Hi everyone!

First of all, I hope you all are safe and well.

Secondly, the song in this chapter is Jason Derulo's "Marry Me". It is not mine.

Enjoy!

Six Weeks

Week 3

Tuesday

Two days had passed since Darien had kissed her at her bedroom window and even though she was usually so hungry for his touch after two days without it, Serena was just too happy for there to be any room for much of anything else.

On Sunday morning she'd woken feeling different yet again, except this time she knew the exact how and why. Her insecurities were no more – not with the sex stuff as there was always doubt in the unknown, but with the relationship and future stuff.

Darien loved her. They were going to spend the rest of their lived together. Serena knew this with all certainty of the sunrise. When compared to the rest of their lives, what was a few days without his touch?

They texted every day and most nights. Darien was never far from her thoughts as she clearly was never far from his.

Sunday Serena had spent with her family. They'd had a family day at home. They'd spent the morning doing some family cleaning throughout the house, garage and yard and the afternoon had been spent playing family games, everything from a two-hour game of Monopoly to an hour-long game of Charades.

On Monday after school Serena had gone with the girls of Amy's house for a study night and sleepover. They'd done more sleepover than study night, but it had been both fun and productive regardless – Serena had gotten ahead on her Social Studies Assignment.

Tuesday had started great. She'd woken on time and had a healthy breakfast with the girls. It had been just them in the apartment as Amy's mother had already left for work before they'd woken up. They'd laughed and joked and had been teenage girls.

And the best part was that Serena had been on time for school because Amy lived only a few blocks from the school.

And even though Serena hadn't been able to meet up with Darien before school, she'd been free after school and she'd met up with him then.

It was proof that she was growing up that she was becoming just that little more patient. She'd seen Darien soon enough; she didn't have to let it get to her that a few days had done by since she'd been in his arms.

Besides, it was only three weeks more before they could make their relationship known to their friends, not her parents but at least to their friends. There wouldn't need to be so much sneaking around and in way Serena was going to miss that. It made things more exciting.

It was a pain having to sneak around all the time but at the same time it was nice having their relationship just between the two of them. Pro, she'd be able to talk to her friends about her relationship and get their advice, but the trade-off con was that they were going to be in the spotlight, at least at first.

After school, Serena walk with the girls to the Arcade, meeting up with Rei along the way. The five of them walked into the Arcade and there was Darien sitting at the counter talking with Andrew who was busy preparing something on the other side of the counter.

Serena's eyes immediately went to Darien. He had a white cup of coffee in his hand – black coffee, it was the only kind of coffee he drank. It was the only hot beverage he drank. Serena thought it tasted like tar, but she didn't have to drink it – occasionally his kisses tasted like coffee, but Serena honestly didn't care, she was usually too busy to notice until later anyway. He was casually sitting on one of the stools, looking far too handsome for Serena to handle in public.

Serena couldn't believe that this upperclassman was hers. He was the most handsome man Serena had ever seen. With dark blue intelligent eyes, hair so black it appeared blue in direct sunlight and a body that he worked hard to keep in optimum prime condition he was drool worthy. He had his martial arts, he jogged and he kick-boxed. He always seemed to either be with her, studying or was doing one of his physical activities.

Not that most would know just how in shape Darien really was with that ugly green jacket he was always wearing. It was his favourite – why Serena couldn't figure out – and in a way it was him. He liked it so he wore it and he didn't give a damn what anyone else thought.

Serena didn't know how she'd feel if it ever went away. She was so used to seeing Darien in it, it was Darien, it was a part of him in a way.

Darien turned and met her gaze. Their gazes locked and, in that moment, a silent communication passed between them, an intense feeling that made Serena's heart jump and her pulse quicken.

Serena forced herself to look away. They had three more weeks of pretending that they couldn't stand each other in public to get through.

There was a time when Serena had enjoyed their loud childish arguments but now all she wanted to do was declare to the world that he was her and she was his.

It was going to be a long three weeks.

Darien turned in his stool as the five of them walked up to the counter. They greeted Andrew as they always did, with friendly smiles – all except for Mina, who had a monster crush on him but hadn't yet acted on it yet except to give him flirtatious smiles rather than friendly ones.

Serena considered Mina and Andrew both as they exchanged friendly greetings.

Both of them were single. In fact, now that Serena thought about it, of the five girls and two guys, Serena and Darien were the only ones dating.

Maybe after her relationship with Darien came out, Serena would see about doing something about Andrew and Mina. Maybe all it would take to get those two to do something about the chemistry between them would be a little push.

She'd have to give it some thought.

Darien caught her eye again, a look that was heated and hungry, and Serena's insides melted.

She'd have to give Mina and Andrew some more thought later, much much later.

"Hey girls, Meatball Head." Darien said in way of greeting. "I take it you didn't fail anything today Meatball Brains, since you obviously didn't get detention. For once."

And that was Serena's cue.

Today she was going to do something different, just to mix things up.

Without responding verbally – and loudly – to Darien's rudeness, Serena instead reached over the counter, knowing exactly where her target was and before anyone could stop her, Serena pulled out the extendable hose that staff used to fill patrons glasses with soda and she pointed it's nozzle straight at Darien.

"Nnnnnnnooooo!" Andrew cried out, throwing out his hand with the obvious intention of snatching it from her, but it was already too late.

Serena pressed the button beneath the gun part and squirted Darien straight in the face with icy soda.

Darien yelped. He leapt to his feet, retreating several steps but Serena kept the spray locked onto him, soaking not just Darien with the icy and sticky liquid, but the floor and the counter as well.

"Serena! Stop that!" Mina ordered crossly in a shrill voice, no doubt thinking about the mess Andrew would have to deal with.

"Cool." Serena heard Lita chuckle with her usual good-natured humour.

All around her, people were moving quickly to get out of the line of her fire, fearing the clear cold sticky liquid with all the urgency that they would've if it had been acid.

Abruptly, as if realizing that retreating wasn't working, Darien changed tactics. Instead of trying to outmanoeuvre the spray, he leapt at her and wrenched the silver hose from her hands, soaking her front and more of the counter in the process.

A moment after Darien yanked the hose from her hands the flow stopped. Now that she was disarmed, he was staring down at her with wide incredulous eyes, breathing hard not from the exertion but from the shock.

Darien opened his mouth, but the voice Serena heard wasn't his.

"THAT'S IT!" Andrew exploded from behind the counter.

Everyone turned to him in shock to stare at the man whom none of them had ever heard raise his voice before. He'd always been good-natured easy-going Andrew, even with Darien and Serena's antics should have.

Well, it seemed that Andrew had reached the limit of what he could take. He was standing behind the counter, eyes impossibly wide staring at the two of them and the mess around them with fury in his medium green eyes. His face was so red that it almost looked purple and there was a vein in his forehead Serena had never noticed before that was bulging and pulsing like it had a life of its own.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH THE TWO OF YOU!" Andrew threw out his arm and pointed at the entrance to the staff only area behind the counter. "THE TWO OF YOU IN MY OFFICE NOW! YOU'RE GOING TO SIT IN THEIR QUIETLY UNTIL I GET THIS MESS CLEANED UP AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO TALK! I'D BETTER NOT HEAR A PEEP OUT OF EITHER OF YOU! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

Woah. They'd broken Andrew. Maybe she'd gone too far this time. He hadn't exploded like this even when she'd broken a window once when she'd thrown a glass milkshake glass at Darien but he'd ducked and it had hit one of the large front window and cracked it until it had resembled a one dimensional silver spiderweb.

Neither of them said a word as Serena lead the way behind the counter and into Andrew's office.

Darien closed the door behind him and turned to her, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at her with a look that told him he really wasn't happy with her.

"Well?"

Soda was still dripping from Darien. It was running down his face to drip form his chin to be absorbed by his already soaked ugly slightly darker green jacket. Honestly, he looked like he'd just crawled out of a pool fully dressed he was that wet.

If it had been the old days before their relationship had changed Serena would've been proud of the job she'd done on him, the mess she had made of his usually impeccable handsome upperclassman appearance.

"Um, I got a little carried away?" Serena supplied sheepishly, giving him her most innocent smile in hopes of soothing him. He wasn't angry at her – she knew what an angry Darien looked like – but he wasn't happy.

And in all honesty, Serena was struggling not to laugh at him. Honestly, he looked half drowned. She probably looked the same way, but she didn't' really care that the entire front of her blouse was wet and sticky, sticking to her skin like a second skin.

At least she didn't have to worry about it being see-through. The material her school had chosen for its school blouses was thick, most likely to prevent just that problem.

"That's an understatement," Darien mumbled more to himself than her, releasing his breath in a long heavy rush. No doubt he'd be up for any cleaning bill that came out of this.

It wasn't the first time Darien had had to get his credit card out at the Arcade in order to pay for damage Serena had done; he'd been doing it for longer than they'd been dating.

At least he hoped that once they went public with their relationship that the need to pay for damages in order to keep being welcome at the Arcade would be a thing of the past.

"I'm really sorry," Serena told him softly, girly-like, as she moved closer to him, all acquiescent and apologetic. She completed the look by dropping her chin and looking up at him with her large angelic eyes that had no doubt worked to get her out of trouble all her life.

Darien groaned inwardly. God helped him; he wasn't immune to her large innocent eyes. Serena was sorry, she was feeling guilty and that was making her unhappy and he just couldn't let that continue.

