Chapter 39: In The Dark

            Chance sat in her lonely room for what seemed like an hour. She stared at the empty oak dresser in front of her, and her reflection in the mirror stared back at her. It had been three days since Daniel moved out of the condo to take care of Shiri. It was boring there without him, especially since Darren had gone to San Francisco for the rest of the week.

            If it hadn’t been for the phone startling her, she would probably have stayed in the room for another two hours wasting away her life as she wondered what to do next. Chance stood up and walked into the kitchen to answer it.

            “Hello?” she sullenly asked.

            “Is this Sweet Misery speaking?” Dan replied.

            “Yeah, and her little friend PMS too,” Chance answered back even more angrily.

            “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just called to see how you were doing without me and Daz,” he said a little more lightly.

            “I’m doing real shitty if you really wanted to know,” she retorted, sitting down in one of the chairs by the table. “What do you really want, Danny?”

            “Well, maybe this’ll make your day. Would you like to go to Las Vegas with Shiri and me this weekend? We were thinking about doing a little gambling and some other sorts of stuff, and I was just wondering if you wanted to join us.”

            Chance’s ears perked up. She wasn’t expecting her day to get any better, but it had. “Yeah, sure! I’d love to!” she told him. “But what about Darren?”

            “Bring him along too. We don’t want you to be all alone in a city where there are too many drunks and gamblers,” Dan replied.

            “Thank you so much, Danny. You just made my day. I finally have a good reason to go shopping,” Chance said as she stood from her chair and headed to her room. “Hey, is Shiri up for some shopping? Or is she still not allowed to get out of bed still?”

            “Her appointment with the doctor is today. That’s gonna make the decision. If you wanna wait, she’ll be back in a few hours.”

            “I can’t wait. I have to get out of this place. I swear, one more hour in solitary confinement and I’m gonna lose my mind!”

            “Alright, I’ll talk to you later then. I’ll give you a call around nine tonight to give you the details. Bye, hon.”

            “See ya, sweets.” Chance hung up the phone and began to look around for something to wear that day. She pulled out a white baby tee and a pair of old denim jeans that were already showing signs of overuse. Holes dotted the front near the knees and at the bottom near her foot. To top things off, Chance pulled on a light blue hoodie with the word “Angel” on the front in dark blue block letters.

            After finishing her hair and her makeup, she walked out of the house and headed for Darren’s black Durango. Chance headed straight for the mall to pick up some new clothes she’d ultimately end up wearing to Vegas at the end of the week.

~~~~~~~~~~

            “Chance!” Darren hollered from the end of the terminal. She ran in his direction and fled into his outstretched arms. It had been two days since Chance’s talk with Dan about Vegas.

            “I missed you!” she nearly screamed into his ear.

            “Me too. How have you been? What’s up around here?” he replied.

            “Actually, Dan invited us to go to Vegas with him this weekend. What do you say?” Chance asked.

            “I say, why not? We all need a vacation. It sounds like a great idea,” Darren said as the two of them walked out of the airport.

            “Great, flight leaves tomorrow night at six. You wanna go get some dinner?”

            “Yeah, I’m starved. I left San Francisco in a hurry so I had no time to eat. Where do you wanna go?”

            “How about that one little restaurant downtown, you know, the Chinese one?”

            “Sure,” Darren agreed as the got into the SUV and headed for Beverly Hills.

~~~~~~~~~~

            “I was just here yesterday,” Darren said as he, Chance, Dan, and Shiri headed for their gate at LAX that evening. The sun hadn’t even set, but they knew to be rested up that night. They were headed for party central, and they needed their energy to have a good time.

            “Yeah, so was I,” Chance retorted as she rummaged through her purse and pulled out her boarding pass. The four of them headed for one of the private gates where they’d be escorted to a private jet ready to take off. Chance liked the fact that she had become a celebrity in such a short time. She loved being treated like one. Fancy cars, and even fancier planes always waited for her when she was out in public, but she liked her private life much better. Chance enjoyed her time with Darren and her friends. She cherished the moments that she shared with them, and never took a single one for granted. Ever since her “accident,” she had learned to live life to its fullest, and she was.

            Chance trotted ahead towards the gate and quickly turned around so that Darren ended up bumping into her. He was startled, but took it lightly and began to chase her out the door and towards the plane on the runway. The frolicking was stopped when they reached the little jet and handed the tickets to the pilot.

            “So, Danny, how do you feel about taking a little plane instead one of the big ones?” Chance asked as she took her seat in the luxurious cabin near the wing.

            “Much safer, that’s for sure,” he replied, sitting across from her. Shiri sat down beside him and smiled. Nobody had heard a word from her the entire trip. She had remained so quiet that Chance almost forgot she was there.

            “Girl, speak up! I haven’t heard from you in, like, forever!” Chance said as she became more and more enthusiastic about the trip.

            “Sorry, my meds are keeping me from being coherent long enough to carry on a conversation,” Shiri replied as she nestled her head on Dan’s shoulder.

            “That sucks. What are you on anyway?”

            “Pain killers with a sleep agent. Any time I take one, I’m out cold for at least a three hours. Kinda defeats the purpose of this trip, you know?”

