Happy New Year?
At 5:30, she arrived at the Castle.
Serena let herself in the back door and snuck upstairs into her room. She didn’t want to hear lectures. She wanted to prepare herself for the evening. As she entered the room and closed the door, she locked it also. She opened the bag. The November 8th. Not bad. She went into the shower.
After washing her hair and taking a relaxing shower, she got out and put on a robe and blow dried her hair. She then went into her bedroom once more. She sat at the dressing table and brushed her hair. She then swept it up and pinned it up. Deciding she needed to complete the hair style with red roses, she called the maid, and asked her too keep it quiet that she was here. She wanted red rosebuds. While she waited, she put on a thin layer of foundation, and a little blush. She put on some red lipstick. The maid returned, and she weaved the red rosebuds in a crown among her golden folds of curls. She sprinkled a few pearls here and there.
She then got up and took the dress out of the garment bag. The red shimmering satin was beautiful. She put it on, and it fell smoothly to her feet. It had inch-wide spaghetti straps. The dress silkily flowed her curves, showing a nice figure, and from her hips, it flowed to the floor. She stepped into the shoes that were packed with the dress. They were red satin high heels and she was a whole two inches taller, at six feet. She then put on the gold rose earrings with the ruby centers, and a red satin choker.
Turning around to check her back, se decided she looked good enough. She stepped out of her room, to find another person, leaving the room next to hers.
She stopped and just gaped.
As he turned to see her, he did as well.
“D-Darien. What a, well, what a surprise!” she stammered, her heart pounding to her very toes. Her body was reeling, the floor was slapping her feet, and she wished it would just break already and let her fall through.
*You’re telling ME.* “Good evening, Serena. I didn’t know you were coming back for this,” he said, carefully. She wasn’t supposed to be here, not supposed to cause his eyes to glaze over with something of a dream.
“Family thing,” she stammered. It was hard to act stiff and cold when Darien Dredsdale was standing in front of you in a tuxedo so well made for him.
She was about to walk away when she heard her name.
“Serena!” Lita smiled from her door. “Looks like you and fiancee came back for the ball to show each other off!”
Serena turned to Lita, who stood down the hall and almost blushed. This wasn’t going to be easy. She controlled her voice to an icy pitch. “I wasn’t aware we were engaged.”
“Just teasing. So are you going to ask to escort her down there or what Darien?”
Darien looked at Serena and decided why not. When Serena looked like THAT, you didn’t let her just pass you by.
“I was just going to ask her.”
“Great. Well, I’ve got to help my president get that bow tie straight. We’ll see you there.”
Darien looked to Serena, “Care to?”
Serena looked at him critically (though she could find no fault) and decided to walk away. “I know how to walk,” she stomped off, leaving Darien to muse more over Serena’s beautiful face and what had flashed in her furiously enchanting blue eyes. *Lots of spirit. But this will be interesting, Miss Larynce. We’ll see.*
*It’s not as if I like her or anything. I just like to unnerve her. I like to see her irritated, and there is just something in her attitude that I like to irk. Nothing more. She and I would never get along any other way,* he mused as he went down the stairs after her.
Serena looked around the room, and decided, from the looks of the people talking in the room, that she had arrived, indeed, fashionably late enough.
“Serena!” her mother smiled greeting her daughter with a smile. “So you decided to join us?”
“Of course!” Serena smiled.
“And there is that charming love of yours. What was his name, Darien?”
Serena gritted her teeth. “Mother, Darien-“
“Is right here, and I was looking for you, honey!” he said, mockingly, putting his arm around her waist from behind, and kissing her temple.
Serena looked at him over her shoulder, and saw the bitter challenge in his eyes. *I have you now, Ice.*
*I don’t think so.* Serena smoothly put her arms around his neck and gave him a cold but very convincing effusive kiss in front of her mother.
The minute their lips met, there was electricity. Something happened, and she felt this urge to just keep on kissing him. There was something in her blood pounding into her mind.
