next day

"You did what?!" Mina asked for the third time.

Serena looked around nervously at the other patrons. They were at "Les Halles" bistro having lunch. "Will you keep your voice down!" She scolded through gritted teeth.

Mina sat back in her chair, regarding Serena with a stunned expression on her face. She was quiet for a moment before sitting forward to speak. "Serena, okay. Go through this with me one more time," The journalist in her coming out, "how exactly did you and Darien end up in the cubical of a women's loo," She looked around briefly, before leaning further across the table, "shagging?!" The last part came out in a harsh whisper.

Serena looked out at the lunch- time traffic passing by on Park Avenue. She ran her hand through her dark hair before turning to look at Mina once again. "What else do you want me to say, Mina? One minute I'm sitting at the table with Patrick sipping my wine, then before I knew it I'm in the loo with my skirt up around my waist," She put her head in her hands momentarily then looked back up, panic in her eyes. "Mina, what have I done? What's wrong with me? I haven't seen Darien in four fucking years! I see him again one night and within minutes we're going at it like two horny teenagers!"

Mina reached across the table and touched Serena's arm trying to reassure her. "Serena, look it's going to be okay."

Serena looked out the window again. "No, Mina it's not," She shook her head. "Four years I don't see this man, four years! And within minutes I'm screwing him in a cubical like some hooker! What the hell is that all about?"

"Look Serena, I agree that what you and Darien did was wrong but, I don't know," Mina smiled a little and shrugged. "Sort of sexy and exciting when you think about it."

Serena looked at her shocked. "Mina!"

"Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, but it's pretty obvious that there's still something between you two," She held up a finger falling back into journalist mode. "And I still hold the opinion that you and Darien's break-up was just a huge misunderstanding."

Serena glared at Mina scornfully. "No, a misunderstanding is when you give someone bad directions to your house. Darien stumbling home drunk smelling like cheap perfume and pussy is far more than a misunderstanding!" She took a huge gulp from her lemonade. Her eyes flashing with anger.

Mina took a deep breath and looked out at the traffic going by for a moment before she spoke again. She knew this subject was still extremely touchy for her Serena. Four years hadn't completely healed the wounds that she still bared. "So, did you two talk at all, you know, afterwards""

Biting at her bottom lip, Serena shook her head. "No, not really," She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "After we were done, I told him it was wrong and that we shouldn't have done it. I made him leave the cubical and I just sat there for a while. God, what's wrong with me?" She brushed away another tear.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong with you Serena. You just had a lapse in judgment that's all."

Serena snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, lapse in judgment is an understatement. And you know what I feel the worst about, his girlfriend Allison." Frustrated, she tossed her linen napkin on the table.

"Yeah, she's really cool. Darien's brought her by the house a few times," Mina replied.

"I know, and she even asked me if," Serena stopped suddenly realizing what Mina had just said. "Wait a minute, what do you mean Darien's brought her by you and Andrew's place a few times? You've never mentioned that Darien was in London-" Her eyes narrowed as understanding dawned. "And he did say last night that he'd been in London for three years and you never said a word?! Serena asked, her voice rising.

It was Mina's turn to look around the restaurant nervously. "I uh...we'll see, I just barely knew that Darien was here, and I, oh crap, Serena I'm sorry." She looked at her friends, shocked face. "I wanted to tell you a long time ago, really I did, but every time I even mentioned Darien's name you changed the subject or hung up on me."

"Mina I've been in London three weeks...and you never said a word! Even while I was in Italy! How could you not say anything to me about him being here?!" Serena asked ignoring the stares she was getting from the other patrons. "Did you tell him that I was here?"

"No, no I swear I didn't say anything to him either about you living here now. I just figured the chances of you two running into one another in London were pretty slim, you know?" She was looking at Serena apologetically.

Serena sat back in her chair shaking her head in disbelief. "Slim, huh?" She ran her tongue over her teeth. "And I suppose that one of those slim chances was just going to present itself this weekend at you and Andrew's party?" She sat forward lowering her voice. "Mina! How could you not tell me he was here?! And how could you not tell me that he had a girlfriend?!"

Mina rolled her eyes but decided she wasn't going to feel guilty about not divulging this information to Serena. "Okay, so maybe I should have told you that Darien was living here, and that he has a girlfriend. But you have Patrick right?" She sat back and crossed her arms in thought. "Which, now that I think about it, that fact didn't make much difference since you two still,"

Serena pointed her finger at Mina warningly. "Don't you say it!"

Mina tilted her head, smiling. "Had sex in a woman's restroom!" She finished.

Serena threw a crouton from her salad at her. "Oh, you bitch!"

