170Okay, not a lot happens in this part either, but I'm trying to work on my characterization. Next chapter will involve the band more, and there will be more on Lita. Though I should mention that Serena and Darien will be written about the most because they're my favourite characters. I do not own Sailor Moon, in case anyone cares. Thanks a million to everyone who reviewed – you rock (get it?). And the band is still unnamed so everyone still has time to make suggestions! Enjoy!
" Truthfully, I don't know. I suppose anything is possible", she said. " Anything is always possible", she repeated, almost to herself. Serena wondered if she was still talking about the band.
" Mom, I'm home", Serena yelled upon entering her house. Silence greeted her assertion. " Darn, I guess she's not here. Wait, what day is it today?"
" Thursday", Darien said.
" She shouldn't be at work today, then. She's probably doing errands. I wonder if she took the car?" Serena asked out loud as she opened the door to the garage. The garage was empty. " I probably should have thought of that before. Anyway, would you be, like, heartbroken if you had to borrow one of my guitars for today?"
" I think I'll survive", Darien said.
" Then sit, I'll be right back", Serena said. She put down the guitar she had carried home from Raye's and went to get another one from her room. The one she got from her room was in poor shape – it hadn't been new when she'd purchased it seven years ago. Her newer, better, guitar was the one downstairs and that was the one she used on a regular basis. She also had a third classical guitar that had been a gift from her father. That guitar held a place of honour at the foot of her bed and she only played it on special occasions. She rushed downstairs, only to find Darien looking over her guitar with a practiced eye. He caught sight of her watching him, and put the guitar down guiltily.
" Sorry", he said. " It's a nice instrument though".
" Thanks. It took me forever to choose it. You can play that one, and I'll use this one", she said. He looked at the ancient guitar and raised his eyebrow. Serena flushed, " Believe me, I know it looks like garbage, but it still plays well."
" Are we going to go back to Raye's, or what?"
" We can stay here. The basement is pretty much sound proof, and I doubt we'll be very loud anyway. But before that, I am starving! I refuse to work on an empty stomach", Serena said. She began opening and closing drawers in the kitchen, looking for anything edible that wouldn't take too much effort to prepare. She was very conscious of Darien watching her every move, and it was making her nervous. If only she had more experience with men, then she might know how to make it easier on the both of them.
" Serena, come help me with these groceries", her mother said, coming in through the front door, balancing an armload of bags. Putting the bags down she caught sight of Darien. " Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't know we had company. I'm Irene, Serena's mom".
" Mom, this is Darien. He's going to be our new guitarist. It's all right if we practice in the basement today, isn't it?"
" Nice to meet you Darien", Irene said. " Hope Serena made you feel welcome."
" Yes, thank you Mrs. Um…" Darien stammered, forgetting Serena's last name.
" Tsukino, but call me Irene, I insist. Mrs. Tsukino makes me feel old", Irene said brightly. " And it's fine if you want to practice, although why you'd want to waste such a spectacular day… Well, it's not my choice to make is it?"
Serena rolled her eyes with good humour, and went to help her mom with the food. Darien followed her outside and hefted the heavier bags back to the kitchen. Irene gave her daughter the thumbs up for her choice in men. Serena groaned, hoping that her mother would not decide to meddle.
" You kids hungry?" Irene asked, when the food was put away. Darien was amused by the term 'kids', but kept that to himself.
" Mom, when am I not?" Serena teased. In a moment, Darien and Serena were each handed a tray loaded with sandwiches and snack food, and two cans of cokes. " We're taking these downstairs, thanks mom", Serena said. She practically dragged Darien to the basement, and thankfully closed the door.
" Your mom seems nice. A little hyper, but nice", Darien said, blinking in the gloom. Serena turned on the overhead lights and tramped down the stairs.
" Yeah, everyone loves my mom", Serena chuckled. " You'd better eat everything she gave you though, or she'll be offended."
