Evening Primrose
Chapter Three: When?
By Baine
Finished: March 02, 2007
Posted: October 5, 2010
Author’s Note: Yay, there’s an update this week! Last week, my memory of this week’s schedule was wrong. It was yesterday I got done early (which meant no haircut, since my hairdresser has Mondays and Fridays off...) and tomorrow that I’m on-call. Today, I’m completely off. We may have the same situation again next week. If I’m able to update, it will be on Wednesday. I’m on-call again, so we’ll see. Between you and me, I hope I don’t have to work---there are two new books coming out on Tuesday I’d love to curl up and read! (The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan and Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst. Riordan’s book comes first because as much as I love SBD, I must find out what happened to Percy Jackson!!)
It will be interesting to see if a Wednesday night pulls in more traffic since Tuesday is jam-packed when it comes to TV shows. I know that 3/4 of what I watch airs tonight...Glee at 8 and Parenthood at 10, plus that new show No Ordinary Family (aka The Incredibles: Live Action) that I have to catch later in the week since it’s on against Glee (and musicals ALWAYS win with me).
Disclaimer for Now: There will be more author notes and credits later on. For now, I present you with:
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Evening Primrose
Three: When?
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As the dark of night once more scraped its taloned claws across the last rays of light, blackness fell across the now-closed Macy’s, signaling an end to the day. Arms and legs slowly unwound as people slipped out of hiding and began preparing for the activities of the night. Darien moved slowly, dreading the coming hours. He had been able to feign sickness for the past four nights, but if he were to do so again tonight, he would surely arouse everyone’s suspicions. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He sighed forlornly. He wanted nothing more than to spend more time with Serena. They had become fast friends and he had vowed to himself that he would try to find a way to free them from this sham of a prison.
Stumbling away from the Carpet Department, Darien cut through Bedding and was about to head for the escalator when he heard a tuneless whistle. Looking around for a place to hide and finding nothing, he quickly climbed into a nearby bed and pulled the covers to his waist, posing with a hand against the sheets and a come hither expression across his face.
The sound grew louder and a bobbing light appeared, followed by the Night Watchman himself. The man ceased his humming as he peered at the bed. “Well, that there’s a new display. It musta been created to lure in th’ ladies.” He chuckled at his own joke before tutting and moving away from the department.
Darien counted to twenty before stealthily climbing out of bed and tiptoeing to the edge of the department, only to falter when he saw the Night Watchman standing a few feet away with his back to Darien. His face was weathered with age and he had streaks of silver running through his graying hair. They shone in the dim glow of the store’s night lights.
Usually he’s gone by now... Darien’s breath hitched as he noticed the reason for the man’s prostrate state.
A mannequin stood before them, propped against a stand in nothing save for a lacy pink bra, matching panties, and a pair of crimson heels. Blonde hair tumbled down her back as she held her hand toward a sign advertising Macy’s latest in Intimate Apparel.
The man breathed heavily, a hand clenched at his side as though to keep himself from reaching out to touch the mannequin’s cold, waxy skin. “Man, honey,” he whispered, loosening his belt buckle. “If only they’d make real-life replicas of you. If m’wife looked like you, I’d die a happy man.”
He stared a moment longer before turning and continuing his round, jerking on his pants as he turned the corner.
Refusing to take his eyes from the display, Darien watched as the “mannequin” slowly slipped from the stand and came to life, bringing her outstretched palm to her chest.
“He scared me!” She breathed, staring toward where the man had disappeared.
“He was early tonight.” He peered down at Serena, suddenly grateful for the fact that he was so much taller than her. A faint blush crossed his face, only to be replaced with a scowl as he remembered the way the watchman had ogled her.
“Do you do this often?”
“What?” Her head jerked toward him and she suddenly gasped, remembering her current state of undress. A red tint began to cover her entire body, a fact which Darien mentally tucked away to analyze at a later time.
Serena scrambled behind the display to throw on her clothing, much to Darien’s chagrin.
