Title: Winning Love Chapter 3
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com

Hey everyone! Thanx to all the wonderful people who e-mailed me! I’m So glad you like the story so far! Also, if you sent me e-mail and I didn’t Reply it’s because my server has been being really weird lately Especially with the e-mail. But I have been trying to reply to Everyone who was so kind to write, so please keep writing!!! Did I Mention I love mail? Well I DO!!!! Okay, I think that’s all. Enjoy! An = Author’s Notes

Chapter 3: The Masquerade Ball

I looked in the mirror again. My appearance hadn’t changed since the last eight times I looked at it. Gee, doesn’t this seem familiar? One day I’m trying to look good for a talent show, and now a ball. All for Serena. Well, it’s definitely worth it.
I am wearing a black tux and bow tie. I still don’t think that what is happening tonight has sunk in. I am taking meatball head to a masquerade ball! Me and Serena! Dancing all night long, or at least until her curfew. >sigh< This is going to be a wonderful night. I look at the clock. 6:45. Okay, breathe. I grab my keys and walk outside to my car.
Finally I arrive at her house. Stepping out of the car, I proceed to her front door. Knock knock, Is the girl of my dreams home? After I ring the doorbell, I only have to wait about 5 seconds before a lady with blue hair answers the door.
"Hello. You must be Darien."
"And are you Serena’s sister?" Okay, fine, it’s a little fake. But what harm can a little sucking up do?
She smiles. "I think I’m going to like you." She opens the door a little wider and I walk into their living room. "Can I get you something to eat?"
"No thanks, I’m fine."
"Serena is so happy you are taking her. At first I was surprised that she would get over Josh so fast, but I think that you taking her to the dance is exactly what she needs."
Josh? Who’s Josh? Must be that boy she was talking to in the arcade. What an idiot to let her slip away.
"I’m glad I can take her."
"Hmm…"
"Excuse me?"
"Oh I was just thinking… you don’t seem half as bad as Serena makes you out to be." What’s that supposed to mean? Does she even tell her mother how much she hates me? Wow, I must be a complete jerk to make that kind of impression on her. Oh well. The jerk that is Darien no longer exists. I can’t afford to put any more space between me and that beautiful girl. Not if I want her to love me as much as I do her. It is still so foreign to say how much I love somebody. I suppose that Is why I want her, need her so much. I don’t want to be alone anymore. All I want is to have someone. All I want is Serena.
My thoughts were cut short by… a goddess coming down the stairs. My breath caught in my throat. My jaw fell. I couldn’t think. I can’t Talk. I… I love her.
She wore a long slender white sleeveless dress accenting her waist and long legs. On each arm was a satin white glove stretching just past her elbow. Her hair was in the usual style tied with two satin white ribbons which then flowed loosely down to her knees as if they, too, were part of her hair. On her feet were a pair of white toeless sandals with straps covered in pearls.
I struggled to drink in the extravagant beauty in front of me, without much success. She giggled.
"Uh… I… you… um… wow." Was all I could spit out.
She giggled again. "I’ll take that as a compliment, Darien."
I said nothing in response, but smiled at her lovingly. I don’t think she caught my gaze.
"Now you two have fun. I want Serena home by 10 o’clock."
"But Mom! It’s so early! And this is Spring Break! I don’t have school tomorrow, remember!"
Mrs. Tsukino glared at her for a second. "Fine… eleven then."
"Oh, thanks mom!" Serena threw her arms around her mother.
Finally regaining my voice, I said, "Ready to go?"
"Uh-huh."
"Nice meeting you, Mrs. Tsukino."
"You too."
"Bye Mom!"
"Bye sweetie. Have fun."
"Okay."
We walked out side into the fresh night air. After holding the passenger door open for her, I walked around the car and got in. On the way to the ball, we didn’t say much. I was still trying to get over my previous shock. Finally we arrived at the party. After opening the door for her, I held out my hand for her to take. She accepted it, and then laced her arm through mine. I could feel her warmness cover me like a blanket. I think I’m going to be smiling a long time after this.
We reached the double doors and I gave my invitation to a man standing at the entrance.
Once inside, I noticed that the place looked very nice. Serena, on the other hand was much more enthusiastic.