Darien was afraid of her father, that wasn't a secret, or more to the point what the man would do to him when he found out about Darien and his little girl, but Darien couldn't help but compare the similarities between the two of them when it came to Serena. Both of them would move heaven and earth to make Serena happy and god help anyone who dared to try to harm her because the both of them would kill anyone who dared to try.

Serena had taught Darien a long time ago that things like money mattered for nothing compared to the person you loved. Darien would give up every cent he had for her, so in the scheme of things, what was a couple of hundred dollars here and there?

But at the same time, Darien knew Serena well enough to know that when Serena really was sorry, she was sincere in her apologies, but when she knew that she wasn't in real deep trouble, she did this. She played him like a fiddle, making him feel guilty until he caved – which never took long.

Besides, Darien couldn't stay mad at her for anything. He loved her too much and appreciated her presence in his life more than words ever could express.

It was a testament to Serena's extraordinary good nature that she rarely took advantage of his inability to stay mad at her.

With a surrendering sigh, Darien raised his hand to her face, and gently stroked her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. It was sticky from the soda she'd soaked him with. "You never have to say you're sorry to me. Not for being you."

Serena smiled at him affectionately. He knew she treasured his charming words, so he showered her with them at every opportunity.

Darien hadn't even known he could be charming – Serena's word, not his – until he'd opened his heart to her.

Unable to help himself, just like every other time before, Darien took possession of her lips with his own, his eyes closing of their own accord so he could better saviour the taste and feel of her. She was all sweet softness. She was his both his sunshine and his moonlight, his only light in the darkness, the only light in his life.

Darien had long since come to peace with his addiction to Serena's kisses. She was so innocent still but at the same time so eager and hungry. She was all passion and wild abandon in her wanting of him. She was without hesitation, without pretence or manipulation.

Serena wanted to kiss him, loved kissing him, just as much as he did her, and so she threw herself into their kisses, committing all of herself to them.

God help him in the years to come – God willing – when she was more experienced in the physical side of their relationship. She'd burn him up into cinders and he'd go with a smile on his face if she threw herself half as much into lovemaking as she did their kissing.

As much as Darien wanted her physically, it was overshadowed by how he wanted her most; he wanted her. He wanted all of her. He wanted her now and he wanted her future to be their future. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he wanted to make her as happily as she could possibly be, only that way could he be truly happy.

Serena believed that his greatest fear was her father finding out about them but that was nothing compared to his fear of losing her, in any form. He he'd do anything for her, he was her willing slave and there was nothing she could do to destroy his love for her. Even if she one day chose to leave him – he wouldn't stop her because her happiness came before his always – she would leave him destroyed.

In fact, Darien didn't know if he would survive it. Serena had become his life, his soul, his heart, his everything.

Darien deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth to coax hers into a mating dance as old as time.

It took all of Darien's self-control not to claim her in every day a man could claim his woman right now. He wanted to mark her as his so that all the world would know that she was his, that he was hers.

Wrapping his arms around her, Darien guided her backwards until her backside collided with the edge of Andrew's desk and he lowered her upper body until she was lying on the flat wooden surface.

Darien loved that Serena's legs immediately came up to wrap around his hips, bringing them intimately into contact.

Serena moaned into his mouth and immediately began wriggling beneath him, moving against him in the most tantalising way.

She was torturing him, the sweetest most-tantalising torture imaginable. Hell itself couldn't torment him so well because no matter how much he wanted her he COULDN'T. Not yet. His body didn't know her age though, all it knew was its raging desire to bury himself as deeply inside of her as was physically possible.

Darien was as hard as a pole, and he couldn't stop himself from grinding against her, riding her on top of the heavy desk with only the material of his pants and her dampening panties keeping him from taking her.

Darien was so close to losing his tenuous grasp on his control, it was only the severe consequences, consequences that would lead him to losing her, that kept him barely under control.

The only thing in him as strong as his love for her and his raging lust was his fear of losing her.

Darien deepened their kiss yet again, knowing that he was very likely bruising her soft delicate lips, but again helpless to do anything else. He had to have more of her. More of her taste, more of her wrapped around him, more of the delicious hell of pleasure that came when he rubbed his hard-on against her heated core.

Serena moaned into his mouth, the purring sound vibrating right through him right down into his cock.

Oh, sweet mercy! He would've gladly sold his soul to the deepest depths of hell to have her now.

A noise reached his ears, wrenching him from heaven. Instincts born of thousands of years that cavemen had slept at the mouths of their caves, putting themselves between their women and the numerous dangers of the early world, were just enough to pull Darien from heaven and back to earth.

A noise. Alerting to a threat. A noise from the other side of the door. A voice, angry and familiar.

Andrew.

Andrew was coming.

Andrew was coming!

And Darien had been so close to coming!

Oh shit!

Darien wrenched his mouth from Serena's and pulled her to her feet, rougher than he'd intended, and quickly ushered her into one of the two chairs that sat before the desk, not failing to notice that she was still in a heated daze.

Darien only just had enough time to get his own ass in the other seat and put his hands through his messed-up hair before the door behind them opened and Andrew stepped into the office.

Swallowing thickly and as discreetly as possible Darien fought to slow his rapid breathing and racing heartbeat.

How could he have been so stupid, so careless?! They'd nearly been caught because of his foolishness and it would've been all his fault. Yes, being near Serena always short-circuited his brain, but he knew better!

He should know better.

Okay, so he knew better but when he was near Serena he just didn't care.

"Andrew-." Serena started but was silenced when Andrew glared down at her.

It wasn't a mean glare, but it silenced her none-the-less.

Darien shot Andrew a warning look. He wouldn't have anyone, not even his best friend acting really out of character, looking at Serena like that.

Andrew was usually friendly and easy-going, a go with the flow forgiving kind of guy. They really must've been getting out of hand lately – all in effort to keep anyone from realising that they were in a relationship – and it seemed that they'd finely crossed the line so much so that even Andrew couldn't ignore it.

If one of them had to be banned, it would be him. Darien wouldn't let Serena get banned from the Arcade, she loved the place. He just wouldn't let it happen. He'd buy the place first.

Andrew took his seat behind his desk and looked up at them with disappointment on his face, the anger already fading.

Andrew was like Serena in that he wasn't capable of remaining angry for very long. It was a trait that had worked in Darien's favour more than once.

Not that Darien could stay angry long with either of them either.

"I don't know what to do with the two of you," Andrew began, his tone exasperated and weary at the same time. He really sounded like he was at his wits end. "The incessant screaming matches, the childish name calling. Serena's habit of throwing whatever's closest. I really don't want to ban the both of you from the Arcade, but you keep disturbing the other patrons-."

The guilty look on Serena's face drew Darien's attention and just like that he'd already had enough of this crap. He didn't know why Andrew was playing this game, but not only was he going to put an end to it, he was going to win it.

Andrew knew better, and he definitely knew Darien better.

"Oh, please." Darien leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across himself and brought his one leg up until his ankle rested on his knee, effectively hiding his tented pants from Andrew's line of sight. "The regulars find Serena's antics amusing." He raised one eyebrow silently daring Andrew to contradict him, ignoring Serena's warning glare. "In fact, is there or is there not a pool going that we reach one thousand dollars' worth of damage by the end of the half-year?"

"What?" Andrew yelped, startled.

But Darien wasn't buying it. Andrew was up to something; he had an ulterior motive. They'd done worse, just in the last couple of weeks.

The mess Serena had made had been one of her lesser efforts. She'd shattered glasses and plates before, she'd even thrown a chair at him one time – it hadn't gone far but the chair's leg had been bent so Darien had been forced to pay for it – but what she'd done today could be cleaned up with a mop and soapy cloth.

"Don't play dumb," Darien told him, knowing that he had the upper hand now. "You're the one managing the pool, you think I haven't seen you taking bets? Even the girls are in on it."

"You're betting on us?!" Serena exclaimed loudly, making Darien bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning like an idiot. Serena hadn't known; Darien hadn't told her, and she hadn't noticed herself.

Andrew and the girls hadn't been subtle in their running pool, reset every six months.

Darien had even seen the book Andrew kept under the counter to keep track of the pool. The pool money was kept in the safe in Andrew's office.

If Darien wasn't mistaken, Andrew had won the pool time before last. He didn't know who the last winner had been, only that it hadn't been Andrew or one of the girls.

Andrew turned red beneath Serena's offended incredulity. Darien could see his best friend's mind working overtime, scrambling to come up with a good excuse.

Taking mercy on Andrew, and now that his hard-on had softened enough that it wasn't tenting his pants, Darien rose to his feet.

He intentionally didn't help Serena to hers. He couldn't do such things when they weren't alone, and it went against his grain.

"So, since you never had any intention of banning us, what are you up too buddy?" Darien asked casually, as if he hadn't just caught his best friend out. "What is the purpose of putting us in here?"

Andrew didn't answer and didn't meet his eyes, his face turning even redder.

That was when Darien got it. "Ah, what scheme have you and the girls cooked up? Threaten to ban us if we don't get along?"

Bingo. Andrew looked like a little boy who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, wide eyes and all.

Darien went to the door and opened it but turned back to Andrew before stepping through. He had to get out of there because his lust for Serena was threatening his self-control. Now that the situation with Andrew was dealt with all he could thing about was finishing what his best friend had interrupted.

"So, the usual?" Darien asked Andrew, knowing the answer. "Give me the bill for any damage or cleaning the next time I'm in?"

Andrew buried his face in his hands. "Fine."

