Aaaaaah, nothing I enjoy more as a writer than a good cliffhanger to keep
the readers on their toes!
slr_europa@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/slr_europa
AIM :: SeeShelliRun
***********************************
Love Through Time ~ A Serena And Darien Saga
Volume Two, Chapter Four
By Sailor Europa
"You're...you're what?!" I practically coughed up the gulp of tea I had
just taken. Serene sat, stone faced, across from me, blinking obliviously.
My eyes wide, I tried to grasp some sense of sanity and redeem my image.
Things didn't seem to be going quite as I had planned.
"I thought your mother would have told you before I came. I didn't want
to scare you, but I guess that couldn't be avoided." She answered calmly. I
sputtered a couple times, my mind trying to find the right words for what I
wanted to say. I clenched my fists, my nails ripping into my flesh as my
brain whirled in almost every direction.
"Are you insane?" There, that seemed to fit quite well. She raised an
annoyed eyebrow and stared me down for a few moments.
"No, actually, I am about as sane as I've ever been. I didn't rush into
this, I spent quite a bit of time deciding. It just seems hasty because you'
re just finding out about it." She shrugged, brushing off my frantic
behavior completely.
"How....How could you not tell me about this?" My voice had softened by
now, and the news had actually begun to sink in. I looked seriously into her
eyes and grabbed her hand. She returned the gaze and sighed.
"I....I'm not sure, Darien. That last night was.....well, really
strange to put it bluntly. I wasn't sure how you felt about our
relationship, and frankly, I wasn't so sure about it myself. I just didn't
know how to tell you, or how you would react when I _did_ tell you. I
figured it would just be easier if I did it in person." She answered,
punctuating the thought with a sigh. She retracted her hand and began
sipping her tea again. I sat back, exhaling deeply. I stared off into
nowhere, delving into thought. God, engaged! And to who? Someone she had
only known a year at the most, probably....Wow....I was so sure I had
prepared myself for almost anything. This had completely knocked the wind
out of me.
"So......When do we get to meet this man?" I asked curiously. I was
anxious to see who she picked to spend the rest her life with. God, even
_thinking_ about her with a man seemed strange.
"He's coming in on Tuesday." She replied, nodding. I joined in, not
exactly sure what else should be said. "He'll be staying until the wedding."
"Are you going to have it here?" She nodded.
"He agreed to have it in London, since I would be moving back to France
with him after the wedding." I choked again.
"WHAT?!" She sighed, placing her cup back on the saucer with a
flourish.
"His work is in Paris, Darien! Don't tell me you thought he would stay
in France while I lived here, did you?" She asked incredulously. I paused
for a second, not sure how to answer. Of course she was right. But she just
came back....And then she was going to be leaving after only a few weeks?
"Of course not, Ser, I'm just.....shocked, I guess. This is a total
surprise to me, you know." I gave her a half smile and she grinned back.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that. But like I said...." She trailed off
and I put a hand up to stop her.
"I know, I know...." I smiled bravely, even though I really felt like
screaming. "I'll get over it. I got over you leaving, didn't I?" She
smirked.
"Which reminds me, how is the lovely Suzanne? According to your mother,
you two have been pretty caught up in each other." It was kinda funny, I
hadn't thought about Suzanne all day, and now that she asked, I couldn't
even remember what we had been doing.
"Just fine." I lied. She had actually been pretty upset when I told her
I wouldn't be seeing her for a while, seeing as how Serene was back. Guess
that was a hasty decision on my part. I don't know why, but my mind wandered
back to the night of party, and the way I acted. I bit my lip.
"Ser, I wanted to...." I was interrupted by the entrance of our
mothers, chatting madly, holding a tray of cakes and more tea. I groaned and
turned away, leaning my head back in frustration against my chair. She
turned towards them as well, all but forgetting our conversation.
"So Serene, tell us more about this gentleman of yours....." I groaned
inwardly, careful not to make it audible to anyone else. Serene grinned
ridiculously. How much more of this could I take?
*****
"I can't believe you didn't tell me she was engaged..." I moaned loudly
to my mother as we entered the front gate to our house, walking up the long
gravel road. She turned towards me, her pace not faltering.
"It's Serene's news, Darien. It wasn't my place to tell you." She
answered simply and I frowned like mad, hoping she'd notice my displeasure.
"Oh honey, don't pout. Besides, you found out, didn't you? What good will it
do to sulk?" I sighed, knowing she was right. I guess it hadn't completely
sunk in yet. I creased my forehead and bit my lip anxiously. Something about
this didn't sit right in me. I mean, she's been gone for two years, and
then, out of the blue she's engaged. Last I remembered, she was in love with
me....
