Strawberry Kisses and Orange Trees - Part II
Title: Strawberry Kisses and Orange Trees
Author: Sofia
Pairing/Character(s): Serena & Carter
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Summary: "I want to do it," she tell him opening her eyes. "No plans, no rules, no compromise, though"
Chapter One - I Will Follow
The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud to be seen. A soft wind rippled through the countryside and made the air bearable. The vibrant colors of the orange trees, dotted with fragrant oranges, embellished the road side.
“I think you have no idea where we’re going; you haven't since we left Paris last week”, she says inhaling the perfume of the flowers. They were reminiscent of those found in a watercolour painting.
“Haven’t we agreed about not worrying, no agenda and no plans?” Carter smiles lazily at her, one hand loosely gripping the wheel, the other casually resting on the window frame.
“Which in other words means: we’re lost!" Serena retorted.
“No, we’re not! We’re heading south. Just relax and enjoy. How good is it to feel the wind through your hair, through your toes?”
Serena stretched out on the seat, feet hoisted upon the window frame. Her hair cascaded around her face and the short summer dress she wore revealed her shapely legs.
“Stop the car!” she says suddenly.
“Why?” Carter replies.
“I want to get out; it won’t take too long…”
“Serena, can’t you wait until the next restaurant or gas station?” he laughs.
“Shut up and do it!”
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asks stopping the car.
“Where are my sandals?” Serena asks looking around, ignoring his question.
“I remember something flying to the back seat. Let me check… Here they are… give me your feet.”
Serena turns to him and puts her feet on his lap. This is the Carter she knows and has learned to like over the years. Charming, mesmerizing, playful…
He carefully puts them on her feet. “Done.”
“Thank you, but I could have done that, you know…,” she miles at him.
“But you know I like to…” Carter stops before the words come out of his mouth and in a teasing tone he warns her: “Now be careful with the creepy crawlers… and the snakes…”
Serena sticks her tongue out at him. She opens the car door, steps out and slams it. His laughter resonates behind her.
The minutes pass before Serena comes back running and shouting -- two dogs hot on pursuit.
“Carter, start the engine, let’s go fast! Go! Go! Go!” she screams, face red from the running, her hair disheveled.
She jumps into the Corvette and erupts into laud laughter, as a number of oranges fall on the back seat.
“You’re crazy! You were stealing oranges and you were caught!” he starts the engine and leaving the marks of the tires on the road they speed off just in time.
“I was just picking up some when those two came out of nowhere” she says still laughing.
“Serena, we can afford some oranges…” he tells her grinning.
“They smell so good! Besides I’m starving.” Serena jumps back to the front seat and starts peeling an orange. She bites into it and tastes its delicious juices.
“Mmm, it tastes so good…” she leans back on her seat savoring the sweet juices.
Carter looks at her, at her lips. Every time they move they have him mesmerized. He thinks about them on him, he imagines taking them with his own, he dreams of…
He blinks and tries to regain his composure. With his thumb he wipes off the juice dripping down her chin.
“Thank you. Now open your mouth…” Serena gives him a slice of orange, beaming at him with her bright blue eyes.
He obeys and tastes the succulent fruit while Serena licks her sticky fingers, waiting for his reaction.
“Sweet, right?” she asks with that smile of hers that could light the night sky.
“Yes, just like you…” he whispers, his eyes sparkling, conveying a message that makes her blush and look away shyly.
“You should pay attention to the road…” Serena feels the sun toasting her skin like a gentle wave but she knows that it can’t be blamed for the warm feeling that crosses her body.
***
The sound of something smashing against her window brings Serena out of her sleep on this summer night in the Provence. The dark blue night is littered with thousands of sparkling stars. She gets up off her bed in the petite auberge room and approaches to see what it is. When she opens the window, a small white stone hits her on the head.
“What the...?” her voice trails off when she sees Carter laughing outside, two white horses next to him.
“What are you doing Carter? Where did you get the horses?”
“In the stable of course” he says with a beaming smile that would rival with those of the stars.
