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About Time…
(by: p. bunny)
Everything was coming back to Audrey. She was sophomore that year. Her friends had been telling her how lucky she was being Shannon’s little sister. Not only that, she had connections to their group. Every week, someone from the popular crowd would drop by their house and Audrey even had the chance to talk to them at times. A common visitor was Derek Kredel. Then, of course, he stopped visiting altogether after the rumors spread.
Shannon was an easy lay. A natural slut. A willing conquest. A cock tease. An unforgettable one night stand. A waste of his time.
It was terrible. Then, he even had the audacity to approach Shannon a week later and say, “Anything else to add to that Reilly?”
Sibling loyalty won out and Audrey had slapped him hard across the face that day. It felt very satisfying. The hot contact of her palm to his cheek. The numbness of her hand afterward. The shocked, pained look Derek had across his features. Everything felt very rewarding.
That was, until today.
Audrey felt foolish. Her lavender dress made her itch but that was the least of her worries. Shannon and she never really had a close relationship but being that they were siblings, Audrey felt it her duty to protect her sister’s honor.
It was evident, upon hearing about Shannon’s wedding, that Audrey wouldn’t have any big part at the ceremony and even the reception. Still, the betrothed of the two did her best to look for something decent for Audrey to wear. In the end, Audrey had a tailored lavender dress with a corset top that flowed from her waist down to her knees. The shawl she was provided with did little at keeping her modest but it was all she had to cover herself.
She remembered the day of the fitting at the tailor’s, Audrey had been facing the full length mirror when she heard a voice utter, “A little too revealing don’t you think?”
Lo and behold, eight years after that incident, Derek was there in all his Kredel charm. Audrey couldn’t believe her eyes. When she was about to rant at him about his unwelcome presence, Shannon immediately intervened and exclaimed that she was happy to see him finally arrive. It was a complete mystery.
Well, not really. Not anymore.
Audrey glared at the hem of her skirt. It was December and the air was cold. Almost piercing through her skin. The shawl was useless. This was one of the reasons why she never wore these kinds of clothes.
The corset top made her boobs look extra big and Audrey didn’t like the boldness of her attire. The thin lavender ribbons crisscrossing her back did little to hide her unblemished skin and she felt extra exposed. Without those ribbons, the low v that nearly reached the base of her spine was even more revealing than it already was. It made her feel very uncomfortable. Not to mention that day when Derek declared it too revealing. Though she had been angry that he was there, Audrey couldn’t help but feel flustered whenever he as much glanced at her with a mix of disapproval and appreciation.
Two weeks of wedding preparations. Two weeks of that with him. It was nostalgic. Even when she was a freshman, Derek was often at their house. Audrey would often check what his hairstyle was that day. Spiked, bed look, or hat hair. There were more but it was only those three she could recall. At present, he didn’t have a single one of those hairdos anymore. He was clean cut now. Professional.
What else changed? Derek was quieter as a teenager. When he was younger, his body mass was bigger, bulkier. At the present, he was leaner, more built and even more attractive. His eyes were no longer detached from everything. They seemed more piercing. A mesmerizing forest green shade. Audrey always loved those eyes of his. Her one true weakness.
Back then, Shannon always fawned over Derek and Audrey could completely understand why. He was a great guy. Brash at times and even rebellious but he was decent enough. He smoked in high school and even drank on occasion but even Shannon did those things. Audrey too was no stranger to them but she stopped as soon as she started. Derek turned decent too. Before he graduated from high school he had cleaned up his act. The rumor though was unsalvageable. It was a lost cause.
To make things clear, Derek wasn’t a wild child. He was simply a curious being. He loved taking risks. Sometimes, too much. Many of his predicaments always stemmed from his illogical decisions but he would never intentionally hurt anyone.
If only Audrey was aware of that fact during her sophomore year. If she was, the feeling of her palm hard on his cheek would have been less gratifying. The numbness she felt would have been choking. The reaction of Derek would have made her feel immensely terrible.
Now, it certainly did.
It was Shannon’s wedding day and Audrey was still stuck outside her parent’s backyard looking across the snow covered soil. It was crazy of her to stay out here like this. Bare feet on the cold cement. Nothing but her dress and shawl. Chocolate brown hair up in an elegant knot but her neck, ears, wrists, and fingers were bare of any accessories. What was the use anyway? She no longer planned on going to that godforsaken wedding.
“I spread those rumors,” Shannon had said last night.
How could Audrey have known? It was an honest mistake. Back then, her first instinct was to protect her. Turned out the woman didn’t need protecting after all.
