And... ACTION!
Serena breathed in and out slowly sitting back in her seat. *12:10. God Dredsdale. You’re punctual.* she thought, sarcastically.
At that moment, Lucy buzzed. “Dr. Dredsdale is here to see you.”
Serena almost fell out of her chair. *He’s here, already?* she though panicked. “I’ll be right out.”
Serena grabbed her the bag that contained her dress and slung it over her shoulder, as she held it by the hanger hook. She then grabbed her brief case and walked out.
*Here we go again.*
“Larynce.”
“Dredsdale.”
They stopped in front of each other. Standing in front of her secretary, the both cringed at each other as they both leaned in stiffly. He kissed her mechanically on the cheek, and she pecked him. The quickly stood back up straight, and Darien said odd, clearing his throat, “Ready to go?”
“Yeah. Lucy, take the rest of the day off, we are closing early this wonderful Friday. I have a social thing to get to, and I’ve already informed Ken of it. He’s going to call me using your cell phone, Dredsdale, seeing that I don’t have one.”
“Get a pager.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Sure,” he rolled his eyes.
“Look, let’s just get this over with, Dredsdale.” With that, she led the way to the elevators.
However, as she realized there would be a shell of press outside the building, as there had been when she came in earlier, she waited for Darien. As they got on the elevator, she quickly snatched his hand, and held it. His hand was VERY warm.
Darien nearly jumped back. “What do you do? Soak your body in ice?”
“No, it just comes naturally,” she smiled.
She was beautiful when she smiled. Very beautiful, Darien noted. He gripped her hand, as he felt the fingers grow warmer by the second.
Serena held her breath. It was odd, the way they touched.
At ground floor, the elevator doors opened.
The press saw a beautiful couple walk to the door. Right before exiting the building, Darien helped Serena into her coat, and wound her scarf about her neck, and straightened her beret. Serena reached to straighten a lock of hair, and he kissed her forehead automatically, though it appeared very loving to the press. He opened the door for her, and guided her out, keeping his palm at a protective position at the base of her back, at her waist.
“Yes…” she said to a reporter nearby, as they continued to the taxi which waited for them.
Serena walked out of her hotel room, which was across the hall from Darien’s. He wasn’t out, so she knocked on the door, but found that it was open.
She pushed open the door wider. “Dredsdale?”
“Here, come in.”
Serena stepped in, with her dress coat on, finding Dredsdale adjusting his bow tie to no avail.
“Ha! Come on, I can tie it right,” Serena said, coming up to him, adjusting it herself, like the so many times she had done so for Sam when they were kids. “There. you owe me now. Let’s go.”
As Darien looked at his reflection in the mirror, of the two people who stood next to each other, he concluded that she could tie a bow tie right. She was already wearing a thick formal winter coat, so he couldn’t see what she wore for tonight. He only hoped she had as much taste as she had skill in tying bow ties. But if Larynce had on something that was half as stylish as she had on all those previous evenings, his eyes would be glued on her the whole evening, and that did not seem so displeasing in HIS mind.
“So when did we officially get engaged?” Serena asked.
“We told our beloved matriarchs yesterday, and are formally announcing ourselves tonight. We truly got engaged a few days ago, and here is your engagement ring…” he said, reaching into his tux jacket.
“You didn’t have to. We could have just said we didn’t have time to get it,” Serena protested.
“But then we would have to get the ring later. Either way, same outcome. Take it, Larynce, put it on, and let’s go.”
“You don’t know my ring size, and I don’t want a ring!”
“I’ve held your hand before, I think I know by now what your finger size is. Besides, you HAVE to take the ring. You’re my fiancee, remember?”
“It won’t fit, and I still don’t want it.”
“You haven’t even seen it yet, now open the box and put it on.”
She looked around, distracted. She finally focused on him, and said the lamest reason she could think of, “I’m waiting for you to get on your knees.”
*She’s stalling. She doesn’t want to make it official.* “Fine,” he kneeled down and sighed resignedly. “Marry me Larynce.”
“You have the romance of a rock, you know that?” Serena said, rolling her eyes, as she opened the box. “The romance of…oh my god!”
It was circle of gold, with a diamond that had the purity of water.
“It’s the classic diamond ring, only much richer. It was my…it was my mom’s. Her engagement ring. She’d want my fiancee to have it, even IF we weren’t really getting married.”
“It’s almost alive. So bright and beautiful. I…I can’t wear this. It has special meaning.”
“Great aunt Gertrude wants it this way. She gave me the ring for my “beloved” when I was twenty-one, and I was to keep it until…IF I got engaged, and if I didn’t give my fiancee this ring, then I was ‘turning my back on my own mother’. Now come on, try on the ring.”
“All right,” she agreed, dazedly. “Do you want to do the honors?”