Mina started to laugh and after a moment Serena did too.

After a few moments, still smiling Serena said. "Mina you really should have told me."

"Yeah, I know, and I'm really sorry. I figured if I mentioned to either of you that you were both living here now, I wouldn't be able to get either of you to come to the party this weekend. I just want you two to finally talk, I mean it's been four years," Mina covered her mouth trying to stifle a laugh. "But who could have guessed that you two would," She trailed off.

"I know, I know, please just don't remind me," Serena pleaded shaking her head reproachfully. They looked at one another for a moment and started laughing again.

"So, you do realize that I can't come to your party now?"

"Serena! You have to come! I can't handle all those tightwads from Andrew's firm alone!" Mina replied in a panic.

Serena shrugged. "Well, I can't see Darien's face again, at least not right now. Besides, Allison will be there, and I really can't face her right now," Serena stated, briefly covering her face in shame.

"I don't suppose you would change your mind if I told you that Allison won't be there? She's going out of town tomorrow."

"No Mina, it wouldn't!" Serena took a deep breath and looked at her friend crossly. "I just think that, the further Darien and I stay away from one another right now, the better off I'll be."

"It was that good, huh?" Mina asked.

"Omygod, you have no idea!" Serena replied, biting at her bottom lip.

"Look, Serena it's going to be fine. I promise. I'll be there, so will Andrew and a room full of other people to run interference. And think about it, you won't have to worry about Patrick being there making things even weirder, since he can't come." Mina said this hoping her satisfaction with the latter part of that statement didn't show on her face.

Serena ran her hand through her hair again. Patrick. He had barely crossed her mind since last night, and this made her feel even guiltier about what she and Darien had done. Serena cared for Patrick greatly, but she wasn't in love with him. And somehow that made things worse.

She took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll be there. But if things get weird, I'm out of there." She grabbed her purse. "And lunch is on you."

Mina smiled and thought to herself" One down.

Across town

"Andrew, you fucker! Why the hell didn't you tell me that Serena was living in London?!" Darien barked out of the. Andrew sat on the other end, waiting for Darien to finish. "You screwed me, man!"

Andrew placed the phone back to his ear. "Wait, how did I, screw you? Do I need to remind you my friend of who was in a women's loo last night giving it to their old girlfriend while the current one sat out in the bar? " Andrew waited a moment for Darien to reply. "Look Darien, I wanted to tell you man, I did, but Mina swore me to secrecy. She threatened to hold out on me, mate! And I'm sorry, I wasn't about to give up any loving for you or Serena either one!"

Despite his mood, Darien started laughing at Andrew's sad confession. "Alright, man, I guess I can understand that. Man, I can't believe this shit!"

Andrew recognized the anguish in his friend's voice, and as a general rule he didn't show much emotion. But he also knew Darien well enough to know that when it came to Serena, the rules had never really applied.

"So did Allison suspect anything?" Andrew asked calmly.

Darien leaned his head against the wall, sighing heavily. Besides Serena, Allison had only entered into his mind a few times since last night. "No, and you know what makes this even crazier? After we left the bar, she kept going on and on about how nice she thought Serena was and how fun it would be if we could all get together some weekend." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and speaking of...if Serena's going to be at your party this weekend...I'm not coming."

"Wait, what?! No, man you have to come!" Andrew's voice was panicked. "I can't take all those hippies from Mina's job by myself. Besides, Mina would freak if you didn't show up, and I'm really looking forward to getting her juiced up at the party and taking advantage of her later!"

"Well, too bad, because I can't take running into Serena or "Toe Head" again right now, especially since Allison won't be there. It's just a really bad idea."

There was a moment of silence. "So it was that good, huh?" Andrew asked unaware that his wife had just asked the same question to Serena across town.

"Hino, when have you ever known me to divulge that type of information to you?" Andrew didn't respond and Darien rolled his eyes because he knew Andrew was sitting on the other end grinning stupidly. "What the hell do you think? Fuck yes, it was that good!"

"Look, mate, I know that seeing Serena again may be a tad awkward, but you two really need to talk. Beside, you promised Mina, so you have to come. Plus, there will be a room," He mused, then added. "Then of course you two were in a bar full of people, last night and you two still-"

"Hino, I swear if you finish that sentence I will come down to you job and kick your ass!"

Andrew held back a laugh. "Okay, okay I'm sorry pal. But seriously, just say that you'll be there. At the very least make an appearance, okay?"

Darien cleared his throat. "Fine, I'll be there for Mina. But, I swear if things get weird, I'm so out of there."

Andrew hung up the phone thinking, Yes, yes. But immediately thought. Seems like there was something else I was supposed to tell him"