The last two weeks of wedding preparations had been torture. Derek had been nothing but kind. To Audrey anyway. He was distant towards Shannon. Angry even. Audrey would have been too if she only knew.
“I spread those rumors” The nagging voice in Audrey’s mind said. “I liked him for so long. I wanted him hurt. I was jealous. I didn’t want him to like anybody else. Not even you.”
But Audrey liked him too. Shannon knew that. That rumor was nothing but a big misunderstanding all because of a person’s selfishness. Eight years of not knowing. Eight years wasted.
Audrey felt foolish. Loyalty had made her forget about Derek buying that bullied kid lunch every day during her freshman year. Loyalty had made her forget about Derek talking back to a teacher for badmouthing a student. Loyalty had made her forget about Derek taking the winning shot of their basketball championship and telling others he couldn’t have done it without his teammates. Loyalty had made her forget about Derek telling his friends off whenever they teased Audrey during their visit. Loyalty had made her forget all the reasons why she had liked him in the first place.
Two weeks in his presence made her remember all those with painful clarity. After how cold she had treated him, Derek sill persisted on being so nice to her. At first it made her ache because she thought that he was just making up for what he had done to Shannon. Realizing though that he did nothing wrong after all made Audrey remorseful for her uncalled for apathetic treatment towards him. Today, she was bathing herself with self-pity.
But, if he still felt resentful towards the bride, why did he come to this stupid wedding? Surely, it wasn’t just to clear things out with Audrey. Eight years had been a long time. In her opinion, too long. Life had taught her to be a realist. In the deep recesses of her mind, however, she couldn’t help but hope Derek still harbored feelings for her.
A cold breeze swept past and Audrey shivered. Absentmindedly, her hand went up to her hair and started to remove the hairclips that were keeping her tendrils tight in that irritating knot. One, three, seven hairclips later, half of her face was finally curtained with wavy brown locks when the sliding door leading to the backyard opened.
“You’re out here in that? Are you crazy?” said Derek as he sauntered towards her with a reprimanding face.
The sudden appearance of him made Audrey’s breath hitch. Then, she tried to relax. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“You weren’t at the church so I looked for you. The ceremony should be starting soon you know,” he said once he stood beside her.
Shrugging, she continued to remove the hairclips from her head and stared at the immaculate snow before her. Derek leaned close to Audrey and started to help her with her task.
Startled, she glanced at him. “What are you doing?”
He smiled at her. “Helping you out. Though, I’m really curious as to why you’re doing this seeing as that you haven’t even shown yourself to the guests yet.” Derek stopped momentarily and removed his coat and put it on her shoulders. Then, he resumed on pulling out more hairclips.
“Thank you,” she muttered gesturing for the coat and then sighed. “I’m not going to the wedding.”
Derek paused and gave her a raised eyebrow. “Oh? How come?”
Again, she sighed. “I’m not in the mood.”
This time Derek stopped altogether in trying to find more hairclips and frowned. “What did Shannon do now?”
What he said made her laugh. His tone was accusatory and she realized that it had always been whenever he talked to or about Shannon. All these years he still held a grudge against her. Did he know that Audrey had been doing the same to him? Probably so. The confession of her sister though changed everything.
Audrey’s chuckle died down and she glanced at him only to see that his expression hadn’t changed. “Why are you here, Derek?” she whispered with furrowed eyebrows.
“I was invited,” he replied smoothly.
“So, I gathered. What I don’t understand is why you came.”
Derek looked dubious and tilted his head in question. “What do you mean?”
Glancing back at the snow covered ground, she said, “Well, are you here to straighten things out with Shannon? I’m really curious to know.”
Derek furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her face. “I wasn’t supposed to come but thought better of it. It’s been eight years . . .” He trailed off into silence and Audrey knew that what he meant to say that eight years had been long enough to forget what had happened. Shannon and he were friends again.
Bullshit.
It was obvious he was still angry with Shannon. Still, he tolerated her. For what?
“I guess,” Audrey replied and removed the last of the hairclips from her hair. Shaking her head, she let her tendrils glide down her shoulders and combed through it twice to make sure she at least looked presentable. When she glanced at Derek she saw him staring at her with a solemn expression on his face.
Caught in the act, he just smiled at her and shrugged. “We should probably get inside. It’s getting really cold.”
Absentmindedly, she nodded and didn’t even notice when Derek gently held her elbow through the coat he lent her earlier and stirred her inside the house. “Do you want some coffee or are you going back to the wedding?” Audrey asked when they reached the warm confines of the living room.