“I tore my nightgown, so I came to get a new one,” she proclaimed, her voice coming out muffled as she pulled her shirt over her head. “He was early. There’s really no place to hide around here, so the only thing I could do was strip and hope he didn’t catch on.”
“Good thing you’re a girl, then.”
“Oh, definitely.” She popped her head out and grinned, then stepped around the display and walking toward him, fully clothed. She tilted her head toward the corner. “Do you think he suspected...?”
“That you’re a girl?” He ran his eyes down the length of Serena’s figure, causing her to blush anew. “It’s kind of hard to miss, you know.”
She protectively brought a hand to her chest. “I-If I had known—I wouldn’t have worn something so revealing today...”
He grinned roguishly. “I didn’t mind at all.”
“But I did.” She glanced around nervously. “I-I should go. She’ll be wondering where I am.”
She turned toward the escalator, but he grabbed hold of her hand. His voice low, he murmured, “I want to see you again.”
“But not tonight.” She smiled softly. “I’ll find you. For now—no one must suspect!” She pulled her hand from his grasp and slipped away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Darien stood frozen, staring at the display where she had just been standing. Seeing the Night Watchman stare at her like that had caused his blood to boil. The darkness had faded away to shades of red and he had wanted to throw himself in front of Serena’s body to get the man to stop ogling her. He had wanted to protect her.
Darien frowned. He wasn’t used to having such extreme feelings for another human being—especially jealousy. Licking his lips, he nodded decisively. Tomorrow, he would ask Serena to leave here with him. If she agreed, he would look after her and teach her everything there was to know about the outside world, starting with how to read and write.
He stiffened as he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. Why had he allowed himself to zone out and cease paying attention to his surroundings? Now, he’d never be able to save Serena. Turning slowly, he breathed in relief as he realized that it was Rubeus and not the Night Watchman who stood behind him.
The red-haired man gave him an inquisitive look. “It’s not like you to lose sight of your surroundings, Darien.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
The older man smiled impishly. “You needed a place to come and be reminded of the girlfriend you left behind, didn’t you?”
“No, I—”
“It’s a pity there aren’t more girls your own age around here, boy. Most of the old biddies are too dried up and crinkly to even think about shagging.”
“I—”
“Of course, there’s always Serena, but I wouldn’t go after her if I were you.” His eyes glinted as he met Darien’s gaze. “She belongs to Lady Nehelenia, and once the matriarch dies, she’ll pass the role on to me. So you see, Champ, she’s already been claimed. If you’re smart and know what’s good for you, you’ll leave her alone.”
He smiled and clapped Darien’s shoulder again. “Not that I think you’ll do anything, of course. Now, what do you say we go downstairs and join the party?”
“That’s where I was headed.” Darien shifted uneasily as he followed the older man to the escalators, taking off his shoes before padding quietly down the steps.
After the escalators had been turned off for the night, footsteps tended to echo and become louder. Wearing shoes while moving from one floor to the next was strictly prohibited; they made too much noise in the stairwells. In fact, shoes would have been outlawed all together if it weren’t for the fact that you could never tell when the floors had been mopped or waxed until it was too late. At least, that was what Lady Nehelenia had told him. In reality, Darien suspected that she and the other females had invented the flimsy excuse in order to be allowed to continue wearing their designer shoes. After all, shoes would make more noise squeaking against a surface that was wet or sticky, wouldn’t they?
Darien stared after Rubeus’ retreating back, eyes narrowed and forehead puckered in thought. A small frown graced his lips. What had Rubeus seen just now? Had he been watching the entire time, or had he truly walked into the vicinity after Darien’s encounter with Serena? His heart pounded loudly in his ears. It was so loud that Darien was surprised the escalator shaft hadn’t picked up on the sound and re-broadcast it for anyone to hear.
