Eclipse

Chapter 5

There was no way I could have called Serena before Twelve. I was asleep until 11:30! I wondered at it, I had never in my life slept past 9! Even when I sleep as late as five am, 9 was always my time limit to be awake. Not that any alarm clock or any person woke me up, I normally am always up by then. Yesterday really wore me out. After rising, I went to the kitchen where a found a note from mother.

Your friend, the girl from yesterday, called and said to be ready by twelve. She said you guys would go out to get the materials needed for your project. I told her I want you home no later than midnight. She is very respectful and a hard worker I see. Well, have fun today and there are pancakes in the fridge. I washed those silk clothes you were wearing yesterday for you, which reminds me, where did you get it from? They are on my bed just in case you're looking for them. Anyway, take care and I will see you later tonight. Bye hon.

Love,

Mom.

The letter read. I had to reread it like two times for it to make sense. She was coming here by twelve?! But she said she wouldn't be up. I immediately dropped the letter and rushed to the bathroom to shower. I finished showering and rushed to the room to put clothes on. I debated putting on the clothes from last night but decided against it. I put on loose black pants which at one point had been fancy but now looked like a hand me down and a white dress shirt. I left the two buttons from the neck down open. I combed my hair out, trying to make myself look perfect. I was done and ready by twelve on the dot.

The door bell rang.

I rushed to it as if my life depended on it and yanked the door open with a big smile.

"Hi." Amy said from the other side. I could not control my facial expression. It just dropped. She blinked.

"Were you expecting someone else?" she asked. I sighed and nodded. I wanted to say no, I felt like not sharing anything about me and Serena but this was Amy, I couldn't hide things from her.

"Sort off." I answered as I opened the door wide enough for her to enter.

"Who?" she asked as she turned to me.

"Serena." I answered. Her eyes opened largely. "Don't jump to conclusion. She said this was the only time she will have to work on the project."

"Oh. So how is the project going." She asked as she took a seat. I saw mom's letter by her feet and I picked it up, trying not to be very conscious of it. If she read it, though it would support my lie that she was only coming to see me for the project, it would also give away that she had been here yesterday. I didn't want Amy's third degree. Trust me, it's scary. I always tell her that she should be a lawyer, the way she is so thorough in questioning and everything else.

"I'm not even sure what she wants to do. Mom made some pancakes, want any?" I asked as I opened the fridge.

"Sure. My stomach has been dancing all day that I couldn't eat." She said. I turned to face her and saw this dreamy, happy look on her face.

"I can only guess that you have a date with Troy." I said. She looked at me and blushed madly. I sighed and shook my head. She and I were far too deep to just come out.

"It's not a date. We're just going to the library."

"Whatever you say." I said as I placed the pancakes in the microwave to heat it up. "So what are the both of you doing?" I asked.

"We're debating on creating a pyramid out of clay and engraving on it things about us, or building a book shelf out of clay and making a copy of all our favorite books in clay and filling the book shelve with them."

"Wow, that's intense." I said. It was such a great idea that for a minute I was envious.

"Thanks. You wouldn't see it by just looking at him but Troy really loves to read. Yesterday…" she stopped and I raised my brow at her.

"What happened yesterday?" If Amy was near a red tomato, you would be able to tell which the tomato is and which is her. I had never seen her blush so furiously red before and it was cute. She started to fidget so I left my place by the microwave to pull a chair in front of her. I sat and crossed my hands over my chest.

"Come on Amy, this is me. You can tell me anything you know that." She nodded but didn't say anything. The microwave beeped to alert me that the pancakes were ready. I stood up again, took out the pancakes and syrup and sat it in front of the both of us with two eating knives and forks.

"Here you go." I said as she was still looking down at her fidgeting fingers while I was handing over to her the silverware. She looked up, took it and went back to looking at her fingers.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but hurry up and eat the pancake. It's gonna go cold and I am not about to warm it up again." I said as I began cutting a piece of it.

"He read to me." she said as soon as I stuck in my mouth the piece I had cut.

"What?" I asked after I had swallowed. She looked up with bright eyes.