"For curiosity's sake, what's our current quarterly total?" Darien asked, honestly curious. He didn't need to keep count; he had Andrew to do that for him.

"Four hundred and change." Andrew answered between his hands, his words slightly muffled.

Darien nodded and left through the open door, satisfied that everything was settled. Well, all except his lust and semi-hard cock, but he was used to that. Being around Serena always affected him that way.

Serena turned back to Andrew, feeling sorry for him. Darien had handled him with such humiliating ease that she couldn't help but be both proud of Darien and want to scold him for messing with Andrew like that.

And then something clicked.

"It isn't that much, is it?" Serena asked Andrew quietly.

"It's less than last time, although the quarter isn't done yet." Andrew answered in a flat tone, still talking through his hands.

"How long has Darien been paying for what I damage?" Serena wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Since the first time you threw something at him."

Serena blinked, stunned. "I was twelve."

"So you were."

If Serena hadn't been focusing on the conversation she would've been worried for Andrew. "How long have you been betting on how much I break?"

"Three years. It was Lita and Rei's idea, although in the beginning it was just us."

"What's the current pool worth?"

"Five hundred dollars. It's a twenty dollar by-in."

"How much has Darien paid you since I was twelve?"

Andrew shrugged, finally dropping his hands from his face. He leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily like he was having a really really long and bad day.

Serena couldn't remember ever seeing him like this. He almost looked . . . . defeated.

"About three thousand dollars. I didn't charge Darien full price in the beginning."

Serena took a moment to absorb that. That was a lot of money. She'd been saving for a year and her savings were only a sixth of what she'd cost Darien in the last four years.

Well, that settled that. It was set in stone. She wasn't going to throw anything at Darien anymore, except for herself.

And one day she was going to pay Darien back all that money. It wasn't fair that he'd paid for what she'd broken. She'd known he'd covered damages in the past, her damages, but she hadn't realised that it had been so much.

Had Darien intentionally prevented her from finding out just how much he'd paid for what she'd broken?

It was one thing for Darien to pay now, now that they were a couple – it was an act to keep their secret – but he'd paid for years before they'd gotten together.

"I'm sorry Andrew." Serena said solemnly, meaning it. "I didn't realise."

Andrew looked at her, compassion in his kind green eyes. "I know you didn't. You have a temper and the you throw things when Darien drives you crazy. Darien always paid for damages and the regular patrons really don't mind. I think they find it amusing. The pool is just a little fun."

"It's alright. I don't mind." Serena told him, going to the door and looking out.

Darien was sitting at the counter – to the right of where he'd been before, presumably in a dry chair – drinking the rest of his coffee that had to be cold by now.

Behind and around him, three other members of staff were cleaning up her mess. One with a mop cleaning the floor, one wiping down the counter with a cloth and the third was wiping off the stools.

It warmed Serena's heart and humbled her realising just how long Darien had been looking after her, even when she'd been too young to know what romantic feelings were, Darien had been there for her.

Even now that she was older and able to be responsible for her actions, Darien still looked after her.

It made her love him even more. How could one person be so lucky in love?

He'd even handled Andrew for her. Even now, Andrew was so repentant that he hadn't even noticed that what Darien had done had been to protect her.

Serena smiled, soft and lovingly as she continued to watch him. She was the luckiest woman on earth to have a man love and cherish her so much and she'd spend the rest of her life loving him back, doing everything for him that she possibly could to make him happy because he made her happy just by being with her.

Wednesday

The danger, the huge risk they were taking, was like amplified lust burning her from the inside out and it was all Serena could do to keep herself from becoming so lost to it that they actually did break the law.

Meaning that they both said to the hell with the law and consummated their relationship right there in the front passenger seat of Darien's car.

Okay, so the windows of the sleek deep red sports car were heavily tinted, but they were still parked only a block from her house and there was a real risk of being seen – if someone Serena knew just happened to walk by and stick their face right up against the dark tinted windows that were so dark that they appeared jet black from the outside.

It was close to Serena's curfew – or it had been when Darien had told her that he'd drive her home – but upon arriving on her block, neither of them had been ready to say goodnight and before either of them had a chance to think it through, Darien was sitting in the passenger seat that was pushed all the way back, reclined as far as it could go, with Serena kneeling over him on the seat. She wasn't sitting in his lap; she was all but laying on top of him.

Their lips locked together in a kiss so hot that Serena was surprised she wasn't hearing sirens and their hands were under each other's shirts. Darien had his hands beneath her school blouse caressing the soft skin of her back and waist while Serena's were beneath Darien's shirt moulding her hands to his hard chest, abs and stomach, neither of them unable to get enough of the other.

Darien's rigid hard on was pressed into her heated centre, prevented from entrance once again only by the soaked thin material of her panties and Darien's slacks.

Serena was really getting sick and tired of all the layers getting in their way. She was more than ready to explode. She wanted to get this done already, she wanted Darien not pressed against her but pressing into her. She wanted him moving inside of her, riding her into ecstasy such as she had never known.

And if she didn't get it soon all this sexual frustration was going to kill her.

Serena broke away from him, panting heavily. She swallowed and took a moment to try to catch her breath, then she looked into Darien's eyes. This close she could see every detail in his deep blue eyes, the kind of blue that reminded her of the colour of the ocean beneath a late afternoon sun.

"What if we just drove somewhere where no one knows us?" Serena asked him in a wistful voice, the tone that carried the hope and wanting of a dreamer. "Where we can be together without judgement or laws that keep us apart?"

There was a part of Darien that wanted to roll his eyes at her. If only he had a dollar for each time she'd tried to overcome his morals and resolve. His impatient sweet Serena: she was temptation itself.

The more dominant part of Darien had him smiling tenderly at her. He pulled his hands from beneath her blouse and raised them up and pushed her hair back from her face, burying his fingers in the silky locks the colour of pure sunshine.

"We are together." Darien told her softly, "Nothing is going to tear us apart. We'll be together in the way you want soon enough. We have our whole lives; the future is ours. For now, let's just live in the moment. In the moments we have now."

"I want you," Serena admitted freely, without hesitation or inhibition. "More than I've ever wanted anything. I am yours. You are mine. Why should we have to wait?"

"You know why." Darien laid back in his seat, letting his hands drop to her thighs, where he rubbed his thumbs back and forth against her soft flawless skin.

Serena put her hands over his, feeling the larger stronger hands against her daintier own. His hands felt so hot against both her thighs and his possessive touch branding her. It made Serena's insides tingle when she was reminded how much bigger and stronger he was than her, but yet he was never anything but gentle with her. He had never hurt her physically and she had complete faith that he never would. She knew that he loved her, that he would never hurt her in any way.

And the way he was so protective and possessive of her, he made her feel safe and possessed, like she was where she was meant to be and she was as safe as she could be.

Serena considered her love for a long moment, staring into his eyes as he patiently stared back into hers. He truly was content to just be with her, even if it was in still silence.

Was it his age that gave him such patience and self-control or was it Darien himself, was it just in his nature?

"Tell me the truth, what do you fear the most?" Serena asked him, genuinely curious. "What the law will do to you or what my father will do to you if we do it before my birthday?"

"Out of those two? Your father, hands down." Darien answered without even taking a moment to think about it. "But as terrified as I am of your homicidally overprotective father, he doesn't scare me nearly as much as the thought of never seeing you again. Which is what will happen if the law finds out about us. Your father will take you far away from me and the law will lock me away for a very long time."

Serena grinned playfully at him. "I'd wait for you."

Instead of joining her in her playfulness, Darien become sombre, serious. This was a serious matter.

Pulling his hand free, Darien raised it to her face and gently stroked his cheek. "I wouldn't want you too. I wouldn't want you to waste your life waiting for me. I'd never ask that of you."

"Forever means forever." Serena told him resolutely, her eyes blazing with her will that was beyond her years and experience. A woman's fierce unyielding will. "Don't you get that? I'm yours for life. Even if you were taken from me, I would wait for you forever. Wouldn't you do the same for me?"

"I would," Darien vowed to her, his tone as hard and unrelenting as steel. "But there's no one strong enough to take you from me. I'd fight the world for you."

Serena laughed at him. She couldn't help it. He was so serious, so ready to fight for her. "What makes you think you'd ever have to fight so hard to keep me? You already have me." She sighed, leaning back just a little to get a better look at him. "I know why we have to wait. I get it, but I'll never stop dreaming, never stop wanting you."

"You're the one who taught me to dream, to know what its like to want something, to have someone in my life." Darien raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "You are my life, my heart, my soul, my dreams and my future."

Serena melted, the happiness and love inside of her felt so intense that it was a wonder that it could be contained inside of her dainty form. "How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?"

Darien said nothing. He didn't tell her that it was him who was the lucky one to have her in his life. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down against him, holding her to him like she was the most precious thing in his life.

Because she was.

Flashback

"What is it?" Darien asked, staring at it strangely and holding it away from himself like he was afraid it was about to explode. He turned it this way and that, as if seeing it from a different angle would provide the answer.

Serena laughed at him. It was such a funny sight. He was honestly looking at her gift as if he'd honestly never seen a potted plant before.

"It's a potted plant," Serena answered as she looked around his apartment to find the perfect place to put her gift. Except for Darien, it would be the only living thing living in his apartment. The guy was a neat freak, his apartment was so sterile. It was functional and fashionable furnished, but it wasn't a home. It reminded her of those pictures in magazines, the apartment was visibly pleasing, but it wasn't a home. There were no obvious person touches, no pictures or knickknacks.