"Oh! Look at the chandelier! And the draperies! Darien Look! Do you see that statue in the corner! How beautiful! Oh wow! The have a fountain over there! That is so gorgeous! Look!" I smiled and nodded and agreed to everything she said. Then, she froze. I looked to where her eyes had stopped. I shoulda guessed. The buffet table.
"Uh… you hungry?"
She didn’t even bother to answer but ran through the crowd. I followed, laughing all the way. When I found her, she was piling chocolate treats onto a plate. I joined in, with a bit more self control.
"Serena?" We both turned to soft voice.
"Oh, hi Amy!" Serena sat her plate down and began to talk over all the wonderful and beautiful things that were there. Amy smiled and nodded in much the same way that I had.
"Mr. Chiba!" I turned to see a large man heading my way.
"Oh hello, Dr. Samson. How are you?"
"I’m doing just great! Glad you could make it! Where’s your date? A handsome man like you didn’t come here alone, did ya? That wouldn’t be fair to all the rest of the guys! All the single ladies would wanna dance with you!"
I laughed awkwardly. "Actually I do have a date. She is right over…" I turned to where Serena and Amy had been standing a moment ago, but they had disappeared. "Well, she was there a second ago."
"Oh, I’m sure you’ll find her, but come over here a minute, there are some people I would like you to meet."
I was led to a bunch of older people, some I recognized from around the hospital. After being introduced, I realized that these were the most famous doctors and surgeons in Tokyo. I kindly shook each of their hands and made small talk while always keeping my eyes open for a girl with meatballs. I told myself she would be easy to spot, since she was in white and practically everyone else was in black, but I still couldn’t find her. Soon, a minute turned to 5, and then 10, and before I knew it, a half hour had gone by without me seeing Serena. Finally, I told the lady I was talking to that I had some business that needed to be taken care of, and escaped the dull conversations. After circling the ballroom twice, I found… no, not Serena… but Amy dancing with a boy with dark brown hair. I hated to interrupt, but I missed my meatball head!
"Hey Amy!"
"Oh, hi Darien. Have you met Greg?"
"Uh, no. It’s a pleasure."
"Nice to meet you," he replied.
I continued, "Uh, have you seen Serena?"
"Last time I saw her was out on the balcony."
"Okay, I’ll check there. Thanks."
"Uh-huh. See you later."
I walked out to the balcony, which was scattered with couples. Leaning on the railing was a blonde girl in a white dress and pigtails. Ha, found ya.
I walked over and put my arm around her waste.
"Hey."
"Shhh."
I looked in the direction she was staring at. In a tree that stood only a few feet from the balcony was a bird’s nest. From where we stood, we could see two small bluebirds nestled together. (AN: do they have bluebirds in Tokyo?) Instinctively, I pulled Serena closer to me. She didn’t seem to notice. I looked at her, then something bright in The distance caught my eye. I looked past her to see a crescent moon.
"Look!" I whispered. She turned to where I was pointing.
"Oh, it’s beautiful!" she squealed. I smiled.
"So, you want to dance?"
She looked at me, her eyes glowing, but then she frowned and backed away out of my arm’s grasp. "No, not really."
"Why?"
She was silent, her eyes looking at the ground. "I don’t think you should have brought me. I don’t even know why you did. But now that we’re here, you don’t have to dance with me just to make me happy. I’m fine, Darien. You should go dance with someone else. Someone you like."
I stared at her for a second, then reached out my hand and tilted her chin up so I could look into her eyes. They looked so sad. So rejected. "Serena, I’m sorry I wasn’t with you earlier. I just got roped into talking to those boring people and I… but that’s no excuse. I should have stayed with you. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave you. Can you forgive me?"
She stared at me silently. I smiled again and laced my fingers through hers, then brought her hand up to my lips. Gently kissing the back of her hand, I smiled gently. "So how about that dance?"
I could see a blush creep into her cheeks. She looked down, and when her head turned up again, she nodded excitedly. And so we walked into the ballroom and amidst the other couples, and began to dance.
Her free arm wrapped itself behind my neck, and I allowed my hand to linger on her waist. We were lost in each other’s eyes for what seemed only a few seconds, for time no longer mattered. As far as I was concerned, we were the only two people in that room. The music pulsed around us, encircling us into our own little world.
"You’ve changed, Darien."