“Coffee sounds great. I’ll have it black, thanks.” He replied with a smile. Derek then plopped down on the sofa and rested his arms at the backrest of the couch.
Giving him a curt nod, Audrey placed the hairpins down a nearby table and proceeded to her parent’s kitchen and started towards the coffee maker. She then got two mugs and readied their drinks. Before she could finish, Derek entered the kitchen and leaned his elbows on the marbled surface of the island in the middle of the room.
“Some guy named Heath was looking for you at the church,” he said in nonchalance.
“Oh?” Glancing back at Derek, Audrey saw him nod his head to confirm what he just said. Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the two mugs in her hands. Shaking her head, she explained. “Heath Brennan’s my ex. Broke up five months ago.”
“Really?” for some reason his voice sounded clipped. Almost forceful. “How long have you been together?”
“Two years. Give or take.”
“That’s long,” he said as he traced nonexistent patterns on the marbled surface. “Why’d you guys break up?”
“Apparently,” Audrey paused and walked towards Derek and gave him his mug of coffee, “I made him see the light.”
“What?” he asked confused.
Grinning, she answered, “He’s gay.”
Derek gave her an incredulous stare while he took a mug from her. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Audrey laughed and nodded her head. “Yes, I’m kidding.”
Pausing, she copied Derek’s posture and leaned her elbows on the flat marbled surface and started to trace the rim of her mug with her index finger. “We broke up because it didn’t seem like we were into the relationship anymore. Well, at least I wasn’t. I was the one who broke it off. He was bitter for a time but he later thought that the break up was inevitable. We were too preoccupied with our own stuff so it was better that it ended.”
“So,” Derek raised an eyebrow at her, “you just gave up? Two years was a long time. Didn’t you want to work it out first?”
Shrugging, she answered, “No. At that time I really didn’t think it would last. Everything just started to get so complicated. First, everything at work started to pile up.”
“Wait,” Derek cut in. “You’re in public relations. Is that about right?”
“Yes, for McIntyre Publishing. It’s a really small company. Workload there started to pile up for some reason and we had new clients that needed to be prioritized due to their big scheduled debuts. Then, my cousin J.J. had a pregnancy scare with his girlfriend. Damn teenagers. You know how my cousin was back then? Always telling me before anybody else. Well, nothing’s changed. I just wish he’d be more careful with what he does with his life. To add to that, my apartment was broken into –“
“What?” Derek said in surprise. “Someone broke into your apartment?”
Audrey waved her hand as a signal for him to pipe down which he did in reluctance. “Yes, it was but it turned out that it was only Shannon after all. I don’t want to elaborate on that. To make the long story short, she lost the keys I gave to her out of the goodness of my heart only to break into my apartment later on for, as it turned out, a CD she needed for her wedding.” Shaking her head at the memory, she sighed. “She could have just waited for me to arrive fifteen minutes later. All of those things are just the tip of the iceberg. I want to forget everything else.”
It was odd telling him all this. It wasn’t that she was a secretive person by nature but Audrey felt that the information that she had just divulged was rather personal. Not many people knew about these things and here he was learning about it first hand.
“So,” Derek said suddenly. “Are you alright now?”
Remembering the previous night made Audrey falter but she finally answered with a shrug. “I guess.” Glancing at her companion she saw that he was still concerned so she decided a change of topic was much needed. “Gwen said she saw you in a magazine.”
Derek’s demeanor changed and turned sheepish much to the amusement of Audrey. “Gwen? You’re still in contact with her?”
“Of course,” she replied with a smile. Gwen Baker was her best friend from high school and still was. “Now, back to that magazine article,” she cut in teasingly.
“Knock it off,” he said looking annoyed.
Audrey laughed at his reaction and walked to his side. Poking his shoulder, she smiled at him. “C’mon don’t be shy. Tell me about it, architect genius and all.”
Derek faced her and sighed. “The magazine exaggerated.”
“I guess to an extent they did,” Audrey said in agreement but added, “Although, I must admit the houses featured in the article were really beautiful. The genius part was right on the dot.”
He shook his head and went back to his slouched leaning position on the counter. Derek then glanced at her, “You saw the magazine too?”
“I did.”
“What’s Heath’s job by the way?” he asked suddenly causing Audrey to wonder why he suddenly asked.
“He’s a freelancer. Heath does articles for random newspapers around. Or, magazines if he prefers.”
On hearing this, Derek cocked his head to the side and gave her a calculating look that made Audrey feel insecure. “What is it?” She asked unable to help herself.
“That hardly counts as a stable job.”