“And you decided to borrow them?”
“I don’t think anyone will need them this time of the night…”
“So you stole them! I steal oranges and you steal horses!” she laughs.
“Perfect for each other, don’t you think?”
Serena looks at him from the window, his well defined figure lit by the moonlight. Tall and dark and solid. His eyes are fixed on hers. As she gazes back at him she feels energized by the intensity of his look.
“Come with me” he breaks the silence.
“Now? Where to? They’ll think we ran away and stole their horses…”
“Serena, they’re sleeping! We’ll come back before dawn. It’s a wonderful night to be wasted sleeping. It’s warm, there are stars in the sky, the crickets are singing…”
“Carter, I didn’t take you as a romantic…” she smirks.
“I can… there are so many things I can be…” his voice mischievous.
“Give me a minute to put some clothes on.”
“A beautiful woman doesn’t really need clothes… Lady Godiva would agree…” he gives her a wink, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
She feels a deep pink rising through her cheeks and lowers her eyes hoping the night would conceal the shyness that too often keeps her silent around him.
“Hmmm… I’ll be right back…” is all she can blurt out before going back to her room.
Putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, Serena opens the window and shimmies down a pipe on the side of the house onto the ground.
“Are you going to help me?” she asks annoyed.
“One hour ago when I left there were stairs inside…”
“Shut up and help me or I’ll fall and I’ll make a lot of noise. If we’re going to make something illicit we’d better make as little noise as possible.”
Carter tied the two horses to a nearby tree and approaches the house. He grabs at her waist; she falls into his arms before reaching the ground. When she tries to walk away from him, he turns her around and brings her closer to him. His voice is soft and sultry when he whispers into her ear: “I can think of a few really illicit activities we could engage in…”
His hot breath on her ear sends a pleasure shiver through Serena’s body. His hands lazily sliding up and down her arms are making her feel warm inside.
“Do you remember that time in…” he tries to say when Serena regains some control and pulls him toward her face and with their lips mere inches away, her eyes twinkling, she mischievously whispers back at him: “ You don’t want to play games you can’t win Baizen…you didn’t then, you wouldn’t now…”
And with that she steps away from him and untying one of the horses she rides off.
“The game is on. It’s good to have you back!” he laughs, following her.
***
They lay in the grass side by side, nestled between the trees. The moon is shining out on the fields, the crickets are chirping. It was nature at its most peaceful harmony. Carter picks up a stem of grass and holds it between his teeth. Propping himself on his elbow he turns to her. Serena is looking up at the sky, an expression of calm and serenity on her face.
“Tell me what you’re thinking…”
Serena gazes up at him, that smile on his face works every time. Sometimes she thinks the effect that it has on her is magnified by that fact that she is the only one he reserves it for.
“I was just thinking how good this is. Being here, this place, the freedom… no worries, no pressure, no demands from anybody…You… and me… we’re good at this Carter… too good…”
“We can make it even better… This could be just the beginning.” He glares at her, struggling to resist. “Serena…” he draws her close, too close, their faces almost touching. He bends down and kisses her, feeling her hands holding his head tenderly as she draws his face closer to hers and kisses him back. She feels herself slip under his spell; she knows she’s burying herself in his affection and it is not good because it’s too good. He’s Carter Baizen and history is repeating itself.
It seems hours later that they open their eyes and draw apart. Serena looks at Carter. Just the sight of him is adding all sorts of emotions into the mix that is their story: exciting, honest, promising, interrupted…
“You’ve been wanting for this to happen…”
“No more than you…I’m just more obvious… What are you afraid of Serena?”
“I’m not afraid of you Baizen, never was, never will!” she grins at him, lightening the mood between them.
“No, you’re not. You’re afraid of you… ” he shoots her a swift, querying look.
The question is there in his voice but she doesn’t respond. She stares up at the sky. She can smell the earth beneath her head and feel grass stems against her ears.
“I’m not exactly the same person I used to be. I feel…calmer.”
