Walking into his apartment, Darien slipped off his shoes and
dropped the large box containing the tea set onto his coffee table.
Rubbing his temples, he sighed, collapsing onto the sofa.
'The ring… she gave me the ring…' he thought to himself. Reaching
into his pocket, he pulled out the small velvet box, falling down into
a lying position. He opened the small container, taking the ring
between his fingers.
He twirled it slowly, watching it glow in the light from
different angles. It was an extraordinary ring. So perfect and
beautiful… He couldn't believe it was his now… And he could only think
of one other person to give it to.
'But would she take it? Wouldn't that be moving too fast for her?
She's only 14 years old, I couldn't possible give her an ENGAGEMENT
ring. I mean, we rarely even talked up to two days ago. Who cares if
I've been in love with her for months…'
Closing his eyes, he let these thoughts take him away, until
another voice tore into his train of thought.
"I think she would take it. In fact, I know she would be thrilled
to receive a ring from you! She's in love with you, you know."
His eyes snapping open, Darien sat up to see an old woman rocking
back and forth on his large reclining chair.
"D…Dorothy?"
"Hello, Darien. Bet you thought you'd gotten rid of me, didn't
you?"
"Wha…? How?"
"Oh never mind the 'whats' and 'hows,' they make no difference
you know. I've come here to talk to you about something of great
importance, and I want you to listen good."
Gulping, Darien tossed his legs over the side of the couch,
feeling the carpet beneath his feet.
"Y…Yeah?"
She stared at him for a moment, before rolling her eyes. "Didn't
I teach you better manners than this! You should have offered me a cup
of tea by now."
Slowly, a grin spread over Darien's lips. Shaking his head, he
stood and opened the large box, pulling out two teacups. "You haven't
changed one bit, Dorothy."
"Would you want me to?"
Not bothering to answer her question, he walked into his kitchen,
starting up a pot of tea. From behind the island, he could see her
stand and wander around the apartment, looking at the books on his
shelves, picking up a couple trinkets off the tables.
"You're still growing roses, I see," she remarked, noticing the
many plants out on the balcony.
Finally, the tea was done. He fixed a cup the way she liked it,
walking back to the living room and handing it to her carefully.
"Thank you so much, dear. Now, take a seat so we can discuss the
matter of… er… this princess of yours."
Taking a deep breath, Darien could already feel a blush beginning
to tint his cheeks. She always could make him do that, especially when
talking about girls.
"Wha…what about her?"
"Well, to begin with, when did you meet her?"
He sighed, claiming a seat on the sofa and staring up at the
ceiling. "We met about six months ago… at an arcade."
"An arcade? What's a bright young man like you doing at an
arcade?"
"Well, my best friend works there. Um… Andrew… I told you a bit
about him."
"Ah yes, I remember that now. He seems like a nice boy by your
description. But, we're already getting sidetracked. You know how
easily I lose my train of thought. Anyhow… you met her half a year ago,
you say?"
Darien nodded, sipping at his drink. 'This brings back memories,'
he thought silently.
"And how long have you two been going out?"
Coughing suddenly at the surprising question, he set his cup down
on the table, clearing his throat. Finally regaining his voice, he
managed, "Well… you see, Dorothy… it's like this. We… we're NOT going
out…" he said, then mumbled to himself, "unfortunately."
She laughed loudly. "Well you sure could have fooled me! You two
were so close yesterday, I find it very hard to believe you're not a
couple. Besides… didn't you kiss her?"
Choking slightly again, Darien could feel the blush grow darker.
"Well… that was… uh… how did you know about that?"
"Oh, dear Darien, I've been watching you the past few days. I
wanted to make sure you would be alright before I completely crossed
over to the next world. Now… if I'm not mistaken… I believe she kissed
you back, aren't I right?"
Sighing, Darien leaned back again, remembering her lips so gently
caressing his own, and then… not so gently. "I… don't know… all I know
is that… it was the most incredible feeling…"
Dorothy sighed, her eyes glazing over. "Well, I DO know. Darien,
Ms. Serena is an absolutely lovely girl, I can see why you are in love
with her. I have already seen how happy she makes you, not to mention
how happy you make her. You truly are a match made in heaven. So, don't
you worry if she's not in love with you, because I tell you, she is!
And I'm never wrong, you know," she added with a wink.
Darien chuckled, nodding his head. She was right, he remembered.
Dorothy was known for never being wrong. Sighing, he closed his eyes,
picturing his joyous meatball head. "I certainly hope she's in love
with me, Dorothy. Serena is… perfect. She's exactly what I've always
wanted, always… needed… She's something special."