"I guess....I'm just a little disbelieving. It's hard for me to see her
getting married. She's been my best friend for years, and now....She'll be
leaving for good." My mother nodded sadly.
"I know I'll miss her...." She replied, a touch of depression in her
voice. I frowned more at this, knowing that it was just as hard for her as
it was for me. Serene was like her daughter, and she often played the mother
figure to her whenever Selene had been away. I realized it must be like
losing the daughter you never had....
"Me too....It's a shame I won't have her all to myself for very long."
I grinned, my mother laughing along. She smiled at me. "Guess I'll have to
make the most of my time...." Her chuckling trailed off.
"I'm sure Suzanne won't like having to fight for your attention. She's
never been one to take to kindly to other females...." She said, a note of
distaste in her voice, practically biting out the name of my conquest. I
gave a small laugh of amusement myself.
"Suzanne is very.....territorial, you might say." I thought back to the
night I told her Serene was coming back into town, and how she practically
did everything but wrap her tiny little arms around my knees to keep me from
seeing her. I shook my head at the memory, and that look of vengeance on her
face as I left her house that evening. It'd be a long time before she
completely forgave me for this....
"But why is she so protective of you? Especially around Serene. She
knows how close the two of you are." She asked, her prying techniques not
ceasing. I sighed, shrugging.
"God only knows. She'll get over it, she always does." I replied
easily. It was true. She'd forgiven me, not too quickly, for almost
everything I'd done in the past, and I couldn't imagine this being any
different.
"Well, you better hope so. She's pretty much been the only female you'
ve given any attention to since Serene left...." I frowned.
"Serene and Suzanne.....are two separate cases. My relationships with
them are completely different." I said, the confusion plainly displayed in
my voice. My mother sighed, exasperated.
"So you've pointed out, on a number of occasions, but women are
different, Darien. If you're giving one more attention than the other,
whether it's friendly or romantic, they really can't tell the difference."
She paused, her face obviously trying to decide whether to add something. I
waited patiently, mentally urging her onward. "And after some years pass,
sometimes the line between friendly and romantic acquaintances becomes
non-existent."
"What?!" I had to keep my voice in check as I headed her off, my mind
blazing. "Just what are you insinuating?" she sighed and shook her head.
"I'm not insinuating anything Darien, I'm just stating the facts.
People change, so do feelings. Unfortunately, feelings are the hardest
things to accept." I shook my bewildered head, not believing what I was
hearing.
"I don't think I understand exactly what you're trying to tell me." She
stopped, spinning on her heel to face me.
"I'm not trying to tell you anything. Just be careful with the way you
handle Suzanne." She began walking again, the matter obviously not up for
anymore discussion. I heaved a large sigh and fell into step beside her, as
we walked the short distance back to the house. I made a mental note right
then: Never expect anything from now on. Because life always has plans of
its own.
*****
"Darien!" Serene gave me a surprised smile as she opened the front door
of her mothers house. "I wasn't expecting you....Would you like to come in?"
I shook my head.
"No, actually, we're going out." I gave her my most suave smile,
crossing my arms across my chest. She leaned against the door frame, her
eyes suspicious as she smirked.
"Oh we are? And just where are we going?" She asked softly, lowering
her eyes in a conspiratorial note. I grinned fully pulling my left arm from
behind my back, revealing a large wicker basket.
"On a picnic by the lake." I answered, grabbing her arm and yanking her
onto the front step next to me. She laughed, pulling her arm lightly away
and putting her hands on her hips.
"Did it ever occur to you to ask?" I feigned thought for a second,
tapping my chin as I pretended to dwell on the matter. She giggled softly.
"No....No, I don't think it did. Now come on." I grabbed her wrist
again and tugged on her arm playfully again, dragging her behind me as I
walked quickly down her front walk and beyond the gate, her gentle laughs
wafting through the air. I grinned fully, everything feeling so perfect
right then, as she resisted slightly, wrenching her arm every so often. I
squeezed it tighter, a few little yelps of pain escaping through the
laughter. I glanced back at her wriggling figure, wiggling my eyebrows in
amusement and she scowled, her bottom lip puncturing her otherwise perfect
face. I chuckled happily, finally letting her right arm go, a small squeak
of surprise emitting as she stumbled backwards.