Rubeus must have seen them together. Why else would he have been so territorial just now? Darien’s fingers dug into the flesh of his palms as he curled his hands into fists. He had met Serena a mere two weeks ago. They had conversed with one another for less than a week. Of course Rubeus had more of a claim on her than he did. The man had watched her grow up before his very eyes.
Why did he care so much? Why did Serena have such an impact on him? Darien couldn’t get her out of his head. He could bring to mind every shade of yellow that wove itself into her flaxen hair. He could recall every contour of her face in intricate detail.
As Darien stepped off the escalator and slipped his shoes back on, his expression grew even darker. It was because of Rubeus and his cohorts that Serena was here in the first place. He was sure they had made her cry more than once. Not only that, Rubeus regarded her as a possession. To him, she wasn’t even a full-fledged human being. How could such a man have dibs on an angel like Serena?
Darien’s heart clenched. He had to find a way to get the two of them out of this place before things had a chance to escalate any further. He looked up and hid a scowl, not wanting to draw Rubeus’ attention to the fact that anything was amiss. Instead, he feigned innocence as they came to a stop. “Something wrong?”
Rubeus pursed his lips together, his eyes roving over Darien’s features and causing a shiver of trepidation to make its way down the younger man’s spine.
Darien shifted uncomfortably, but refrained from looking away. He ignored the slow, burning sensation that dropped into the pit of his belly as he felt the gaze of Rubeus’ calculating eyes.
“You know,” Rubeus mused, bringing a hand to his chin and scratching thoughtfully, “you’re a rather attractive man, Darien.”
Darien blinked, startled. “Er...pardon?” He watched warily as the older man circled him like a vulture.
“You could have been a model or in the pictures. Instead, you’re a writer.”
“Books have more substance, more...grit, if you will.”
“Hmm, perhaps.” Rubeus swooped in for the kill. “Of course, what’s an author without an audience? How do you expect to reach out to the masses if you’re tucked away here?”
Darien bit the inside of his lip, causing a muscle to twitch in his cheek. A warm, metallic sensation filled his mouth. He inwardly grimaced at the taste, yet refused to give Rubeus the satisfaction of a reaction. It was obvious that the man was attempting to coerce Darien into giving himself away. Of course, he should know by now that Darien was smarter than that.
Daintily stepping around the trap laid out for him, Darien shrugged and replied, “Above all else, I write for myself. If I ever have something worthy of being published, I’ll sneak up to the office and stick it in with all of the outgoing mail.”
“You’ll be content with that?”
“Of course.”
“I wouldn’t be.” Ignoring Darien’s sharp look, Rubeus mused, “I’m a writer too, you know. We’re not as dissimilar as you might think.”
“No?”
“Of course, I’m a playwright, not a poet. Then again, Shakespeare managed to be both back in the day, did he not?” He chuckled lightly. “Perhaps one day, we’ll find a way to collaborate. Until then...”
His lips quirked into a rare smile. “Even here, you can’t fully hide from talent agents, Darien. I want you to be in my play.”
“How can I possibly do that when we’re here?”
“Why, we’ll have the play here, of course. It pertains to us, Darien, not to outsiders. We’ll invite the patrons of the other stores, too, though of course, the cream of the crop is right here at Macy’s.”
Feeling as though he had been punched in the gut, Darien exhaled sharply. “There are people living in the other stores as well?”
“Of course. Why ever not?”
“N-No reason.” Mamoru gulped nervously.
“Ah, don’t worry. The crowd won’t be too large. Not everyone is interested in seeing a show. We won’t attract any attention, especially if we plan our intermissions around the Night Watchman’s schedule. On top of that, we always use the storage basement. The Watchmen rarely ever go down there.”
“You’ve done this before?”
“Oh, sure. We usually do five or six shows a year.”
“All yours?”
“Heavens, no. I’m not the only playwright here, you know.”
“Of course.” Darien refrained from bringing a hand to his forehead. After all, he was a man. It was only women who got light-headed, right?
“What do you say?”
