Everyone Has Secrets

Chapter 4

Her plane had landed in the early hours of that morning, but she still managed to drag herself out of bed to follow her usual trail. Part of her felt nervous that she'd run into Derek, but she also figured it was probably a little over dramatic to think she'd see him again.

She walked along the familiar path, headphones in with her hands stuffed in her pockets. The days were definitely getting colder now, and it was likely to rain again today. She looked up as she approached the familiar oak tree she stopped to look at every time she walked past.

She sat down on a nearby tree stump, still feeling the tiredness from her flight as she yawned, covering her mouth. She pulled her phone out, a message there from her Mom asking about dinner. She ignored it for now and instead started scrolling through the music on her phone.

Eventually deciding to set it to shuffle, she looked up again, only to half-jump out of her skin when she saw Derek standing there, leaning against a nearby tree and watching her. She took her headphones out and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What the hell?" She asked, still a little breathless from the scare.

"You spook easily," he said, his head tilting to the side with a soft chuckle as she stood up off the tree stump, "When did you get back to town?"

"Very early this morning," she said, not even sure really why she felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

"Would it be weird if I missed you?" He asked, approaching her.

"Yes, you barely even know me," she said with a soft laugh, shaking her head, "and I didn't even think you liked me that much."

She hadn't tied her hair up today and the motion caused her loose waves to be picked up by the wind, catching across her face. Before she could protest, Derek was standing in front of her, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ears, out of the way, and she found herself looking up into his eyes. His hand cupped her cheek, and the familiar weakness in her knees returned and she found herself gently biting her lower lip.

"That's the exact opposite of how I feel," he said with a slight murmur.

"So, you like being told what to do?" She gave him a slight smirk, her hand reaching to his forearm with a gentle touch.

"Maybe if it's you telling me what to do," he smirked back at her.

"This is a bad idea," she murmured softly, watching the flickering of his gaze between her lips and her eyes, gently pulling his arm down so that his hand dropped from her face.

"How so?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, his hand moving to her waist, pulling her slightly toward him, catching her off guard a moment.

"Because it just is," she said with a sigh, stepping back from him.

"Can I at least take you for that apology drink?" He asked, watching her closely.

"You're getting persistent," she observed, narrowing her eyes a little.

"I don't think you realise the effect you have on me," he said, stepping towards her as she took another step back.

"Maybe I don't, but this is still a bad idea, regardless," she said, not even believing her own words as she felt an invisible pull toward him, the urge to get her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Your eyes are telling me a different story," he said quietly.

"Vivre d'amour et d'eau fraîche," she muttered softly as his hand cupped her cheek again, slowly backing her up against the oak tree, "My eyes betray me, and they will disappoint you, I will disappoint you."