            “Aw, poor Shiri. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’ll be okay by tonight,” Chance said as she turned to Darren and glared at him with a lop sided smile on her face.

            “What?” he immediately asked. She kept staring at him with the same strange look on her face. “Oh, don’t you dare!”

            “He, he, he…” Chance laughed devilishly. She lunged in Darren’s direction and began to tickle him. He tried to make her release her grasp, but she held on tighter until tears were streaming down his face from laughing so hard. This persisted until one of the flight attendants told them to stop and put on their seat belts since the plane was going to take off. Chance retreated and strapped herself in, but Darren got the last laugh. Now that she was strapped in and unable to move, he took the opportunity to get her back for what she had done.

            He lunged for her with hands ready. Chance laughed so hard, she almost lost consciousness. She was thankful that Darren stopped when he did, or she would have died. Panting for another few minutes brought down her heart rate and helped her breathe normally again, but she was formulating a plan in her head to get Darren back.

            “You two are so bad,” Shiri said as she slowly began to nod off. Dan had already wrapped his arms around her and was holding her close.

            “And you two are so cute,” Chance replied. Shiri smiled just before she fell asleep.

            “Let me guess, you’re gonna have to carry her off the plane now that’s out,” Darren whispered as his arm made its way around Chance.

            “Yeah, but I don’t mind,” Dan quietly replied. He rested his head on Shiri’s.

            “So, what are you two gonna do tonight?” Chance asked.

            “I don’t know. Probably just stay in the room and have the night to ourselves. I think we’re gonna do the gambling tomorrow evening. It all depends on Shiri’s medications. We’ll see,” he said, making himself more comfortable. “What about you two?”

            “Well, I was thinking a few games of craps and some poker, then a few rounds on the slot machines,” Darren answered. “Too bad Chance is too young to play any of those games, but she can still sit and watch.”

            “Hey, don’t refer to me as if I’m not here,” she angrily retorted.

            “Sorry,” Darren quickly apologized. “What do you wanna do?”

            “Sit and watch you,” Chance replied. Darren glared at her for a few minutes then turned his attention to the skyline. The sun was about to set and the colors of the clouds were majestic purples and pinks. Chance followed his eyes and saw exactly what had dragged him out of his train of thought. She too was mesmerized by what she had seen outside.

            “This is so beautiful,” Darren said as he gently kissed Chance on the neck.

            “Yeah, I’m so glad we took this trip,” she replied, holding onto him for a little while longer.

            The captain switched off the seatbelts signs and Chance immediately stood up to stretch. Her legs felt like jelly as she began to walk around the cabin and towards the bathroom. A few minutes later she returned. Darren watched as her sleek figure kept stretching to loosen her joints and muscles. He stood up and walked up to her as she did a back bend in the center aisle.

            Chance immediately flipped back up and pounced on him. They landed in the center aisle with a thud and began to tickle each other. Darren lay on the floor with Chance on top of him. He couldn’t move; she had his arms pinned above his head.

            “Say Uncle!” she screamed into his ear.

            “No!” he cried out.

            “SAY UNCLE!” Chance yelled a little louder, then began to tickle him again.

            “UNCLE!” Darren finally coughed. Chance let go of her death grip and stood up. Unfortunately for her, he grabbed her arm and brought her back down to his level.

            “Leave me alone,” she begged, trying to pull away.

            “I’m not gonna tickle you,” he said. Darren pulled her closer and dove in for a kiss. Chance began to giggle as he softly caressed her lips with his.

            “Get a room!” Dan hollered from his seat, but didn’t get a response from either of them.

            “See, I didn’t tickle you,” Darren said.

            “No, you didn’t.” Chance stood up and pulled him along with her. They made their way back to their seats just as the captain announced they were going to land shortly. Twenty minutes later, Chance, Darren, Dan, and Shiri were heading towards their waiting limo in a short line with Dan holding Shiri in his arms as she slept.

            “What hotel are we going to?” Chance asked.

            “MGM Grand,” Dan answered. “We’ve got two terrace suites. I think you’re gonna like them.”

            Chance smiled as she entered the limo. They drove off towards the hotel, and just like Dan had said, she absolutely loved the look of her room. It was two stories high with an opening to the terrace outside. Dan and Shiri’s room was just across the patio from hers.

            Within minutes, Chance and Darren were already heading out of their room and straight for the casino. Hours passed as he played hands of poker and games of blackjack while she looked over his shoulder and watched. As fascinated as Chance was about gambling, she vowed to herself that she’d never take it up. She had enough money save in all sorts of funds and accounts. Why did she need to lose it all?

            “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Darren said as he took Chance’s hand and led her towards the exit. They cashed in a hefty amount of money that Darren had made playing games and headed straight for the hotel restaurant for a late dinner.

            “Now what?” Chance asked as her adrenaline levels began to go back to normal.

            “I don’t know. Eat dinner and go to bed?” he suggested.

            “I guess.” They ordered their dinner and ate quickly. Chance wanted to get away from the public eye since people were staring at the table for long periods of time. About half an hour later, they were heading up to their room. As the got out of the elevator, Dan and Shiri were making their way down the hall in a drunken manner.

