Love's Got A Hold On My Heart

Author: moonflower

Rated: PG13

Rating :

Disclaimer: How many times do I have to go through this? I don't own SM. There I said it!

ANs: Another revised chapter with a few little things added. Tell me what you think of it! ^_~

"As I gaze upon your beauty, I think to myself, never have I seen an angel fly so low..."

-Anonymous

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Chapter 3

A man with ebony black hair and midnight blue eyes that peered over the heads of most average men that walk along the streets of NY was doing some finishing touches for another opening of his restaurant.

"Here's the order of napkins you wanted, Mr. Lane," said one of the delivery men.

"Just put the boxes in the kitchen," answered Darien.

Darien Lane was the owner of The Rose Garden Cafe on Fifth Avenue. The restaurant was very expensive and high class. The inside of the restaurant was decorated with roses of varying colors like red, white, pink, orange, yellow, and any other shade imaginable. Roses with exotic names like Solitude, Sonia, Aquarius, Brandy, Blue Moon, Pink Peace, Silver Lining, and various others. (ANs: The roses that I just named above are actual names of roses. They are a type of hybrid tea roses and another category of roses which I forget at the moment.) Most of the roses were arranged in crystal vases on the tables, some roses in tall ivory vases sat in the front or back entrances of the restaurant, and garlands of roses hung on door frames or windows. The fragrance of all the roses gave the inside of the restaurant a romantic and beautiful feeling. The color of the napkins and tablecloths were a deep crimson red that almost resembled a crimson rose. In the front of the tables, a huge stage was set up for a band to play. Behind the stage were big French doors with golden handles that led to a large garden. In it was millions of different types of flowers besides roses, growing all around the pathways. Ranging from lilacs, lilies, forget-me-nots, tulips, daisies, orchids, and morning glories to tall flower trees. If a person walked deeper into the garden, they would find a small crystal pond where water lilies floated and swans swam gracefully. Tables were set up out in the garden for people who want to enjoy the beauty of the gardens as they ate.

Darien had been at the restaurant since six o' clock in the morning to finish setting up all the tables and chairs and receive orders of various items for the restaurant. Now that everything was set up, Darien took a seat in one of the chairs to rest.

"Do you like the layout of the restaurant?" asked Darien's decorator, Clark Benson.

"It looks beautiful. I want people to be in a romantic atmosphere."

"I know that people will want to come here to have their first date, make marriage proposals, celebrate anniversaries, and many other special occasions. Your restaurant is perfect for it."

"Thanks. According to some of the people who have been here say that this restaurant is like a romantic dream. I'm starting to have regular customers."

"That's great, Dare. Just shows that all your hard work paid off." Clark gave him a friendly slap on the back.

He smiled graciously.

Changing the subject, Clark asked, "Didn't you say a food critic is supposed to be here at twelve to review this place?"

"Yeah. She's from "The New York Times." I believe her name is Serena Lawson."

"Serena Lawson? I heard she's a hard food critic to please. I have a friend named Kara who's friends with Serena, and I met her once through Kara. What a beautiful sight to look at! This woman looks more like a model than a food critic," he beamed.

"I never heard of her before. Is she really that hard to please?"

"Very. She's a critical one but a looker like I said earlier."

"Now I'm curious to see this Serena Lawson." Darien stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Why? You want to ask her out or something? Don't bother setting your eyes on someone like Serena. Kara told me that Serena is very harsh with guys. She drops each guy she dates like flies. None of them can make her commit, and most of them are very handsome. Guys like you, I would say."

"Why is she harsh to men? Is she a man hater or something?" Darien looked up at Clark questioningly.

"No, she has guy friends. It's just that when it comes to dating them, you can't expect her to stay with anyone for long. She dumps each one and moves on."

"Talk about one stubborn woman," Darien mumbled to himself.

"Tell me about it." Clark rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief at the same time.

"She can't be that gorgeous," he decided. "No girl is THAT gorgeous." After Darien stated this, a woman sauntered in the restaurant, her heels clicking on the floor.