Eating didn't prove to be a problem for either Serena or Darien. In a flash, the food was gone and Serena grabbed the plates and shoved them atop a pile of similarly discarded plates, promising herself she would clean them up later.
" I'm not going to say anything about the fact that you're a slob", Darien said dryly. Serena fumed but then turned to him sweetly,
" Good. Then I won't have to say anything about you being a condescending, pain in the ass", Serena said. Darien smiled at her retort, and instead of answering he picked up a guitar and lightly brushed the strings.
" What do you say we just get started?"
" Fine", Serena said with a sigh. At least when he was trading insults with her she knew what to say. Never in her life had she been so tongue-tied around another human being. It was like he had cast a spell on her; one gaze from his stunning eyes and she was transfixed. Grimly, she shook her head, and focused on the topic at hand. What was the point in thinking of him that way when he obviously didn't see her as anything but mildly irritating?
Serena turned to a battered milk crate that she used as a filing cabinet for her copies of the bands songs. Bending over with her back to Darien, she didn't notice that his gaze had locked on to her figure. He hadn't meant to look, but the small gap between her pants and her shirt revealed skin that Darien just longed to touch. Of course, that wasn't a good idea. They were going to be working together in very close quarters for a good long time. It was better for the both of them that they not complicate matters. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't look from afar. Serena stood up suddenly with a crow of triumph, as she located the music sheets. She set about putting them in order, while Darien returned to his more natural aloof exterior. They started out with the music between them on an old music stand, and their chairs spaced as widely apart as possible. As the hours wore on, and as the empty cans of coke multiplied on the basement floor, their chairs inched closer, almost of their own volition.
" No, no, no", Serena muttered. She pointed exasperatedly at the page. " See? Right here, you keep putting in a pause. It has to flow, like this", Serena said. She ran through the notes with ease while Darien closed his eyes to listen closely to what she was saying. When she was finished, Darien again played the song. Serena sighed, " That was better".
" Better? Now what am I doing wrong?" he said. The hours of practicing were making them both irritable.
" I don't know. Let me play it again", she said, and did so.
" Wait, you just changed it around again! You keep pointing to the music, and then you play it according to your own whim. How am I supposed to follow that?"
Serena glared but had to admit he had a point. The simple fact was that she rarely followed what was written down, and used her own intuition. Plus, she knew the songs so well, that she just knew when to speed up or slow down, to pause or to skip. She was finding it harder to teach then she had thought.
" You're right, I'm not being fair. Play it again", she said.
Darien started right at the beginning and got through the whole piece without Serena interrupting. Serena considered and realized he knew the notes; he just had to understand the unspoken beat.
" Okay, technically it's correct. You'll get a better feel for it when we all play together. But for now, play it once more, and I'll try to give you the rhythm". Darien sighed, but gripped the guitar resolutely. Unconsciously, he leaned forward until Serena and him were only centimetres apart. He started to play and it was just like before until he felt Serena's hand on his thigh. She was lightly tapping against his leg and at first Darien fumbled due to the surprising warmth of her hand, but he caught himself just in time and managed to keep playing. Whether it was the rhythm she kept for him, or the rush of heat that her nearness caused he didn't know, but he suddenly understood what she was getting at. The notes came straight from his pulsing heart to his fingers. This time when he finished the song, he looked up to see Serena with her eyes closed as if in rapture. Her hand still lay loosely across his thigh. Eventually, he had to say something. His voice came out in a throaty whisper.
" How was that?"
" Perfect", Serena said. Then her eyes sprang open and she snapped her hand back in embarrassment. " What do you say we end today on that high note?"
" That is the worst pun I have ever heard", Darien said, laughing softly. The moment between them broken, Serena relaxed somewhat. She stood up and stretched her sore muscles, and tried not to stare when Darien did the same. Then Darien began picking up the mess they had made and Serena, feeling chastised, did the same.
" So, should we meet again tomorrow?" Darien asked.
