Sorry it's been a while, guys. This chapter doesn't have any sexy scenes in it. Chapter 4 will probably have some. But you all asked for more. And for a little deeper story line. So heres ya go!
Darien stood at the sink later that night, washing the dishes. He had been washing the same dish for probably the last 20 minutes, completely lost in his own thoughts.
He had woken to find Serena snuggled against him while he held her, his arm around her waist while her head was against his chest, her arms tangled around him. For a moment, he closed his eyes back with a sigh of content. After a moment, it had hit him. His eyes snapped back open and look back down to her. His breath caught in his throat in terror.
They had made love. This was going to change them.
Carefully, he pulled away from her, climbed out of the bed, and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, and pretty much ran from the room. He paced his living room, feeling on the verge of a panic attack.
What would happen now? Would they start a relationship? Would they pretend this never happened and go back to their intense sessions? Would this end their affair completely? And if so, how would that affect their public relationship? Would they even have one anymore?
His mind was racing and he was panicking. They needed to talk. They needed to figure out what had happened; what was going to happen. But did he want to talk? He didn't want anything to change between them...did he?
Confused by his thoughts and emotions, he had decided to make himself busy and clean. He headed into the kitchen and started washing the few dishes he had left that morning.
But his thoughts hadn't left him. The fact that he had been washing the same dish for 20 minutes could attest to that. The plate was certainly super clean and he was still as confused as ever.
He dropped the plate into the sink with a sigh and grasped the edge of the counter for support. He ducked his head with a sigh of frustration.
Then he heard it. The soft patter of small feet across his living room floor, heading in his direction. He braced himself as she entered the kitchen. As he lifted his head slightly, he could see her reflection in a pan above the stove.
She stood in nothing but his shirt from earlier, her weight on one foot and an adorable smile on her face. How he wanted to go to her and wrap his arms around her. And at the same time, he wished she had come in like she usually did; a sly grin on her face and a wave bye as she skipped out the door.
He stood his ground, not baring to face her and give away the confliction he knew was covering his face.
"Hey," she said and he could hear the smile in her voice. His chest tightened.
"Hey," he said in a monotone voice.
"So, uh, earlier" she bit her lip playfully, "...that was-" she started and he quickly interrupted her.
"Fun," he finished for her. Silence blanketed the room and he looked up at the reflection of her in the pan. Her smile had disappeared as she realized why the tension was so thick in the room.
He closed his eyes for a minute and took a deep breath before looking back at the pan.
She was nodding slowly to herself, unaware that he could see her. She again bit her bottom lip but this time, not in the playful manner she had before. His heart broke in two.
"Fun. Right. Yeah. So, um, I think I'm going to just go then." She paused for a moment as if giving him the chance to stop her. He didn't. She nodded to herself again in confirmation. "Okay...so..." and with that, she walked back out of the room.
He stood perfectly still as he listened to her head back into his room to put her clothes on. What was he doing? He couldn't just let her go. Just let her walk out with at least saying something to her. ANYthing. Just say something! His head screamed at him.
He heard her come back into the living where she paused once more. Now was his chance.
Just go in there and say something. Tell her you need to talk. Tell her how you feel. For the love of all that is holy, just tell her!
And yet, he didn't move. Fear kept him rooted. Fear of what she would say. Fear of how she would feel. Fear of how they would change. Fear of rejection. Just fear.
It was this fear that made him do absolutely nothing when she sighed in the living room and grabbed her shoes before heading out the door. It slammed hard behind her and he released a hard breath. Fury rushed through his veins at himself. In his rage, he picked up the plate he'd been washing and threw it. It crashed against the wall, shattering into a thousand little pieces.
He slumped against the wall, his hands running his through his hair as he slid down the wall and fell to the floor.
~*~v~*~
Serena sighed as she poured over her college school book in her booth at the arcade. Her mind was not even close to being on her studies though. They hadn't been for the last few days.
She hadn't seen Darien in 3 days. Granted, she had been avoiding him at all costs. She hadn't been to the arcade since the night she had left his house in a whirlwind of hurt and confusion. But she had met Andrew on the sidewalk earlier and he had told her that apparently, Darien hadn't been in either.
He was avoiding her too.
Her heart was hurting, and she wasn't even completely sure why. Well, that wasn't completely true. She knew why. She had just spent the last 3 days running through everything in her head.
She was in love with Darien Shields.
How the hell did this happen?! One minute, they were just messing around, having fun in closets, alleyways, vehicles, beds, wherever they could find. The next minute, they were making love in his bed and her heart would never be the same.
She had done a lot of crying the past 3 days; a lot of questioning herself; a lot of pacing her apartment and cursing him to herself. She had tried her best to focus on something, ANYTHING, other than him. But it only brought him crashing right back into her mind. She couldn't escape him.