“About what?”
“Acting in my play. If you can’t be in the pictures, this is the next-best-thing, right?”
“But I don’t want—”
“There are a couple of girls about your age over in Wanamaker’s. One of them in particular is quite lovely. She’s eager to meet you, too. Our ladies have been bragging quite extensively about our latest inhabitant. The other stores are quite jealous that you chose us over them, but of course, they really shouldn’t be surprised. We are Macy’s, after all.”
He smiled smugly, an arrogant tilt to his chin. “Anyway, she was quite upset to hear I had chosen Serena over her, but I wrote the show for our people. I don’t want to bring in performers from the other stores.”
“You asked Serena to be in your show?”
Seeing Darien’s flabbergasted expression, Rubeus chuckled lightly. “I admit I have my doubts, too, but she’s calmed down a lot. If I start prepping her now, she'll be primed and ready by the time her new position comes along."
“What position?”
“I told you earlier, Darien. Serena is my intended. Sooner or later, she has to learn to acclimate, and it might as well be sooner, right? She has been coddled for far too long.”
A wave of fury pinched his gut. How could Rubeus be so clinical about everything? How had Serena put up with it for so long?”
Serena... His eyes lightened. If he were to accept the role, he could continue to see her every day. Rehearsals were a perfect excuse. He nodded with determination. “I guess I’ll do it.”
A wide smile broke across Rubeus’ face. “Great. Be in the basement at midnight on Monday. You’ll have an hour to get into costume.”
“That’s only two days from now.”
“Mm-hmm. We’re performing the production on Lady Nehelenia’s birthday.”
“Two days isn’t enough time to memorize my lines.”
“Memorize your lines? Don’t even worry about it. You’ll read from the script. I don’t have enough copies for everyone to have one. They are handwritten, after all.”
“Do you always have blind runs?”
“Of course. It’s the way things are done here.”
“Oh.” Darien frowned. So much for rehearsing with Serena. “So are we supposed to make her presents or something?”
“Nah, it’s easier to grab something from the shelf—just make sure the item has a designer label on it.”
They stopped in the Food Department to pick up nourishment for the night. Darien’s eyes flitted to the back, where he could see shadowy figures in the window of the Butcher’s Shop. He blanched and turned his head, eyes lighting on the next stand. A smile pulled at his lips.
“Hey, Rubeus?”
“Yeah?”
“What about cake?”
“Cake?” He followed the younger man’s gaze. “You want to make her a cake?”
“My grandmother taught me her secret recipe.”
“The Watchman will smell it—”
Darien raised his nose into the air. “They always leave bread out overnight on Sunday. The smells will blend.”
“I’ll leave it to you, then. Just make sure not to get caught.”
“Promise.”
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Darien’s eyes darted back and forth nervously. Being so close to the butcher shop made his skin crawl. Why had he agreed to this in the first place? Hearing the soft slosh of batter being stirred, he turned his head to watch the blonde girl at his side. Of course. He wanted the opportunity to spend time with Serena without rousing suspicion. Being Lady Nehelenia’s maid, Serena always put the matriarch’s meals together in the bakery. It was what had given him the idea in the first place.
Sensing him staring, Serena glanced up and smiled. Flour speckled her face like freckles and a smudge of batter clung to the crevice near her lips.
“You look like a snowman.”
“A what?”
“You don’t know? You make them out of snow.”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t really remember snow. It’s white, right?” She traced a pattern against the flour-coated table. “Like flour?”
“Yes.”
“If I were to run it through my fingers, would it be soft and fluffy?”
“More like wet and cold.”
“Really? I don’t remember that part.”
Darien smiled sadly. Her revelation tugged at her heart. What other things that he took for granted was she unfamiliar with? He reached out and brushed the flour from her nose, causing her to sneeze.