            “What have you guys been up to?” Chance asked as she made her way towards them.

            Shiri giggled and grabbed a hold of Dan’s jacket. “Nothing much,” she replied, looking at him with a strange glare.

            “Okay,” Chance said, not wanting to bother the drunken couple. She and Darren headed to their room and immediately fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Chance woke up the next morning lying in Darren’s arms as he slept beside her. She got out of bed and headed for the terrace. Looking out into the morning sunshine through her window, she saw Dan and Shiri having a private moment on the terrace. It appeared as if they had stayed the entire night out there. Neither of them had changed out of their clothes. They gently kissed on one of the deck chairs set outside. Chance smiled, she was glad both of them were so happy.

             Walking towards the bed, she woke up Darren and took him over to the window to watch Dan and Shiri. He silently followed and stared at the happy couple as they lay in their lawn chairs happy to be together.

            “They look so sweet together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got married anytime soon,” Chance said as she leaned on Darren’s chest.

            “I know, I wouldn’t be either,” he replied as his arms wrapped around her waist. Darren softly kissed her cheek and held her a little closer. “I wish our relationship was like theirs.”

            “What do you mean? It’s always been that way,” Chance retorted. She turned and faced him.

            “It hasn’t ever since our lives got so messed up with so much work we barely have time to spend together,” Darren answered.

            “Stop, we’re on the verge of a fight, and I don’t want this trip to be spoiled the first day. Let’s get past this and start talking about something else, okay?” she replied, knowing that another fight would only result in a bad weekend.

            “Okay, sorry. I don’t want to start a fight either. I just want our relationship to be the way that it used to be.”

            “So do I, but when do we have time for that?”

            “Right now. We’re here for the weekend, why don’t we make the best of it?”

            “And how do you plan to do that?”

            “Like this,” Darren said as he picked Chance up and carried her to the bed. His hands gently untied the knot in the front of her cotton robe and slipped it off to reveal her silky soft skin.

            “Hmm, this is perfect,” Chance replied.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Chance and Darren walked out of their room two hours later for brunch with Dan and Shiri. As they waited for the elevator on their floor, another couple came up to wait with them. They were too deeply concerned with their selves and didn’t notice Darren or Chance as they walked into the elevator. It wasn’t until the doors closed that the couple took a breath of fresh air.

            “Hey, I’ve seen you before,” the tall, lean guy with blond hair said as he stared at Chance. “You’re that new girl on ‘Roswell,’ the one with the voice.”

            “Oh, my God! You’re Darren Hayes!” the skinny young blond girl added in a shriek. “Can I have your autograph?”

            “Sure,” Darren replied as she held out a small notebook that she took out of her purse. Darren quickly signed his name just as the doors opened then walked out with Chance’s arm in his.

            “That was weird,” she laughed when they reached the restaurant.

            “I know, who would have thought?” he answered. Together they made their way to Dan and Shiri’s table and sat down.

            “What’s so funny?” Dan asked once they sat down.

            “There was this girl on the elevator who asked Darren for his autograph. She was so funny. You had to be there,” Chance replied as she broke out into a few more giggle fits.

            “Whatever,” he said as he turned his attention to Shiri.

            “So, have you guys ordered yet, or were you waiting for us?” Darren asked, changing the conversation.

            “No, we’ve already eaten, we’re just waiting for dessert,” Dan sarcastically answered.

            Darren made a face and started looking at the menu. Chance also stared down at the list of strange foods and used the “point to one thing and order it” method instead of reading what it was. She’d eat anything put in front of her at this point. Her stomach was growling with anticipation, and people were turning their heads to see where the strange noise was coming from.

            “Chance, you okay?” Shiri asked, a little more awake today than she was yesterday.

            “Yeah, I’m just starved. I wish they served some bread in the morning. I’m so hungry, I’m ready to eat my napkin,” Chance said as she stared down at the silverware set in front of her. She picked up her napkin and was about to put it into her mouth to give everyone a laugh, but stopped short when she saw the waiter coming her way. The four of them made their brunch selections, then began to softly converse with each other again.

            Chance began to space out as Dan and Darren talked about the music industry and Dan’s project. She wasn’t too interested in that kind of stuff, so she began to look around the table at the many things that glittered. It was then that she saw the two new silver rings that Shiri was wearing on her middle finger and ring finger.

            “Those are so cute,” Chance said as she held up Shiri’s hand to gaze at the ring on her middle finger. It had a pretty heart design around the edge and a vine running through the middle. The one on her ring finger was plain with a little rose on the top. The vine made up the rest of the ring. “Where did you get them?”

            “Dan gave them to me. Isn’t he so sweet?” Shiri answered as he took his hand and squeezed it. He immediately stopped his conversation with Darren and looked at her with a loving gaze. After a few moments, his attention turned back to his talking and Shiri turned to Chance. “So, what are we gonna do today?” Shiri changed the subject.

            Chance found it hard to ignore how quickly Shiri had strayed away from Dan’s gesture and from talking about it with her. She shrugged it off and answered, “I don’t know. How about some sight seeing?”

            “Sure, why not?”