"What do I do with it?" Darien asked in the same bewildered tone.

"You water it every couple of days and feed it once a week."

"Plants eat?"

It was all Serena could do to keep from laughing fondly at him. "Just like you and me."

Now Darien was staring at it with more than a little trepidation as if it were about to come alive and eat him.

While there was such a thing as carnivorous plants, Serena hadn't gotten him one. This one was a leafy indoor plant that flowered twice a year. It was perfect for Darien's apartment; it was the first step in Serena's plan to bring some life to Darien's apartment.

Both literally and figuratively.

Step one was to introduce – slowly – some potted plants not only to liven it up a little and improve the air quality, but to also add some colour.

Black and white weren't colours and as a colour scheme it had no place in a home. Not a warm and inviting one anyway.

Darien had a lot to learn about creating a home.

"What does it eat?"

"Plant food, silly." Serena put her hands on her hips and gave him a look like the one he'd first given her gift. "I thought you were meant to be the smart one."

With a smile and a shake of her head, Serena took the plant from him, and set it down on the glass coffee table in front of the couch.

Perfect. It would get enough natural light from the balcony glass doors and it was already doing its job. Adding colour and a little bit of life to the place.

After all, she couldn't be there all the time.

Serena looked up and almost burst out laughing for real. Darien was still staring at the simple house plant as if it were something from another planet. Her poor Darien, could this be the first time he'd been faced with the prospect of taking care of a living thing?

Darien needed a distraction from the new addition to his apartment. He looked like he was contemplating throwing it over the balcony in order to be rid of it as quickly as possible.

Dropping down onto the couch, Serena folded her legs beneath her and looked up at him, knowing the perfect distraction.

"I want to go out, on a real date."

Darien's head whipped around from the plant to her, now looking really alarmed, verging on panicked.

"Now?!"

Serena finally lost her battle with her amusement. She laughed at him like he'd just told her a hilarious joke. She laughed boisterously, taking her time and really enjoying herself. She laughed until she couldn't breathe.

"Not now. Soon." Serena said when she'd finally let her amusement fade and she became serious, telling Darien that she really wanted this. "I want to go out on a real date, just you and me doing something couples do to celebrate their relationship and better get to know each other."

Up until now, for the past three months, all their "dates" had been at Darien's apartment, which was becoming a major pain, having to sneak away from her loved ones and sneak to Darien's apartment. It was worth it of course; it was just becoming tiresome.

Serena wanted to be with Darien somewhere else other than his apartment. Serena had gone along with it up until now because it had put Darien's mind – somewhat – at ease, but enough was enough. He had to get used to them being together in locations other than his apartment – that she was sprucing up a little at a time.

At first Serena had been sneaky about it, but now that her "gifts" were adding up, it was becoming clear what she was doing. She'd started small; it had even appeared to be an accident.

All of Darien's tea towels were white, so she'd thrown a brand-new red shirt – she'd brought it that very day – and thrown it in with all his white kitchen towels.

The outcome had been inevitable, and she'd had to endure Darien's lecture on how to properly do laundry, the key point of which was don't mix colours and whites. She'd reacted with the appropriate responses, saying she was sorry and that she'd replace all the now pink tea towels.

It hadn't taken long before Darien had been scrambling to make her feel better. He'd taken her to the mall at her insistence and they'd replaced the tea towels – Darien hadn't let her use her own money – with a much more colourful arrangement.

Since then the addition of one colourful landscape painting displaying vast green fields beneath a friendly sky, brought from a flea market, a pair of chocolate brown desk lamps from a department store and a fluffy forest green throw blanket draped over Darien's couch had been added to Darien's colourless apartment.

And now a potted plant. They were small additions, but they'd made a real difference. Darien's apartment was staring to look lived in and feel like a home.

Serena was proud of the changes she was making in Darien's life. Not just his apartment either, but in Darien himself. He was so much happier, and he was beginning to really enjoy life, something Serena had long ago noticed was missing in Darien's life.

"It's too risky." Darien told her, bringing her back to the now, his voice a little high pitched. "What if we're seen?"

Serena almost rolled her eyes at him. Almost. He didn't like it when she rolled her eyes at him and right now, she needed him to co-operate. "Then we do what we always do. We "fight". Besides, what are the chances? Especially if we go somewhere my family and our friends don't."

"You make it sound so simple," Darien slowed lowered himself onto the couch beside her and turned his body around until he was facing her. "I know you want us to be like other couples, and do what normal couples do, but the truth is that we aren't a normal couple. We can't be. Not until you're old enough that the law says that it's okay for us to be a couple."

Serena had to grit her teeth. She REALLY hated it when Darien talked to her like she was a little kid and he knew it, not that he seemed to be able to help it sometimes. He was doing it less and less as he gradually grew accustomed to seeing her as his girlfriend instead of the young girl he liked to torment.

They'd been dating for three months, Darien needed to get over his paranoia that those they cared about were lurking around every corner just waiting to catch them together.

And he REALLY needed to get over her age. He was obsessed with her age. It was old news.

But at the same time Serena had learned to go slowly with Darien, whether it be his apartment or their relationship.

The funny thing was that Serena knew that Darien thought he was going slow with her, because she was inexperienced in matters of the heart – yeah right. He was the one who was inexperienced in matters of the heart. Ever since his parents had died, he'd shut his heart down. It was only since she'd come into his life that he'd allowed his heart to function again.

And just like that, with that little mental reminder, Serena caved. With a deep relenting sigh, Serena turned the full power of her eyes on him.

She'd caved, she hadn't given up.

Serena moved forward until she was practically in his lap. "Just think about it, please?"

Automatically Darien's arms came up around her, pulling her closer to him and holding her in his arms, making her feel like she was the most precious thing in the world to him.

"I'll think about it," He whispered softly to her, "I'm not promising anything."

But he would, Serena knew. He would.

Thursday

Serena was having a bad day. And this time it was not just because she just knew by lunchtime that she wasn't going to get to see Darien today.

It had started when she'd knocked her cell phone off her nightstand with her pillow in her sleep, and of course the pillow had landed on top of her cell phone, so her morning alarm had been muted more than enough for her to sleep through.

So, she'd been late for school and in customary fashion had forgotten her lunch on her mad rush out the door. She'd been really late to school, so that meant that she hadn't been able to see Darien before school and on top of that, she'd run into a mailbox and hurt her big toe.

She'd then hobbled into school in time to get afterschool detention.

The only light all day had been that she HADN'T flunked the surprise math quiz, all thanks to Amy and Darien's tutoring.

It was funny. It had taken two geniuses to get her grades up to acceptable.

Feeling miserable by the school day's end, Serena had decided to simply go home and wait for this horrible day to end.

She'd texted Darien and the girls, telling them that she'd had a bad day and was going home to wait out the remaining day in relative safety of her day not getting any worse.

Unfortunately, someone above had it in for her today.

Serena walked into her house and stepped on Sammy's skateboard. She'd gone flying, landing flat on her back as the sounds of disaster raining down around her.

The skateboard had kept going with the force of a battering ram and had collided with the hallway table sending both her mother's vase and the three photo frames on its top falling to the floor, landing in a shower of glass and porcelain.

No doubt if they'd had a cat it would've been included in comical Hollywood fashion.

Serena had just laid there as her family had come running.

Today just wasn't her day. She was definitely going to bed early tonight, if she could manage to make it to bed unscathed that was.

Friday

The thing about bad days was that they made even good days seem so much better, especially when one took precautions against the repeat of that one single event that set off a bad day.

The night before Serena had made certain that her cell phone was placed safely out of the reach of any wayward pillows, and she set her alarm for a half an hour earlier than usual to ensure that she left the house with plenty of time.

Serena woke with her alarm, showered and dressed before heading down to the kitchen to grab a quick healthy breakfast. It was too early for her mother to be cooking breakfast yet, so Serena helped herself to a bowl of cereal and grabbed a banana – and her lunch – on the way out the door with a quick text to her mother letting her know that she'd already left for the day.

Even better, Serena made it to the park a full ten minutes before Darien, a first in all the time they'd been meeting there before school.

They'd made out – it had been even hotter than usual, fuelled by her increasing good mood – and before leaving him to go to school they'd made plans to meet up after school on the roof of the Arcade as usual. They were the only words they'd exchanged as they'd been too hungry for each other after being denied each other the day before to exchange much more than bodily fluids.

Even her school day was a good one, for a school day anyway. There'd been no quizzes, surprise or otherwise, and the few times she'd been called on in class she'd been paying enough attention that she'd supplied the correct answer – thankyou Amy and Darien.

The best of her day came without any hassle at all. Before she knew it, Serena stepped onto the roof of the Arcade, where Darien was patiently waiting for her on their blanket.

Serena couldn't tell if Darien heard her approach or not, but he didn't move from his seated position on the hard roof surface. He was leaning against the shaded side of the room sized air-conditioning unit, looking out of the city beyond, looking far more relaxed than most men is age ever seemed to be.

Serena dropped her backpack on the edge of the blanket and moved to stand so that she was towering over him, one foot on either side of his legs so that he was sitting between her legs. She smiled down her body at him as he looked up at her, his hands rising from his lap to curl around her knees, his touch a whispered caress on her skin.

The way Darien looked at her . . . it stole her breath away. She'd never known what it felt like to be looked at so reverently, like she was the sun and the moon, until they'd fallen in love.