" Sure, I don't work until Saturday. Might as well practice here. We'll have the house to ourselves", Serena said. They headed upstairs, where Irene was setting up the dinner table. Serena glanced at her watch and was amazed to see that it was past six. She knew they'd been down there awhile, but this was ridiculous. She'd almost missed dinner.
" Are you staying for dinner, Darien? There's plenty of food", Irene said. She had already put out plates for four people, he noticed.
" Um, I think I've imposed on you enough for today", Darien said unconvincingly. Honestly, he wanted to stay very much. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been part of a family mealtime.
" Darien, if you're going to join my daughter's band then there are some things you're going to have to learn. The first and most important is that you are to treat this house as a second home", Irene said, mock sternly.
" Stay, or I'll never hear the end of it", Serena said. Darien looked from Irene's brightly smiling to Serena's indulgent expression, and gave in.
" Thanks, I'd love to stay", Darien said. Just then Sam walked in.
" Who are you?" he said immediately to Darien.
" Don't be rude, Sam, this is Darien, Serena's friend", Irene said.
" Friend?" Sam said suspiciously.
" He's our new guitarist. Darien this is my annoying brother Sam", Serena said.
" Cool, you play the guitar?"
" So do I, you dweeb", Serena said.
" Yeah, but you're my sister. I'm not supposed to look up to you for anything", Sam explained. Darien gave out a startled laugh, which he tried to cover up.
" And once again, the world is against me", Serena said.
" Oh cheer up Meatball head. You know I'm only kidding", Sam said, and began piling his plate with food.
"' Meatball head?" Darien asked her. Before Serena could say anything Sam broke in,
" What? You haven't heard Raye or one of the other's call her that? Darn, and I count on Raye to tease her when I'm not around", Sam said.
" Don't worry, she fulfills her duties admirably", Serena muttered. They had to be having spaghetti for supper, didn't they? Not that she really minded, Sam and her had always teased each other. Helping herself to salad, she then handed the serving bowl to Darien. " Salad, Darien?"
" Thanks, Meatball head", Darien said. The nickname came so naturally that Serena almost missed it. In fact, she would have, if Sam hadn't burst out laughing.
" Perfect, utterly perfect. You can come back anytime, Darien", Sam said enthusiastically. The only sound from Serena was the thump that her head made against the table.
Later that evening, Serena borrowed the car to give Darien a ride home. They got lost a few times because Serena's mind kept wandering to the man sitting next to her and because Darien kept giving false directions in order to prolong the trip. Finally, they arrived.
" So, I'll be at your house at one tomorrow?"
" Uh huh. I can't give you a lift, my mom works on Fridays."
" That's okay. Thanks a lot for having me over, and thank your mom for dinner. I can't remember the last time I ate so well."
" Oh yeah, don't forget the leftovers she gave you" Serena said, handing over a heavy Tupperware container. Darien shook his head at the generosity of the Tsukino's. From Irene who fed him more food then he could eat in a month, to Sam who had given him the perfect nickname for Serena, and from Serena herself who had spent the whole afternoon teaching him. And when you considered the fact that they had met him today for the first time…
Darien let himself into his apartment on the eighth floor of the Wersten apartment complex. Or as Andrew and himself called them 'Worst-in' apartments. Andrew lived just across the hall from Darien and the two enjoyed making fun of their very cheap, but quite deplorable, apartments. Darien's apartment always seemed to have a peculiar smell to it, despite the fact that he kept it immaculately clean. It was also quite a sterile place, without a hint of warmth or comfort, but since nobody, including Darien, ever wanted to remain there long, it wasn't much of a problem. He wondered what Andrew was up to.
" I wonder what Darien is up to?" Andrew asked idly.
" Probably taking a few aspirin and calling it an early night, after having been with Serena the hyena all day", Mina said and giggled. Andrew chuckled and brought his date a little closer to his side.