“Whoever you are, I don’t want you to change, beautiful. Continue to be who you are, because I will always like the real you, the one I’ve always known.” He draws lazy circles round her belly while he talks.
“Who would you be?” Serena asks turning to him, twisting a grass stem round her finger. “If you could just run away. Become a different person.”
Carter’s silent for a moment. “I’d be me,” he says at last with a shrug. “I’m happy as I am. I like doing what I do.”
She runs a finger gently down his chiseled face as if she has just discovered how strong and expressive it is. “I don’t want you to change either…”
Eventually the stars begin fading one by one and slowly the day light spreads over the fields.
Carter whispers. “The dawn. It’s coming.”
“We should go in” Serena says, sitting up.
“Wait...” He pulls her back against him and Serena lays her head on his chest. His lips gently brush her forehead.
A bird trills in the tree above them welcoming the new day. Then another, and another. The sky pales before turning a vibrant blue as the sun casts its light from beyond the horizon.
“Look, it’s beautiful...”
He gazes down into her face with a smile that says more than his words.. “It is” his voice is husky and his words a soft caress. “Let’s go in now.”
***
The dance floor is mobbed with people; the music is frantic, the rhythm of it hot and furious.
Carter snaps his fingers and a bottle of tequila slides across the table out of nowhere; he pours out two shots and raises his glass for a toast. Serena smiles and clinks her glass to his. They lick the salt from their hands and suck up the tequila.
“C’mon, let’s dance!” She’s wearing a floating short white skirt and a white top that contrast perfectly with her already tanned skin.
Serena drags Carter to the dance floor; she throws her arms around him and he grabs her hips with his hands to hold her in place. They both swing to the music, their bodies touching sensually.
On the edge of the dance floor a tall guy is ogling Serena. His eyes are glued to the way her body moves. Serena catches his eyes prompting Carter to turn around to see what she’s looking at.
“Nice moves, can I buy you a drink?” he shouts.
Serena ignores him and continues dancing with Carter. But the feeling of those eyes on her makes her feel uncomfortable. Carter suddenly stops dancing. He looks right at the guy: “What do you want?”
He doesn’t say anything, but Carter puts his hands on his hips menacingly. "Go find someone else to drool over.”
He laughs and shakes his head: “I think I’m in love with your girl, pretty boy…”
Sensing things could get ugly, Serena walks between them. “Carter, just ignore him and he’ll go away. Please...”
“Doesn’t it bother you? The way he’s staring at you?” he asks furious.
Serena moves Carter away and speaks directly to the guy: "We’re going to leave and have a drink at the bar, but if you continue to bother us things will get ugly and no one wants that.”
“Maybe I want to get ugly with you, princess. Why don’t you tell your pretty boy to go home? I see he’s hiding behind you…”
Carter shoves Serena to the side and with fists already flying he punches him hard on the chin and nose. Blood erupts everywhere and sprays his jeans. People start clapping and yelling.
“Carter, stop it! You’re going to hurt him!” Serena screams frightened.
But all he is hearing is the loud buzz around him.. The guy must have hit him too, because of the bruises he’ll find later but he only stops when someone grabs his arms from behind and pulls them apart.
“I’m not finished, asshole!”
“Let’s go Carter, let’s get out of here. Now!”
The man turns Carter in Serena’s direction and walks a few steps with his arm around him... “You go with your girl and we’ll keep him here. Go.”
Carter walks toward Serena who is looking mad at him. “I’m not his girl!” she spits.
***
“Don’t follow me! I don’t want to see you right now, get out!” she screams taking off her shoe to throw it at him.
“What you did was horrible! I don’t want to talk to you!”
He grabs the shoe in the air and storms to her: “You won’t shut me out, deal with me because I’m not leaving!”
She screams exasperated: “Argh! Go, just go please. I was a fool to think that we could actually have fun without any kind of trouble!”
“He was being an asshole, he was hitting on you!”
“So what?! Are you my guardian now? We slept together years ago. We were having fun, that’s all. I owe you nothing, you owe me nothing, so don't take this as an opportunity to convolute our situation even more.”