"Well, don't you go forgetting that YOU'RE something special too.
Any girl would be lucky to have you speak of her that way… and Serena
is no different. I'm sure she realizes that. I could see it in her eyes
when she looked at you. She is your princess, and believe me when I say
that YOU are her prince."
An inescapable grin crossed his lips at Dorothy's words. "Thank
you."
"For nothing! Oh, well look at the time, I should be going, you
know."
Furrowing his brow, Darien watched as she stood up again, heading
for the door.
"Wait!"
Turning, she stared at him. He jumped up from the couch, walking
over to his close friend. "Dorothy… I… I do have to thank you for the…
the ring… and… the advice too…"
She grinned, patting his cheek as a mother would. Then she
stopped, taking a step back and furrowing her brow. "And since when did
you get so tall?" she accused, making Darien laugh.
"Must have happened overnight!"
She smiled amusedly. "Oh, Darien. You do deserve the very best.
And it looks to me like you've found her."
Taking a deep breath, Darien wrapped the plump woman in a giant
bear hug. She giggled, hugging him back.
"Good bye, Dorothy…" he whispered, tears coming to his eyes.
She shook her head, pulling apart slightly. "Now none of that!
I'm not leaving, not yet at least. You said that you had always wished
I would be at your wedding. Now I'm telling you, dear, that I WILL be
at that wedding, if I have to fight hell and high waters to get there!
Even if you can't see me, I'll be right in the front row, smiling
proudly. But… you can't have a wedding without proposing first!"
Darien blushed again, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.
Looking away, he whispered, "I don't know if I can…"
"Sure you can. I assure you… she will say yes. She loves you
Darien. If you don't believe me… ask her yourself. Now, there's a girl
waiting for you, and I'm taking up your time. Go get her!"
Before Darien knew what she was doing, Dorothy reached up a hand
and knocked hard on his forehead.
"HUH?!" he yelled, sitting up straight. He soon found himself
sitting on the couch, gasping for breath. Slowly, he laid down again,
staring up at the ceiling. "It was a dream… wasn't it?"
Closing his eyes, he let his body relax.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
His eyes sprung open at the sound.
"So that's what woke me up…" he whispered to himself. Standing,
he rubbed his hand through his hair, walking to the door.
The second he opened it, a bouncing girl collided into him full
speed, throwing her arms around his neck. He yelped in surprise, his
arms nervously tying around her waist, one hand unconsciously pushing
the door shut. Finally, he brought himself to look down on a head of
long, golden hair tied into two meatballs.
"Serena? What… what are you doing here?"
With an ear to ear grin, Serena pulled away from him, holding up
a folded piece of paper. "I brought you a surprise. Look!"
With one arm still holding her tightly to his chest, the other
took the paper from her grasp. Unfolding it slowly, he looked down on
the open piece of paper. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped noticeably.
Somewhere in the corner of his mind he could hear Serena giggling.
"Ninety… ninety-two?! You got 92%?!"
"Yup! I got an A, Darien, and I owe it all to you!"
Lowering his stare from the paper, he looked down on her pale
blue eyes, so full of life.
"Serena… this… this is so wonderful! I'm so happy for you…" On
instinct, he bent down, kissing her tender lips powerfully. She gasped
in surprise, before leaning forward as well, her eyes drifting closed.
Her mind swam in a million different emotions, and she delighted in
every one of them before finally he pulled away from her. Sighing, she
let her head fell onto his shoulder, burying into the crook of his neck
as she breathed in his scent.
Wrapping his other arm around her slim waist, he kissed her
forehead gently. "Sorry Serena, it's just… when you're so close, it's
awfully tempting…" he whispered.
She giggled below him and he could feel her tilt her head up and
kiss his neck tenderly. "But I like it when you kiss me," she said,
equally quiet.
Unable to hold back the large grin boiling through him, he looked
down on her, seeing her gorgeous eyes gazing back up at him. Bending
down, he lightly brushed her lips with his own, before lying a single
butterfly kiss on her temple. "Good, then I plan on kissing you a lot
more…" She giggled at his statement and he leaned his head on top of
hers. "Serena, I'm so proud of you."
"When I was taking the test, at first I couldn't remember a
thing, but then I closed my eyes and I could hear your voice telling me
what to do, and it all made sense. I remembered everything you told me
yesterday."
Smiling, Darien held her tighter, opening his eyes. Everything
felt right with the world. Then, his stare stopped on something sitting
on his coffee table. Well, two things, actually. Other than the large
box, two teacups, still half full, were sitting innocently on the wood
surface. Furrowing his eyebrow, he tensed unconsciously, remembering
how they got there.