"He read some of his favorite poems to me by the fire in his room." She said, dodging her head again.

"That's nice." I said. I really didn't see what the big deal was. I know Amy is a bookworm and she enjoys things like poetry and what not but I still didn't get the significance of him reading to her stuff I was sure she had already read. She shook her head.

"No, I mean he read to me. Well let me start over. After he picked me up, we went to the library and researched a little. But then he had he wanted to go to the park. I thought he meant the usual park but instead he took me to the other side of town where that fancy park is it. He had food prepared and everything so we had lunch. Then after we went to the amusement park and spent the rest of the day there. Around seven, we returned to his house. God that house is beautiful inside and out." she said, a dazed look coating her eyes. I knew that house was beautiful but I had only seen the outside. Now she made me curious to see the inside but I didn't say anything about haven seen it before. I ate as she daydreamed then snapped out of it, cut a piece of the pancake and stuck it in her mouth before continuing.

"He introduced me to his family. I was so nervous even though I had met his sisters at school. There was a sort of tension when he introduced me; everyone kept looking at me as if trying to find the punch line." Her face dropped then and I could only imagine how terrible it must have been. I knew the punch line they were looking for, financial status. Whether she was a somebody or a nobody.

"He left me with his family to go shower and while he was away, they kept asking questions about me, my family, my school, my ambitions and everything. There were some questions I wanted to lie about but his mother's penetrating gaze would not allow me to avoid it or lie. When I felt I really was sinking in mud water, Serena showed up and told them to leave me alone. Then she took my hand and dragged me to her room." Here she smiled shyly and I knew Serena had just won another person in her favor.

"Her room was like a queen's room. It was gold and silver with crimson here and there. I had never seen a room so beautifully decorated before, not even in magazines. She had their house maid bring me some tea and fruits and talked to me until Troy was done."

"What did she talk to you about?" I interrupted.

"She was just pretty much telling me not to take to heart how rude the family had acted and that their mother was very protective of Troy. Then she told me if I ever needed anything or just wanted to hang out I should call her. She was very cool and funny." Amy said, smiling. I was sort of hoping Serena had asked her about me. While I wanted to ask it, I was sure that would give away my feelings for Serena and for some reason I was not ready to share it.

"Well after Troy came in to her room to get me, she chewed him out about living me in the lion's den. He apologized and said he hadn't realized that his family would interrogate me like that. Anyway, he then took me to his room, had the fire place in his room going and had a very think blanket on the floor by the fire." She blushed red again; I hoped she wasn't going to tell me she had sex with him. Though I had no right to disapprove, I just never thought she would have sex before me. But I realized then that Amy really was older than me. She was 20 like Serena!

"Well he sat with his back leaned against a couch and he had me sit with my back and head on his chest. He wrapped a hand around me and asked if I wanted to hear some of his favorite poems. I nodded; it was as if I couldn't speak. My face I am sure was all red. But when he began to read, I felt calm and his voice was so soothing. Afterwards I wanted to read to him, so he sat with his head on my lap as I read some of the poems or recited some that I had memorized. And that was how we were until he came to drop me home. When he did, he…"

"He kissed you." She looked up at me with wide eyes.

"How did you…"

"It just sounds like yesterday was a date of some sort."

"No! He never said it was!" Amy said stubbornly. Amy maybe very innocent in matters of love, but I knew she wasn't stupid to believe that yesterday hadn't just changed their status as friends or partners into something more.

"Ok…I take it back." She looked at me and sighed.

"I feel that it is a date and I want him to think it was a date but I can't have my hopes up. This might mean nothing to him at all." Thinking about Serena and her behavior, I could not help but agree with her. Just like how Serena took sex as a normal thing to be done with anyone like a football game, this could be Troy's normal way with girls.

"But," she said looking up at me, "I sure did have fun and yes, he kissed me but only on the cheek. Then he said goodnight, made sure I was in the house before he left. What a gentleman." She sighed.

"I'm glad you think so." Our heads whipped to the door and found Serena and Troy standing there. Serena had this large smile on her face while Troy's face was all soft as he stared at Amy. I wasn't stupid either. Amy wasn't the only one in love and if I was wrong, then Troy is a really good actor.