With determination, she had decided to brave the Fruit Parlor arcade and try her luck. She couldn't ignore him forever. Eventually, they would have to face each other and figure out what the hell was happening. She had walked through the doors, fully expecting him to be sitting in his normal seat at the bar, drinking a cup of coffee.
He wasn't.
Her heart fell slightly as a relieved breath also exited her lungs. The turmoil within her confused her greatly.
She was also pleasantly relieved that none of her friends were in the arcade. She had been avoiding them, too. She was fully aware that they knew her too well and would know something was bothering her. All of them would have been pounding her for information and this was the one thing she had never told them.
While her friends knew almost every aspect of her life, she had purposely left out her sexual relationship with her tall, incredibly sexy nemesis. They would be all over her for details and this was one thing she wanted to keep all to herself.
She sighed to herself and closed her book. There would be no learning today either.
She jumped suddenly when someone fell into the seat across from her. Unconsciously, she rolled her eyes at who she saw.
Hokuto Mitchuru.
This man...boy, really...got on her very last nerve. He was relenting in his flirting and perversion. He had been hitting on her all year. At first, she was extremely flattered. How nice it was to have someone complimenting her constantly. And although she wasn't interested, she truly appreciated the attention.
After she had politely turned him down, he had become more insistent. He turned crass and annoying, bothering her constantly about "letting him hit that." While she never felt threatened, she tired of having to deal with him on an almost daily basis. It was exhausting.
"What do you want?" She said dryly, returning her eyes to her book.
"Now is that any way to greet your biggest fan?" he grinned.
"I'm busy, Hokuto," she said in a distracted voice. Suddenly, a hand came into her view, closing her book in front of her. "What the hell?!" She shrieked, finally giving him the attention he wanted.
"You should be paying attention to the most important thing at this table, doll," he winked at her. She frowned in disgust, opening her book up once again.
"I was," she spit. He closed it again and pulled the book to his side of the table so she couldn't reopen it. She sighed and rolled her eyes, slumping back against her seat and crossing her arms.
"You're looking mighty sweet today, doll," he grinned. She couldn't help another roll of her eyes. "When are you going to let me have a taste?" He licked his lips.
"When are you going to get it through your thick skull? The answer is no!"
"You're so feisty. It's so sexy," he eyed her up and down. She felt violated and knew her face showed her emotion. He didn't seem to care.
Behind her, she heard the chime that signaled that the door to the parlor had opened. Without even looking to see who was entering, she already knew. Her hair stood up and tension filled the arcade. Her heart tightened, and she slowly turned to look.
Darien stood in the entrance stone still and staring at her. She turned back to the guy in front if her and could feel her face flushing. Hokuto's eyes squinted suspiciously as he looked back and forth between the two.
"What's all that about?" he asked. She frowned, her feelings of aggravation quickly returning.
"It's about none of your beeswax," she said snidely.
"Don't you guys hate each other?" Hokuto watched as Darien made his way to the table.
Serena opened her mouth to retort when a voice sounded behind her. She figured he would come over. Darien knew how much she disliked Hokuto.
Anger suddenly coursed through her. So, what? He avoids her for days and now suddenly wants to come save her?
Fuck. That.
"Hey, Serena," he said. She frowned. It was an unsaid understanding that in public, they still treated each other like shit. "Can I talk to you?"
She steeled herself before turning to look up at him. He didn't have the usual cocky grin. He was serious. She wouldn't be drawn into his little game though...whatever game it was he was playing.
"Actually, I'm kind of busy at the moment," she said. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He knew just how much she despised Hokuto and had graciously saved her on a few occasions.
"What?" He asked surprised. Instead of answering him, she turned back to the despicable man across the table from her. Resisting the urge to get sick, she smiled.
"So, Hokuto, tonight?" She asked. Hokuto raised an eyebrow. Beside her, Darien's widened. She grinned internally.
"Tonight?
"Yeah. I mean, you've been begging for months. I guess you wore me down," she said with a smile.
"Yes! The next step is wearing you out," he said with a snide grin. Serena blanched, almost throwing up at the thought. She hid it well though as she forced another smile in his direction.
Suddenly, Darien grabbed her arm, yanking her out of the seat unceremoniously. "Can I talk to you?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer as he dragged her off to the side. "What the hell are you doing?" He growled. His anger made her feel a little better...but also a bit confused.
Why was he so upset? Why did he care who she went out with? They were just fucking, right?
"You hate that guy. Why are you going out with him? Especially after the way he just spoke to you," he asked through gritted teeth.
"Pft," she hissed. She leaned in just a bit closer to make damn sure he could hear her. "I'm just having fun."
Darien's face dropped. The anger deflated out of him like a balloon. She had used his words against him and it hurt like a knife.
She smiled triumphantly and walked away, heading back to her table. But instead of sitting down, she grabbed her book.
"Pick me up at 7," she told Hokuto. He grinned, looking her up and down.