What he said surprised Audrey that she couldn’t answer back immediately. Once his comment fully settled in though she felt highly offended. Was he implying she had bad choice in men?
“So what if it doesn’t seem like a stable job? Heath is a great guy,” Audrey said in defense.
The glare she was directing at Derek didn’t even make him flinch. Resting his cheek on his palm, he gave her a solemn stare. “You told me once that you wanted to end up with someone who had a stable job. Were you really that serious with Heath?”
That caught her off guard and Audrey found herself unable to say anything. Finally, she was able to utter, “When did I say that?”
“Sometime during your freshman year.”
Audrey sighed. “But that was ages ago.”
There was a long pause and neither knew what to say. Finally, Derek sighed out, “Right.” Taking the forgotten mug of coffee, he resumed to drink in silence.
Once their beverages were finally finished, Audrey took the empty cups and deposited them in the sink. That done, she stared at the wall opposite her and exhaled deeply. Feeling annoyed with some strands of hair that slipped in front of her face, Audrey brought up her hand and put the rebellious tendrils behind her ear. It was then she noticed the coat she was still wearing.
Discreetly, she lowered her head and took a whiff. The familiar masculine scent she had grown accustomed to these past two weeks overwhelmed her and she bit her lip in disapproval of her actions. Before she could do anything stupid again, Audrey removed the coat and turned to face Derek.
“Here. Thanks for the coat,” she said and handed the clothing to him.
Surprised, Derek took it from her and frowned. “Hey, I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“No, that’s not it. It was getting warm already.” Pausing from what she wanted to say, she leaned her back on the side of the counter near Derek and continued, “Besides, I guess you were right. Maybe I really wasn’t that into Heath after all.”
“Oh? Why date him them?”
“Right time, right place? I don’t know. He just kind of grew on me. Heath’s the type of guy who people get to befriend so easily. The boy next door kind of guy. But in the end, he was just too bland for me.”
Derek chuckled. “Too bland? What a hit to the male ego.”
Audrey glanced at him and grinned. “He was the one who came to that conclusion. I’m just repeating what he said.”
He chuckled again and shook his head. Lifting up the left sleeve of the dress shirt he was wearing with his other hand, Derek saw in his wristwatch that it was already nine seventeen on the dot. The wedding ceremony was scheduled to take place at nine sharp. Knowing Shannon, she wouldn’t want anything to go wrong. Going to the wedding didn’t seem so appealing anymore. Not with Audrey here.
“What do you want to do now?” Derek asked as he straightened to his full height, a good six inches taller than her. Audrey could only shrug in reply. Thinking carefully he finally thought of something. “Want to watch a movie?”
“What? Movie? Are you kidding me?”
Derek smirked at her. “I kid you not. It’ll be fun.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, she balanced her whole body on one foot and crossed her arms underneath her chest to appear intimidating. “Fun,” she uttered in monotone. “Kind of random don’t you think?”
The sight of her in that pose was extremely sexy that Derek couldn’t help but let his eyes wander for a few seconds. Audrey still didn’t have shoes on and it made her legs seem more naturally stunning without the heels emphasizing her already wonderfully shaped legs. Derek’s cousin had told him once the importance of shoes for women. At this moment, he didn’t think they were really necessary to catch a guy’s attention if such a sight was presented him.
Then, her breasts. With her arms crossed like that, they seemed more emphasized. Framed, if you will. Corset top and arms crossed over were a deadly combination. Not to mention her hair. Taking it out of its knot awhile ago was a good call on her part. It made the innocence she usually portrayed vanish without a trace.
It was amazing how a woman could unconsciously seduce a man.
“Random?” he spoke with a smile genuinely glad that somehow he wasn’t caught checking her out. “I don’t really think so. Movie sounds just about right.”
Shaking her head, Audrey straightened and looked down at her attire. “If we’re watching a movie, I’ll just go change.”
“Don’t,” he said immediately making her raise an eyebrow at him. “Where is your sense of adventure?” he added as a challenge.
“Derek, last I checked, movie theaters didn’t have a dress code.”
“Exactly.”
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered in wonder. “You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“If I continue with this, I’m going to fight a losing battle wouldn’t I?”
“Yes.”
Sighing in defeat, she scowled at him “Fine. I’ll just go put on some shoes.”
Smiling widely, he nodded his head. “Go do that. And while you’re at it, grab a coat or your shawl at least.”
“I know.”
When she disappeared from the kitchen, Derek put on his own coat and followed after her.
