Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but life sorta got in the way. Chapter 4: Dinner with Jamieson's
Chapter 4-Dinner with the Jamieson's
Dan and Serena had been spending a lot of time together in the past two weeks. They were practically holed up in her office going over his new approach to model. They reviewed each of the characters and the arcs he had planned for them. Leah was constantly making coffee runs to hold them over. Serena had not felt like this in a very long time. Just being in his company put her at ease. She had always been fascinated by how Dan's brain worked it was a big part of her initial attraction to him. He was just so smart and she felt like she could learn so much from him. She looked at him and took her glasses off, "that's it. We're done for now."
"So, next I write."
"You write," Serena repeated.
Dan looked at his watch and said, "its late. Your husband must be worried."
Serena looked around awkwardly and said, "uh, he's cool. He understands."
"Yeah, but he must not like you working late so many nights and especially with you ex."
"Uh, he's real understanding," Serena, said wondering when this charade would come to an end. She knew she should tell him, but she had no idea how to do it.
"I'm glad. You deserve the best he said," he said as he smiled that dazzling smile of his. It unnerved her and made her want to put as much distance between them as possible, but really she had no choice. Maybe it was best that he thought she was married. At least this way neither of them were tempted to cross that imaginary line that would send them back through time.
"So, I was thinking maybe its time I met this mysterious husband of yours."
"Uh sure," Serena replied.
"Dinner at my place. I'll bring Jenny. I'm sure she'd love to see you after all this time. How's Saturday for you?" he asked.
"I'll have to ask Casey," she muttered.
"Great, just call me," he said before packing up and leaving her office. Serena plopped herself down on the black couch and said, "this is a disaster waiting to happen."
Serena was pacing in her living room as she waited for Casey to come over. Usually he popped her head in the door a little after dinnertime, but it was almost nine and still there was no sight of him. Normally that wouldn't bother her, but she really needed to talk to him. How the hell were they going to convince Dan and Jenny that they were married? Serena knew nothing about marriage. The little experience she had with it was watching her mothers various marriages fall apart. She was an expert on divorce not marriage.
"God, how the hell did I get myself in this mess," she said to herself.
"Let's see you lied to your ex,"Casey said as he walked into the living room.
"Finally it took you long enough," she said as she dragged him towards the couch. Serena placed her feet in his lap and said, "we have a problem. Dan wants to have dinner with my husband."
"So, we'll just go then."
"Are you not listening to me. We have to get out stories straight. This is Dan and he knows me well, better than you do."
Casey dramatically held his hand to his heart and said, "Ouch, you wound me so."
"Stop the dramatics. Dan and his sister and Jenny well they were a big part of my life and they can tell when I'm lying."
"If they can tell you're lying, how come the literary genius hasn't figured it out yet."
"He's definitely suspicious. He kept asking me questions about you and I kept trying to change the subject. You have to help me Case."
Casey grabbed her foot and massaged it gently and said, "first relax. Second, I'll do it. We'll just practice our stories and it will be a piece of cake. Don't get all worked up about it. Tense doesn't suit you. Plus you don't want to get crow's-feet from all that crinkling of your eyes,"
Serena gave him a dirty look and threw a cushion at him.
Dan was busy sprinkling some herbs in his homemade pasta sauce as Jenny blabbering away about her latest designs. She had started her own label a few years ago and she was slowly building a name for herself. He was proud of his little sister. Jenny really had come very far. She'd spent years working for Eleanor before she decided it was time to break out on her own. He loved hearing the enthusiasm in her voice and in many ways it reminded him of how he felt about his writing. He loved being asked to do a story by the magazine, but his true love was make a new for himself in the literary world. His first novel had largely been a sort of therapy session to help him deal with the mess that had been his late teens. But, it was the process that made him realize that being a novelist was what he was meant to do. As a kid he knew he wanted to be a writer, but he was never sure what type of writer he wanted to be.
"Atleast something useful came out of that mess," he thought to himself.
Jenny watched as he vigorously stirred the pot. She knew something was up. He was tense and she had feeling it had everything to do with the couple that was coming over this evening. She still didn't understand why her brother wanted to subject himself to meeting Serena's husband. It was obvious to her that he was still in love with her, but he was just too stupid or stubborn to admit it.
"So, why exactly are you doing this again?"Jenny asked.