Carter looks hurt and disappointed at her words. He knows Serena and he knows she very probably doesn’t mean them. And he knows his proximity is scaring her. When she’s afraid she runs away and she hurts those around her. He looks at her and decides not to say anything. He’ll leave her with the weight of her words.
What Serena doesn’t know is that he spends the night outside her bedroom sitting against the wall. She can’t sleep and spends the night looking outside, thinking of what is happening with them, between them. When she opens the door she finds him there, his head leaning to the right. Above his eye there is a bruise and his jaw is swollen. She slides down and sits next to him. Her thigh touches his and she can feel his warmth. She wishes she hadn’t said those words, she didn’t mean them. She holds his hand and cuddles into his chest. He opens his eyes and pulls her into his arms. He doesn’t say a word. But she does.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I would have hit him again and again van der Woodsen.” When he speaks he brings his hand to his hurt chin and winces.
“I know you would, that’s why I hated you that moment.”
“No you didn’t. You don’t hate me; it’s you that you hate… for liking me.” He pulls her close to him and with his face fierce with intent he forgets the pain and kisses her avidly reminding her why she doesn’t hate him. Serena closes her eyes and accepts his lips, his hands frantically searching for paths already travelled. She lets her body gradually unwind feeling the pleasure between them build. This time she won’t fight.
They wake up to sunlight streaming across their faces. Serena is curled up against Carter, all snug and content and happy with herself. He kisses her shoulder and hides his face in the crook of her neck.
“Carter?”
“Mmm?” he too feels warm and fulfilled, invigorated. There’s a sense of completeness that he only has with Serena.
“You were watching me sleep…”
“Was I?” he feigns innocence. His hand moves back and forth along her arm in a soothing movement.
Serena turns around to look him in the eyes: "What did you see?”
Suddenly he is towering over her and the intensity of his voice takes her breath away: "I saw the girl that is the girl no other girl will ever measure up to…”
“Carter, I…” but his lips silence her mouth. “Don’t ruin it; you’re not very good with words…”
tbc
Author: Sofia
Pairing/Character(s): Serena & Carter
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Summary: "I want to do it," she tell him opening her eyes. "No plans, no rules, no compromise, though"
Chapter One - I Will Follow
The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud to be seen. A soft wind rippled through the countryside and made the air bearable. The vibrant colors of the orange trees, dotted with fragrant oranges, embellished the road side.
“I think you have no idea where we’re going; you haven't since we left Paris last week”, she says inhaling the perfume of the flowers. They were reminiscent of those found in a watercolour painting.
“Haven’t we agreed about not worrying, no agenda and no plans?” Carter smiles lazily at her, one hand loosely gripping the wheel, the other casually resting on the window frame.
“Which in other words means: we’re lost!" Serena retorted.
“No, we’re not! We’re heading south. Just relax and enjoy. How good is it to feel the wind through your hair, through your toes?”
Serena stretched out on the seat, feet hoisted upon the window frame. Her hair cascaded around her face and the short summer dress she wore revealed her shapely legs.
“Stop the car!” she says suddenly.
“Why?” Carter replies.
“I want to get out; it won’t take too long…”
“Serena, can’t you wait until the next restaurant or gas station?” he laughs.
“Shut up and do it!”
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asks stopping the car.
“Where are my sandals?” Serena asks looking around, ignoring his question.
“I remember something flying to the back seat. Let me check… Here they are… give me your feet.”
Serena turns to him and puts her feet on his lap. This is the Carter she knows and has learned to like over the years. Charming, mesmerizing, playful…
He carefully puts them on her feet. “Done.”
“Thank you, but I could have done that, you know…,” she miles at him.
“But you know I like to…” Carter stops before the words come out of his mouth and in a teasing tone he warns her: “Now be careful with the creepy crawlers… and the snakes…”
Serena sticks her tongue out at him. She opens the car door, steps out and slams it. His laughter resonates behind her.
The minutes pass before Serena comes back running and shouting -- two dogs hot on pursuit.