Serena, feeling his change, looked up at his face. "Darien,
what's wrong?" she asked, seeing his look of astonishment. Following
his gaze, she saw a large box on his table, along with two pretty
teacups, filled with half-drunken tea. "Darien? Did you have company?"
Shaking his head slowly, he released his hold on her, walking
over to the table. She followed behind him expectantly. "Darien, what
is it? Were you expecting someone or…"
Closing his eyes, he let the smile tug at his lips. Turning
again, he looked down on Serena with a loving gaze. "It's a long story,
and not important," he said, taking one of her hands to her lips and
kissing her knuckle softly. Her confused gaze quickly turned to one of
admiration.
Ignoring the blush creeping onto her pale skin, Serena looked
down at the cups again. "It's a very pretty set. Have you had it long?"
"No… about 2 hours, actually."
Furrowing her brow, she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
Then, her gaze filled with understanding and she stood up straighter.
"How WAS the will reading?"
Sighing, he picked up the cups, taking them into the kitchen to
be washed. "It wasn't too bad. Would have liked it more if you were
there, though."
She grinned secretly at his loving comment. "What else did you
get?"
After setting the cups into the sink, Darien cleared his throat
somewhat nervously, remembering the ring in his pocket. "Oh, just the
set and a couple other… small things," he said vaguely, hoping she
wouldn't continue her questioning. He was in luck as she turned her
attention to the set again.
"Is that… the tea set you and Dorothy…"
"Yup, that's the one we always used," he said with a sigh,
turning back to her. She stared at him a moment, not sure of what to
say or do. Their new relationship was still so unsure to both of them,
still somewhat awkward.
Finally, Darien reached out his arms and a smile crossed her face
as she threw herself into his embrace. Sighing, Darien wrapped his arms
around her, drowning in her sweet, feminine scent.
"Oh, Serena…" he whispered into her hair. "I don't want to think
about any of that right now. I only want to think of you… this gorgeous
angel who just happens to be in my arms…" Craning his neck, he rested
his forehead on hers. She giggled quietly, meeting his gaze. Reaching
up one finger, he traced it along her ear and jaw line. "You're so
perfect. You're absolutely incredible. You know… I don't deserve to be
with you…"
"Hm?" she started in surprise. "Darien, that's not true, you…"
She was silenced by his lips teasing hers, and melted into his arms.
When finally he pulled apart, he was holding her even tighter.
"Though I sure am glad I have you," he concluded. He held her for
a few moments longer, his thoughts continuously drawn back to the small
velvet box in his pocket. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.
"Serena… there… there's something I want to ask you though… Something…
kind of important…"
She raised her ever innocent eyes to his, smiling at him
curiously. "What is it?"
Clearing his throat nervously, he looked down on her. "Not… not
here, though."
"Huh?"
Grabbing her hand, Darien walked out of the kitchen. In the
living room, he realized he was still holding her test paper and handed
it back to her. "You should keep this to show to your parents," he said
while slipping on his shoes. She folded it up neatly and placed it into
her pocket, before she felt Darien's hand secure around her wrist, and
she was dragged outside.
"Do you come to the park a lot?" Serena asked, leaning up against
Darien, their fingers laced together.
He sighed, looking up at the large trees casting painted shadows
over them. "Yeah, it's nice when I need to think, or just relax."
"Where's your favorite place to go here?"
"The rose gardens."
She giggled slightly. "I should have guessed."
His grip tightened slightly for an instant, bringing her hand to
his lips and kissing her palm gingerly, before resting it at his side
again. Serena smiled happily, leaning up against his shoulder. They
walked in silence a little while, listening to birds and children in
the distance. Finally, Darien broke it, asking, "Serena, when's your
birthday?"
"Hm? Uh… June 30th. Why?"
"So your birthstone would be… the alexandrite, wouldn't it?"
She laughed awkwardly. "I guess, but those are too expensive. The
more traditional stone is the pearl, it's what people give me mostly.
Then there's also the mythological stone, which is the moonstone. And
then… er… I'm sorry, Darien, that was probably too much information,
wasn't it?"
Darien was no longer paying attention, his free hand clenched
around the small velvet box in his pocket. Beneath his breath, he
mumbled, "It's simply too perfect…"
"Darien, what is it? What's wrong? Why did you bring me out here?
What do you want to ask me? Darien?"