"Excuse me. Are you Darien Lane?" asked a sweet angelic voice. (ANs: Anyone care to guess who it is?)

"Yes, and who might you be...?" he trailed off as he looked up to meet two sapphire blue eyes.

"I'm Serena Lawson from "The New York Times." I'm sorry to come so early, but I was wondering if you could give me a tour of the restaurant first, before we start the review."

"Sure," Darien replied, still awe struck from seeing this heavenly creature before him.

"Hey, Sere!" greeted Clark.

Serena turned her attention to the other gentleman standing beside Darien.

"Clark? Oh, my god! Is that really you? You look so different. Where're your glasses?"

"Got rid of them."

"Do you work out?"

"Here and there." Clark smirked.

"You look great!" Serena breathlessly exclaimed.

"Thanks, but look at you. You're the one with the blossoming beauty.

"Thanks. Are you seeing anybody?"

"Yes. A beautiful girl named Clara."

"I'm glad." Serena flashed him a pearly white smile.

While Clark and Serena were deep into conversation, Darien sat off to the side, cluelessly looking from one person to the other. They were obviously into their discussion about...whatever it was they were talking about that they forgot all about him.

Trying to get back into the conversation, he cleared his throat.

::A-hem:: "Do you still want to have that tour?"

Clark and Serena stopped talking to look at him.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry." Serena smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I'd better go, Dare. See ya around, Sere." Clark waved good-bye to them.

"Bye, Clark," Darien and Serena said together.

After Clark left, Darien got off the chair and showed Serena every part of the restaurant. The tour ended with a view of the gardens. The hugeness of the garden and vast amounts of flowers, were what amazed Serena most of all. Hundreds and thousands of every type of flower imaginable was growing along the pathways.

'This garden is marvelous. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life', Serena thought in amazement.

As she stood gawking at the flowers, her back turned toward him, Darien tried to memorize her features--from her beautiful face to those mesmerizing blue eyes...every time he looked into them he thought that he was looking into a beautiful patch of pure blue sky on a cool summer's day.

'I'm certainly eating my words now. She's GORGEOUS! I've never seen a woman this beautiful before. The way the light seems to make her blond hair shine like gold would make the sun itself jealous of its luster', he thought to himself as he continued to follow her every movement.

While Darien continued to stare at Serena, she was well aware that eyes were fixated on her every move and that they followed her as she drifted from flower to flower. She knew that he had been staring at her ever since she first walked in.

'Oh, no! He's got that look in his eyes that most guys give me when they're interested in me', she thought worriedly as she continued to look at the flowers and watch Darien out of the corner of her eye at the same time.

'I hate it when guys give me "the look," but I have to admit, he is cute. The way his bangs fall into his beautiful midnight blue eyes, they kind of remind me of a clear night's sky. Wait a minute, Serena! You can't like this guy! You just swore to yourself that you're through with guys! FINISHED!!! This guy could be a major loser who is really cute with that attractive boyish grin of his, and...what am I saying?!?!? You're losing it, Serena. You know guys like him are cute, but are major zeros with no brains at all! If he even thinks about asking me out, he's never going to get a date. I'm going to keep rejecting him at all costs. He'll eventually quit his pursuits. He doesn't stand a chance with me!'

While she was having an internal conflict with herself, Darien stood behind her and admired more of her beauty. He noticed how good she looked in her dark navy blue suit that brought out her eyes. He also noticed how her small porcelain hands gently caressed each flower she touched. He wondered what it would be like to have her hands caress his face just as lovingly as the flower.

"Mr. Lane?" Serena asked in a business-like tone as she turned to face him.

"Yes?" Darien replied, startled out of his thoughts by Serena's calm voice.

"It's almost twelve, and I was wondering if we could go inside so we can start this review. Anyway, I'm sure people are lining up outside to be the first ones inside this restaurant. I like what I see so far, and I'm sure people will feel the romantic atmosphere of this place like I have."