A glance at his wristwatch had informed him of the time. Eleven twenty six. They had just finished the movie earlier which they watched twenty minutes into the film and didn’t bother wanting to see it from the start since it had such a well-worn plot. Only a few people were in the cinema that morning and even fewer in the theater in which they went into.
Now, the two of them were having an early lunch at a small urban café nearby. A lot of people had been glancing at them and neither of the two really cared. Derek though was greatly annoyed at the many men leering at his companion. Even with her cream leather coat, Audrey’s outfit still did her figure wonders.
“When are you flying back to Florida?” Audrey asked after drinking from her hot brewed coffee. Her second one that morning.
Derek shook his head and swallowed some of the chicken sandwich he had been chewing. “I’m not flying back to Florida. I thought you saw the article.”
“I saw it. I didn’t say that I read it,” she replied back smartly.
He smiled at her.
“Well,” she gestured for him to continue, “What do you mean you’re not flying back?”
“I’m moving here.”
Audrey felt her heart skip a bit. Move here? “What do you mean?”
“I’ve always thought about moving back here once I got my work going. Someone already hired me as a layout designer for their company. But that’s just a part time offer. I still have my own business to take care of. As it is, I already have fixed clients and all I have to do is finish my work here and send them the blueprints once they’re done. Of course, I still have to fly over their place if necessary.”
So sly. That’s what Audrey thought. If he was aiming to impress her, Derek failed in all points. If he wanted to make a point, however, he was successful in that aspect. Derek Kredel had a stable job and he was moving back to town. Combine that with last night’s revelation and Audrey found herself utterly lost. What was she going to do about Shannon’s confession?
“I see,” Audrey finally uttered. Leaning back on her chair, she glanced at the wide glass windows nearby and saw the pale snow people passing by had ignored. With a frown, she shook her head. “What a time for holding a wedding, huh?”
“Beats having it at February,” he replied with a grin.
Audrey smiled at him. “Yeah. Valentines is just too cliché. Kudos for Shannon in picking the right month of love.”
“Is December the month of love?”
She shrugged. “Personal opinion. With all the gift giving and Christmas cheer its hard not to feel loved at such an environment. Still, with all the love going on, it could become a drawback too. Lonely people get to feel extra desolate.”
“Do you feel lonely?” He inquired after another bite at his sandwich.
Audrey thought about it carefully and shook her head. “Not really. And you?”
“Define lonely.”
“Hmm,” she tapped her chin in contemplation and answered, “Being alone. Longing for companionship. Why? What’s your definition?”
“In a way, I guess it’s wanting something you don’t have,” he replied without missing a beat. The tone of his voice was indifferent so Audrey couldn’t really gauge anything personal about his reply.
Her eyebrows furrowed in perplexity. “To covet?”
“Yeah,” Derek said in agreement. “It’s like when you see people being happy, couples having a good time, kids without a care in the world, and then you ask yourself, ‘Why don’t I have that? Why can’t I have what they have?’ Even if you possess what someone would think the world of, sometimes it’s just not enough.
“A rich man can have every material thing anybody would want and yet not have love and wonder why things just don’t go right. Loneliness is a never ending yearning for something that would make you stop to feel the need to want,” Derek hesitated and grinned at Audrey. “Confused?”
“Not at all,” she smiled at him and contemplated what he had just said. Pondering over certain topics usually made Audrey interested with whatever or whoever brought up the idea. Derek was doing such a great job of that.
“Are you lonely then?” Audrey finally asked.
“Kind of,” was Derek’s immediate reply. He didn’t elaborate any further and she was afraid to pose more questions since that seemed like such a personal invasion of his privacy.
“Who isn’t?” Derek added catching her attention. “Don’t you want something, Audrey?”
“Do I?” she whispered to herself. Yes, she did. After eight years of a grudge held against him, she wanted to finally straighten things out. Shannon had caused this and Audrey wondered why she couldn’t be the one to fix it. All Shannon did was confess what had really happened all those years ago. Why did it have to be Audrey who had to finish this misunderstanding? What did Audrey have to do to get things right? What was she going to say? When was the right time to explain what she knew?
Among all these questions, only one plagued her the most. Why was Derek here spending time with her instead of making sure Shannon was making it up to him after what she did? The fight wasn’t about Audrey. There was nothing to settle between them. The only thing she did was to stand up for her sister. If that was the case, the only thing Derek needed to do was talk to Shannon, hear her apologize, and leave with his pride in tact.
Why was he here?
Audrey wasn’t stupid. But, eight years. That was just too long. What could he still want from her? They were two very different people now. They weren’t teenagers anymore. They both had jobs. They had responsibilities.