He walked past Serena to stand in front of Amy who was looking down at her hands blushing madly. He went on one knee, took her face in his hand, leaned up and kissed her fully on the mouth. I could tell that Amy was shocked, her eyes were opened wide. The kiss lingered only for a moment and he pulled away to smile at her.

"I'm sorry for the trouble my family gave you yesterday." He said as he was standing up. He lifted Amy's hands so she followed suit in standing up with him. She was about to say something but he hushed her with his finger on her lips.

"I promise they will not act like that again. And I am sorry I haven't made myself clear to you. I am a person of do than say. But sometimes I forget just how important some words are meant to be said. I am attracted to you Amy. Normally it's really hard for me to figure girls out, they either want me for my money, looks or status but haven known you all of a week, I know that's not what you are after. At least I hope not." She shook her head fervently. He chuckled.

"Good, then as of this moment, may I have the honor of having you become my girlfriend?" he asked. She stared at him with large eyes, shook her head a little and stepped back.

"You deserve so much better." She said.

"Say that again and I will knock some sense into you!" Both Serena and I said at the same time. We looked at each other; Amy looked at us, blinked and giggled a little. Then she sobered up.

"What about Rei?" she asked.

"What about her?" Troy asked in confusion. Serena sighed and I raised one brow. Was he really serious or did he not see the problem this could create for Amy?

"Don't worry about Rei, I've taken care of her. Besides, that loud mouth temper throwing baby cannot fit in my family even if she had all the money in the world." Serena said. She finally waltzed in from the door where she had been standing this whole time.

"But…" Amy tried again.

"If you're going to be scared of every little challenge that comes your way, then I'm afraid to say that you don't deserve my brother." Serena said.

"Serenity…" Troy said warningly.

"Look, you know I can't stand people who put themselves down so I'm not going to pretend. Listen to me Amy, in this world, if you don't fight for what you want, you will always only get what someone determines you deserve and in most cases, that isn't enough. If it was, we wouldn't have so many working people. What I'm trying to tell you is that it isn't only Rei you're going to have to be strong against; there is also my family and a lot more people who will see you unfit to be with my brother. It's all going to hit you eventually, but you have to prove to all those people that you are his equal and as deserving of him as he is of you. He is very dense and doesn't even know when a girl is crushing on him. Take Rei for an example, she has loved him since we were kids."

"Really?" Troy interrupted Serena and she rolled her eyes.

"See what I mean? He might hang out with people, they will flirt with him yet he won't know they are flirting with him. When this happen, don't take offense. He is just really dense when it comes to stuff like that. And sometimes he might not notice things you expect him to notice, that too I am warning you ahead of time. He has never really been in any relationship of his choosing, this is the first time he has seriously liked a girl. I was starting to think he was gay or something. Yesterday he even asked me if there was a tiny hope that you might like him."

"Serena!" Troy said, embarrassed. I hid a smile and he turned his head away from Amy, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Like I said, he doesn't notice things unless you spell it out for him. But just remember that you can always come to me to talk if things get too hard to handle on your own. And don't fear telling him threats others will make to you and believe me, they will. They will go so far as to threaten your livelihood, your mother and your family. I'm telling you now; don't buy into any of the threats. Come tell me or him immediately, no one would dare have our anger turn on them. Now that you are part of his life, you are part of our family. It will take a while for the rest of the family to get use to you, understand that. They expect him, especially mother, expects him to choose a lady of noble class and all. This is the first time in his pathetic life he will be disobeying our mother, so you have to make it worth it alright? Even if mother is to threaten you and your family, come tell me. I can protect you, even against my own family because I'm a rebel like that. But I ask one big favor…" she said, looking seriously at Amy. Amy nodded and Serena smiled, there was this sadness to the smile that made me wonder.