" Could be Serena is the one going to bed early after a day spent with Darien the great UN-communicator. Honestly, if he didn't play the guitar so well I'd think he was a robot", Andrew said.
" Well, then Serena should be the perfect person to shake him up. I've never met a person, or a family for that matter, who are easier to be around", Mina said. " Now, enough about them, let's talk about us. Like where are we going now, after that sumptuous dinner at McDonalds?"
" Are you mocking McDonalds?" Andrew said with mock horror.
" Heaven forbid!" Mina said with equal humour.
" How about we take a walk along the beach?"
" But it's past ten", Mina said, although she couldn't care less. Despite the mundane places they'd been to, this was turning out to be one of the best dates she'd ever been on. If it wasn't what they were doing then it must be the company that was making her feel thrilled right down to her toes.
" Exactly, we'll have the place to ourselves", Andrew said with a wink.
" Don't go getting any ideas, I like you but not that much. Yet", Mina said with a wink of her own, before kicking off her sandals to walk barefoot in the sand. Carrying her sandals she approached the splashing waves and waded in up to her knees. She was wearing a white tennis-style skirt and an orange t-shirt, with a jean jacket over top. As she splashed in the waves she did a little twirl only to catch sight of Andrew watching her avidly. She stopped, embarrassed slightly at her exuberance, but then decided she was comfortable enough to act any way she wanted to around Andrew. She beamed him another smile and went back to wading, her long legs churning the dark water into spumes of white froth.
" Ideas? Now why would I be getting ideas? Just because she looks like Venus rising out of the sea, is no reason for me to get ideas. So that's a big NO to any ideas, got that Andrew?" Andrew muttered to himself. Mina laughed as the waves rose higher then she expected and soaked the hem of her skirt. Andrew chuckled; he liked the fact that she wasn't the kind-of girl who was more concerned about keeping her clothes perfect, then with having fun. He kicked off his own shoes and socks, and rolled the edge of his jeans, though he knew he was going to get them wet anyway, and went to join her.
" Brr, this water is freezing", Andrew said, the moment his feet touched the waves.
" Men, they're all a bunch of babies", Mina teased.
" Oh yeah?"
" Yeah", said Mina, splashing him a little.
" That sounds like a challenge", Andrew said, eyes narrowing. He splashed her back. Before they knew it, the gentle splashing became an all-out water war. By the time they called a truce, they were both soaked to the bone, and shivering from the cold. Not that either of them noticed: they were too busy laughing.
" We'd better go. I'll never hear the end of it from Raye, if I get a cold and can't sing tomorrow", Mina said.
" Sure, besides what kind-of date would I be if I let you get sick?"
" So far, you're the perfect date", Mina said, and then blushed. She walked a little faster to put distance between herself from him. I'm such a dork, why did I have to say that out loud? Mina thought. She didn't see Andrew's look of euphoria at her off-hand comment.
They got back to Andrew's car and Mina hesitated about getting in since she was still dripping wet, and now coated in sand.
" Aren't you getting in? It's freezing." Andrew said, looking at her. He saw her dubious look and then laughed. " I couldn't care less about my car, unless you're in it", he said, and then kicked himself for his stupid line. Mina got in and waited for Andrew to do the same.
" You really are the perfect date", she said, and this time she didn't blush. Andrew pondered his options for a moment before taking a chance. He leaned over and kissed her very gently on the mouth. Mina smiled when he pulled away. And that was the perfect kiss, Mina thought to herself. Andrew dropped Mina off at her apartment, and promised to call her tomorrow sometime. Mina just about skipped into her apartment.
" Wow", Lita said. " Someone looks like they're on cloud nine".
" Not me. I'd have to look down to see that cloud", Mina said dreamily. " My God it was the perfect date! I can't believe how great he is, and to think we only met this morning. Lita, it's love at first sight. I swear it this time".