What did she want?
To get those eight years back.
“No,” she told Derek. “I don’t want anything.”
He smiled at her. “Good for you then.”
Derek sounded so sincere that Audrey wanted to take back her answer but refrained from doing so. Instead, she returned his smile as brightly as she could. “Thanks.”
With Derek’s chicken sandwich already finished along with Audrey’s own order, they both asked each other what they wanted to do next. Audrey answered by saying that she didn’t want to go outside anymore since it was too cold and her outfit was hardly fit for such a weather.
“Let’s go back to my parent’s house,” added Audrey. “They’ll be staying at the hotel where the reception is going to be held. Shannon wanted an all day party kind of reception so it’ll be really peaceful back home.”
“Back to the Reilly household it is,” said Derek as he stood up.
The two then left the café and reached the car Derek owned and got in. When the radio was turned on and placed in some random station, neither of them talked. They were too preoccupied with their own thoughts to say anything so it wasn’t awkward inside the vehicle.
By the time they reached their destination, it was already nearing one o’clock. Upon entering the house, Audrey hurried towards the heater and turned it on. Feeling warmth seep through her already semi-cold coat, she sighed in gratitude. Derek too entered the residence and was thankful for the warmth creeping through his body.
Audrey reached down and removed her shoes and while she was doing so, an idea came to Derek’s mind as he walked towards the family living room. “Hey, do you still have your high school yearbooks?”
“Yeah. They’re in the square cabinet in the hallway.”
Going towards it, Derek opened the latch and rummaged through what seemed like old photo albums. Finally seeing what he was after, he smiled and pulled out the yearbook he was last in, his senior year. Afterwards he proceeded to the lounge and found Audrey already seated comfortably on the sofa with the television turned on. Taking his place beside her, Derek leaned back with the yearbook still firmly in his grasp.
“What did you get?” Audrey questioned in interest trying to see the school year on the spine with little triumph.
“My senior year,” Derek replied with a grin.
Audrey didn’t bother to answer back and instead just watched as Derek opened the hardbound book in wonder. An occasional smile lit up his face as he saw many familiar faces.
“Hey, it’s Bianca Donald!” he commented on a portrait of a smiling girl. “I saw her a month ago. Gained a few pounds, that one.”
A slap on his shoulder caused him to look at Audrey and he raised an eyebrow when he saw that she was giving him a reprimanding scowl. “That’s not nice to say.”
Derek chuckled and apologized. Glancing back at the yearbook in his lap, he noticed many of the portraits had hand written messages underneath them. He read most of the short notes and was glad Audrey didn’t stop him from doing so. Not long after, in the sophomore section, Derek took his time in looking through the pictures there. One especially more so and he was very cautious in making sure Audrey didn’t notice this. It would have been embarrassing if she did.
Further into the book, Derek finally reached the senior batch. Flipping through the pages, he stopped once he saw a portrait of a grinning teenager with dark brown almost black muddled hair with matching deep forest green eyes. A picture of a younger Derek Kredel.
“Wow,” he said and gave Audrey a quick glance. “I thought this would have been vandalized or something.”
At first she didn’t understand but upon eyeing the page he was in, she grew guilty suddenly. That thought did cross her mind in the past but she was glad that she didn’t follow through with her plan.
Thinking of something to say, Audrey then asked as she saw Shannon’s photo quickly pass out of her sight, “How are things with you and my sister?” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she almost cringed.
“Fine,” countered Derek in disinterest.
Suppressing the want to groan, Audrey scooted closer to Derek until the side of her thighs touched his. The contact made him freeze from inspecting the book further and he glanced at her.
“What is it?” he queried and willed his eyes to be trained on her blue gray ones. It wasn’t that hard of a task. In fact, he rather liked looking at her eyes.
“Why are you here, Derek?”
“Shannon inv –“
Audrey cut him off. “I know that. After that incident though, you guys being friends with each other just seems farfetched.”
Derek studied her and closed the hardbound book in his lap. Holding the publication in his right hand, he put his elbows on his knees and let the book dangle in-between them. “I’m trying to make things right,” he said with an inexpressive tone.
“Then why are you here? If you want to settle things with my sister you should be at her wedding.” Audrey was starting to get frustrated and annoyed. Why was he giving her such an offhanded answer? Can’t he just be straight to the point for once?
Derek sighed. Placing the yearbook on the space beside him, he turned his full attention back to Audrey. “Shannon called me and told me to come. I didn’t want to at first but then she told me you were coming and that she’d tell you something. I took the earliest flight.”
