Serena

I was livid.

As I stormed my way back to the apartment, I could hear my heels angrily clicking against the ground, the sound echoing my frustration.

She was so dead.

Shoving my key into the lock, I threw the door open and roughly closed it behind me, the slam of it creating a loud enough noise to startle both Danny and Sara, who were cuddled on the couch, watching a movie.

"You are officially the worst best friend ever!" I glared at Sara, who gave me an innocent look, knowing exactly what she had done to cause this mood.

She sat up on the couch, with Danny pausing the movie, smirking at me.

"How was your date?" He asked and I narrowed my eyes at him.

I would've thrown my heel at him, but with my current luck, it'd probably turn into a boomerang and hit me back in the face.

"Oh, it was perfect!" I exaggerated the last word, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

I then threw my purse at him, which he caught effortlessly.

Jerk.

"What happened, Serena?" Danny then asked.

It was clear he was trying to act serious, but couldn't hide his amused smile from coming through.

I need new friends.

"What happened was my 'date' was completely stoned!" I exclaimed and Sara's eyes widened, whilst Danny let out a snort of laughter.

I'm seriously gonna whack him.

Ignoring the moron for a moment, I kept my eyes on Sara. "Seriously, Sara. You're the worst," I told her. "How could you set me up with someone like that?"

I slumped down onto the arm chair, still glaring at her.

"Oh, come on, S. He wasn't so bad. He's a part-time surfer," Sara tried to reason with me and I gave her a dry look in return, not impressed by her words at all.

"And part-time smoker," I added on. "I mean seriously, Sara?" I gave her a questioning looked, as did Danny.

Her head darted to both Danny and I, before she sighed. "You keep rejecting the guys I set you up with," she said.

"Because you find me absolute idiots," I told her and Danny nodded his head, agreeing with me.

"Like who?" She asked. "...Actually don't answer that," she quickly added on, knowing that there were a couple of oddballs on the list and I was right.

Sara then propped herself up on her knees. "So, he smokes weed, the date couldn't have been that bad," she said.

"He came to dinner late and then instead of apologising, he started to spew some crap about how the cutlery is so shiny and what makes birds so attracted to shiny things," I relayed my disaster of a date.

Sara winced. "Well, that..."

"Oh and then he stared at the damn fork for a good five minutes," I told her.

Whilst Sara sat there with a guilty expression, Danny laughed at my story.

"That's hilarious," he choked out between his laughter.

I scowled in his direction. "Shut up, Danny." I said, throwing a cushion at him. "I told him I was leaving, but I don't think he even realised I left," I added and this caused Danny to laugh more.

For all I know, that man could be still at the restaurant staring at the fork. Usually, I'm a nicer person to just leave someone sitting for me, but I really couldn't take it anymore.

There only so much talk about shiny cutlery that my mind could take, before it started to develop a serious migraine.

"He's probably still staring at the fork," Danny said. I could feel my lips twitch, a laugh nearly bubbling out of me since it was all so ridiculous, but I wanted to be serious right now.

"I had to suppress the urge not to beat him with the breadsticks," I mumbled.

Danny, again, started cracking up, but this time Sara smacked his arm to shut him up, which obviously didn't work.

She then raised her hands in defeat. "Okay, I messed that one up, but the next one-"

"No," I stopped her, knowing exactly where she was going with that. "No next one, ever. You're done trying to set me up."

I feel like I've fired her, but then again, with her track record, I have no regrets firing her as my matchmaker. Cupid would weep at her matchmaking abilities.

"Okay fine," Sara huffed. "Just keep rejecting potential suitors then," she said and I laughed.

"Potential?" I scoffed. "Sara, he was as close to a potential, as an apple is to an elephant," I said.

It probably wasn't the best example, but that's what I could think of in the moment. I also know that Danny was confused at my words, with the look he was currently giving me, but I just shrugged at him.

Suddenly, Sara's expression changed into a sadder one. "I just-...I want you to be with someone. I want to be able to go on double dates and stuff," she said, looking down and Danny looked at me.

I understood what she meant.

Sara is my best friend. You would want your best friend to be in a relationship at the same time as you, so you could do those couple things. Like going to dinner, taking classes or just complaining about your partner in general.

Unfortunately, for Sara, being in a relationship just stopped appealing to me...a very long time ago.

I didn't want to date someone for the sake of it, or because my friend was in a relationship, or for any other wrong reason. I needed to learn to be happy on my own, before bringing someone else into the equation.

A long time ago, I had already tried placing someone at the centre of my universe. When they weren't there anymore, it was hard.

Looking at Sara's face now, I feel like I've kicked a puppy.

"I know you just want me to be happy, Sara." I sighed, "But it can't be forced."

I once was the little girl, who believed that someday day she could potentially have her own fairytale, but now I've grown up. I know how things don't go as smoothly as they do in those books. Things don't always turn out how you expect.

"Plus, I like being the permanent third-wheel in your relationship," I joked.

Sara then let out an ugly laugh. "Yeah, you do like it. It's weird," she said, before tucking herself into Danny's side.

"Anyway, let's order takeout," Danny announced. "I'm sure Serena didn't get to eat during her hot date," he added, unnecessarily.