Lita sighed and shook her head. She was happy for Mina, even if she wasn't entirely convinced of this 'love at first sight' comment. Mina had the unfortunate habit of saying that about most of the guys she dated, only to end up terribly hurt when it didn't work out. Of course, Lita admitted, it was better then her own approach towards men. Typically, the first date for her was awkward and embarrassing, and the whole time she would be thinking that this relationship wouldn't last. If you go in thinking it's going to fail, then usually it becomes a self-fulfilled prophecy. And who knows? Maybe Mina really was meant for Andrew.
" Well, then you won't mind answering a few questions", Lita said grinning. She made them both a steaming cup of hot chocolate and set one enticingly in front of Mina. Before Mina could reach for it, Lita stopped her. " Not until you explain, why you're wet and smelling of fish".
Mina laughed and proceeded to tell the story of her evening in detail to her best friend and roommate, Lita.
" Andrew? Andrew, if you're there come to the door", Darien said loudly, knocking on the apartment door. He kept up a steady stream of knocking, knowing that if he didn't Andrew would ignore the summons, especially if he was still in bed.
" I'm up, I'm up", Andrew said moodily, unlocking the door without opening it. He knew who it was anyway. Darien pushed open the door and gingerly stepped over the mounds of debris that littered Andrew's front hall. Andrew was leaning up against the wall in his boxers and T-shirt, and he looked like he could fall asleep again right there.
" What's with you? It's eleven in the morning – even you're usually up by now", Darien asked. Andrew's eyes sprang open and all signs of fatigue fled from his body.
" I had a date with the most beautiful woman in the world", Andrew said.
" You said that last week", Darien chided.
" This time it's for real. The date lasted for hours", Andrew said, eyes still glazed over with remembrance.
" Oh, so you didn't take her to McDonalds this time? Because I'm sure that's the reason why most of your dates last less then thirty minutes", Darien said, rummaging through Andrew's fridge for some coffee.
Andrew snapped out of his dreamlike trance. " Hey! I resent that. If they can't see beyond the glow of a fast-food restaurant then I'm better off without them. And besides, Mina didn't say anything, she's so down to earth that way, especially for a model. Did you know she works as a model part-time? I can't believe I'm dating a model. Did I tell you how gorgeous she is?"
" I've met her, remember?" Darien said dryly. It amazed him how fast Andrew could fall for someone else. They were complete opposites in that respect. Darien doubted if he had ever admitted to being in love with anyone. " Now, much as I love hearing about your perfect life, I came over to ask for a ride. You're working today right? It's sort-of on the way".
" The ever practical Darien. Haven't you ever been so gone on someone that you can't concentrate?"
" No, and it sounds horrible. Now about that ride…"
" Yeah sure. Give me half and hour to shower and change?" Darien nodded, as he filled the coffee filter with coffee grounds and plugged in the machine. When Andrew emerged from his bedroom, dressed and ready to go a while later, he discovered Darien standing in front of the mirror with nervous fingers rearranging his hair. This was surprising only in that Darien never fixed his hair. It made Andrew wonder just where he was dropping Darien off.
" You ready?"
Darien stopped what he was doing and looked almost sheepish to be caught in the act of trying to look better.
" Let's go", Darien said, with a last look at his appearance. A navy blue button up T-shirt over a white T-shirt, and freshly laundered khakis. Too preppy? He couldn't tell. And he certainly couldn't ask Andrew; he would never hear the end of it.
" Get real, like she'll care anyways", Darien mumbled, getting into Andrew's car.
" Did you say something?" Andrew asked.
" Yeah, why does your car smell like a fishing boat?"
" Hey, if you wanted details about my date you should have asked before."
Darien growled but refused to goad Andrew into telling him anything. Besides he knew Andrew was dying to tell him anyways, and this was all just a ploy to make it seem like Darien wanted to hear the story. The drive was quiet, with Darien avoiding what would be along a long pointless story on the perfection of the date, and Andrew puzzling over Darien's attitude. If he didn't know any better, he'd think Darien was nervous, but then Darien was never nervous, was he?
