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“I…” I stammer. I’m unsure what I want right now. My stomach is full of the tacos, chips, and guac we consumed, and I’m not sure I could eat much more. “Something light?” I ask him, brows lifting in question.
“I’ve gotcha,” he tells me.
I smile because I feel like he really does. He has me in more ways than one. He is going to take care of me tonight, that much I can tell, but I’m also wrapped around his finger. If he told me to go down on him in this bar, I just might do it. That’s how much of a fool I am for this man. I’ve got to get a grip before I do something stupid.
Derek turns to the bartender and places our order. The music coming from the stage is so loud that I can’t hear what he says. I’m guessing there’s no chance of us talking while we’re in here. I can barely even hear my own thoughts.
As if he can read my mind, he leans and in and tells me, “This band is going to be taking a break soon. Then the next band, the one I want to see, comes on. We’ll have some time before it gets loud in here again.”
I just nod.
“Relax, Aud. It’s just you and me.” His voice in my ear sends vibrations down my neck and gives me a chill. I lean in closer to him.
“I know, it just feels bigger than you and me.”
He turns back to grab the drinks from the bartender, his stoic expression giving nothing away. I rock back and forth on my heels, staring at the drink he’s about to hand me.
“It’s a whiskey sour.”
I start laughing, remembering the last time we drank these together. He has one too, and it makes my heart so happy that he remembered. Derek and I got so drunk on these on my and Aiden’s twenty-second birthday. We laughed all night together. Aiden thought we were nuts. But we didn’t care. Nothing happened, much to my drunken dismay. But I’ve always loved the memory of when he treated me more like a friend than his bandmate’s twin sister who he’s known since he was twelve.
“Figured you could use something good,” he whispers in my ear. The music has stopped. He was right, we didn’t have much time left on that band’s set. But I love that he whispered anyway. Like it was a secret just for him and me to keep.
We make our way to an empty table. I watch as Derek cases the place, making sure everything is just as it should be. I’m assuming he’s also checking that he hasn’t been noticed. I don’t think he has. At least, if so, no one has approached us. I guess time will tell.
“Do you ever get sick of it?” I ask him.
He smiles, watching me carefully before answering. “Only when I have a secret I can’t tell anyone else.”
I take a sip before I answer. “Are you referring to the truth of you and Serena?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I’m referring to you. I wouldn’t mind if the whole bar—hell, the whole town—knew I was out here with you. But that would bring on some many complications that I wouldn’t do that to you, or the others.”
The response smacks me in the face. “You mean Serena?”
He shakes his head, laughing. “I don’t care what that spoiled bitch thinks. She would rain a shitstorm down on me, sure. But she’s not the one I’m worried about.”
“Who are you worried about?”
“You,” he says, as if the answer is just that simple. “I wouldn’t want things to get harder for you. I don’t want to jeopardize your work or your life. Fans can be mean, Audrey, and I don’t want them coming for you because they think they have a right to do that.”
I nod, reaching across the table and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. He kisses my knuckles before releasing me. I’ve known Derek Walsh for a long time, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about him,. But this, this level of honesty and sincerity from him, isn’t something I was expecting.
“You’re not what I thought you’d be like tonight,” I finally tell him.
He smirks. “And what were you expecting?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit, realizing I should have known he was going to ask that, and I would have no answer for it.
“Okay, then,” he says, letting the subject drop.
“Who is this band you want to see perform?” I ask him, effectively changing the subject.
“They’re called Legend, and I’ve seen them a few times on YouTube. I’ve always wanted to see them in person.” He smiles. “Apparently, we’re near their hometown,” he adds in, and then he continues to talk about their sound. His eyes light up when he talks about music, and he’s the most adorable man when he does. He’s so animated and passionate; had I known this was the result I would get, I would have asked him a thousand questions about it.
“So, what’s new with your work?” he eventually asks. “You mentioned that you didn’t have to shoot anything yet, but what about your clients?”
I smile when he asks me about work. Most people just refer to it as “That little fitness thing.” And by most people, I mean my parents.
