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Rowan
Once Jason has pulled out of the driveway and is out of sight, I pause at the front door and lean back against the wall, trying to compose myself. I’m still trying to catch up with everything that’s happened tonight. The double date, Carly getting sick in the bathroom …
Dereck taking care of her.
I hadn’t expected that from him, that’s for sure. I remember Dereck best as a bully from high school, the guy I’d avoid in the halls because I couldn’t face his lame insults and sneering. Never in my young life did I ever think I would see someone like Dereck Denny holding his date’s hair back as she loses her entire meal in a public restroom.
I shrug off my jacket and shoes and make my way upstairs to check on Carly. If anything else had happened tonight, I would have followed them straight up the stairs, just to make sure Dereck wasn’t up here trying to take advantage of a drunk girl. But as I push open Carly’s bedroom door, she’s there on the bed, and Dereck is removing her second shoe. She’s still dressed, but he’s removed her jacket and shoes. He looks up as I come in, and the grateful smile I have for him is tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“Thank you,” I whisper as Dereck plugs in her cell phone and goes to the chair in the corner for a throw blanket. He lays it over her, and I notice that he’s even filled a glass of water from her bathroom sink for her. Carly doesn’t wake during the commotion, and by the time we back out of her bedroom, she’s snoring again.
For a long moment that seems to go on for centuries, Dereck and I stand facing each other in the dimly lit hallway. His hands are shoved in the pockets of his jeans, and he looks sheepish, like he should know what to say to break the tension in the air. Finally, after what seems like hours later, he smiles, just a little bit, and turns to leave.
“Can you have her call me in the morning, so I know she’s okay?” he asks, making his way towards the stairs. My mouth opens and closes again like a dying fish, and something odd in my gut makes me speak the words I say next.
“Wait,” I call, and Dereck stops at the top of the stairs, his back to me. I see his shoulders tense, and then he turns around. He’s still smiling. Holy crap, I love that smile.
All the girls do.
“Would you like to warm up before you leave?” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I see Dereck’s shoulders visibly relax. The smile on his face grows, just a bit more, and he shrugs one shoulder and nods. His defined quarterback muscles flex under his t-shirt, and my knees shudder.
“Sure.”
“I have a coffee maker in my room.” I clear the lump in my throat and look down at the ground, wishing I could kick myself. “Wanna just join me in there?” The words spill out before I can stop them, and I want to lodge my foot down my throat and take everything back.
But I don’t. I say nothing more.
This bright idea of mine seems to take Dereck by surprise, as well, because he hesitates for a moment, eyebrows shooting straight up.
“Uh, sure.”
“I mean, you don’t have to, but I—” I trail off, cutting myself off before things get even more awkward. I nod once and step past the bathroom door to the second bedroom, which is my room. I push the door open the rest of the way and flip the lights on as Dereck comes in, stopping in the middle of my bedroom floor to look around, eyes scanning the décor on my walls.
“So,” he says with a low whistle. “This is the famous Rowan Bates’ bedroom.”
“Yeah. Welcome.” Without thinking twice about it, I turn and close my bedroom door behind us, hoping we haven’t woken Jamie with all the drunk-roommate ruckus. Dereck pretends not to notice me do this, and instead walks over to the photos hanging on the wall, admiring them.
“How old were you here?” he asks, pointing at the framed photo of my parents and I on a beach vacation I barely remember.
“Around seven, I think.” I join his side, hyper aware of how physically close we are, standing in my bedroom, completely alone.
“You were cute,” Dereck says, glancing sideways at me. “What happened?”
I’m surprised at the giggle that slips through my lips, but I stop it abruptly when I see Dereck smiling, too. It’s impossible to forget that at one time in my life, Dereck Denny and his crew made my life a living-hell.
“I’m only teasing,” Dereck says softly, turning his body to face mine. I keep my eyes on his face, mostly because I know if I don’t concentrate, I’ll end up staring instead at the lump in his jeans that I’m suddenly desperate to reach out and touch. “I love these photos.”
“Oh, do you?” I can’t stop the sarcasm from weighing heavily in my voice. Dereck looks surprised at the change in my demeanor, and his brows crumple again, clearly confused.
“Yes, I do,” he says earnestly. “It looks to me like you’re close with your family. You’re lucky to have them.”
“I know I am.” I drop my gaze and walk away from him, taking a seat on the edge of my bed. I feel tense suddenly, wondering if I’d made a mistake inviting this man into my bedroom so late at night.
“Are you okay?” Dereck asks. “Is it something I said?” He stays in the middle of the room, which is quite a relief because, despite my apparent anger at him, all I can think about is how good his hands would feel running up and down my body.
“They’re the only reason I’m still alive, you know,” I tell him, forcing my eyes away from him and to the photos on the wall. “They saved my life.”
“That’s what family is for, isn’t it?” Dereck smiles again, and for the first time since I’ve been around him, his smile seems nothing short of … genuine.