“Tell me what?” she challenged.
Shaking his head, he said, “It’s not my place to tell.”
“Why not?”
“Because you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“You didn’t believe me then and I doubt you’d do so now.”
Audrey was glaring at him out of aggravation on everything that was happening. Standing up from the couch, she turned to him and was close to shouting. “Why are you here? Derek, it was a petty squabbling that should have been forgotten. We were young. Just move on.”
Lowering his head, Derek pinched the bridge of his nose and a deep frown marred his features. “I can’t.”
“Why? Eight years. That’s nearly a decade. How could you not move on?”
“Just because,” he replied with his voice clipped. His patience was wavering and he too was starting to get irritated with the over thought topic.
“Just because? That’s hardly an answer!”
Derek was scowling now as he stood up to face her. “Why are you angry?”
“Because I’m so confused!” she yelled at him. When Audrey saw his serious expression, she looked away. “Why did you have to come back? I never asked to see you again.”
Glancing up at his face, she felt guilty at her choice of words when she noticed he appeared wounded by them. Never had she seen Derek Kredel look so lost and the sight of which made her want to cry.
“Everything I am,” he started to say in a quiet whisper, “was everything you wanted. If you don’t understand what I’ve lived for this past eight years, then I don’t know what else to do.”
Audrey felt so torn. Derek knew she wasn’t naïve enough to think that he only came back here to settle the dispute between him and Shannon. A few hours after he arrived from Florida, Audrey already knew he was interested in her. What was she going to do?
“Is it hard for you to grasp that some men are willing to wait it out this long just to ask for a chance?” he asked quietly when she didn’t say anything.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of silence, Audrey spoke, “Shannon told me last night.” She avoided Derek’s face at all costs as she felt a wet prickly feeling at her eyes. “I feel so stupid.”
When Audrey brought her hands up to hide her face, Derek rushed towards her and held her wrists. A few tears leaked down to her cheeks and she was shaking her head. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” she said with her voice shaky. Derek pushed her hands aside and pulled at the back of her neck to make her lean on him. She complied without hesitation.
“I’m so sorry for saying all those things and hitting you,” Audrey declared, her voice muffled through his dress shirt. “I didn’t know. Shannon’s such a bitch.”
Derek chuckled at the vehemence in her voice and held her to him tightly. It was rare for her to swear and hearing her do it was comical whatever the situation was. “So,” Derek finally spoke when Audrey settled down somewhat. “You already know?”
Audrey only nodded her head in reply. A sigh escaped his lips and he pulled away from her. When he peeked at her face, Audrey’s eyes were puffy and her cheeks were wet and slightly pink from crying. Smiling kindly at her, he wiped the dampness dry and kissed her forehead.
Closing her eyes, Audrey saw it clearly in her mind. Derek standing by the entrance of the tailor’s with his eyes hidden behind heavily tinted sunglasses. If she was honest with herself then, she would have acknowledged how her heartbeat skipped at seeing him. Deep down, she was ecstatic he was there. Now that everything was out in the open, what was she going to do?
Audrey looked up at Derek when she felt his thumb brush gingerly at her jaw. The gaze he had on her was intense and before she could even comprehend just how close his face was to hers, he kissed her.
It had been something he had wanted to do for eight years now. In fact, Derek was only aiming to linger for a few seconds but when Audrey opened her mouth as an invitation, he took the initiative and deepened the kiss.
All Audrey could do was cling to his shoulders when she felt her knees weaken. As if sensing her predicament, Derek ushered her to the couch and was disoriented when she held onto his neck as she lied down leaving him on top of her. This wasn’t what he had in mind. He led her there to sit. Not this. Derek didn’t have the heart to complain though. How could he, honestly?
This was going too fast but far be it from Derek to stop now. Pulling away, he took pleasure in hearing Audrey gasping for breath. Trailing his mouth down to her jaw and lower to her neck, he glided over her skin stopping only when Audrey sighed quietly. He had found a sensitive spot. Licking and nibbling at it, he started to suck and felt her hands rake through his hair enticingly.
Too fast but Audrey just couldn’t say no. She was too intoxicated of his body on top of her to care. What he was doing to her now would surely leave a nasty mark but at the idea that he was the one leaving it, it made her want to beg him to freely mark her anywhere he wanted. Derek was still sucking at her neck when Audrey started kissing his temple in an act of encouragement to do as he pleased.