Sighing, Darien stopped in the middle of the path to stare at her
concerned blue eyes. She gulped, turning to face him completely. Biting
his lower lip, he closed his eyes, attempting to gather his senses, all
the while wondering if he had the courage to go through with this.
Suddenly, he felt two gentle fingers trace down his jaw. Opening his
eyes, he smiled down on her.
"Did I do something?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking
nervously.
He knew he needed her in his life, the pain and pleasure in his
heart told him that. But it would still be difficult, there was no
escaping the fearsome worries that she wouldn't… he couldn't think of
that.
"Yeah, Serena… you did something."
Her eyes immediately filled with regret, sorrow, and fear. She
thought her entire being was trembling. What had she done to make him
act so distant all the sudden? After the past few days, she thought
everything was going so well, and now…
"Oh, Darien, I'm so sorry," she said, just above a whisper,
afraid that if she spoke any louder her voice would crack and dry in
her throat. "Whatever I did, I'm sure I didn't mean to, I know it was
an accident, and…"
Her rambling was caught short by gentle lips teasing her own.
Darien stood closer to her, breaking free from her kisses, his
hands resting on her hips as her dazed face looked up at him in
confused silence. "You made me fall in love with you, Serena," he
whispered so that only she could hear him.
The look in his eyes was enough to make her melt, to make her
every limb collapse beneath her, but the words uttered so tenderly
shocked her to unbelievable awareness.
"Wha…?" she uttered disbelieving.
Inhaling deeply, Darien took her hands into his and led her over
to a wooden bench on the side of the path, forcing her to sit down as
he paced slowly in front of her. Her ears rang of the subtle statement
as she stared straight ahead, paying no heed to the fidgety man before
her.
"You love me?" she whispered slowly, letting the words hang on
her lips. The full impact of that sank into her mind, until a smile
creased her lips, making her realize exactly the importance of his
confession. A picture evolved in her mind of holding his hand, watching
the sun set, sharing secret kisses and caresses, declaring their love
occasionally to break the comfortable silence.
Snapping from her lovely daydream, she noticed that he had
kneeled in front of her, his hands resting on the bench, on either side
of her legs as his deep blue eyes stared into hers with hope.
"I never imagined… I would be lucky enough to hear you say that,"
she finally managed to admit, her eyes shining in a love of their own.
Darien grinned, inhaling a deep breath. "Serena…" he whispered,
more to himself than the girl before him. "I don't know exactly how to
say this, I've never really said it to anyone, and I'm afraid I'll say
the wrong thing and lose you, but… but you're here now, and you have to
know. I… I love you. I have loved you from the moment we met, since the
moment I laid eyes on you, since the moment I heard your beautiful,
chiming laugh. And the past couple days I've only wanted you more,
needed you… more…"
Serena sighed with happiness, almost not believing her ears. Had
it not been a week ago that she was nothing more than his secret
admirer? And then, he had been hers as well. It was all too perfect.
Happy tears began to build at the corners of her eyes. For a moment,
she was choking on happiness, on tears, on air, before she managed to
stutter, "Darien, I love you too."
Darien froze. His head had bent down, trying to think of what to
say, how to go about asking her to… be his wife. And then, her quiet
words broke all chain of thought. Looking up, he saw her gazing down on
him, a smile on her lips, tears glistening in her eyes. After a moment
of hopeful thinking, he allowed the worried frown to curve into a
delighted grin. She loved him. It was remarkable how very much that
helped his cause.
"But Darien…" she continued in a whisper. "That's… not a
question," she stated matter-of-factly. He chuckled for a moment before
again searching his mind for the correct words to say.
Taking in a deep breath, he began. "Serena… I know you're still
very young, probably too young for what I'm about to ask you. And you
can say that you want to wait, I'd have no problem with that at all,
as… long as you say yes. And Serena, if you say yes, I swear I'm going
to burst with happiness, which may not sound very pleasant, but…
Anyway, Serena, I love you. I've always loved you, even before we met,
which makes no sense, obviously, but you see, I used to have dreams of
a girl just like you, a princess, actually, and I always knew I loved
her… so… so I know I always loved you… And I know that all of this is
happening so very fast, that we weren't even close up to a few days
ago, but you said that you loved me, and I know I love you, and so I
guess it really shouldn't matter how fast it all happens, as long as
we're both happy, right? And you make me so very happy, and I know
given the chance I could make you equally happy. And… I… I want to
spend the rest of my life doing just that. I want to spend every waking
moment of the rest of my life… with you…" his voice dropped to a steady
whisper as he stared up at her eyes, overwhelmed in emotions. "I want
to… to wake up with you every morning, and fall asleep with you every
night, and… and… I want to introduce you to everyone I meet as my…
fiancé… and after that, my… wife."