He agreed to go back inside, and both walked side by side up the long path to the cafe. After a few moments of walking in silence, Darien spoke.

"I'm glad that the appearance of the restaurant pleases you. I was going for a romantic look when I first decided to open it."

"It's certainly very romantic. The roses inside the restaurant and the garden out here is a nice addition."

"I wanted couples, or married couples to be able to come to this place and be caught under the love spell. I want them to fall in love with each other all over again just by being here. I want them to be free from their hectic lives just for one night and just caught up with each other and the love they share."

"You're really passionate when it comes to love and romance."

"What can I say? I'm the type of guy who believes in love and romance."

"This is certainly a change from most guys I know," stated Serena.

"Are you saying that you never thought guys like me existed?" Darien playfully inquired, an amused look on his face.

"No, I didn't say that. It's just that, most guys I have dated would act like a major macho man. (ANs: Don't you just hate it when some guys act that way?) Never showing more sensitivity, or their soft side. They act like real men don't cry, and pretend that nothing can hurt them. They think acting all tough would impress people, but truly it doesn't. Personally, I think it's deplorable and ludicrous."

"Wow! You really do speak your mind. Clark told me how you say whatever is on your mind without holding back," he quietly said, shocked and awed by the fact that she thought all men were like that.

It irritated him yet made him more determined to prove her wrong by getting her to go out with someone like him.

"Very true. I don't like the idea of lying or agreeing with something that I disapprove of. It's better to just say whatever you have to say without holding back."

"That's very good advice. Most people would just go along with whatever a person says, afraid of speaking their minds."

"I wish they didn't. All people are entitled to their own opinion. I guess they're afraid of offending someone. To me, it might make the person thoroughly ponder about what they think is right and then compare it with another person's opinion. Maybe make them think twice about what they said. Both of them could possibly be right, too, once you view both sides."

"We've come to the end of the garden path," Darien stated as both he and Serena stopped walking and stood right in front of the back door of the restaurant.

"So we have--I guess we better go in."

"Yeah, we should," he said, a little disappointed that their walk through the garden has ended so quickly. The disappointment in his voice did not go unnoticed by Serena.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Well, ladies first," Darien said as he opened the door for Serena.

"Why thank you, Mr. Lane." Serena graciously accepted the gesture.

"Miss Lawson?"

"Yes?"

"Call me Darien. I really hate formalities."

"Um...okay. I guess if I'm calling you Darien, I guess you can call me Serena.

"Okay, Serena."

And they both entered the restaurant together.

To be continued...

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That's it for this chapter. I have the next chapter of this story ready so I'll try to type it up ASAP. Now, I'd like to thank Silver Bunny-chan, Kurisutaru(Kuris-chan), Chibi-Anon Ymous (Chibi-chan), and Chibi Cori (also Chibi-chan) who constantly nag me for new chapters. ^_^ What would I do without you guys? ^_^ Angel-Girlie (Melissa-chan) who's such a major sweetheart to me. Grace McMoon(Gracie-chan) who was my first web buddy! I'll never forget you. Moonie (Holly) who is another sweet. Keep working on those stories! Silvery White Rose(Rose-chan) who is my buddy and supporter. Natia_99 (Nat-chan) who's been very nice to me and supported me. My new editor, Jennie Starr! Thanks for offering your help! It means a lot to me! Crissy, my first reader ever to e-mail me on my stuff. Christina, another faithful reader. Rini-chan, my reader and one of my close friends. Reen-chan, thanks for your support and I hope to see the next chapter of your story soon! Universal Wonder Babe(Mel-chan) and Hotgurl0830 (Jocelyn) who are my newest web buddies! I love talking to ya guys! And the countless of other readers who have e-mailed me. I'm very glad to know that you still read my stuff. Lastly, Lady Spring who first posted my stories on her site and many other sites that post my stuff. THANKS TO EVERYBODY! :O)

Revised May 19, 2001