"I'll be there, doll face," he grunted, licked his lips.
She turned and walked out of the arcade, wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.
~*~
Darien stood stock stick as he ran through his head what had just happened. How could she go out with that despicable, worthless thing? Just to get back at him for what he said the other day?
Admittedly, it was a shit thing to say. And even after saying that their little adventure in the bed had only been "fun", he didn't bother to explain, apologize, anything! In fact, he had avoided her completely for 3 days. His mind was in a whirl and he felt like he couldn't breathe.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared in front of him. He focused his eyes to see his best friend, Andrew, looking angry and disgusted.
"What. The fuck. Is wrong with you?!" He said in a heated voice. Darien frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"You're just going to let her go out with that shit head tonight? You know damn well what he will do to her."
Darien did his best to put on an air of indifference. "What do I care what the Meatball Head does? It's her life. Not like I'm dating her." He shrugged one shoulder.
"Maybe not. But you are sleeping with her," he said. Darien's face dropped once more in shock and confusion.
"What are you talking about?" he barely got out. He and Serena had been sure to keep their sexual relationship hidden from everyone. "Why would you think we're sleeping together? All we do is argue."
Andrew grinned and shook his head, licking his lips in disbelief. His hands moved to his hips as he took a few steps away in a pacing manner before coming back to stand in front of his tall, dark friend. He took a deep breath before he spoke.
"Darien, how long have we known each other?"
"I don't really see what that has to do with any-"
"Years. The answer is years. I know you. I know her. I know that you fight; that you always have. I also know that your fights are different."
"Wha-"
"You look at each other differently. You yell at each other differently. You both undress the other with your eyes on a constant basis. You keep up the fighting for all of us but then you both end up leaving about the same time and when you come back, you're either both in a fantastic mood or you're looking disheveled. Or both." Andrew leaned in closer with a knowing grin. "And you both smell like sex," he hissed.
Darien could feel his face growing beat read with every word Andrew spoke. Were they really so transparent?
"So I'm going to ask you again," Andrew continued. "Why are you letting her go out with that piece of shit excuse for a man?"
Darien sighed and shook his head.
"Look, man, even if you're right and we are sleeping together...and I'm not saying we are," he clarified. Andrew rolled his eyes. "It's just sex. We're just having a good time. There is no reason she shouldn't be able to go out with any guy she wants, just like I can go out with any girl I want."
"Oh, okay, I gotcha," he said in a completely unbelieving tone. "Great. So that chick behind you has been checking you out since you walked in the door." He pointed out a brunette who was watching them. When Darien turned to look at her, she smiled, puffed her chest out a bit, and gave him the fuck-me eyes. Darien turned back to Andrew.
"She's not really my type," he answered, almost unsure of himself.
"Not your type? I'm not telling you to date her. And by the looks she's giving you, I don't think she wants to be dated anyway. Looks like she just wants a little roll in the hay, if you know what I mean," he winked and nudged Darien with his elbow.
"Why are you doing this?" Darien asked, defeat in his voice. Andrew sighed.
"Listen, man. What's going on with you and Serena...it's not just sex. I see the way you guys look at each other. And it's not the look of two people just fooling around. There are feelings there and I think you know that."
"It doesn't matter, okay?" Darien said, getting frustrated with this conversation. "If she's willing to go sleep with that asshole then obviously there are no feelings on her end!"
"Of course there are feelings on her end! That's why she's doing it!" Andrew said, exasperated. Darien shook his head confused. "She's not really going to sleep with him. You think she would actually do that?! Of course not! If she was going to sleep with him just to have some fun, she would have done it months ago and gotten him off her back! She said it to upset you because of something you did. You did something to get her so upset that wanted to lash out and hurt you by saying she would sleep with Hokuto. What was it?"
Darien paled as his mind traveled, once again, to that afternoon. Andrew sighed again.
"Look, you don't have to tell me. But you do need to look at what is in front of you...and what you're about to lose if you don't do something. And soon." And with that, Andrew walked off to deal with the customers he had lined up while he was trying to talk some sense into his best friend.
Darien's mind raced. He had to get out of this place. As he turned, he noticed Hokuto was gone. Probably out getting ready for his big night. The girl who had been checking him out now sat with her legs slightly open, so he could see up her skirt. She licked her lips seductively at him. Instead of feeling turned on, he felt disgusted as he walked right past her and out the door.
~*~
I'm writing chapter 4 right now and it should be the last one.
Also, I've had a lot of people asking for the closet scene. And I've had other scenes in my head that would be very "hot and heavy." 😉 So I've decided that when this is over, I'm going to create a new series. It's going to be called "The Hot and Heavy Chronicles". The first chapter will be the closet scene. Then every chapter will just be a juicy, smutty, lemony goodness. Just different smut scenes that could have happened between the closet scene and the actual Hot and Heavy fic. What do you think?