Feeling he had abused that part of her enough, Derek trailed down to her collarbone and left hot trails of kisses along the way. Once he reached the top mound of her left breast, he stopped and gave her a tentative lick near her cleavage. Audrey arched up at him.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, both Derek’s hands slithered to her back and hastily searched for the knot of her crisscrossing ribbons. Finally finding it, he tugged in earnest.
This was it. No turning back now. The knot came free and with a few more strategic pulls, Audrey’s corset top loosened. Bringing his face back to hers, they had their lips locked hungrily and Derek groaned when he felt Audrey fumbling with the buttons of his shirt.
After so many nights of very graphic, vivid dreams of this, Derek felt himself shake in anticipation. Damn, this was it. This was the real thing.
Just as he was about to dart his hands inside Audrey’s skirt, a very familiar, annoying voice interrupted his attempt.
“What a fast turn of events,” Shannon teased from the living room entrance.
Pulling back with a gasp, both Audrey and Derek stared at each other before sitting up and glancing at the intruder, the former holding the top of her dress in fear of it falling down.
Shannon laughed gaily when she saw that the two of them were scowling at her, Derek even more so. Nothing could really ever make her feel bad. Of course, what she did eight years ago made her feel terrible but now, after seeing the two obviously all over each other, she was immensely happy again.
“What are you doing here?” Derek snapped at her in pure irritation.
Gesturing down towards her white Couture gown, she replied, “Got to change to my party clothes. I tried dancing with this and it was just too hard.”
“Then go,” he retorted back in frustration.
Clicking her tongue, she shook her head at him in a disapproving manner that annoyed him further. Sending her sister a meaningful glance, she left them to go up to her room.
A few minutes later, she came down still in her gown but a bag in hand. “I’m changing at the venue to give you guys more time to do whatever.” With a wave of her hand, she said, “Ciao.”
As she left, Derek sighed and swung his legs to the side of the couch and slouched down to hide his face in his hands, his elbows on his knees. When he remained silent, Audrey started to fidget in worry. Did he feel bad at what happened? Did he regret it? What was he thinking?
Biting her lip, Audrey still held onto her top and glanced at Derek in discomfort. “Derek,” she started but wasn’t able to say anything else.
Finally, he answered, his voice muffled through his hand. “I’m thinking of Grama Tessie.”
The comment made Audrey laugh causing him to lift his head and frown at her. “Hey, this is no laughing matter,” he mumbled heavily. His voice was still rough and uneven due to the event earlier.
“Do you think it’ll work?” she questioned with a grin.
Eyeing her disheveled hair, hands at her chest keeping her dress in place, lips bruised, and that spot on her neck, he shook his head when his attention drifted back to her face. “No, I don’t think it will.”
Slowly, Derek leaned closer and Audrey felt restless not knowing what he had in mind. He stopped a few inches from her face and said, “I don’t want you wearing that dress around other men.”
Raising her eyebrows at him in surprise, Audrey inquired, “And when did you have the right to tell me what to do?”
“I’ve marked you,” Derek replied while pushing lightly at the hickey he caused.
Feeling the urge to flirt, Audrey shot back, “That won’t stay there you know.”
“Then I’ll leave another mark,” he said without missing a beat. Audrey swallowed hard. As if that wasn’t enough, he added. “I’ll make two. One at the same spot but I want the other one hidden where only you could see.”
Audrey knew she was blushing hard. Whenever she did, the pink tinge reached just above her chest and Derek seemed to like seeing her flushed and flustered. To hide her embarrassment, Audrey mumbled, “Stop joking around.”
“I’m not joking around.”
Not knowing what else to say, she uttered out clumsily, “We’re going too fast.” When she saw that she had Derek’s full attention, she continued, “It’s been eight years. We have jobs now, responsibilities. We’re very different from what we were in high school, Derek.”
With furrowed eyebrows, he asked gently, “What do you want?”
Not even thinking about it, she answered immediately, “I want those eight years back.”
“Then we’ll get them back.”
She frowned at him. “It’s that easy?”
“If you’ll let me,” he whispered and took her hand in his.
Thinking about his offer, Audrey studied him carefully. Seeing that he was entirely sincere, she answered barely above a whisper, “Okay.”
Hearing her reply, Derek closed the gap between them and kissed her very thoroughly. In a few seconds, he had Audrey’s mind reeling. In less than a minute, they were back lying down on the couch, their positions as they were before Shannon walked in on them.
With Audrey’s hands liberating the final buttons of his shirt and with Derek finally caressing at her thighs, they aimed on releasing all the sexual frustration they had building up for the last eight years.
And, this time, nobody walked in to stop them.
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(end)
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