Serena lowered herself to her knees, sitting herself on his lower thighs with her knees on the ground on each side of his backside, bringing her face to face with him.

Darien looked at her with complete contentedness in his deep eyes. He was a different person now than he'd been when she'd first met him. He was happier, there was more life in him and to Serena's delight, he appeared completely at peace with himself and his life now.

The way he was looking at her made Serena feel so loved and cherished that her heart swelled with responding love and joy.

Darien pulled her school blouse free of her skirt and brought his hands to rest on the bare skin of her waist beneath, moving his hands back and forth in delicious little caresses that left her skin – and her secret place – tingling.

Needing to touch him as badly as she needed to be touched, Serena pulled his black skin-tight shirt free of his black jeans and laid her hands on the firm flesh of his toned stomach. She'd explored most of his body more times than she could possibly count and so far, she hadn't found a single soft spot on him. His body was all toned muscle and she loved it. She loved every inch of him.

Well, most of him. She wasn't aquatinted with all of him just yet. A few more weeks . . .

"I missed you yesterday," Darien murmured against the soft skin of her neck, inhaling her scent like she was ambrosia.

"Yesterday was one of those bad days, mostly because I didn't get to see you." Serena purred silkily, her hands roaming beneath his shirt.

"They're getting harder to get through, aren't they?" Darien said in a way that said that he understood exactly what she meant.

"I want to spend tomorrow with you, the whole day." Serena told him adamantly, making it clear that her "request" was non-negotiable while not losing her kitten-like demeanour. "Somewhere away so we won't be dragged away from each other."

"Okay, where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere. As long as I'm with you I don't care where we are."

Darien lifted his knees, bending his legs so he not only brushed deliciously against her core, but moved her face closer to his. His hands slipped free from her blouse and wrapped around her upper body, his hands running freely over the clothed skin of her shoulders and back. "Do you know how much I love that just being with me is enough for you? Do you know how much that means to me?"

Serena smiled with soft tenderness at him. Instead of using words to respond, Serena leaned down and planted a kiss on his chest right over his heart.

Wrapping his arms further around her, he held her close, right over his heart.

Darien closed his eyes and basked in the feeling of her in his arms and how she made him feel just by being with him.

His Serena was so sweet, so innocently charming. She was everything that he wanted and didn't deserve. No matter how many lives he saved in his future as a surgeon, he was never going to be worthy of such a precious creature, an angel cast to earth to save his soul.

"We'll go somewhere away, somewhere we can openly be together."

Serena smiled against his chest. That was all she wanted.

Saturday

Serena was in heaven. Not the delicious she-could-almost-die-from pleasure heaven that she knew when she was in Darien's arms, but the kind that she couldn't possibly be happier than she was right now. She was so happy she felt like she was glowing.

It was Saturday and as planned they were together travelling away from the city. They had no real plans, no set destination. The only purpose/point of the day was to spend time together with no worries, no having to be on the lookout for someone they knew.

As Darien drove his sleek low red sports car – the really expensive WOW kind that came with his kind of money that Serena couldn't remember the name of. It had a bunch of letters and numbers that Serena didn't care about – with dark tinted windows out of the city, Serena sat silently but contently beside him in the plush passenger's seat. She felt so happy and carefree, there was nothing at all wrong in her world.

This was one of those very rare times when the two of them were able to truly be together without any worry or fear that someone they knew would see them and their secret would be discovered.

Just for today they were free to be together, to be a couple in love with no fears or worries.

The only plan for today was to leave the city and drive along the coast. Serena had to be home by nine pm. That was it. That was all they had planned for the day, what happened between leaving the city and retuning was at their whim.

Honestly Serena couldn't care less what they did, as long as she was with Darien. All she wanted was an uninterrupted day with the man she loved, and she was confident that she was going to get it.

The sleek red sports car, it's soft purring but powerful engine roaring mutedly as it moved smoothly over the highway, with each rotation putting more and more distance between them and the city behind them. The air conditioning inside kept them both at a comfortable temperature despite the warm sunny day outside, preventing them from sweating on the insanely soft smooth leather seats.

Occasionally, when his full attention wasn't needed on the road Darien took a moment to give her one of those charming very affectionate smiles that he reserved only for her that made her toes curl and her insides purr more than his car did.

Once they were free of the city and the city traffic, Darien reached across and took her hand in his, interlinking his long strong but always gentle fingers with her own, holding her hand in his gentle I'm-never-letting-you-go grip.

He brought their interlinked hands to his lips and he kissed the back on her hand before lowering their interlinked hands to rest on his thigh.

It was something that Serena had seen her parents do numerous times over the years during her youth as she sat in the backseat. But it hadn't been until she'd fallen in love with Darien that she'd come to understand the significance of the affectionate gesture. It was the need to touch each other, to have that link, that connection, that made those quiet peaceful times they spent together enough, that made being together all that they needed.

Serena didn't just let Darien hold her hand, she held his. They held each other's hand. They both needed the contact, they both needed to let the other know that they were right there and not going anywhere.

To be a couple, to be half of a whole, was something that Serena was only just beginning to truly understand. Darien was the other half of her, and she wasn't complete without him, she couldn't be without him. He was her heart, her soul, her home. With him she felt strong and safe, she felt free and complete.

But it was more than that. Even when they were apart, she felt stronger just for having known him, she felt like she could conquer the world because he was with her, even when he wasn't.

Darien didn't just make her think about the future but made her want that future. Made her want to do everything now to get to that future, to do anything to protect that future. Darien was her inspiration; he was her future.

And today was a taste of part of that future. One day they would be able to be together without obstacles or barriers. One day this carefree bliss would be her life. Yes, she'd have to deal with everyday life, with careers and family and other obligations, but when the time came that their age wasn't an issue, they would be able to go out when they wanted, where they wanted and just enjoy being together.

One day.

Serena rested her head against the head rest and turned to look at Darien, really look at him, taking in every detail. He was so handsome; he took her breath away. She couldn't believe that this specimen of male perfection was all hers. With hair so raven black that in the direct sunlight looked the darkest blue. His hair was cut to an inch, but his hair was so thick and silky that even with only an inch of hair he had locks that somehow always seemed to appear as if his hair had been professionally styled every single day.

The way his locks hung over his eyes, but not in his eyes, was eye-catching, drawing attention to his depthless intelligent dark blue eyes that looked at her with such intense caring and at times reverence, she could drown in his eyes each and every time. She could die happy looking into his eyes.

And his body, tall, hard, and lean. The kind of body that woman would kill to run their hands over.

As far as Serena was concerned, every model on the planet paled in comparison to her Darien.

But maybe, just maybe she was a little biased.

When he was pressed against her, all heated hardness and restrained strength . . . oh good lord. Just the thought of it, just the memory, was enough to make her body purr and vibrate with liquid heat.

Darien made her feel, in her heart and her body, more than she'd ever known. Sometimes it was like she hadn't been living until Darien had come into her life and brought her to life. He made her heart glow and her body sing, his touch like an electric shock.

Darien looked her way and his eyes narrowed quizzically. His lips curled into an awkward half grin. "What?"

"I'm so happy right now." She told him, her voice a gentle happy purr. "I feel like I could soar right up to the clouds."

Darien's smile both softened and grew at the same time. He raised their joined hands to his chest, right over his heart. "Right here. You get me right here. You make he so happy I could soar right along with you. You are the light of my life."

That was it. That did it.

"Pull over."

Darien didn't need to be asked twice. Whatever she wanted; he was helpless but to oblige. He smoothly pulled the car off the road, parking in what turned out to be a parking area for a look-out that looked out over the coast that paralleled the highway.

Less than a minute after her request Darien turned off the ignition.

The moment the car was off, Serena unclicked her seatbelt and was closing the distance between in the confines of the sports car.

Darien saw her coming and immediately moved his seat all the way back just as Serena climbed onto his lap, kneeling on the seat over him, looking straight into his eyes with her sparkling love-filled own.

Serena couldn't contain her love for him, not a moment more. It felt too much for her small body to contain.

Serena closed the space between them, pressed up against him as much as she was able in their position and she kissed him with all the love and passion inside of her, allowing her overflowing love to pour from her into her kisses, allowing him to feel a small spark of what was flaring inside of her.

How was it possible to love someone so much? It felt too much to contain, to possess and yet it was inside of her every moment of every day, and most of the time it was containable, except for times like this when she was helpless to do anything else than let some of it out.

That's what Darien didn't seem to understand. That she loved him more than she could ever say, ever express, and that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to express her love for him in the most basic way there was.

Serena deepened the kiss even more, all but eating his mouth. Her hands automatically seeking out his bare skin, caressing his face, his neck and shoulders, unable to get enough. It was never enough. She pulled his shirt free of his pants and slipped her hand beneath, running his hands across his rock-hard stomach, running her fingernails down his abs and stomach, making him shudder beneath her touch. He leaned into her fingers and her nails, wordlessly telling her that he loved it when she touched him, loved the way she touched him, even when she had her claws out.

Darien's hands were just as busy on her own body, although mostly over her clothes. His hands brushed over her neck, shoulders, her back down her sides to her thighs where he curled her hands around her midthighs and he lifted her tightly against him, as she moved over him, unable to keep her body still if her life had depended on it.

Oh, god. Serena wanted him! She wanted! She burned, she yearned. She wanted, and her body was beginning to demand.