Feeling his breath hitch, he bent down and kissed her lightly, transferring the powdery substance from her lips to his. Frowning as he realized she hadn’t responded to his touch, he pulled back to look at her. His eyes darkened as he noticed that, rather than removing the flour, he had merely succeeded in smearing it across her face. Now wet, it clung to the rosy substance of her lips, hiding it from view. His vision blurred. How could he be jealous of something as inanimate as flour? It didn’t make sense...and yet, the thought of it gracing her lips when he was unable to do so left a burning sensation in his chest.
He stared into her upturned face, taking in the silver flecks swimming in her cerulean eyes. Her wide, frightened eyes.
Shit.
Trepidation filled him to the core as he watched her bring a hand to her mouth, fingers curled as she slowly touched her lips.
“What—What are you doing, Darien?”
He winced. “Serena, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, it’s okay. It—Well, it sort of felt nice. What do you call it?”
His jaw dropped, but he quickly regained control. Had they taught her nothing over the years? His eyes narrowed. Then again, he didn’t really want anyone but himself to teach her something so intimate, did he?
He smiled softly. “It’s called a kiss. People do it to show they like each other.”
Her voice regained its whimsical tone, leading Darien to believe that the curious child Serena had once been was surfacing again. “Like the way Mom and Dad used to like each other?”
“Mm, sort of, yes.”
“When you like someone, how does it feel?”
“...Feel?”
“When I think of you, my insides melt into cookie dough. Whenever I’m near you, I feel warm inside, as though I’m baking in the oven. Just now...”
He waited with bated breath as she eyed him with interest.
“Well, it was like biting into a freshly baked cookie for the first time.”
He smiled at her analogy. “Mm, that sounds about right. I think you like me.”
“I do?”
“Mm-hmm.” He brushed a finger against the corner of her lip, removing the cake batter. He brought it to his mouth and sucked thoughtfully. “You know, it’s lonely to bake alone, Serena.”
She bobbed her head in agreement. “That’s why I’m glad you’re here tonight. I hate being up here alone.”
“I think we should bake some more cookies together, don’t you?”
She blinked, startled. “You’re making cake, though, not cookies.”
“Mm, not that kind of cookie.” He bent his head toward her once more, smiling as he felt her tentative response.
Her lips were soft and flavored with flour. They brushed against his lips slowly, as delicate a touch as a butterfly would have were it to land on him. After allowing her to get used to the sensation, he delved further. Her mouth was warm and tasted of raw cake batter. He explored slowly, reveling in the sensations she was causing to unfurl in the pit of his stomach.
Pulling back, he took in the flushed tone of her skin and the way her eyelashes brushed across the ridge of her cheeks. He had never seen anything prettier.
She opened her eyes and smiled slowly, causing her face to appear illuminated from within.
Except that.
“That was...really nice.”
“Yeah?” He suppressed a grin, knowing she would think he was laughing and take offense.
She nodded, a dreamy expression in her eyes. The look quickly disappeared as a soft thump was heard next door. “We—We shouldn’t do this. If they see—”
“They won’t.”
“But if they do—”
“Serena, I want to take you away from here. If I asked you to escape with me...well, would you?”
Her eyes darted around the room frantically. She reminded him of a frightened rabbit. “I—This isn’t safe. They’ll hear you!” She beat the cake batter loudly, as though if they heard the noise, they would think nothing was amiss.
The thumping continued, but no one entered the room. The thumps got louder before stopping all together. Darien met Serena’s eyes, awash in sudden knowledge. The Dark Men had claimed a new victim. Either that, or they were subtly warning the duo of what awaited them if they didn’t shape up and start playing by the rules...
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Author’s Note: A lot of people need to be thanked for their help in looking this over, especially because it’s a little different from the other romances out here. I also need to credit original source material, because this idea did not come from me. However, I also don’t want to say anything to spoil the story for anyone right now because I want there to be a good amount of suspense. I’ll credit everyone after the epilogue all at once. Send me a PM if you have a problem with that and we’ll chat. :)
Like it? Hate it? I’m the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!
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