Darien was nervous. Standing on Serena's porch, waiting for her to come to the door while Andrew drove off on the way to work, Darien tried to come-up with a reasonable excuse for being anxious about another practice at Serena's.
" She's just a girl", Darien said.
" Who is?" Serena said, opening the door at that moment.
" Oh, nothing. Just talking out loud. Don't why I said what I did, but I did, I said it, and I can't unsay it because I said it, and it doesn't mean anything, because it was nothing, and I don't why I said it", Darien rambled, before clamping a hand over his mouth. This was so totally unlike him, it was time to put on the ultra cool exterior.
" Oh-kay", Serena said slowly. " Are you coming in?" She opened the door a little wider and ushered him inside. " Nice guitar. May I see it?"
" Oh yeah, sure", Darien said. He handed it to her and watched as she turned it over in her hands, testing its weight, before experimenting with a few chords.
" It has a great sound", she said, handing it back to him. " Well, shall we get to it? I was thinking we could play outside for a bit, because it's so nice. We could work on the quieter songs and skip the amplifier".
" Sounds good", Darien said. All of his nervousness was gone the minute they began to discuss music. They headed out towards the back yard, where Serena had set up two chairs and the music stand again. She sat down and crossed her legs, pulling out a classical guitar from a red lined guitar case. Serena pointed to the music laid out on the stand.
" This one here is one of Mina's favourites. She does the vocals and it's a lot slower and mellower then other songs."
Darien looked at the music, and at the scrawled lyrics over top the notes.
" Yeah, it does have a different flavour to it then the other songs", Darien said. " Rhythm of the Rose? Is that the title?"
" Yeah, how secure are you with your manhood?" Serena teased, seeing the dubious expression on his face.
" A little less so knowing I'm about to be playing 'Rhythm of the Rose', while sitting in a garden with the sunshine overhead, but I think I can handle it. I'll swear, drink, and scratch myself tonight to balance things out."
" You just do what you have to do", Serena said with a laugh. Then the practicing began and most idle conversation stopped. They were focused on the task, with only minor slips in composure. Darien felt his heart speed up when Serena leaned forward and one of her gold tails of hair fell across his arm, but he managed to survive the sensation. Serena forgot what she was saying when Darien flicked his ebony hair out of his eyes, but fortunately Darien didn't notice her pause.
Much too soon for both of them, the day was over and Serena was saying goodbye to Darien. She watched as he got into Andrew's car and then shut the door and leaned her back against it. He was too good to be true. Those eyes, that hair, the physique… but most importantly, how he played. Too bad he hadn't so much as looked at her unless it was to ask her something about the music. No doubt, he was accustomed to more glamorous and interesting women. At least, they could be friends. She should be happy with that, right?
" I should be happy with that right?" Serena said moments later in a phone conversation with Raye.
" What are you babbling about Meatball head? What should you be happy about?" Raye said, trying to be understanding but losing her patience as Serena kept asking questions without giving any context.
" Oh forget it. I don't really feel like talking about it after all. Just tell me something interesting to get my mind off things."
" Something interesting, how about this? In exactly two weeks, we have a gig and I want Darien to be ready. Think that's possible?"
" Absolutely. I figure we can play together as a group starting Tuesday."
" Great. I'll organize something for Tuesday then and we can play together and maybe even come up with a band name."
" Cool. Thanks for listening Raye. Bye!"
" See ya", Raye said, and hung up. She shook her head at the strangeness of her friends. Only if she were psychic would she be able to understand them. Raye was alone this Friday evening since Chad was at work. Living at the temple though meant she always had something to do. Right now she was sweeping the steps and thinking. Thinking about the band and wondering if it would really ever make it, thinking about the girls and now Darien and wondering if they would all be together in the end if they were successful. When the steps were finished she went back into the temple and began cleaning the unoccupied temple rooms. Her thoughts turned to Chad and how good things were going for them. It had not been love at first sight for them, at least not on her part. She'd come into his store after a really bad day and had practically taken Chad's head off when he dared to ask her to repeat herself. Fortunately, Chad had been undeterred and had pursued her until she'd given in. That had been just over a year ago, and Raye couldn't believe sometimes that she had been on the verge of rejecting the relationship at so early a point. It was like Chad saw right through her to the person she was inside. It was frighteningly wonderful to be so vulnerable and yet so safe with one person. She sighed as the moon rose over the temple grounds, bathing everything in its soft glow.