Darien didn't think that she knew exactly what she was asking on her sixteenth birthday, but her body did, and she wasn't exactly clueless. She wanted Darien with everything in her, she wanted him in all ways she wanted him forever and she tried her best to tell him that with her body, with their fervent kisses, with a passion that had yet to be fully unleashed.

Her body was on fire, delicious tingling sensation was alive inside of her, her secret core was alive with liquid heat, and there was a need in her body, deep inside of her, that was becoming more and more painful each time they fuelled it but left it denied.

Serena didn't know if she could last another three days let alone another three weeks.

It was Darien who pulled away from her, who broke their kiss, leaving them both panting, both wanting.

Darien closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers.

Serena knew that he was fighting for control. She was beginning to learn that he wasn't as strong in his resolve as he wanted her to believe. He was just as affected as she was, he burned and wanted just as vigorously as she did.

He was just better was pretending than she was, more practiced at stopping.

It made Serena yearn for the days to come when she'd be experienced enough to topple his precious control at her whim and take her when the urge struck. When she could seduce him past the point of rational thought, just like the women on TV.

Serena wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her. She wasn't as naïve as Darien thought her. She could plainly feel how much Darien wanted her; she was sitting on his lap, how much he wanted her was blatantly obvious.

In fact, it was only that they were parked beside a busy highway that kept her from exploring the evidence of his desire.

Darien hadn't realised it yet, but her impatience and her desire for him were driving her to be more "assertive" in their intimate interludes.

Soon. Soon he'd learn that she wasn't as innocent or as shy as he thought her. She was young and inexperienced, but she was also greatly motivated. She wanted to learn and by god she was going to learn.

Soon.

"See?" Serena said, still trying to catch her breath. "You take me so high Heaven envies us."

Darien opened his eyes, looking right into hers. "You make me happier than I've ever been. You know that, don't you? You make me feel. You make me more than I ever thought I could be. You are my life, my everything. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."

Serena stroked his face, her heart in her throat. She was very aware that his hands were still wrapped around her thighs, holding her intimately against him, but it was his words that beguiled her. Those words could've been hers.

There were no words left for her to say. He'd said them all.

Serena took hold of his right hand, pulling it from her body, and she placed his hand on her chest between her breasts, right over her heart. "I'm yours, for always." She whispered to him.

That was how they stayed for several minutes, looking into each other's love-filled eyes and knowing heaven.

An hour later, with the city and its surrounding suburbs well behind them, they came to a small costal town with signs advertising a local monthly flea market which luckily happened to be happening today.

Darien gave her a look and Serena smiled. It had been a long time since she'd been to a flea market, but she'd always enjoyed them, excited by the possibility of finding a treasure in someone else's ware and junk.

Parking the car in a corner slot, which Darien had once told her minimised the chances of damage happening to the car, Darien opened her door for her and offered her his hand to help her out of the low vehicle. She didn't need his help, but she loved that Darien loved doing it for her. He never seemed to miss a chance to show her how precious she was to him.

After locking the car, Darien tucked her under her arm, wrapping his arm around her, holding her securely against him, they leisurely started their way around the market.

Serena would slip from his hold to look closer at something, Darien always staying protectively close, but she always returned eagerly to his side.

It felt so wonderful to be able to openly be a couple. Serena never wanted it to end. Darien was wonderful, the day was wonderful, even the market was wonderful.

There were lanes of stalls, selling everything from homemade jewellery and sweet and savory teats to various wares that would fall under the "one mans junk is another's treasure" category. The smell of fried food from the food vans filled the air, along with the sounds of the slowly moving crowds. Children laughed and ran from stall too stall, harassed-looking parents a step behind. Couples of all ages, from teenagers to those who could've been together for decades, all arm in arm, moved from one stall to the next.

It was a wonderful environment. Friendly and happy and welcoming. Serena felt at ease, more than that, she was happy and carefree. She didn't have a care in the world. She was just enjoying the day, being with Darien without fear of being seen by someone they knew.

Darien and Serena were halfway through the third lane of stalls when they came to a stall that was selling really nice homemade one-of-a-kind jewellery that Serena couldn't help checking out. She once again pulled herself – always reluctantly – away from Darien's side, and went about exploring the latest stall to catch her interest.

Almost immediately a piece caught her eye. In one of the two locked glass-topped cases which held the more expensive of the collection was a ring that was nothing short of gorgeous. It was silver, in colour and metal, in the design of two hands holding a heart.

She'd seen the design before, but there was something about this one. The detail was exquisite, and the design was simple but perfect.

It was too expensive for her. She could afford it with her savings, but she wasn't going to blow half her savings on one ring, no matter how gorgeous and unique it was.

After forcing herself to move on, she perused the rest of the collection, paying more attention to the cheaper items of the collection outside of the cases. Then lying on display on the tables, Serena found a necklace she liked. It was an amber coloured polished stone on a soft black ribbon, it was pretty, and she was able to pay for it with the cash she had on her.

She'd had to be quick about it, because Serena knew that Darien would insist in buying it for her if she gave him the chance.

Serena felt funny when Darien spent money on her. A date, dinner, or fun activity they enjoyed together were fine, because it was for them both, but gifts were something else. Darien had money, like MONEY money. She didn't care, she wouldn't care if Darien didn't have a penny to his name, but for some reason when it came to Darien spending his money on her, it made her feel uncomfortable.

It was like it highlighted the vast differences between them. It was like Darien was older than her, smarter and so handsome he could easily be a model and she was just . . . Serena. She wasn't rich or really smart and she wasn't model material – no matter how Darien insisted different.

As she moved away from the stall, slipping the necklace into her purse, Serena could feel Darien's eyes on her. As much as Serena didn't like Darien spending money on gifts for her, she knew that he liked buying her gifts.

And she hated denying him anything that gave him pleasure, but this was the one thing the two of them couldn't seem to settle between them. It hadn't led to any arguments between them, but what scared Serena was this it had the potential too.

Seconds later, without saying a word, Darien slipped his arm around her from behind, pulling her back into place against his side.

And just like that, all was right in her world once again.

Before they knew it, it was noon. They'd perused most of the market, and after getting something to eat at one of the food vans, they left the market grounds and walked along the main street of town, occasionally checking out a store that caught their attention.

In a small gift ideas store, Serena found a great gift for Amy – whose birthday was just around the corner. It was a deep blue and gold feather quill and ink set which she found a leather-bound journal to complete the gift.

Serena knew that Amy was going to love it.

Eventually, in the late afternoon, they found their way down onto the beach, where there weren't as many people as they'd expected. There were a few people scattered up and down the beach, a couple of surfers in the surf, but there was no one close to them.

Without exchanging words, they set off down the beach, now hand in hand as the heat of the afternoon sun had made holding each other close uncomfortable. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but it was still very romantic. There was a cool breeze coming off the crystalline water that kept them at a comfortable temperature, the air cool, fresh and revitalising.

After about half an hour of walking in comfortable silence, just enjoying the tranquillity and beauty of their surroundings, they found themselves alone in their little section of the beach. By that time, they'd both shed their shoes and Darien had taken off his ugly green jacket that over time Serena had come too associate with him and him alone.

Hell, anytime she saw that shade of green she thought of Darien. Her Darien.

Serena looked up at her Darien to find that he was looking down at her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The way Darien was looking at her . . . his eyes were alive with love and joy. The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was his entire world. He took her breath away. His eyes were shimmering like the sunlit ocean before them.

A wave of playfulness washed over her and Serena laughed happily, playfully, as she dropped her shoes and purse in the sand, and with an inviting look at him over her shoulder, she made for the water.

Darien was usually so serious, but early in their relationship Serena had resolved to bring some fun to his life.

Besides, Serena knew that her love of fun was one of the things Darien loved about her.

The ocean water was cold against her hot skin, but it was a hot enough day that it was a welcome relief. She wasn't going to go in deeper than her calves, but just cooling her feet was enough of a relief from the afternoon heat.

Only when she was ankle deep in the water, did she turn back to Darien, not surprised to find him where she'd left him, watching her with open amusement on his face. He was just standing there watching her with a grin on his face and his shoes in his hand.

The gentle ocean winds were playing with his hair, his bangs swaying over his translucent eyes. He looked too good to be true, like some ancient Greek god who'd chosen to grace the mere mortals with his divine presence.

And the way he was looking at her . . . like she was the goddess he was in awe of.

Serena laughed, happy beyond all measure. She kicked out with her leg, splashing water at him. Her splash fell short, but she hadn't intended to wet him anyway. She wanted to play, and he wasn't going to deny her. He needed more fun in his far too serious life; it was her mission in life to see that he had it.

"The waters great," Serena told him flirtatiously, bringing her hands to her hips and turning her body slightly from side to side, displaying as much of her body in a very flirtatious manner. It was a move she'd learned from a romantic comedy; it made her feel sexy and alluring and hopefully Darien would agree. "Aren't you coming in?"

His smile widened and his shoes fell to the sand, and then Darien was running towards her. Serena squealed in delight and splashed more water at him, this time wetting the lower half of his pants.

But that didn't slow him down, Darien ran straight at her. Serena half-heartedly tried to run from him, but only had the chance to take two steps before his hands closed around her waist and he lifted her out of the water and he span her around, water droplets sent flying in all directions.

Serena couldn't stop laughing, not that she wanted too. She was so happy, having so much fun, that it was a wonder that she wasn't glowing like a small sun.

And then Darien adjusted his hold on her, shifting her position so that he was holding her in his arms, but out from his body.