"I thought it would be nice."
"Nice? Nice is sending a nice gift to their place via courier. Nice is a card saying congratulations not an intimate dinner with your exgirlfriend and her husband,"she said.
Dan reduced the heat on his sauce and turned to face his sister.
"What exactly is your point Jen?"he asked with a touch of irritation in his voice.
"I think you're up to something,"she said as she took a sip of her wine "and I think you're still in love with her."
Dan made a face and said, "don't be an idiot. That's water under the bridge. It was ten years ago. Anyway she's married now."
"I still think it's a bad idea, but I promise I'll shut up about it for now."
A little over an hour later, Jenny was finishing up setting the table when the doorbell rang. She went over to open the door and greeted Serena who looked striking as usual. There was something different about the way she carried herself. She looked like the girl she knew, but there was something different about her. It wasn't the subtle change in her hairstyle or even the glasses she seemed to wear, but the way she carried herself. Serena hugged Jenny fiercely.
"Jenny, how are you?"she said gleefully.
The man that stood behind her was tall and distinguished. He had sandy brown hair with a touch of gold and was dressed in a finely cut suit that had to be Armani or atleast a good knock off. He smiled at Jenny brightly and she couldn't seem to help but blush. He was impeccably groomed. The two of them made a striking pair.
"Come in and have a seat. Dan is just getting dressed."
"You two have a lovely home," Casey said.
Serena and Jenny simultaneously burst into laughter. "Um we aren't together. Dan's my brother."
Casey sheepishly cast his eyes downwards, "Oh I'm sorry."
Serena and Casey took a seat on the couch as Jenny went to get them each a glass of wine. She handed them each a glass and sat across from them. She was trying to observe them and figure exactly what was wrong with this picture. They both were rather comfortable in the others presence, but there was a certain friction missing.
"This is absolutely perfect," Jenny thought to herself.
Dan walked into the room and Jenny couldn't help, but note the change in Serena's body language. She went from relaxed and playful to slightly tense. She held tightly to Casey's hand as if it were life preserver. The friction and electricity that had been missing between Serena and her husband was now circling the air as she exchanged glances with Dan.
"OMG, she's still in love with him," Jenny thought to herself as she took a sip of her drink and mentally prepared for the show that would inevitably enfold.
Casey sized up Dan and couldn't help, but notice the fact that Serena's ex was gorgeous. He had cheekbones that looked like God himself chiselled them and he had the most breathtakingly gorgeous eyes.
"He's beautiful,"he whispered in Serena's ear.
"Stop it," She whispered back.
Dan watched them and couldn't help but feel like grabbing Casey and throwing him out the window. Knowing Serena was married was one thing. Watching her with him was another. Jenny was right this was stupid. It was like he was trying to punish himself.
"So, dinner will be ready soon. Its great to meet you Casey,"Dan said.
"I was telling your sister earlier how much I love your place. I love open concept. The design is impeccable. Do you have a decorator?"he asked.
Dan looked at him as if he'd swallowed a crazy pill. "A decorator?"
"Yes, an interior decorator"
"Um not really. I just got Jenny and my friend Vanessa to help me. I wouldn't even know where to find an interior decorator," he said awkwardly.
"You're looking at one"
"I see."
Serena held his hand and said, "Yeah Case designed Blair's place."
"So, you guys are still talking?" Dan asked.
"Of course. We just don't run in the same circles anymore," Serena stated emphatically.
Dan looked at her and tried to figure out what was wrong with this picture. She was acting weird and he had no idea why. There was also something a little bit odd about Casey. He seemed a little feminine and it didn't help that he was convinced that he was checking him out. Dan looked over at his sister and they shared a strange look.
"I'm going to check on the food. I'll be right back," Dan said.
Jenny got up and said, "I'm gonna go help him."
Dan started to take the chicken out of the oven when Jenny came into the room.
"Serena's husband is gay,"she said.
"I think you're right because I could swear he was checking me out,"Dan said awkwardly.
"Oh he was definitely checking you out,"she said.
He placed the oven on the counter and took out his serving plate and placed the bird on it and handed it over to Jenny to put it on the table.
"So what do we do?"he asked when she returned to the kitchen.
"I don't know."
"I have to tell her."
"How do you tell someone that their husband is gay?"Jenny asked.
"I don't know, but I have too," Dan said.