And she still couldn’t believe that this was the young man that she’d always hated in childhood. He was a good kisser. And that was an understatement.
Darien was stunned speechless. So was Serena, but she didn’t show it. *I can’t believe I just did that.* she breathed heavily.
“So where were you Serena?” her mother asked.
“Oh, Darien wanted to help me choose out an apartment in Washington, and we did that. I’ll be moving there on the third. It’s pretty nice,” she smiled softly, as Darien took her hands and played with her fingers, his cheek against hers, looking down as he linked their hands together.
“Great!” her mother smiled, beaming with pleasure. *At long last!*
Serena was laughing on the inside. *So there IS a use for Darien Dredsdale. I’ll have to remember this the next time mom starts to get mad at me.* She wanted to move away from him though. Her heart was pounding, and she felt her stomach up in her throat.
They stood, together, but apart inside. Serena was slightly mad at Darien for starting this whole game, but she was determined that she teach him a lesson.
And Darien was determined that she would not win. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s dance,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear.
It tickled her ear and she shivered, feeling the goosebumps along her skin. She told herself to calm down. *He’s only Darien, you idiot!*
“All right,” she smiled at him with a hint of ice biting it.
He took her arms and guided her out to the dance floor and they started to dance. Since she was on high heels, her chin just reached his shoulder and since it was a slower dance, she moved closer and whispered into her ear, “You will pay for this Dredsdale.”
He laughed. “Hold on tight, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” he smirked as he spun her elegantly out, slowly, and spun her back into his eager arms.
At around midnight, Serena was relieved that her grandmother called that the countdown was on, and there were three minutes left in the year.
Darien was dancing with her and whispered into her ear in a lover- like fashion. “So what are the worst and best things of the year, Ice?”
“Don’t call me that,” she bit back.
“Hey, just asking a question.”
“The worst thing in this year is you. The fact that I met you, the fact that I’m dancing with you.”
“I think you just tried to burst my bubble. But I won’t take that personally, because I can see it in your eyes that this hasn’t been an unpleasant experience,” he said, gently doodling a pattern on her shoulder.
“Yeah. Right.” Serena rolled her eyes, wanting to pull away.
“And the best thing about this year?”
“The best thing about this year is…” Serena began when she realized one of the Larynce princesses was looking at them shrewdly and had evidently heard every word she was speaking. Serena casually brushed it off and decided to give her something to gossip about. “The best thing about this year is that fact that I love you anyway.” She moved closer, ready to kiss his surprised mocking smile when the countdown of the last minute began.
Serena was relieved and somewhat disappointed. She really DID want to see Darien’s face after she kissed him.
But as the countdown continued, Serena turned to the throne, where grandma was smilingly counting it down. She felt Darien behind her, putting his arms around her, his hands meeting at her front, and gather her in his arms closely, kissing the crook of her neck. “Good shot Ice, I think you just gave the Larynce clan enough gossip for the next five months. So the Ice Queen has stolen the Dredsdale prince from the heiresses.”
“Don’t be too sure,” she whispered, irritated. With him embracing her so closely, heat was creeping into her cheeks, making her sweat, as well as feel dizzy. “I plan on dumping you-“
“Happy New Year!”
Serena suddenly smiled and sang along with the crowd, looking like a shining star. When the song was over, Serena looked around to see the people around the room kissing others. Suddenly inspired she turned in Darien’s arms, and placed her arms around his neck. “I plan on dumping you on Valentine’s Day. Happy New Year, honey.” With that she leaned forward and gave him a kiss long and passionate enough to convince everyone in the room that was watching them, which included the Larynce princesses, the matriarchs, and friends, that Serena and Darien were indeed head over heels for each other.
What Darien felt at first was coldness on her lips. He placed on of his arms right at the her waist, where she was evidently ticklish, and put the other around the upper part of her back. She was trying to set the rules. “Big mistake. I make the rules, Ice,” he murmured before catching her lips in his again, and giving her a kiss that she felt she was going to melt into.