"Did you have to drag me?" She asked angrily, her smile betraying her
otherwise convincing tone of voice. I nodded and she gave me a playful smack
on the shoulder. I grinned as she pulled in right next to me, her eyes
squinting into the high, noon day sun. She looked wonderful as usual, a deep
red satin dress falling perfectly over her, well, let's just say it, well
developed body. I appreciatively noticed the changes she had gone through,
even though the difference in her appearance was minuscule. There was more
of a...confident aura around her now. She held her head high, comfortable
with the silence that surrounded us now. It was pleasant to say the least.
To say the most would be....Sensual, I guess would be the best way to
describe it. Yeah, the air around her was incredibly sensual. Which, in
itself was nice to be around, but I found it a little strange since it was
_her_ . Although I confess it really wasn't all that hard to get used to....
*****
"Aaaah....." I yawned, reclining fully over the quilt I had packed in
with the lunch. I sighed happily, my hand laying on my now completely full
stomach. Serene giggled gently and gave my belly a tiny little slap. I
groaned in pretend agony and rolled onto my side to face her. She grinned
down at me with a lop-sided smile, leaning her weight upon her left arm. Her
hair had grown considerably, and was now wafting gently over her shoulder,
her head titled slightly to the side. It danced when she laughed, and when
the sun caught it, it was almost blinding, the shades it turned. I was
probably grinning ridiculously right then, but I couldn't help it. I was
blissfully happy right then. Everything was as it should be, and I didn't
want to change one tiny little detail. I really couldn't have asked for
more.
"You make a good lunch...." She said sarcastically and I grinned into
the sun, little beads of perspiration building from the heat. "We should
have done that before." She added, laying down next to me. I plopped onto my
back, making a cradle with my arms behind my head.
"Well, seeing as how you were in Paris for the past two years...." I
said matter of factly, and she groaned, covering her face with her hands. I
turned only my head this time, and she peaked out at me through her fingers.
I laughed.
"Are you ever going to forgive me for leaving?" She asked, annoyed. I
thought for a second.
"We'll have to see about that." I said, pulling my body up, the motion
punctuated with long moans of agony. I stood up, stretching, and she
shielded her eyes with a hand as she gave me a curious look. I flashed her a
wicked grin and grabbed her arm again, a small groan escaping her tired
body.
"Oh, now where are you hauling me off to?" She huffed out, pulling her
arm back with as much might as she could. I chuckled as I thrust her
forward, down the hills, finally reaching the low banks of the azure lake.
"I didn't want to take a walk by myself...." I said finally as I once
more let go of her hand and she shot me a furious look, rubbing her
ferociously crimson wrists. She sighed, giving in and finally quickening her
pace to catch up to me.
"You still need someone to keep you company?" I laughed, giving her a
cock-eyed smile. She smirked, not bothering to turn to face me, her head
turned in a beautiful profile, nose turned upwards towards the sun. She
inhaled a deep breath, taking in the cool breeze from the lake as it stirred
the few golden strands of hair that mingled about her porcelain complexion.
I blinked a couple of times, my mind still mesmerized by the complexity of
her features, such a change from the stiff, cynical tom boy I used to
wrestle with. Her eyes touched on the edges of passion, but still swimming
with all the intelligence and intensity that I was so used to. Each area on
her face was heaven kissed, and I don't think I could have come up with a
more perfect person if I tried. I don't know what I must have looked like
right then, but I realized just in time I had let a tiny little, half smile
slide onto my lips, and I whipped it off just as soon as I made the
connection.
It didn't stop me from admiring her, though. I tried to convince myself
she couldn't have changed _that_ much in only two years, but watching her
now, I realized how hard a task that was. She become a different person, and
it was all I could do to keep my eyes off her.
"Ser...." She immediately looked up at me, a quizzical look on her
face. I remained serious though, a thought plaguing my mind. "Ser, that last
night....." She nodded, a knowing look crossing her face. "I'm really sorry
about the way I handled things." A beautiful blush tainted her cheeks,
coloring her features a pale red. She waved a hand at me dismissively,
obviously a little embarrassed by the event.
"Darien, it's OK, really...." I shook my head, my jaw clenching.
"No, Ser, it's not OK. Even after I let those words escape...." I took
a deep breath. "I knew I was in the wrong." Her eyebrow raised and her mouth
hung slightly open. "I was so rash, and I realized those feelings were new
to you too. I could have handled the situation much better. I was just
so....shocked. " She nodded, her face now expressionless.