It only took a moment for Serena to understand the silent threat as he held her above the water by her back and legs, Serena left staring up at the blue sky above.

She wasn't afraid of being dropped. She knew her love; he'd never drop her, and it wasn't like she was afraid of getting wet even if he did.

Serena turned her head to face him, her eyes shining and her happy expression showing no fear. Deep inside his display of strength made her body hum.

Darien was waiting to see what she would do in response to his looming threat.

"You aren't going to drop me, are you my love?" Serena cooed, surprising herself at how seductive she sounded.

Darien actually rolled his eyes at her, because of her over-the-top flirting or because of her ridiculous question Serena wasn't sure, but the end result was the same. He set her gently lowered her feet back into the water and then reached for her.

Serena knew what he wanted. He was happy, he wanted to hold her, to kiss her.

And Darien didn't just kiss her when he was happy. He kissed her when he was horny, or playful, most moods in fact.

Not that Serena was any different.

Except for right now. She wanted to kiss him and that would no doubt come soon enough, but right now she wanted to play.

So, before Darien got his hands on her, Serena backed out of his reach and splashed him again, except this time the got him good, right up the front. Water ran down his face to drip from his chin.

Darien didn't care that he was wet. Serena was never more beautiful than when she was happy and right now, she was beaming with sheer joy. Her laughter was music in his ears, and she was so beautiful. Her hair was like liquid gold beneath the bright sun, her skin giving the illusion of glowing celestially and her eyes sparkled like they held a thousand silver suns trapped in a flawless blue sky.

And those eyes were looking at him with love.

And mirth. His Serena was in a playful mood. He still wasn't confident in his playful skills, but with Serena that didn't matter. There wasn't much he had ever been able to do to ruin her jovial moods, not that he ever wanted too. She was too radiant when she was happy.

The happier Serena was, the more radiant she became.

Darien wanted to hear more of her laughter. What could he do to accomplish that?

Without warning, Darien rushed at her. But Serena was ready for him. She took off for the beach.

With his longer legs and wider stride, Darien could have easily caught her because she was out of the water, but he intentionally didn't gain on her. Not until they were both clear of the water and the wet sand.

Once Serena reached the dry sand, Darien carefully tackled her from behind, making sure that he controlled their landing so that Serena didn't feel his weight or land awkwardly.

Before Serena could get her bearings, Darien lifted himself up into a kneeling position and his fingers found her belly, and he was rewarded with more of her melodious laughter.

"Don't! Stop! No! Please, Darien stop!" Serena begged him through her laughter and high-pitched squeals. "Darien! Stop!"

"Why should I?" Darien teased, not letting up in his tickling assault at all, laughing along with her.

Serena laughed and squealed some more, then drew in a quick deep breath and said in a loud rush, "because I love you!"

Darien's fingers stilled and with a groan he dropped him head onto her midsection, closing his eyes against the rush of emotion and heat that swept through him. He loved her and he loved it when she told him that she loved him too.

How was this goddess his?

Serena laughed, this time with affection instead of mirth.

Darien felt her nudge him and he complied, allowing her to push him backwards until their positions were reversed, until Darien was laying on his back in the sand and Serena was on her hands and knees leaning over him.

Darien opened his eyes to find himself staring up into sparkling blue heaven.

Looking into each other's eyes, they fell into the spell their love wove between them.

Darien let his laughter fade away, but it was still in him. Only Serena could bring laughter out of him with her infectious joy and laughter. He stared up at her in awed fascination. How can this radiant wonderful young woman possibly love him, want him?

"You're so beautiful." He breathed, meaning more than her physical beauty.

Serena blushed bright red, her face and neck deepening into a charming pinkish red, but she doesn't advert her gaze. Once her instinct would've been to shyly shrug the compliment off, but there was nothing about him now that gave her that option. How could she not believe him when her spoke with such reverence?

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" He wondered aloud in wonder. He buried his fingers in her silky-smooth hair and cupped the side of her face in his palm. Her skin was so warm and so soft, so flawlessly smooth it was a wonder in of itself. "You're my every dream come true."

Serena smiled lovingly down at him, her happiness and love making her eyes sparkle like a thousand diamonds beneath a summer sun. "As you are mine."

"Don't leave me."

Serena blinked at the abrupt change in his mood. It had been a plea, a heartfelt imploring plea. The vulnerability in his eyes threatened to break her heart.

She was the only person in the world Darien ever allowed himself to be vulnerable around.

Of course, Serena knew about his tragic past and she knew that that was his worst fear – losing her. It was that simple; he couldn't survive losing one more person he loved. It would completely destroy him.

Silly Darien.

"Never." Serena vowed, her smile soft and filled with love and promise. While she'd once been an insecure teenager, while she was still a teenager, she was no longer insecure, not as she had been. He had made her too strong and confident for that. "You'll never lose me. I'll always be right here with you. No matter what happens, no matter what the future holds for us, I'll always be with you."

Sadness tainted his smile. "You say that now, but you're young. You might change your mind one day. You could wake up one day and you won't want me."

"My heart has never been fickle." Serena assured him, not for the first time. "I know what I feel. I know how much I love you and I know how this feels. It feels like forever and that is never going to change. What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm not going anywhere?"

Darien reached into his pocket and held something small in his fingers out to her, holding it between them in offering.

Serena gasped, greatly and pleasantly surprised. It was the ring she'd been eyeing that she hadn't brought because it was too expensive.

She didn't know what to say. She hadn't wanted him to buy it for her, but she was touched beyond words that he had known how much she had wanted it and so he'd brought it without her knowing so he could surprise her with it later.

That was one of the things that she loved most about Darien, that he was always so attentive with her.

Darien reached for her right hand and slid her finger through the ring, bringing her finger to the ring instead of the other way around.

Then he held her hand up so he could see the ring on her hand. It wasn't the finger he wanted to put a ring on, but that didn't matter.

Love flooded him and his eyes, washing away his sadness and vulnerability.

"One day I'm going to marry you."

Serena's breath left her. The way he'd said it, like he was stating a fact, nothing less, had stolen her breath away. He meant it. He really did want his ring on her finger – not this ring and not this finger – one day.

Serena grinned like all her Christmases had come at once. "That day won't come soon enough."

Moving her hand aside Darien looked her straight in the eye. "If I did ask you, what would be your answer?"

"That depends," Serena answered softly, but playfully, "How big would the ring be?"

Once again Darien tickles her, and before either of them knew it, they are rolling in the warm sand until they both out of breath and laying on their backs staring up at the warm blue sky.

"I wish this moment could last forever." Serena said with a happy gentle sigh.

"Me too," And then he kissed her for all he was worth.

An hour later, they were still on the beach. They'd made out for about half an hour, after which they'd just sat together in the sand and enjoyed being together, they'd talked and laughed and flirted, or they'd just sat in silence, enjoying each other and the beautiful ocean view.

The sun was low in the sky and the blue of the sky was beginning to morph into the pink and purple range of sunset. The sun hovering just above the horizon was casting molten gold over the ocean below it, shimmering like living light.

Now they were walking leisurely back along the beach to the car when Serena just had to stop to admire the magnificent sunset. The sun was only just beginning to set, but it was still beautiful. There weren't sunsets like this in the city. They were surrounded by the beauty of nature and it was just the two of them. They were completely alone together for the first time in a long time. Even when they were at Darien's apartment there was still the chance of someone they knew knocking on his door.

Darien wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her back against him as he brought his chin down to rest on her shoulder. They stood like that for a few minutes admiring the sunset.

Serena couldn't believe how beautiful it was. She'd always loved the beach and the ocean, and Darien knew this, but what she loved most about the beach was the breathtaking sunsets that one just couldn't look away from.

The sunset before was her just as breathtaking as any she had ever seen, colour coating the unmarred horizon, but what made this one special, this one was even more beautiful to her, was that it was yet another gift from Darien.

Serena had no doubt that the reason that Darien hadn't been in any rush to leave the beach was so they would see the sunset before they left. And Serena loved him all the more for the small gifts he gave her, the thoughtful gifts that didn't cost him a cent that told her just how much he loved her and how well he knew her.

And on top of that, what made it even more special was that her love was incandescent in his joy. He was just as happy as she was. That was what being together without worry allowed them to have.

Serena loved that he was so happy, that she made him so happy. Somehow, in her eyes it evened things out between them in the gifts department.

Darien was thrilled that he'd somehow made Serena so happy that she was practically glowing with joy, but more than that for the first time in Darien's life he was content and that was still new to him. It was one thing to be truly happy for the first time since he'd been a little boy, but it was another thing to be content, to know he was happy and that was enough for him. She was enough for him.

His Serena was everything he needed. His life was complete as long as she was a part of his life.

Serena leaned back into him and wrapped her arms around his arms as the held her, holding him as he held her, locking his arms in place around her.

"Happy?" Darien whispered softly into her ear.

"With you? Always." She purred, lovingly. "You give me everything, I wish I could give you something in return."

Darien knew that she was baiting him, she was fishing for more of his charming words and he was more than happy to oblige.

Darien gently turned her around to face him, still holding her in the circle of his arms. He slid his hand beneath her chin and tilted her head back until she was looking straight into his eyes. "You give me everything, just by loving me. Every smile, every kiss, your every breath you take is a gift to me."

"I love you." Serena told him, as if it were a fact as sure as the sky or the tides, which to her it was. Her love for him was such a part of her that it just was, and without him and their love she simply wouldn't be.