"How’s that?" We were both whispering. No one else in the world could hear us. No one else belonged anywhere near us. We were together. We don’t need any one else.
"You’re… nice."
I smiled. How is it that anything that comes out of her mouth can make me smile? What is it about her that makes me so happy?
"I think… I think I like you like this, though." She looked up at me quickly, sternness in her eyes. "So don’t screw it up, mister!" I laughed and she giggled along. This was perfect. I wrapped my arm further around her delicate waist. Her head rested against my chest as we turned slowly around the floor.
Then, someone bumped into Serena, causing her to move into my embrace even farther.
"Oh, excuse me."
I didn’t mind, and was about to keep dancing, when Serena stopped dead in her tracks.
"Josh?"
The boy who had knocked into her turned and I recognized the boy from the arcade. In his arms was a tall blonde with hair down to her waist. She was pretty, but nothing compared to my dancing partner.
The boy’s eyes became wide. "Oh… uh… Serena… I, uh, thought…"
Serena’s eyes became furious. "You said you were going out of town! You… you…Ugh!" Losing her temper, Serena slapped him hard across the face. All of the surrounding couples turned to stare. Serena simply ran off, pushing her way past the dancers. Josh’s hand came up to touch his now red face. I vaguely noticed the blonde check me out with the same expression I’ve seen on so many girls in the past. But I didn’t care. I quickly ran after Serena, shoving people carelessly out of my way.
Once out the nearest door, which I suspected she had gone out of, I found myself in the back rose gardens. There were a few pairs of people holding each other and kissing, completely oblivious to me. Choosing which direction to take, I began running down a brick pathway.
Following that little voice in the back of my head which always seems to know exactly how to find her, I soon came to a large, round water fountain. Sitting on the edge, with her head buried in her hands, was Serena. I felt a great surge of hatred for ‘Josh’ wash over me. This is the second time today he had made her cry! I let the anger sizzle off as I approached the shaking girl. Sitting down next to her, I placed my arm around her shoulders. She leaned in closer to me and buried her face into my shoulder. Wrapping my other arm around her as well, I began to stroke her back gently. Finally, her sobs subsided and she leaned away from me, but not completely out of my arms. I waited for her to say something. I was at a loss of words.
Soon, she spoke. "He… he said that… he was going to… to… his grandma’s. And… that’s why he couldn’t… take… me…" I pulled her close again, and she leaned against my shoulder willingly. "I guess… I was a fool… of course he would wanna go with… with her. She’s beautiful… and I… I’m just… Who would want to go with me anyways?" Tears began streaking down her cheeks.
"Hey, Serena, don’t talk like that. You are the most beautiful woman in that room. I’m sure any guy would want to be with you. That guy doesn’t know what he’s missing. You… you’re sweet and kind and fun and caring and… and gorgeous." She looked up at me, her huge blue eyes shimmering through the fresh tears. Her small face was flushed and her hair messed from rubbing against my jacket, but right now, I think she was more beautiful than I have ever seen her. Before I knew what was happening, I could feel myself moving closer, slowly eliminating the space between our lips. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I could feel her moving as well. Reaching for the kiss. A kiss I have dreamt about for weeks. I closed my eyes. Her warm breath beat slowly against my aching lips. I lightly brushed against her, touching, but not really kissing. My head went light. I knew my arms were still around her, but I couldn’t feel them. All I knew was her lips. Her scent. Her taste. Her.
"Serena?"
We both snapped out of our trance and turned to see Amy running toward us. With a blush rising on my cheeks, and I’m pretty sure there was one on her as well, I released Serena and stood, offering my hand. She took it and stood next to me.
"Yeah Ames?"
"Oh, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I saw that scene with Josh. Are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah, I’m fine! Who needs that self absorbed jerk anyways? Come on, let’s go raid the buffet!" She grabbed Amy’s arm and headed off to the ballroom, leaving me completely dazed.
If Amy hadn’t shown up… I know what would have happened. I would have kissed her, and she would have kissed me back. And then… I have no idea what would have happened then. Taking a deep breath, I headed back to the party.