"It was strange for me too, you know." She laughed a little. She grew
solemn again. "But Darien," She grabbed my hand and looked me square in the
face. "I understand, I really do." Her smile was unfaltering, her expression
the picture of kindness. For a few seconds we just stood like that, my
somewhat larger hand cradled gently in her tiny one, just kind of catching
each others gaze. Her eyes were so blue, and I was so close to them, it was
the simplest motion to get lost in them. The intensity crackled within them,
but was contained by the sweetness on her features, not letting out the
passion she held inside.
Her face didn't change, she didn't get nervous or start getting
flustered by this time. She was completely still, as all the energy was
concentrated on our locked gaze. She blinked a few times, her thick lashes
ever so lightly breaking the hold we had made.
"I am sorry Serene...." My voice cracked, my mind not sure exactly what
I was sorry for, but knowing that it had to be said. She bit her lip
slightly, her gaze trailing downwards as she nodded. Her head brushed my
chest lightly, and it was at that simple movement I realized how close we
were right then. I didn't know when, or how the space between us had
lessened, but we were now just inches apart. I gulped as I stared intensely
at her form, not bothering to look away when she did.
I then impulsively took her face on my hand, after gently retracting it
from her own, my eyes squinting slightly as I forced her to make eye
contact. I don't even know why, but I could feel the need to get myself lost
in her eyes right then, something I had refused to do before, with anyone.
She didn't refuse or even fight me, but I could see her eyebrows burrowed
slightly, a touch of confusion tinted in her normally glittering eyes.
A fire lit beneath me right then and there, and something in me
stirred. It was a feeling everyone else had failed to bring up, and my heart
pounded and my mind raced, but everything else stopped. I was so confused
and scared right then, but I refused to move. I don't remember moving an
inch, but all of a sudden, her nose was centimeters from mine, her mouth
slightly open in surprise, and I found myself urging my body onward, closer
and closer....
"Serene!" Her body wrenched away at the voice, my hand falling from her
face and back down to my waiting side. She shot me a red faced, apologetic
look, and ran towards the voice.
"I'm sorry, I'll be right back....." Her voice trailed away as her
figure disappeared over the hill, her footsteps barely audible on the soft
earth.
My eyes grew wide as my hand found my forehead in shock. What had just
ended? What was I doing? I shook my head violently, trying to shake away the
strange thoughts and occurrences it had been going through. I wasn't sure
what had happened, but as I felt my pulse slow to normal and the
perspiration recede from my brow, I began to feel more like my original
self. I sighed in confusion, my feet dragging as I burned a trail back to
our picnic site. I laid my body down on the blanket with an exhausted
flourish, closing my eyes as soon as I had made myself comfortable.
I heaved a content sigh, my mind pushing all the confusing thoughts
from it for the moment. I couldn't explain it all, and right then I wasn't
looking to. I didn't want anything to complicate my life then, I was
ecstatic with it just as it was. Right now, having Serene back in my life
was enough.
"Serene...." I muttered aloud, realizing it'd been a couple minutes
since she'd been gone. My brow creased as I sat up, looking around to see if
she had returned. Becoming thoroughly confused, I pulled my tired body up,
dusting off my clothes absently. I began looking around, before I trudged up
the hill where she had since disappeared from.
My eyes shot from side to side, before I finally caught sight of a
figure a few hundred feet ahead of me. Grinning evilly, I started a light
jog as the figure came closer and closer. I squinted against the blazing
sun, trying desperately to make out the now confusing form that had begun to
take shape.
My jog slowed to a crawl quickly after, my feet rooted in the ground
where I stood. Sure enough, one hundred feet in front of me was Serene.
And she wasn't alone.
Wrapped in a dizzying embrace was my best friend, her arms tightly
wound around the neck of a tall, blonde man, his body pushed tightly into
her own, both oblivious of the lonely figure of the man who stood a few feet
away. My heart stopped, and every muscle went numb as my world dropped like
a stone around me. I gulped slowly, not able to close my eyes, though
desperately wanting to as the image was burned painfully into my memory. I
wanted to die, my one reason for living now revealing her passion and
emotions fully to another. Everything hurt inside me, ached for reasons I
couldn't comprehend. The only thing I understood at that moment was that
things would never, ever be the same again.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SUFFER! SUFFER, you weak-willed, rose-throwing,
cheap speech spewing -
Whoops, wrong alter-ego....
Either way, poor Usa deserves a little happiness. :) Darien will get his... eventually.
Feedback? :)
slr_europa@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/slr_europa
AIM :: SeeShelliRun
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geocities.com/slr_europa)