“Carter, start the engine, let’s go fast! Go! Go! Go!” she screams, face red from the running, her hair disheveled.
She jumps into the Corvette and erupts into laud laughter, as a number of oranges fall on the back seat.
“You’re crazy! You were stealing oranges and you were caught!” he starts the engine and leaving the marks of the tires on the road they speed off just in time.
“I was just picking up some when those two came out of nowhere” she says still laughing.
“Serena, we can afford some oranges…” he tells her grinning.
“They smell so good! Besides I’m starving.” Serena jumps back to the front seat and starts peeling an orange. She bites into it and tastes its delicious juices.
“Mmm, it tastes so good…” she leans back on her seat savoring the sweet juices.
Carter looks at her, at her lips. Every time they move they have him mesmerized. He thinks about them on him, he imagines taking them with his own, he dreams of…
He blinks and tries to regain his composure. With his thumb he wipes off the juice dripping down her chin.
“Thank you. Now open your mouth…” Serena gives him a slice of orange, beaming at him with her bright blue eyes.
He obeys and tastes the succulent fruit while Serena licks her sticky fingers, waiting for his reaction.
“Sweet, right?” she asks with that smile of hers that could light the night sky.
“Yes, just like you…” he whispers, his eyes sparkling, conveying a message that makes her blush and look away shyly.
“You should pay attention to the road…” Serena feels the sun toasting her skin like a gentle wave but she knows that it can’t be blamed for the warm feeling that crosses her body.
***
The sound of something smashing against her window brings Serena out of her sleep on this summer night in the Provence. The dark blue night is littered with thousands of sparkling stars. She gets up off her bed in the petite auberge room and approaches to see what it is. When she opens the window, a small white stone hits her on the head.
“What the...?” her voice trails off when she sees Carter laughing outside, two white horses next to him.
“What are you doing Carter? Where did you get the horses?”
“In the stable of course” he says with a beaming smile that would rival with those of the stars.
“And you decided to borrow them?”
“I don’t think anyone will need them this time of the night…”
“So you stole them! I steal oranges and you steal horses!” she laughs.
“Perfect for each other, don’t you think?”
Serena looks at him from the window, his well defined figure lit by the moonlight. Tall and dark and solid. His eyes are fixed on hers. As she gazes back at him she feels energized by the intensity of his look.
“Come with me” he breaks the silence.
“Now? Where to? They’ll think we ran away and stole their horses…”
“Serena, they’re sleeping! We’ll come back before dawn. It’s a wonderful night to be wasted sleeping. It’s warm, there are stars in the sky, the crickets are singing…”
“Carter, I didn’t take you as a romantic…” she smirks.
“I can… there are so many things I can be…” his voice mischievous.
“Give me a minute to put some clothes on.”
“A beautiful woman doesn’t really need clothes… Lady Godiva would agree…” he gives her a wink, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
She feels a deep pink rising through her cheeks and lowers her eyes hoping the night would conceal the shyness that too often keeps her silent around him.
“Hmmm… I’ll be right back…” is all she can blurt out before going back to her room.
Putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, Serena opens the window and shimmies down a pipe on the side of the house onto the ground.
“Are you going to help me?” she asks annoyed.
“One hour ago when I left there were stairs inside…”
“Shut up and help me or I’ll fall and I’ll make a lot of noise. If we’re going to make something illicit we’d better make as little noise as possible.”
Carter tied the two horses to a nearby tree and approaches the house. He grabs at her waist; she falls into his arms before reaching the ground. When she tries to walk away from him, he turns her around and brings her closer to him. His voice is soft and sultry when he whispers into her ear: “I can think of a few really illicit activities we could engage in…”
His hot breath on her ear sends a pleasure shiver through Serena’s body. His hands lazily sliding up and down her arms are making her feel warm inside.
“Do you remember that time in…” he tries to say when Serena regains some control and pulls him toward her face and with their lips mere inches away, her eyes twinkling, she mischievously whispers back at him: “ You don’t want to play games you can’t win Baizen…you didn’t then, you wouldn’t now…”
And with that she steps away from him and untying one of the horses she rides off.