"Make him happy. No, make him live. He has been existing all this while; he has never really lived, not for himself. Give him life; don't be afraid to make your demands. Don't be afraid to tell him what's on your mind and heart. And if you feel all this is too much, back out and walk out, nobody will blame you. And I will assure you this, now that he has come to love you, he will love you for the rest of your life if you let him. Likewise, love him in return. The road ahead of you two is definitely not a smooth one, but at its end lies a life of happiness you will regret missing if you ran away." We all just sort of stared at her. This, I knew she meant every word she had said. Was there such a deep side to her that I had missed? Even Troy was shocked as he stared at her. There was this look of wonder and something more that I could not identify in his eyes. If she could speak of love like this, why can't she live it? I looked at her then back at Troy and it suddenly dawned on me. It wasn't that she can't live it, she chose not to, but why was what I needed to figure out.

"Ok." Amy said softly and all our attention turned back to her. She looked at Troy shyly and stretched out her hand to him.

"I will be honored if you will have me as your girlfriend." Troy blinked and a very happy smile graced his face. He took her offered hand and pulled him to his chest. Then he surprised all of us by picking her up and swinging her around. Amy giggled happily and he chuckled. I felt this happiness in me for her, but at the same time I was envious and jealous. I looked at Serena and she was smiling at them, a soft, happy, wistful smile that once again brought to my attention that there was something more to why Serena lives the way she does.

Troy finally stood Amy on her own two feet and kissed her. This time, Amy responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on tip toe and kissing him back.

"Awwwwwwwwwwww, you two are so cute it's making me sick." Serena said after a minute of them kissing. They pulled apart and Troy turned around to glare at her while Amy hid her face in her hands.

"So Darien, aren't you going to give them your blessings?" Serena asked. I blinked and looked at the two of them staring at me. I run my fingers through my head nervously and Amy blinked.

"Darien!" she sort of yelled.

"What?" I asked she quickly ran to me and touched my hair, wiggling her fingers through.

"I hadn't even noticed you had cut your hair." I looked down at her with a bemused look.

"Are you serious? I look totally different with my hair cut." I said. She blinked and stepped back. The shook her head.

"I can't see it. This is how you've always looked to me, just without the hair that was always in your eyes." She said, I gaped at her.

"I wouldn't have noticed any difference if she hadn't pointed it out right now." Troy said. "It looks good on you." He finished. I looked up at Serena and she was smiling. I sighed.

"Well thank you." I said to the both of them before hugging Amy.

"I'm happy that you have found someone to share your beautiful heart and smile with. You know I've always got your back right?" I said as I ruffled her short hair. She nodded.

"Good." I turned to Troy with a serious expression.

"She is a good girl." I said.

"I know that." He responded.

"She is very shy."

"I know that."

"She is very smart."

"I'm aware.

"She has a bright future ahead of her."

"I agree."

"But she is a woman and no matter what, her heart must come first. Break it and I will break you. Treasure her and you will have a place in my good grace. Abuse her and you will be hurt ten times the pain you caused her, love her and you can be sure I will always have your back. Amy is my sister and I love her dearly. I will not tolerate anyone taking her for granted. Money may have raised you up, but it was love that made her who she is now and how she is now is what made you fall for her. I expect that to be the same reason even ten years from now." I said and I meant every word. He looked in my eyes and saw I was very serious.

"I promise you that if she is ever hurt, it won't be because of me nor will it be because I neglected protect her." He replied back and I saw in his eyes how honestly he spoke. I smiled, stretched my hand out to him and he shook it, smiling in return.

"Why are you making it seemed as if they are getting married?" Serena said as she pulled out a chair to sit. I chuckled and turned back to Amy, several tears had slid down her face.

"And you're crying as if it's your wedding day." Serena said to her and we all laughed.

"Guys are not supposed to say such sweet words" Amy said.

"It's so sweet I can feel cavities starting to itch up in my teeth." Serena said with a roll of her eyes.

"Stop hating." I said to her.

"I'm not hating, I'm only stating." She replied, then she stood up and stretched.

"Ok Romeo and Juliet, you must leave now. Darien and I have a busy day ahead of us." She said. She stood up, walked around Troy to stand behind Amy and started pushing.

"But I didn't finish eating my pancakes." Amy said as she was being pushed out.