Serena furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "What… do you…?"
"Serena… will you marry me?" he whispered, almost inaudibly.
"Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
As she stared in awe, he reached into his pocket, producing a
small black box. Opening it, he showed her a gorgeous ring of her own
birthstone, the alexadrite, and a green tinted stone, surrounded in
rings of small diamonds. Dizziness suddenly overcame her and she
grasped at the edge of the wooden seat, trying to breathe calmly. She
watched Darien purse his lips together, and gulp as if his throat were
tied into knots. She felt the same way. A warm tear streaking slowly
down her cheek seemed to be the only sign that this wasn't a dream.
Even then, she hardly believed it.
Another image appeared in her mind's eye. She stood in a flowing
white gown, looking down an aisle of roses. At the end Darien stood in
a black tuxedo, grinning adoringly back at her. Her friends and family
stood off to the side, her father with a small, but gentle smile, and
her mother crying with pride, sadness, and joy.
"Yes…" she said, her unsteady voice cracking slightly. Darien,
who had been staring at her with more fear by the moment, raised his
eyebrows, just barely. Happiness began to cloud the deep blue gaze,
though he dared not smile. "Yes," she repeated, more forcefully this
time. Finally, a wide grin spread across her face and she pushed
herself off the bench, falling to her knees and into his arms. "YES!"
she screamed, then again and again. "Of course I'll marry you, of
course I'll be your wife!!"
Darien stared into space a long moment, before finally, slowly
wrapping his arms around her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he
could hear her chattering still, jumping from 'I love you' to 'I'm
getting married' to 'What color will the bride's maids' dresses be?'
and back to 'I love you' again. His lips curved upward gently and he
closed his eyes, picturing himself 50 years from now, sitting next to
Serena, his beautiful wife, holding her hand, drinking lemonade on a
warm day, and watching their 15 grandchildren play happily in the
sunshine.
The woman of his dreams loved him, and was now… his fiancé.
Darien, the man who could never get close to anyone, had a fiancé. He
never imagined how wonderful that would feel.
With a smile that made his jaw hurt, he pulled her away shortly,
before pushing his lips to hers in a strong and powerful kiss, holding
her to his body with every ounce of strength he contained. Her fragile
hands held onto him just as powerfully, grasping at the material of his
shirt, squeezing his shoulders almost roughly, as if he minded. After
prying away from her sweet, ruby red lips, Darien led a trail of
butterfly kisses down her cheek, her neck, her shoulder, her
collarbone, kissing every inch of skin he could find in reach. Finally,
he settled with simply holding her, burying his face into her golden
hair and breathing in her deliciously ethereal scent. Pulling back
slightly, he reached for her arm, still tied about his shoulders.
Pulling her hand down in front of his chest, he slid the ring onto its
appropriate finger, kissing the glistening stones once. Her eyes
twinkled at him lovingly, and he didn't think he could stop grinning if
he tried. Tying his arms around her again, he closed his eyes,
whispering into her ear,
"I love you, future Mrs. Darien Chiba."
She giggled and he knew she was blushing. For the first time, he
also realized that people had stopped in the park to watch them,
smiling with dreamy looks. It only made him feel even luckier.
"I love you too."
He held her close to his chest, his eyelids closed lightly. They
fit into each other's arms perfectly, like pieces to a puzzle that had
finally found their match. Eventually allowing his eyes to open, he
looked up into a pale blue, sun-filled sky. Instantly, a bright light
filled the sky in front of him and he was forced to squint to see
through it, until a blurred shadow seemed to drown out the blinding
flare. As his eyes became accustomed, he saw the familiar, smiling face
of Dorothy Smith. Her emerald eyes glowed with pride and happiness,
laughing slightly. As he watched, he noticed her wink slyly at him, a
mischievous grin tilting the corners of her lips, before holding two
thumbs up. He couldn't help but chuckle, only holding Serena tighter
and leaning his head on hers. Looking on, he saw another shape, this of
a man, come up and wrap his arm about Dorothy's waist. She turned in
his embrace, holding him gently and giving him a small peck on the
cheek. They seemed to talk for a minute, Dorothy gesturing to Darien a
few times, before the both of them gave him genuine smiles of
happiness. Turning, arms still wrapped around each other, they walked
together into the light.
'Goodbye, Dorothy.'
There will be an epilogue, thanks to Stormlight, so look for it next week!! Tell me what you think! Kammi22@sprintmail.com
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