Homeless

Chapter 14

Derek's POV

I can tell Danielle is excited to have me stay. In all honesty, I'm excited to stay as well. Her home is the most inviting place I've experienced in years. On top of that, I now get to live with the most incredible woman I've ever met.

However a part of me worries. I worry about what her friends will think. I worry about us not getting along. I worry about me not being able to get on my feet. There are so many things popping in and out of my head.

When I turn my attention back to Danielle, she is smiling from ear to ear. Her smile quiets my thoughts and brings me back to earth. I can't help but smile back.

"I'm so happy you're staying," she says.

"Me too," I say.

We are sitting next to each other on the bed, her hand on my thigh. I place my hand on top of hers and before I can stop myself, I place a small kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," I say softly.

"You can do that again," Danielle responds.

I know she is talking about the kiss but I freeze. I didn't even realize I was going in for that but it happened. I don't want to push the boundaries but I also don't want to leave her hanging.

I plant another small kiss on her cheek, holding for a second longer this time. It feels natural but also so foreign. The only time I've been intimate with a woman was when I was living in Queens a few years ago. And that's a time in my life that I want to forget.

As I pull back from her cheek, Danielle turns her face towards me, offering me her lips. I want to kiss her but I continue to hesitate. I'm so scared of messing this up.

She leans into me and places a kiss on my lips, making the decision for me. It's short and sweet but holds so much potential. I pull back and so does she.

"I should... go," I say, standing up. "I'll make us  breakfast."

I quickly shuffle out of Danielle's room and down the stairs to the kitchen. When I get to the kitchen, I place both my hands on the island and take a few deep breaths.

That's definitely just made things more complicated.

Danielle's POV

I sit on the edge of my bed feeling a bit dumbfounded. Everything happened so quickly, from me asking him to stay, him saying yes, the kisses on the cheek and then the kiss on the lips.

It was also so perfect. At least for me. Derek ran downstairs soon after we kissed and I'm scared that I might have turned him off.

I stand up and pace around my room a few times as I try and figure out what to do. My gut tells me to call Anna but I know that will only lead to more questions and more problems.

I instead pace back and forth for 10 more minutes before I decide to go downstairs. It's definitely something we need to talk about.

"Hey," I say as I enter the kitchen. I take a seat at the island as Derek moves around the kitchen. I see two plates of blueberry pancakes, both of them with butter and a thick blueberry syrup on the side. I can't wait to dig in.

"Hey," Derek says. He places a plate in front of me and the other at the seat to my left. "I made some orange juice as well if you're interested."

"That sounds good."

Derek places a tall glass of orange juice in front of me. I take a sip and it's yummy.

"Thanks," I say.

Derek simply nods before taking a seat next to me. He's shutting down again and I know it's because of the kiss.

I take a bite of the pancakes and as expected, they're incredible.

"These are delicious Derek. Thank you."

Derek says thanks without looking up from his plate. We eat in silence for a few minutes before I finally bring up the kiss.

"Did I make you uncomfortable earlier?" I ask.

Derek stops eating and slowly puts down his fork. He grabs a napkin and wipes his face.

"I... I wasn't uncomfortable. I just feel like... that definitely blurred the line. In all honesty, I don't know where we stand." Derek looks at me. "I don't know if I'm your employee, your roommate, your charity case, your boyfriend? I don't know."

When Derek speaks, a bit of reality sets in. He's right. From the cuddling on the couch to the kiss upstairs, it's definitely become unclear where we stand. I didn't realize just how strong I had come on. Derek responded in kind but I feel like I've screwed up by not being a better communicator.

"To start," I say, carefully thinking about my words, "I'm really sorry that I've come on so strong. You're definitely not a charity case. When I saw you in the alley, I saw someone who could use some kindness in his life. But when I brought you into my home, I started to see more than that.

"I saw a person who was strong and resilient. I... I was attracted to that. And then the way you've comforted me during this storm... I keep learning more and more about you and the more I learn, the more I realize that I really like you Derek." When I finally share my feelings, it feels good. But I'm also nervous for Derek's reaction.

"I really like you too," Derek finally says. He looks at me and smiles. "You're beautiful, kind and generous. To top it off, I really just enjoy being in your presence. I just... don't want to mess this up."

"I don't think there's anything to mess up," I say. "I feel like our friendship and relationship has kinda just progressed organically. We can just let it continue to grow naturally with no added pressure from us."

"I think that's fair." Derek looks at me. "So I guess I'm your roommate, your employee but also maybe something a little more."

I can't help the small smile that comes on my face. "Yeah, maybe we'll be something a little more."

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Thank you all for reading and commenting. Your comments have been so much fun to read and respond to. This is definitely the most I've been engaged with readers while writing and I'm enjoying it.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Did I speed things along too quickly? There is also so much more to come from this story!

Thanks and see y'all in the next update!