"Romeo will get you something to eat. Now bye bye." She pushed them out the door and closed it. Outside, we could hear the two of them laughing. Their laughter moving away as they left.

"Well?" Serena said as she turned back to me.

"I have to finish my breakfast." I said and sat back down to eat. She sighed.

"Take your time and I might leave you." She said and I smiled at her.

"Care to join me?" I asked. She rolled her eyes and stood up. She walked to the hall that led to the rooms.

"Hurry up!" she called behind her and I chuckled a little.

I wolfed down the remainder of the food and washed the plates and set them out to air dry. I looked around the kitchen and saw all was right before heading to my room where I expected her to be. She wasn't.

When I turned to walk out, I saw the bathroom light on.

"I'm done." I said. The door opened and I saw she had changed. I blinked.

"What?" she asked.

"You look cute almost." I said with a smile.

"I can't always be looking sexy now can I?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not?" I asked as she walked past me to my bedroom.

"Because it's too much trouble." She was looking sexy but she was wearing a pink mini skirt and a white spaghetti hand tank top with a small pink jacket. This was the first time I had ever seen her in colors other than black and dark red. She looked lovely in pink but there was this innocence about it that toned down the seductive sexiness that always accompanied her.

"Well, don't I get a kiss?" I asked.

"You just ate didn't you?" she asked as she sat on the bed, crossing one leg over the other and totally taking the innocence off the outfit.

"Yeah?" I said, trying to calm my racing heart.

"Brush first. The taste of syrup makes my stomach turns." She said.

"Oh ok." I said and left for the bathroom. Once again, I came back from blushing to find her on my bed looking as if she was asleep. I tiptoed over to her and her eyes popped open.

"You're not that quiet you big cat." She said with a chuckled.

"Well at least I tried." I said.

"And failed." She replied as she grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her. I toppled on top of her and we started kissing. My body once again remembered the feel of her from last night and the hunger I had kept at bay since waking up and hearing her name returned with a vengeance. I devoured her lips and pressed myself harder on her, letting her opening feel the rigidness of my staff. I kissed down her face to her neck as she ran her fingers through my head. Then slowly and deliberately, I trailed my kiss up her soft skin back to her lips, my hands dancing over her body and breasts.

She stopped me as my hand got closer to her tits.

"Darien." She said. I sighed.

"I know. It's just so hard." I replied in her ears where my head had fallen.

"Shhhh." She said soothingly as she gently messaged my head and neck. We stayed in that position for a while and I enjoyed her scent. I brought my lips back to her after a while and kissed her passionately, driving my tongue into the deepest corner of her mouth. As always she was two steps ahead of me as her tongue and mouth devoured mine. She was such a great kisser that she was driving me mad. As we kissed, she brought us up from the bed and when we parted, I was standing with my back bent and she was sitting.

"Let's go, we have much to do today." She said when I am trying to catch my breath.

"One day," I said with a gasp. "I hope to be able to drive you mad the way you do me."

"That's a long ways off lover boy." She said and walked out the door. I followed her out of my room and out of the house. I locked the house door knowing mother had a key and went to the front of the house where she was standing by a shiny silver sports car. I looked on curiously as I walked to her and it.

"Where is your black car?" I asked.

"At home. This is one of the cars I got for my birthday. When we return, you will drop me home and bring the car to your house to use."

"Wait, what?!" I asked, my eyes wide.

"You don't want the car?" she asked, her head tilted to the side. I noticed whenever she was puzzled; her head would till the right side.

"You're just going to hand the car over to me?" I asked.

"Yeah?" this is a big deal right? I'm allowed to be astonished right?

"Are you crazy? That car cost over thousands!" I said and it really looked expensive too. It looked so clean and shiny and beautiful that it was as if it was made this year.

"I wouldn't know. I didn't buy it. Besides, I've only used it for a month since I got it two years ago I think. It's pretty much been sitting in the garage collecting dust. It's either you want it or you don't. Stop making things too complicated." She said, opened the driver's door and sat in the seat. I shook my head and sighed. Wonders never cease.

I walked around to the front passenger seat and fastened in my seat belt.