Once inside, I saw Serena and Amy at the buffet table, Serena giggling wildly and Amy shaking her head. Josh was sitting alone in a corner and the blonde he had been with was now dancing with someone else. I smiled. Deciding not to interrupt Serena and Amy’s gossip fest, or whatever it was, I began walking around the room. A few girls came up to me and asked for a dance, but I politely brushed them off. There is only one girl in this room I wish to hold in my arms. I found a group of doctors I was familiar with and joined the conversation, keeping an eye on Serena as much as possible. One time I looked around, and couldn’t see her. Just as a feeling of worry draped itself over me, there was a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I could see Amy looking up at me. Wow, she’s as short as Serena.
"Yeah Ames?" I said, using Serena’s nickname.
"Darien, I think you should come here… quick!" I followed her to the opposite side of the large room, where I saw a group of guys huddled around something. Amy motioned for me to take a look, so I did. There was Serena, flirting with every guy there.
"Serena?"
"Darien! So glad you could join us. We were just talking about >hiccup< oh, well, I forget what we were talking about. Must not be important." She stood from the chair she was sitting on and almost immediately lost her balance, falling into the arms of a man nearby. "Ya wanna dance?" she asked seductively.
"No he doesn’t." I broke in, taking her from his arms. "Alright, the show’s over. Get outta here!"
"Oh, come on Darien, we were only having some fun. Don’t be such a >hiccup< party-pooper."
The crowd of guys agreed with her and began patting me on the back. "Yeah, let’s have a little fun." I flashed them my ‘don’t argue with me’ look, and they scattered. Works everytime. After they were gone, I sat her back down on the chair. Amy came up to stand behind me.
"Serena, what did you drink?"
"Nothing. Only some of that… uh… uh…" she snapped her fingers and scrunched her brow in thought. "Uh… punch!" she lightly knocked me in the arm with a balled up fist and began a fit of giggles.
"Punch, get it? Hee-hee-hee. Punch…"
"Punch? Serena! That punch is chalk full of alcohol! It’s like, 40% vodka!"
"Vodka? What’s >hiccup< vodka?"
I sighed and shook my head sympathetically. "Oh, Meatball Head… What am I gonna do with you? I can’t bring you home like this."
"I’d bring you to my house," spoke Amy, "and let you spend the night, except my mom doesn’t let me have people over on weeknights, even though it is Spring Vacation."
Suddenly, I got an idea. "Amy, why don’t you call her parents and say that she’s gonna stay at your house tonight, and then I’ll bring her to my apartment and she can camp out there."
"Are you sure that’s a good idea Darien? Maybe she’d be better at home in her own bed."
"Her dad would kill me for bringing her home drunk…"
"I’m not drunk."
"Not to mention they’d never let her go to one of these again!"
"I… suppose so."
"Thanks Amy. I appreciate it. And I’m sure if she were in her right mind, she’d appreciate it too."
"Yeah, I guess. I’ll go make that call."
"Great."
Amy went away and came back in a few minutes. "They want her home tomorrow by noon."
"Thanks again Amy." I took a look at the girl, who was now half asleep, bent down, and scooped her into my arms. Her head fell against my chest and her ponytails dangled down to the floor. She was so perfectly adorable.
I walked out to my car and plopped her down into the passenger seat. Then I got in and we drove to my house. Once there, I carried her upstairs. She still hadn’t waken from her slumber. Somehow, this felt so familiar. As if I’ve carried her like this before. No… I would have remembered.
Once we reached the door to my apartment, she began to stir and groggily looked up into my eyes. A small, tired smile crept it’s way across her features as she took both arms and wrapped them around my neck, then she lay her head down on my chest once more. I wasn’t sure if she were sleeping or not, but the light breathing made it seem that she was awake… and enjoying me holding her? Remember Darien… she’s drunk. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.
Inside, I lay her down on my bed. Might as well let her sleep here. She is a guest, after all. But the hold she had on my neck didn’t loosen, and I fell on the bed. She opened her eyes, only a few inches from my face and smiled, loosening her hold just a little. I backed away.
"Darien," she said as she began twirling some fingers in my hair. "Did I ever tell you how handsome I think you are?" I was stunned. What was I supposed to say to that? But, she continued.
"Well, I do." And with that, she once again threw her arms behind me and pulled my lips to hers.


HA HA HA!!!! Cliffhanger! What will happen? Will Darien’s wishes Finally come true? Will Serena admit she actually loves the poor Guy? And how angry will Raye be when she finds out who Darien’s date Was? Find out next time in: Chapter 4: A Day at the