He took the small black velvet box, and took out the ring. He then took her cold left hand and slipped the ring on her finger.
The moment she slipped in on her finger, it fit perfectly, and at that instant, she realized she had just promised herself in marriage to Darien.
It shouldn’t have hit her so hard. After all, she knew that she was engaged to him beforehand, but now, everything seemed to become magnified, about more than a thousand times. Maybe because now, it might actually be real. A part of her was rather sad at the depressing state her life had just slipped into…engaged to a gorgeous intelligent man that her grandmother sent her up with…and she was still not pleased…
The difference was definitely noticeable in her expression. Darien noticed it, and realized that with that ring, he just sealed an engagement. No matter how false it was underneath, it was true to the very last detail on the outside. Serena Larynce was now his fiancee. Annoyingly perfect, bitingly cold Serena Larynce…beautiful, vivacious Serena Larynce.
At least she was interesting…more than interesting…the thought crossed his mind that had it been anyone else, Darien would have opted for breaking off the engagement as soon as possible. But…there was definitely a distinction with Serena Larynce…most definitely a difference.
“Are we ready, Larynce?”
“All right,” she said, clearing her throat. “Let’s knock them dead.”
They walked out of the taxi in front of a large banquet hall.
“Looks like we’re fashionably late, Larynce.”
“Well, here we go. Come on…honey.” With that, Serena threaded her arm in his, and they held hands. She noted that his were very cold.
Hers were surprisingly warm, and Darien couldn’t remember for a second why she was the Ice Queen when she was so warm. It was contrast to what they felt just ten minutes ago, when he’d given her the ring. He shook his head and they entered the building together, and went into the coat check.
As Darien helped Serena take her coat off, he was stunned by her gown.
It was a forest green velvet dress, sleeveless of course, to show off those beautiful pale arms. The cut was pretty low, and curved around her closely, until it reached her waist, when it was followed by a forest green satin pouffy skirt, with black sparkling lace screening over it beaded with pretty sparkling beads. At her ears, emerald earrings, glimmering against her hair, which she had pinned up with emerald combs.
Darien should have been used to it by now. Larynce couldn’t pull that many tricks and still get the kicks. But he couldn’t get over how lovely she looked each time he met her at one of these things. Always a different beauty, but nevertheless always stunning.
He whispered teasingly into her ear, “Nice, Larynce. I think I’m proud. You’re gorgeous.”
“You know Larynce jewels…they’re enchanted…” she muttered, smiling. “Just doing my part in the fiasco,” she continued simply, but blushed inside at his compliment. It was nice that he appreciated the effort she put into selecting a gown for tonight. But having him whisper compliments into her ear just gave her a case of excessive shivers.
With that, he put his arm around her waist protectively, as a fiancee would, he concluded, and guided her to the ballroom. Serena figured that the same thing, and just leaned against him.
The minute they entered, they were barraged with questions.
“You didn’t, did you?” Ilene pushed herself to the front.
Serena lifted her left hand to show off the engagement ring.
“It’s gorgeous!” Ilene beamed. “I only wish my daughter TOLD me about it, instead of leaving me to find out in the paper.”
“Sorry, mother, it’s just that things were moving so fast…” Serena breezed, looking up to Darien, with that glance of admiration a fiancee would have, though it was not entirely fake.
*If it had to be someone, I suppose Darien is the best one. He’s interesting enough, and at least I won’t be bored these next several months. Plus, I have to admit, he is the most GORGEOUS guy I have seen in my life.*
“When is the wedding?” asked another guest.
“Next June.”
“Next March.”
Serena and Darien looked at each other and Darien smiled. “We’ve been so caught up in the whole concept of being engaged we haven’t really discussed the wedding yet,” he squeezed Serena’s hand. Serena stiffened slightly, and she knew Darien felt it, because he seemed to tease her more by holding it more firmly.
Suddenly realizing she had to spend a whole evening with the Dredsdale, she decided to make the most of it. *Just because we’re engaged does NOT mean we like each other.* Going back to the game they had played at the New Year’s Eve Ball, she decided that the game was the only way to make it convincing. Otherwise, she’d kill him by the end of the evening.
A part of her heart felt a warm completeness, as it had felt the week they had after New Years, after being snowed in. In fact, she was, for the first time, happy again, in all honesty. There was something about him…
She leaned her head on his shoulder.
Darien turned to look at her head. She looked up at him, with the challenge issued in her eyes, laughing.
*You’re on.*
*I’m going to win. And when I do, we’ll celebrate this hoax tonight. If I win, you buy champagne. If you win, it’s on me.*
*All right.*
With that, his hold around her suddenly got a lot more tight around her, and more personal. Serena caught her breath. *Okay, Dr. Dread. Let’s play.*