" Raye, you out here?" came Chad's unmistakable voice.
" What are you doing here?" she asked, masking her surprise with irritation.
" Business was really slow, so I closed up shop. Sorry if I startled you", Chad said.
" You didn't startle me", Raye said defensively.
" Okay", Chad said amiably. " You want to go get something to eat?"
" In a minute. I have to make a few calls first. Then we can go", Raye said. Raye didn't think to ask if it was okay with Chad if they waited, and it didn't occur to Chad to force the issue. He liked her passion for even the small details and wouldn't want Raye to change for anything in the world.
" Chad! Quit daydreaming and come inside so I can shut the door!" Raye said sharply. Chad sighed; okay, maybe there were some times when he wished Raye was a little more mellow.
Across town in a nice, expensive looking house, Amy sat on a couch reading a book. Her thin wire frame glasses appeared to be much too large for her small face but Greg was always saying how much he liked them so she hadn't bothered updating the style. The phone rang and Amy reached out for it without looking away from her novel. As a consequence, she knocked the phone onto the floor and had to go scrambling.
" Hello? Anderson Residence."
" Amy, hey, it's Raye. I'm trying to get us all together on Tuesday – can you make it?"
" Absolutely. Anytime?"
" Well, Darien has to work in the evening and Serena has to work in the day, so they're trying to work out who will rearrange their schedule. I can't say what time for sure until we know."
" Well, I'm not doing anything all day Tuesday, so it doesn't make much difference to me", Amy said.
" I'm so glad to hear you say that. It's getting complicated enough as it is", Raye said with a sigh. The part-time jobs most of them had were meant to provide them with money to support themselves and still have time for the band. Ironically, it was these 'time saving' shift jobs that were causing them to miss valuable practice time.
" Don't worry Raye, it will all work out. It always does. Besides, you know that when it gets right down to it, we'd all do anything to get the chance to play together."
" Right as always Amy. I'll see you Tuesday for sure, but I'll probably talk to you before then. Okay?"
" Sure Raye. Thanks for calling, Bye", Amy said, and hung up. She was considering returning to her book when her boyfriend Greg walked in the room. He was staying the weekend since Amy's mom was out of town. He stopped when he saw Amy lying comfortably on the couch.
" I thought you'd have gone to sleep by now", he said softly.
" Disappointed?" she said quietly.
" Amy, you know I'm not", Greg said with a weary sigh.
" Then why have you been avoiding me?"
" I haven't. I've just been really busy", Greg said almost angrily. This was not how he envisioned his weekend with Amy, but he could hardly blame her for feeling neglected. He crossed the room and crouched down so that he was at eye level with her. His expression softened as he gently removed her glasses. " I'm sorry I haven't been around much."
Amy let go of her anger as well when she heard the sincerity in his voice. " I'm sorry too, I know how hard you work. I guess I just miss you is all", Amy said, sitting up.
" That I can understand", Greg said. He then grinned, " You know something? You're the only person I know who can make reading glasses look sexy".
" How sexy?" Amy asked, leaning closer. Greg kissed her hungrily.
" Very, very, sexy", Greg said, enfolding her in his arms.
" You're going to have to prove it", Amy said, retuning his passionate kiss.
" I fully intend to", Greg said, before picking her up and carrying her up to her bedroom. At least for tonight, there would be no question of them growing distant.
Anything you want to see happen? Couldn't care less? I need to know!