I threw another pillow at him, which again, he annoyingly caught.

Damn his reflexes.

Whilst sat at my desk, I was sifting through all the work I had yet to do...which was a lot, but I still wanted to neglect it.

My desk currently resembled a pigsty, with clutter everywhere. I'm normally a neat freak, but this was so much to organise.

As I picked up something to read, I heard a tap at the door. When I looked up, I saw Danny at the doorway with two mugs in his hands, one of which was my Harry Potter one.

"Hey," Danny smiled at me from the doorway, lifting up the mugs slightly and I grinned immediately.

"Hey," I greeted him, as he walked into my room and placed the mug on my desk.

"I brought you tea. Decaf," he said with a smile.

The aroma of my tea and his coffee, filled my senses and it immediately relaxed me.

Picking up my mug, I held it closed to my chest and smiled. "Thank you," I told Danny, a sigh of content left me as I smelt my tea.

Danny then took a seat at the edge of my bed and I swivelled in my chair to face him.

"So, what are you up to?" He asked, nodding towards my desk.

"Oh, nothing. Just running through some things," I sighed, feeling like a kid with a load homework. "You know how Mr Alves wants to sell his shop to me?" I asked him.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, you told me"

"I'm just trying to figure out how it will work," I groaned. "I've wanted to expand the shop for a while or maybe do like a cafe thing," I told Danny about my ideas.

Mr Alves, was the elderly man who had his antique shop next to mine. He was the one who gave me the bent-arrow pendant, that I still kept in my shop like the prized possession it is.

He wanted to spend more time with his wife and his family and felt as if it was the right time to retire now.

When I met his wife for the first time, they just looked so in love, they were so cute together. They have been together for so long, but still acted like a high-school couple. Stolen kisses, hand-holding and the cute glances at each other.

Mr Alves told me he was giving up the shop, but since it was his, he was able to decide who he wanted to give it to, and he decided that someone should be me.

My Aunt had decided she was loving life away from the shop and with her man, she didn't want to come bank now. So, I now ran it.

When Mr Alves told me about his decision, I wasn't so enthusiastic about it at first, not knowing how I was going to handle it, but he assured me, he wouldn't have made the decision if he didn't trust that I would be able to do it. With his reassurance and Arya's nagging, I decided to go ahead and take the store from him.

Only now, I'm lost on what I want to do with it.

All the ideas I could think of were probably cliche, but it had the potential to make money.

"So, what's the issue?" Danny asked.

"Just figuring it all out," I said with a deep breath. "I'm finally having to put my business degree in use," I said and Danny laughed at my words.

"You'll figure it out. You always do," Danny reassured me, as I took a sip from my tea.

I nearly laughed at his words, since that was completely not true. I stress and stress about things, developing a bad case of anxiety. Figuring things out just didn't really happen, at least not until I had a near meltdown.

Although, it was kind of nice to hear him say that, like I had a hang of things, when in reality I was a mess.

"Anyway, what did you come to talk about? Because I know it's not my shop," I asked him, knowing this tea came with an agenda.

He gave me a sheepish look. "About earlier...I don't know, I'm just a little worried," he started to say. "Sara's not wrong".

I raised a brow at him. "Really now?" I asked him.

Did he not just hear the disaster of a date I just had? And I know for a fact I've ranted about my other horrible ones as well.

I love Sara, but she sucks at playing Cupid.

"Don't get me wrong, I love her, but her matching making skills are shit," Danny said and I snorted at his words. "What I meant was, you do always reject whoever she finds you," he pointed out.

"You know the kind of people she finds me," I told him.

"Because you never find yourself anyone," Danny replied.

For the last couple of years, I threw myself into making a new life. My work, my friends and the shop, that became everything for me.

I focused on myself, rather than pursuing any sort of romantic relationship. It was only recently, at the behest of Sara, did I try going on dates. But then she just kept finding people that I wouldn't really consider dating.

"Don't push yourself to find someone, even if it is Sara setting you up with people. Because there will be no point, if you're not happy, even when you're single. Don't depend on someone to walk into your life and give you that," Danny told me.

"I am happy," I told him.

Danny gently shook his head. "Looking happy and actually being happy are two different things, Serena."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked Danny.

"It's not about what I want. It's about you," he said and I suddenly feel like I'm in therapy. "But if you really want to know what I want, then it's for you to be truly happy."

His words made me smile. I was so grateful to have him in my life. Danny was supportive, but never failed to tell me when I was being an idiot. I appreciated it.

"It's a bit late in the day for such a deep conversation," I chuckled.

"Eh, you needed it," Danny shrugged with a smile. "Plus, Sara's trying to make me watch some trashy tv show, so I'd rather be here with you," he added and I laughed again.

"Now off to bed you go," he instructed me, standing up from my bed.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

Sara and Danny both seemed to act like my surrogate parents. It was truly annoying at times.

"Hey, Danny?" I called out before he could leave my room, and he turned, standing by door.

"Yeah?" He questioned me.

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Anytime, cupcake." He winked at me, the nickname he had for me still remaining.

Once he left the room, I was left with my thoughts.