Home for the Holidays
She opened the door of her room, and peeked carefully out.
Seeing that the coast was clear, she tiptoed out, and started walking down the hall.
Who knew who Dredsdale was acting so weird, but she wanted to avoid him as much as possible.
Since the New Years Eve ball, everyone in the Larynce and Dredsdale clans had accepted the two as a happily engaged couple. And apparently, Darien had no problem with such a belief, and did nothing to disabuse them of the notion.
Serena did plenty. However, she was always caught in the act by a teasing Darien, and she’d find it hard to keep on protesting…
Now, she was trying to get to breakfast without him, so that she may at least get some time to herself. She didn’t mind having Dredsdale around…in fact he made life a lot spicier and fun, and exciting, but at night, when she tossed and turned in bed, she wondered what was happening, whether it was safe or not to stay around a sexy, exciting, handsome young man like Darien Dredsdale.
As she slipped down the hall, she turned a corner, and fell right into his embrace.
Backing away and blushing, she stammered an apology. “I’m sorry, D-Darien, I was going to sneak down right now for some leftover Christmas cookies.”
“I’ll join you,” he drawled, lazily. Why not? It was a nice evening, and he loved this. Though everyone was snowed in after New Years, Serena Larynce helped the time pass more…easily.
“Oh, I don’t want to trouble you…”
“You’re no trouble at all,” he said, smiling that devilish grin at her.
She laughed nervously. “I’m plenty of trouble, Darien. You just haven’t seen my good side yet!”
“Oh really?” his eyebrow lifted.
*Oh my…* her heart fluttered.
She sat back in Darien’s embrace, as they watched, “While You Were Sleeping” with Amy and Greg, Mina and Andrew, Raye and Chad, and Lita and Ken. His hands were in front of her waist, mingling in her fingers, and playing with them gently.
“I love this movie, though it is totally unrealistic!” Serena sighed.
“And why do you say that?” Darien whispered, kissing her ear.
The kiss brought a blush from Serena and a warm smile from the others in the room.
“Well, I can’t believe a woman could fall in love with a man in a week, and agree to marry him.”
“Well…” Amy smiled smugly at them. “You met at Christmas, and on New Years…well, everyone knows you two are in love…”
“Everyone?” Serena’s eyes widened. *Everyone but me and him!*
“Come on, Serena, isn’t it obvious?” Mina chided her teasingly.
Darien’s arms came around her waist tightly.
“Well, I knew him before Christmas too!” Serena said, softly.
“You merely heard about him…” Lita said.
“And he merely heard about you…you two never actually met…” Raye said, her eyes glittering in the firelight, as they saw Sandra Bullock yell yet again at Bill Pullman.
“Oh, this is my favorite part! Everybody, shh!!!” Serena sighed. Sandra Bullock took the newspaper-wrapped bundle from Bill Pullman, and unwrapped it, while he talked, “I was delivering some furniture down at Little Italy, when I looked in the store window, and then…”
She flipped over a snow down, with a city inside. “Florence…”
The strains of pretty music enveloped the room, and everyone was kissing their spouse or fiancee gently. Originally, had it been any other year, Serena would have mad a snide remark at that about being alone, or she would have felt extremely uncomfortable.
Tears sat in her eyes, and she wanted to cry, as she always had. But this time, it was different.
This time, well, Darien was here, and though she wasn’t in love with him, she found comfort as he kissed her softly on the cheek, and pulled her into his arms more, and rested his chin on her shoulder, as she rested back on his chest. The tears subsided.
She sighed, happily.
Eating dinner with the family was usually a terrifyingly trying experience. Between Ilene Tsukino’s whining about her over-ambitious single daughter, and that daughter’s lack of family value, and Michael Tsukino’s funny lame jokes, there was always something that made every cell in Serena’s body cringe at it. Probably because she never looked forward to having her mother pick on her single status.
That was why she usually sat with friends at the dinner parties. However, her mother, wanting tradition to run her family, always forced her family to sit together at least once during the holidays.
Surprisingly enough, this evening was not so bad. Sam had a fiancee now, and there was that wedding for Ilene to talk about during dinner. However, Serena had to admit that the largest and most enjoyable change was Darien Dredsdale’s presence.
He laughed with her father, and told lame jokes as well. He charmed her mother. Her mother talked constantly of how much she’d like a young man like him in the family…a hint to Serena, of course, and he kept a nice conversation with Sam.
Through it all, he held Serena’s hand.
Serena couldn’t help bit feel lightheaded and happy through the whole episode.
He walked her to her taxi the morning she left, and carried her baggage. Most of the family was not up yet, but some stood at windows, admiring the couple from afar.
“Dredsdale…it’s been…amazing…this past week…thank you for…making my holidays wonderful.
“I know how it is to be single, and home for the holidays…believe me,” he said, quietly.
“I’ll see you in Washington…” she began.
“Yep. Don’t miss me too much.”
She smiled brightly. “I’ll be muttering your name under my breath for an eternity, and I’ll be crying my eyes out over you. You will occupy every thought I will have until I see you again, and once I see you again, I will obsess about ever single action you make around me,” she laughed. “For the record, Dredsdale, I’ll make it clear now. I need company during the holidays, but when vacation’s over, it’s work time. Work time HAS no breaks.” She said, her eyes slightly cold, as she focused on him, trying to make him understand. “It’ll be back to normal…got it? I don’t like you, you don’t like me. I will be this way…it HAS to be this way…”
“I wonder…”
“You wonder what?”
“What would happen if someone dared come into your life, Ice Queen?” he said, gently taking her face in her hands.
“I’d make sure he never gets here.”
“Well,” he sighed, backing away from her. “I hope you have a good trip. I’ll see you in Washington.”
She started to get in the car. “Wait…” he said. She stopped, her heart froze, and she turned around. “What?”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Back to normal…”