"Besides, what makes you think I have a license?" I asked her. She turned her head to me for a fraction of a minute before turning back to the road as she reversed.

"You better have it by your birthday." She said simply.

"And if I don't know how to drive?" I asked.

"Then I will teach you." Her phone rang and she picked it up.

"Princess speaking." She answered. "Oh, KC what's up? No not really. I knew. It's not my place. Nah, I'm with a friend right now. Yes a guy, a cute one too." She said and turned to wink at me. "It's a little too late now; yesterday we had a very steamy sex." I nearly chocked when she said that. Her lips lifted up and her cheeks balled up and I knew she was trying not to laugh at me. "Oh I see. What!? Mercy did that!? Damn, that girl is getting ahead of me. I better watch my back around her. Ok, just be careful aight? Yeah, talk to you later. Love you too. Bye hon." She finally finished talking and put the phone away. It was one of those touch phones, the I phone I believe it's called. It had the apple symbol on the back.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"KC. He's in the US. A childhood friend of mine." She answered.

"Oh."

"Jealous?"

"I always will be of any guy in your life that is not your brother or father or a very close cousin." I answered honestly. She giggled.

"You're honesty is your redeeming factor Darien. It's what makes it hard for me to walk out of your life else I would have walked the minute you told me that you loved me." she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because when emotions like that get mix in, things get complicated." She answered. There was something in her voice that bothered me and I realized she was uncomfortable on the subject.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked.

"Shopping, kissing, more shopping and more kissing." She said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes, this girl is something else.

You know how when you are watching a movie, sometimes scenes roll into each other to express days passing by? That's how today was like though this wasn't expressing days but events within a day. From one store to another, trying clothes on, kissing, clothes, making out, and more clothes, I had never been that exhausted in my life. But I had an amazing time with Serena. I was smiling pretty much the whole time that I feared I would not be able to have a straight face for the rest of my life. Whenever I choose a right dress for her, she would make out with me in the changing room. It wasn't only clothes but shoes, watches, some chains and even boxers. Which she picked out herself saying that there are some types of boxers she finds sexy on a man. I also felt more connected to her than ever, she was open, laughing and I felt it too that she was having a blast. She shopped more for me than for herself. By the time I returned home in the night around ten, I was burdened with so much clothes that not all of it fit in the closet. Mother helped me fold the rest and stash them in my drawer. She was amazed at all the things I had gotten thanks to Serena and I knew Serena had won another heart.

That night, after everything was put away, I called her on the phone to thank her but she wouldn't hear of it. And she greatly protested to picking me up in the morning for school because she was either planning to ditch or come in late so she could have her beauty sleep. In the end, I talked her into coming to pick me up with plans to teach me how to drive after school.

After we said goodnight which I really didn't want to say, I prepared for bed. Unfortunately, having spent the whole day with her and talking to her on the phone, I was far too excited to sleep. And that excitement eventually turned to restlessness that prevented me from sleeping until five am. Having to wake up at six thirty was a bitch. I cursed the school for making college as if we were still in high school. Get there at seven thirty and out by three. How annoying. And our school was the only school that was like that, we didn't have that flexible day or night classes like normal colleges and it pissed me off this morning more than ever. But mother woke me up and having no excuse other than that I hadn't gotten a good night sleep. I rouse and showered and prepared. Mother had already left.

At seven exactly, there was a knock on my door. I knew it was Serena so I grabbed my pack and went to answer the door.

"Morning sunshine." She said brightly.

"I thought you were supposed to be sleepy in the morning." I said and laid my head on her shoulder. She patted my back softly.

"I'm not really a morning person but when I'm up, I'm up." She said and I groaned. "Why are you so sleepy?"

"I didn't sleep until five."

"Why?"

"Because, at first I was thinking about you and then later I became too restless to sleep."

"You're kidding right?" she said and I shook my head. I heard her sigh. "Fool." She said and hugged me. I returned the hug. When we straightened up, she leaned up and kissed me passionately and it woke me right up.

"Let's go." She said, taking my hand and leading me away from the house into her black car. As she drove, I sort of nodded off.

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