Darien lightly brushed the pad of this thumb across her soft pink lips. "I wish I had the words to tell you just how much I love you, but they don't exist."

Darien's hand left her face and went to his pants pocket. He pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and quickly ran his thumb over the touch screen. He then pulled Serena fully against him and wrapped his arm around her waist so that she was in his arms. With his other, he entwined their fingers and rested their joined hands against his chest.

He was looking down into her eyes with such love in his own that Serena's heart felt like it was glowing. She was glowing, glowing with love and happiness, glowing so bright that the sun at her back was as pale as the moon was to the sun in comparison.

Music began to play around them. Serena didn't recognise the tune but obviously Darien did as a moment later he began to gently sing the lyrics to her, along with the male artist that after the first few words she didn't hear at all because all she was focused on, all there was was Darien and his bewitching smooth voice.

"Oh yeah," Darien sang along gently with the artist, looking down at her with his eyes shining with him love for her.

"105 is the number that comes to my head
When I think of all the years I wanna be with you
Wake up every morning with you in my bed
That's precisely what I plan to do."

They swayed side to side ever-so-slightly, not in time with the music, but in their own gentle rhythm.

Serena felt herself blushing, but she didn't look away. She couldn't. She was completely enthralled by her love and what he was telling her with the song.

"And you know one of these days when I get my money right
Buy you everything and show you all the finer things in life
Will forever be enough, so there ain't no need to rush
But one day, I won't be able to ask you loud enough."

He whirled them both around in a circle.

"I'll say will you marry me-."

Serena's breath caught in her throat. Marriage.

"I swear that I will mean it
I'll say will you marry me."

Darien gently caressed her check with the back of his fingers, not letting go of her hand. Looking down at her like she was the most precious thing in his entire world. Like she was his entire world.

"Oh Yeah, How many girls in the world can make me feel like this?
Baby I don't ever plan to find out
The more I look, the more I find the reasons why
You're the love of my life."

Serena had never felt more alive, or happier, in her entire life.

"You know one of these days when I get my money right
Buy you everything and show you all the finer things in life
Will forever be enough, so there ain't no need to rush
But one day, I won't be able to ask you loud enough

I'll say will you marry me
I swear that I will mean it
I'll say will you marry me."

And Serena knew that no matter what happened, no matter what the future held for them, that on that day – whenever it came – she'd have only one answer for him.

"And if I lost everything
In my heart it means nothing
'Cause I have you, girl I have you
So get right down on bended knee
Nothing else would ever be
Better, better
The day when I say

I'll say will you marry me."

Serena pulled her arms from his and wrapped her them around his neck, pulling herself fully against him.

"I swear that I will mean it
I'll say will you marry me

I'll say will you marry me
I swear that I will mean it
I'll say will you marry me."

Lifting herself up onto her tippy toes, Serena kissed him with all the love and joy in her overflowing heart.

In the background the music played on and the artist finished the song alone.

"Ooh whoa ooh oh
Ooh whoa ooh oh
Ooh whoa ooh oh

Would you marry me baby?

105 is the number that comes to my head
When I think of all the years I wanna be with you
Wake up every morning with you in my bed
That's precisely what I plan to do."

Darien had chosen the perfect song to tell her that he loved her, that one day he wanted to marry her, not that she hadn't known. This just felt more . . . certain.

Serena knew her love well. She knew that Darien had an ulterior motive. He'd wanted to tell her that she didn't have to have sex with him the day she turned sixteen, that there wasn't any need to rush. He was hers.

And one day he planned to announce it to the world by making it official.

Serena pulled away, breaking the kiss. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his waist as he wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head against his chest, right over his heart. Right now, all either of them wanted was to hold each other and bask in each other.

Serena smiled into his chest. She had a new favourite song.

That night when Serena's head hit the pillow, it was with a soft happy smile on her lips. She felt so happy, like this was what her life was meant to be like.

The only thing missing was Darien's arms around her as she slept.

It might not be possible now, but someday it would be her norm. She just knew it.

The two of them were meant to be.

On the other side of town Darien laid in bed, staring up the ceiling, in bed in his dimly lit room, lit only by the moonlight streaming in through his window.

For so many years Darien had been alone, completely and utterly alone, with no one to love him since his parents had died just after he'd turned seven.

It had not taken him long to forget what it was like to have a family, to be loved. Since then he'd wondered so many times what it must be like to have a loving family that wasn't just the wisp of a memory from his boyhood.

He didn't have to wonder anymore. At last he had a family. He knew what it was to love and to be loved in return.

It was everything. He would live or die for his family, for his Serena.

His Serena.

Flashback

F. An F.

Serena had failed her math pop quiz. Again. Her parents were going to kill her. Her father was going to ground her for a month and worse, her mother would do that quiet disappointed thing that all mothers seemed to be gifted with that drove a twelve-year-old's guilt to new levels.

What was she going to do? Amy, the new genius girl she'd befriended at school, had agreed to help tutor her, but so far there hadn't been any difference in her grades, even after four tutoring sessions.

Sessions that the other girls had just agreed to join in on, both to help her and to maybe help improve their own grades – well, Lita and Mina probably hoped to improve their grades, Rei hadn't gotten anything below a B+ since ever.

What was she going to do? With Amy and the other girls help, she could get better. She knew it. Maybe not straight A's, but less F's.

But how was she going to do that if her parents grounded her and refused to let her see the girls who were trying to help her?

Serena inwardly groaned. What was she going to do? She did try, she just couldn't seem to find any motivation when it came to school and her studies.

Serena crumpled up the test, reducing her test paper to a ball. She'd tell her parents about the F, but she wasn't going to let them see it. She honestly didn't know if it would make any difference, but she needed some hope right now, as fleeting as it was.

Maybe her parents would let her see her friends again in a year or so.

With one last disgusted look at the crumpled-up test, Serena tossed it over her shoulder, biding it goodbye and saying hello to the world of trouble she was about to be in.

"Hey!" Came an irate voice.

Serena halted. She knew. She just knew he was talking to her. It was the topping on her bad day that the test she'd tossed – without thinking about what she was doing – had probably hit someone in the face.

Knowing her luck, they'd gotten a papercut across their forehead and now wanted to sue her, so she could say goodbye to the balance of her piggy bank of seventy-one dollars and sixty-five cents, the total of her savings.

Slowly, Serena turned around and came face to chest – she raised her gaze – with the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her life. With perfect black hair, long legs and a lean body he was breath-taking. He had only dark sunglasses, so Serena couldn't see him eyes, but she could still feel them on her.

Speechless, Serena watched as the handsome man uncrumple her test, displaying the large red F scrawled across the top the page.

"Wow," he scoffed rudely. "Are you stupid or just lazy?"

Her jaw dropped. That hadn't just been rude, it had been mean! So, what if she'd hit him with her test, it was a piece of paper, there was no call for rudeness like that! She didn't care how hot he was!

"Hey, you jerk!" Serena yelled at him, feeling both embarrassed and immature, but she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't going to just take a stranger's insults. "That was just rude! You jerk!"

Darien chuckled, raising an eyebrow high enough that she could see it over the top of his sunglasses. "As opposed to hitting me on top of the head with your test?"

Serena didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't exactly deny that she had. Instead, she stuck her tongue out at him and blew a wet raspberry at him.

"Wow," He said again, this time in cool disbelief. "What are you, four? You actually stuck your tongue out." His gaze moved upwards to her pigtails. "Your behaviour is as immature as your pigtails, it looks like you have two large meatballs on top of your head!"

Serena opened her mouth to blast him again, but then he was laughing at her.

"Hey, that's a good name for you, Meatball Head!" Which only had him laughing more.

Serena screeched in embarrassed fury. Just who did this jerk think he was?! "Well, I got it right straight away. You are a jerk! Why don't you do the world a favour and pull your lip over your head and swallow!"

And with that, Serena spun on her heel and stormed away, his laughter following her.

After Serena was a safe distance away and his laughter no longer rang in her ears, Serena looked back at him over her shoulder. He was walking down the street away from him now, not in any hurry by the look of it.

Who was he? There was something about him. Something that stirred something deep inside of her.

But after a moment of staring at his retreating back, Serena returned her eyes to what was in front of her. The last thing she needed was to walk into a pole or mailbox.

Her day was bad enough and it wasn't going to get any better she knew. Dread filled her as she returned her thoughts back to what she knew what waiting for her at home.

Darien stopped at the corner and looked back, unable to help himself. He knew it was wrong, he shouldn't be looking at – a what fourteen-year-old? – but he couldn't help himself. She was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever laid eyes on. Her hair was shimmering golden sunlight and her eyes were such a potent blazing blue that they'd seemed to see straight through at him.

And she had a temper, one worthy of any redhead.

He'd enjoyed teasing her. She was young, but there was something about her that drew his eyes to her retreating back and the two golden silk lengths of hair swaying in her wake. He carefully kept his thoughts PG13+ due to her age, but there was something about her, something beguiling.

Darien made a mental note to ask Andrew about her, maybe Andrew knew her. All the teenagers in the area went to the Arcade sooner or later. There couldn't been too many girls with long golden hair like that.

And if he was really lucky, she was older than she looked – and acted. He was in his last year of high school, and he was certain that she didn't go to his high school. There was no possibly way he wouldn't have noticed her if she did.

The next chapter isn't too far away! Please review and let me know what you think.

Be safe and well.