Pomegranates and Desire

No Secrets

"Serena has been lying to me." Dan blurted out while watching TV with Persephone at her apartment one Friday night not long after it happened. "All right. Truth time." She sighed, standing up and letting him fill her in as she rummaged through the cabinets in her kitchen. Soon enough she pulled out two glasses and some chocolate.

Sliding the chocolate over to him, Persephone grabbing a beer for him and a fruity drink for herself from the fridge. That sat there for hours, drinking, eating chocolate, and complaining. A tradition among the two really. Even when they were separated, they would call each other and lament over the phone.

They called it "Truth Time". It started when they were 12 with soda and stashed away Halloween candy, slowly morphing into alcohol and anything sweet on hand over time. It typically took place when one of them was upset or stressed.

Truth Time always ended in the same way though. Both of them passed out, side by side, happy and worry free. They were best friends for a reason. They always knew what the other needed and was always supportive.

XoxoxoX

"Ah. The alarm." Persephone groaned, trying to sit up as her alarm went off right in her ear. She was hanging half way off her bed while Dan took up the rest, spread out with limbs everywhere. "Turn it off!" Dan grumbled, still laying face down. "At least take your shoes off. I'm grabbing a shower." The brunette rolled her eyes, slamming her alarm off.

Dan gave an incoherent grunt as Persephone started to rummage through her clothes to find something to wear. As she pulled out some jeans, Dan's phone started to ring. He gave a frustrated groan as he answered the call, not bothering to see who it was.

"Yeah." He sighed, running his hands over his face, trying to wake up. When Serena's voice answered his tired one, he sat straight up, confused. She started rambling and Persephone gave him a look. He made the motion for her to keep quiet and she shrugged and slunk away to shower.

XoxoxoX

When Persephone got back to her bedroom, Dan was sitting up and off the phone, a pounding headache making him rub his forehead. "I can't even remember a word of that conversation." He sighed, closing his eyes. Persephone gave a quiet laugh and shook her head.

"Let's go get coffee." She gently nudged him up, smiling. He always had a harder problem with the morning after Truth Time than she did, be it from a sugar crash or a hangover. Dan only mumbled something vaguely vulgar sounding but she couldn't quite make it out.

"Let's go, Danny boy. Nice greasy food and coffee at a diner down the street." Persephone led him out, Brutus following close behind as they walked down the street. They walked into an old style diner, sitting in the very back.

A way to perky waitress came to take their order, Persephone ordering for the both of them, knowing Dan couldn't be bothered to talk. Soon enough, greasy diner food and coffee was placed in front of them. Dan devoured it without hesitation, slowly getting rid of the hangover.

"Are you back to yourself yet?" She smirked over her coffee. He sent her a glare, it holding no meaning and she knew it.

XoxoxoX

The two best friends walked down the street, hangover free and finally enjoying themselves. "I just, can't believe her. She was acting weird and then lied to me. Now she's calling me in the morning to talk. I thought that it was problems with Chuck and everything but now I don't know." Dan rambled as Persephone listened patiently.

"I do not know why you would not tell me all this was happening." She smirked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "I didn't want to worry you. I was hoping it'd blow over." He shrugged, knowing it was stupid not to tell her. "No secrets means no secrets, you fool." Persephone shook her head, exasperated with her best friend.

"Yeah. I know. I'm an idiot. I can't help it." Dan laughed, forgetting his worries for a second. Persephone only smiled, rolling her eyes.

XoxoxoX

"I'm going to hang out with Vanessa and our new friend Sara later. You sure you don't want to come?" Dan offered again after lunch. "I have a party later. I don not want to but, as you have pointed out before, I need to network." Persephone sighed as they hung out in her livingroom.

"Yeah. That's going to suck." He chuckled, slowly getting his things together. "Have fun." She called as he let himself out. After a few minutes she got up to get herself ready. She unhappily put on a mid-length, strapless, dark red dress that was in season and apparently a piece half of the world wanted. Persephone never kept up with fashion so she couldn't tell you the brand if her life depended on it.

After dressing herself to high society standards, she took off for the party, Brutus trailing behind. With an uncomfortable evening of networking and rubbing elbows, she was exhausted by the time she got home. While she was wiping off her makeup, her phone vibrated, signaling a text.

Persephone closed her eyes, debating on even looking at it or not. She'd much rather not but she did anyway.

"Sorry I missed the party this night. Word on the street is you looked devine. I'll have to make sure to go to the next one." The text from Chuck seemed to immediately give her a migraine. She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. He always texted late and it hardly ever made since.

He's been texting her for weeks now and she didn't know how to feel about it. She was to exhausted to care. She dressed for bed without replying and as she crawled under the covers her phone went off again. She read the text before putting it down, not responding to this one either.

"I'll be dreaming of lilacs tonight. I wonder what you'll dream of."