Derik pulled back and smiled down at me. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. He had been my best friend for six years. We had always been close. We had never had any issues with touching each other, but we had never touched like that. What was I supposed to do? I just didn't know.

Derik's large hands were on my cheeks as his expression became horrified. He was frightened that he had done something wrong, but I couldn't say it was wrong. I was just dumbstruck. Stupefied. Did I really love Derik in such a way?

Finally, after what only felt like moments to me and probably years to Derik, I licked my lips and smiled up at him, "Well," I placed my hand over one of his, "didn't expect that. Aren't I the one that usually acts before thinking?"

Derik chuckled and I could feel the relief as it washed over him. I guess it did make sense for us to be more than what we always had been. There had always been a deep connection, I was just too dumb to notice it and Derik was just to timid to act on it. God! I was such an idiot!

I leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't count the times that I had stood in this very place. The place that always made me feel so right. I was in the arms of my best friend and I had always told myself that I loved it because he was always there for me. I never once thought that it was because there was something more.

Derik kissed the top of my head as I heard his sweet voice drift down to me, "Believe me, CiCi, I've been thinking about that for quite some time…"

I chuckled as I pulled back and looked up into those pale eyes. It was then that my mind started to wander. Just because I had started something new with Derik didn't mean I was off memory lane. Oh, the places the mind went…

It was prom. Derik and I had been friends for nearly four months, it took him some time to open up to me. I was standing in my room as I looked at myself in the full length mirror. I had thought I looked horrible. My mother hadn't let me get the dress that I had wanted and she had picked out a plain black dress with a square neckline and three quarters length bell sleeves. Thinking back, that dress was simply beautiful, but I had wanted to wear something a bit more revealing. I wanted to be taken notice of, it wasn't going to happen in that dress.

There was a light tapping at my door and I turned to see Markus standing there in the doorway. His dark hair was falling into his eyes and he was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He didn't have a girlfriend and had no desire to go to prom, "Derik's here," he gave me a simple lopsided grin before he added, "You look really nice, Sis."

I rolled my eyes as I looked at myself again. My riotous curls were piled on top of my head like a messy nest that the birds had even abandoned, but that was the way my hair always were. There was no controlling my hair and that was why I always wore it in braids, "Right," I shrugged it off as I stepped over to him, "Dad's not giving me away for my first prom?"

Markus had shook his head and held his hand out to me, "He's at work. There was an emergency."

I nodded, "Right," I sighed as Markus led me out of my room and down the hall to the stairs. I loved my family, I really did, but being the middle child, especially when the oldest is an MVP and valedictorian and the youngest are twins, I was kind of forgotten periodically. For the most part I was used to it, but at times it still stung. Dad would be there for Hannah and Jewel…

I descended the stairs to find Derik standing in the front room. He might have looked frightened, that was normal, but he still looked amazing. His mop of black hair had been combed out of his face and I got to see how perfect his features really were for the first time. He was wearing a simple black tux with a black shirt and tie. I wasn't sure I had seen anyone look more dashing and it was that impish smile he gave me that made him seem so much cuter.

Derik fumbled with the little black box he had in his hands for a few moments as he stumbled over his words, "CiCi, you, I've never," he stopped and took a deep breath as he opened the box to show me a small orchid corsage, "You look beautiful."

I cursed myself as I thought about that night. It was our first prom and we went to all four proms together. I should have known that night that Derik liked me. I should have known that I liked him. I still couldn't find many men that I found more appealing than Derik, "I am so stupid!"

Derik cocked his head to the side as his expression became curious, "CiCi?"

I chuckled as I shook my head, "Our first prom," I sighed, "You liked me as far back as our first prom."

Derik nodded, "Yes," he sighed, "I wasn't sure how you felt," he stopped, "Actually, I'm still not sure how you feel. CiCi?"

I chuckled as I pulled him down for a quick kiss, "You silly man!" I shook my head, "I do love you! Why did you wait so long!"

Derik gave me that very impish smile that I loved, "It's one of the reasons that you love me."

I chuckled as I placed my hands against his chest, "Oh, Derik!" I shook my head, "You silly man."