“The game is on. It’s good to have you back!” he laughs, following her.
***
They lay in the grass side by side, nestled between the trees. The moon is shining out on the fields, the crickets are chirping. It was nature at its most peaceful harmony. Carter picks up a stem of grass and holds it between his teeth. Propping himself on his elbow he turns to her. Serena is looking up at the sky, an expression of calm and serenity on her face.
“Tell me what you’re thinking…”
Serena gazes up at him, that smile on his face works every time. Sometimes she thinks the effect that it has on her is magnified by that fact that she is the only one he reserves it for.
“I was just thinking how good this is. Being here, this place, the freedom… no worries, no pressure, no demands from anybody…You… and me… we’re good at this Carter… too good…”
“We can make it even better… This could be just the beginning.” He glares at her, struggling to resist. “Serena…” he draws her close, too close, their faces almost touching. He bends down and kisses her, feeling her hands holding his head tenderly as she draws his face closer to hers and kisses him back. She feels herself slip under his spell; she knows she’s burying herself in his affection and it is not good because it’s too good. He’s Carter Baizen and history is repeating itself.
It seems hours later that they open their eyes and draw apart. Serena looks at Carter. Just the sight of him is adding all sorts of emotions into the mix that is their story: exciting, honest, promising, interrupted…
“You’ve been wanting for this to happen…”
“No more than you…I’m just more obvious… What are you afraid of Serena?”
“I’m not afraid of you Baizen, never was, never will!” she grins at him, lightening the mood between them.
“No, you’re not. You’re afraid of you… ” he shoots her a swift, querying look.
The question is there in his voice but she doesn’t respond. She stares up at the sky. She can smell the earth beneath her head and feel grass stems against her ears.
“I’m not exactly the same person I used to be. I feel…calmer.”
“Whoever you are, I don’t want you to change, beautiful. Continue to be who you are, because I will always like the real you, the one I’ve always known.” He draws lazy circles round her belly while he talks.
“Who would you be?” Serena asks turning to him, twisting a grass stem round her finger. “If you could just run away. Become a different person.”
Carter’s silent for a moment. “I’d be me,” he says at last with a shrug. “I’m happy as I am. I like doing what I do.”
She runs a finger gently down his chiseled face as if she has just discovered how strong and expressive it is. “I don’t want you to change either…”
Eventually the stars begin fading one by one and slowly the day light spreads over the fields.
Carter whispers. “The dawn. It’s coming.”
“We should go in” Serena says, sitting up.
“Wait...” He pulls her back against him and Serena lays her head on his chest. His lips gently brush her forehead.
A bird trills in the tree above them welcoming the new day. Then another, and another. The sky pales before turning a vibrant blue as the sun casts its light from beyond the horizon.
“Look, it’s beautiful...”
He gazes down into her face with a smile that says more than his words.. “It is” his voice is husky and his words a soft caress. “Let’s go in now.”
***
The dance floor is mobbed with people; the music is frantic, the rhythm of it hot and furious.
Carter snaps his fingers and a bottle of tequila slides across the table out of nowhere; he pours out two shots and raises his glass for a toast. Serena smiles and clinks her glass to his. They lick the salt from their hands and suck up the tequila.
“C’mon, let’s dance!” She’s wearing a floating short white skirt and a white top that contrast perfectly with her already tanned skin.
Serena drags Carter to the dance floor; she throws her arms around him and he grabs her hips with his hands to hold her in place. They both swing to the music, their bodies touching sensually.
On the edge of the dance floor a tall guy is ogling Serena. His eyes are glued to the way her body moves. Serena catches his eyes prompting Carter to turn around to see what she’s looking at.
“Nice moves, can I buy you a drink?” he shouts.
Serena ignores him and continues dancing with Carter. But the feeling of those eyes on her makes her feel uncomfortable. Carter suddenly stops dancing. He looks right at the guy: “What do you want?”
He doesn’t say anything, but Carter puts his hands on his hips menacingly. "Go find someone else to drool over.”
He laughs and shakes his head: “I think I’m in love with your girl, pretty boy…”
Sensing things could get ugly, Serena walks between them. “Carter, just ignore him and he’ll go away. Please...”
“Doesn’t it bother you? The way he’s staring at you?” he asks furious.
Serena moves Carter away and speaks directly to the guy: "We’re going to leave and have a drink at the bar, but if you continue to bother us things will get ugly and no one wants that.”
“Maybe I want to get ugly with you, princess. Why don’t you tell your pretty boy to go home? I see he’s hiding behind you…”
Carter shoves Serena to the side and with fists already flying he punches him hard on the chin and nose. Blood erupts everywhere and sprays his jeans. People start clapping and yelling.
“Carter, stop it! You’re going to hurt him!” Serena screams frightened.
But all he is hearing is the loud buzz around him.. The guy must have hit him too, because of the bruises he’ll find later but he only stops when someone grabs his arms from behind and pulls them apart.
“I’m not finished, asshole!”
“Let’s go Carter, let’s get out of here. Now!”
The man turns Carter in Serena’s direction and walks a few steps with his arm around him... “You go with your girl and we’ll keep him here. Go.”
Carter walks toward Serena who is looking mad at him. “I’m not his girl!” she spits.
***
“Don’t follow me! I don’t want to see you right now, get out!” she screams taking off her shoe to throw it at him.
“What you did was horrible! I don’t want to talk to you!”
He grabs the shoe in the air and storms to her: “You won’t shut me out, deal with me because I’m not leaving!”
She screams exasperated: “Argh! Go, just go please. I was a fool to think that we could actually have fun without any kind of trouble!”
“He was being an asshole, he was hitting on you!”
“So what?! Are you my guardian now? We slept together years ago. We were having fun, that’s all. I owe you nothing, you owe me nothing, so don't take this as an opportunity to convolute our situation even more.”
Carter looks hurt and disappointed at her words. He knows Serena and he knows she very probably doesn’t mean them. And he knows his proximity is scaring her. When she’s afraid she runs away and she hurts those around her. He looks at her and decides not to say anything. He’ll leave her with the weight of her words.
What Serena doesn’t know is that he spends the night outside her bedroom sitting against the wall. She can’t sleep and spends the night looking outside, thinking of what is happening with them, between them. When she opens the door she finds him there, his head leaning to the right. Above his eye there is a bruise and his jaw is swollen. She slides down and sits next to him. Her thigh touches his and she can feel his warmth. She wishes she hadn’t said those words, she didn’t mean them. She holds his hand and cuddles into his chest. He opens his eyes and pulls her into his arms. He doesn’t say a word. But she does.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I would have hit him again and again van der Woodsen.” When he speaks he brings his hand to his hurt chin and winces.
“I know you would, that’s why I hated you that moment.”
“No you didn’t. You don’t hate me; it’s you that you hate… for liking me.” He pulls her close to him and with his face fierce with intent he forgets the pain and kisses her avidly reminding her why she doesn’t hate him. Serena closes her eyes and accepts his lips, his hands frantically searching for paths already travelled. She lets her body gradually unwind feeling the pleasure between them build. This time she won’t fight.
They wake up to sunlight streaming across their faces. Serena is curled up against Carter, all snug and content and happy with herself. He kisses her shoulder and hides his face in the crook of her neck.
“Carter?”
“Mmm?” he too feels warm and fulfilled, invigorated. There’s a sense of completeness that he only has with Serena.
“You were watching me sleep…”
“Was I?” he feigns innocence. His hand moves back and forth along her arm in a soothing movement.
Serena turns around to look him in the eyes: "What did you see?”
Suddenly he is towering over her and the intensity of his voice takes her breath away: "I saw the girl that is the girl no other girl will ever measure up to…”
“Carter, I…” but his lips silence her mouth. “Don’t ruin it; you’re not very good with words…”
tbc